Holy Boldness

and did not take extra supplies, they stepped into a kingdom dynamic before they ever reached the first village. As they went, the kingdom’s presence came upon their obedience which would inspire and quicken them for their encounter with the people they were about to engage.

Should Ministers of the Gospel be paid?

At the same time, Jesus affirmed that a person’s labor is worthy of compensation. Discipline and hard work are involved when making oneself ready to minister in the name of Christ. When a minister is com pensated for his work it is not for the Gospel he preaches or the miracles that flow through him or her for these things are priceless. A person must be paid for their labor. It is impossible to pay for the gospel because it is from another dimension. It is beyond the minister’s natural resources. It is the gift of God. However, there is still labor involved in accessing that grace and delivering it. We are not suggesting that someone must pay for the heavenly gift. The gift of God is free. But Jesus still said that a laborer was worthy of compensation. Jesus did not send His disciples to sell the Gospel or to be a bunch of freeloaders. But He did tell His disciples that assistance they might receive along the way was appropriate and honorable “for the laborer is worthy of his hire.” And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (Matt 10:11-13) Jesus sent out His disciples on mission with a specific instruction about what to do once they entered a city- find the man of peace! This was wise and practical counsel. Finding a man of peace or one who was worthy wherever they went was the first priority. The man of peace need ed to be someone with a good reputation and who had a wide audience in the city where the apostles could stay. The man (or woman) of peace may or may not be a believer but being a man of peace would insure a relational platform to share the gospel. Cornelius, the Centurion, was the man of peace who created an opening for Peter’s preaching of the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 10. Lydia was Paul’s wo man of peace in Thyatira that gave him a platform to preach the gospel there. Kingdom Accommodation: The Man of Peace

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