2 Thessalonians 3:8

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8 Neither [oude] did we eat [phago] any man's [para] [tis] bread [artos] for nought; [dorean] but [alla] wrought [ergazomai] with [en] labour [kopos] and [kai] travail [mochthos] night [nux] and [kai] day, [hemera] that [pros] we might [epibareo] not [me] be chargeable [epibareo] to any [tis] of you: [humon] KJV-Interlinear

8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; NASB

Paul accepted gifts of money, food, lodging, and others items of support when they were offered voluntarily, but he never demanded, requested, nor expected any support for his work in his ministry.

Paul here states clearly, that his intention was not for the availability of the teaching of the scriptures to be a burden of any kind on those who wanted it.

No one should be placed in a position where they must pay for doctrine, or not have it. And no one should be placed in a position of feeling guilty because they do not pay, or cannot pay, some form of support.

Paul worked for his support and that may have placed a burden on Paul in that he was doing a sort of double burden, but that was his calling and God made provision to Paul either from his labors, Pauls labors, or from folks who stepped forward voluntarily, to offer him support.

Now, support of the ministry is always a sticky point in the minds of many folks. Many churches obviously need finances in order to pay their bills, and that is reasonable for those who become members of a local church, that they should support their own church.

However, doctrine comes from many sources.This study is an obvious non-church source and the rules still apply, but on a different level.

God provides for us all.God provides those who will support by labor, by prayer, or by financial means. And as long as there are those who are willing and desire the teaching of the scriptures, then God will make it all come together one way or another.

Your obligation to support whatever source you get your spiritual food from, is between you and the Lord.

Your first obligation in life is to study, listen and learn and grow up, and to not worry about anything else. Most folks have enough of a difficult time, just making their own ends meet. The last thing that anyone needs is to feel an obligation for Gods Word.

Sooner or later in life, God will supply you with the means so you can support the teaching of His Word, but that should not even enter into your mind, nor even any guilt for your inability.God is wealthy, and does not need your money nor anything that you have.

God is I Am. Do you remember that from our study in Exodus?Do you remember what I Am means?

Remember that Moses was asking how he was going to accomplish all of this exodus stuff. In his mind he was going to need money and equipment and ammunition and training and so forth in order to defeat the Egyptians.But God says, in effect, No, you don t need any of those things.

But what will the people say?What is your name? Who is it that is sending me?

I Am.

And God repeated it three times, not for identification of the trinity, but for emphasis on the source of all support.

God is infinite support.God possesses infinite resources.And I Am, means He who possesses infinite resources.

For every ten-thousand, it only takes a few to adequately support anything, as a general rule. In many situations, God provides the means of support through other ways.You have a job for your support.And while we are all in the same boat, in that we have bills to pay and financial pressures as everyone has, God supports us all in the same manner.

The principle here is that doctrine should be freely available to everyone, without restriction and without hindrance. It should not be available to only the rich, or the well to do. And thus God sends many folks, in varying circumstances, into spiritual field so that folks all over the world will have the opportunity of growing up to spiritual maturity.

And so whether you live in a hut or in a mansion, whether you receive your doctrine on the internet, in a tent, or in a cathedral, all of those things are irrelevant. What does matter is that you have access to doctrine, want doctrine, and make it a high priority in your life.

Sooner or later in your life, God will engage you in more of a role in His plan. And whether it is visible to others or to God alone, makes no difference. Your relationship is with God, and that is what matters more than anything.

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