Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Intro 1. 0:43 {The Pastor’s Salary: How MUCH?} How much should pastors be paid for their work in the ministry? 2. 37:30 {Interpretations for Private Tongues?} When the gift of speaking in tongues is in operation, do the same requirements and standards exist for private/smaller ministry gatherings as they do the corporate gatherings of a church service? For example, if someone in the background is praying in tongues while you are praying for someone at a hospital, does that still demand an interpretation? 3. 49:38 {Images of God: Ever Biblical?} Author J.I. Packer states that the 2nd commandment forbids using images of God for worship (such as paintings or statues/icons of God) and that images cannot capture His power & only serve as a crutch when worshiping Him. Thoughts? 4. 58:19 {Was Jesus Tempted with Unbelief?} As a former atheist, the verse in Hebrews 4: 15 comforts and confuses me; how could the Son of Man be tempted with unbelief in Himself? 5. 1:03:03 {Immediate or Messianic Prophecy?} It looks like Isaiah 7: 14 is fulfilled in Isaiah 8:4. The prophecy seems to describe something immediate and not messianic. What do we do with Matthew seemingly saying it is a messianic prophecy? 6. 1:07:45 {How to “Obey the Gospel”} How do we answer those who think “obeying the Gospel” means physical obedience (works)? They cite verses like 1 Peter 1: 22, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Romans 10: 16, and Matthew 7: 21. 7. 1:16:07 {Did The Apostles Misunderstand?} I’m struggling with the apostles believing that Jesus’ return was happening within their lifetime. How can we trust everything else they said to be inspired by God if they got this wrong? 8. 1:22:22 {Not Enough Prayer in Church?} Why do we pray so little collectively during Sunday services? Singing makes up 40%, while praying roughly 1-2%. This does not seem to line up biblically or historically (Acts 2: 42; 1 Timothy 2:1-8). 9. 1:28:55 {Gospel Contradictions?} Is there an irreconcilable contradiction in the Gospels as to whether Jesus instructed The Twelve to take a staff (Matt 10: 10, Mark 6:8)? How should this affect our view on inerrancy? 10. 1:32:52 {Resolving to Follow Christ Amid Doubts} Can you be saved by choosing the Christian life at any moment and hoping it’s real, or do you have to be convinced? What conditions do you need from God or yourself? Do you have to be feeling a certain way? 1:44:00 Bonus! Guitar Time, courtesy of Seth Yoder’s request.
Questions #2 & #3 are >200 characters, (how are those even getting submitted, much less selected?) and a week or two ago you rewarded a question spammer (rule violation) by selecting one of their questions. I'm here most every Friday, wait for Mike to be on screen before posting, and only post one question (except today I did 2 after what I witnessed the other day). Getting real close to unsubbing if we're not going to play by the rules.
We need a “Cash Cab” style show with Mike driving for Uber and instead of him asking them questions, they ask him Biblical questions and he has to answer them before he gets to their destination.
I would like to give my pastor and his wife a shoutout. I've never been in a church where the pastor and his wife work as hard as they do!! Our pastor seems tireless and his wife is always aware of people missing from church to give them a call to make sure all is well with them. She invites new families for meals after church, is in the church nursery on Sundays, takes people out for coffees. Pastor Jim gives rides to people to church every Sunday and of course he preaches and teaches. I'm amazed at the amount of work that they do. I should mention that they are in their seventies. They can, and do outwork many much younger pastors. ( For very little pay, I might add.) Pastor Jim and his wife Ethel from our church in Courtland, Ontario, Canada. Grace Family Bible Fellowship.
That’s truly amazing. Blessings to them! I would just like to add that from my experience, sometimes churches can have unrealistic expectations of younger pastors, because older pastors are actually often capable of more than us younger pastor+wife who are still figuring life out and having kids. It comforts me to know that one day I’ll be able to do alot more than I currently can ❤ we recently had a helper come for a couple of months, she’s also in her seventies and her stamina blew me away. She was truly capable of soooo much more than I can! Inspiring and a huge blessing to have the example of such godly people to follow
I am a bivocational pastor. I love my church. They do everything they can to support me. That being said, it is frustrating not being able to dedicate as much time as I'd like to ministry because I need to work and support my family. If you have a bivocational pastor, please have some grace and support them because it is a tough thing to do.
While the sentiment expressed here about the challenges of being a bivocational Pastor is understandable, it’s important to question whether the very structure of "Pastoring" as we know it is biblically sound in the first place. The idea of a "Pastor" as a vocational, or even bivocational, role is a deviation from the New Testament model of leadership in the church. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the position of "Pastor" as a full-time or paid role. In fact, the Apostle Paul, who is often cited as a model for ministry, worked as a tentmaker to support himself while also ministering to others (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). The concept of a paid, vocational Pastor is a modern construct that has no basis in the early church. The idea that a Pastor needs to dedicate full-time attention to ministry, especially at the expense of personal work, isn't supported by Scripture. Instead, the church should be a body of believers, all of whom are responsible for the work of ministry. The New Testament makes it clear that every believer has been gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve and edify the church (Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). The idea of a "professional" Pastor, whose job it is to do all the ministry, is contrary to the communal and shared responsibility laid out in Scripture. While it’s admirable that a bivocational Pastor loves their church and works hard to support their family, we must ask whether the issue lies in the fact that the pastoral position has been unnecessarily elevated to a status that it was never meant to have. The body of Christ is called to work together, not to rely on a single person, titled as "Pastor," to carry the load of ministry. Instead of focusing on how difficult it is for a single Pastor to juggle multiple responsibilities, we should be questioning the entire framework of the Pastor-centered church. If every member of the congregation is doing the work of ministry, as Scripture commands, then no one person, whether full-time or bivocational, should bear the burden of leading and teaching alone. Ministry should be a shared effort, and the idea of paying or compensating one person for this work is not biblically supported. It's time for the church to rediscover the role of all believers as ministers and servants, rather than relying on a system that elevates one person as a "Pastor" while others sit by. In short, the "bivocational Pastor" model is still rooted in an unbiblical, professionalized system. The true model of church leadership involves all believers taking part in ministry, not placing the responsibility on one person to carry the weight. Let’s reconsider the entire idea of "Pastoring" in favor of the New Testament vision of the church as a functioning body of equal servants, not a hierarchy with a professional "Pastor" at the top.
@@1Whipperin My first though upon seeing your thesis was Proverbs 29:11. Perhaps if you met with a Pastor, he could help you identify where you have erred.
@@1WhipperinI somewhat agree to a degree with your premise, in that it’s not the sole responsibility of one man to do “the ministry” According to Ephesians 4:8-16 “ Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”[a] 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Not everyone who is a Christian would be called into the Doma gifts. Yes, we’re all suppose to be about the “ministry of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. But within the church each one supplies as part of the body, but not necessarily in a teaching capacity. It’s always been 5% of the people doing 95% of the work. Trying to get people to volunteer for “Ministry” is like asking people to have a tooth pulled. This, unfortunately has been ingrained for a very long time. The church at large needs a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit, after making sure they’re soundly saved.
Pastors kid here from India. Grew up financially very poor but never lacked in what we needed. Currently sponsor pastors and evangelists in India and my heart hearts that we can’t send more. But I take comfort in the truth that our Father in heaven will not let them go hungry or be in lack. He is our provider.
There is no example of a pastor or evangelist being in a salaried position in the NT, you should stop sending them money immediately. If they are truly called of God, then from place to place they may receive support via honorarium for the work they do, if indeed it is Biblical work for the extension of the kingdom.
It's like you didn't even listen to the video and just came here to share your opinion. Using your logic pastors should not be able to wear a suit because no examples exist in the bible of wearing a suit.
@@nccrchurchunusualthis man says he is already sending what he can. God is not dependent on anyone to help his servants. He can move on the hearts of anyone he chooses, including unbelievers. Anyone who feels moved to give should do so, but no one person should feel that he must impoverish his own family to support all the missionaries. Each must do what he can and leave the rest to God.
I knew one pastor who spent all week meeting with people in coffee shops to counsel and pray with them, visiting the sick in hospitals, serving refugees in our city, and researching the Word of God. He was a true and loving servant, and didn't get paid enough to support his family. Last I checked, he had two side gigs to bring in extra cash. I know another pastor who preaches for 45 minutes on Sunday, jokes about being late for meetings, and doesn’t answer emails. I don't know how much he gets paid, but it's clear he is not doing the same job. Pastors who work full time should get a living wage, but pastors who don't should not. Each church needs to be clear with their leaders about expectations and money.
Okay, but that’s like an odd way to approach the issue. You don’t ask if someone should be paid based on people who don’t do their job or do it poorly. Of course we assume this is a Pastor who serves well,
It seems the more pastors are paid and fawned over, the less they do and the more insulated from their brethren they become, and the more they delegate to others. They waste no time to install "yes" men under them and carve out their pastoral perks. I was on staff of a large Word of Faith church years ago, and we had five spin off churches. I've never seen egos inflate more quickly than in those who become pastors and in those who are promoted to the higher positions of ministry. Suddenly, they have "arrived." First order of business -- hit the golf course with all the others who have arrived. One new pastor (in his fifties, who came from another church) of the AoG church my wife and I once attended, as soon as his probation was up and was officially hired (the previous pastor had retired), he fired the "paraplegic" treasurer (a really humble man), the worship leader, an elder or two, and had the "safe" installed in his luxurious office, no kidding. He started posting pics of he and his family at restaurants and on a yacht of a rich member of the congregation. My wife and I left that church.
I see nothing wrong with this. Expectations and pay have to be in line. We have a heavenly goal but live on Earth. If the pastor feels he is underpaid he should speak up. If the pastor is not showing the dedication to thier congregation that is in line with their pay the congregation should speak up. In some cases a part time pastor makes sense, for everyone.
You have no idea how much ive been struggling with question 10 since you answered my question as a bonus question 5 months ago in your skeptics stream. I dont know if any of you understand how it feels to have your thoughts put into words like that. I dont even know how to describe it. Thank you for putting yourself out here Mike to let God speak through you. Thank you and God bless you Mr or Mrs Everyday Cinema for asking the question.
@@nathanfosdahl4074 i didnt ask it. Some one by the handle Everyday Cinema did. I asked one 5 months ago in the skeptics only where he took 20 questions instead of 10, and mine was the bonus question.
Me too. I am so glad he answered that one. I don't think we really have much control over how convinced we are of Christianity. But we can choose to trust either way. I have been held back my doubts m whole life, I have never been more than maybe 50% sure its all true. But I choose to live as a Christian, and pray that it's enough. There are actually a lot of atheists who would say "I cant control that I don't believe, so its not my fault its Gods, if he does exist". This reasoning debunks that line of thought.
I’ve been a pastor for free. I’ve been a bi-vocational pastor. Today I’m a “full time” pastor. If you want your pastor to be able to do his job well & enjoy his life with his family, pay him well.
Having been both, but currently blessed to be paid as a full time minister, I can't agree more. Freeing up your pastor to be able to concentrate on the Word, prayer and the gospel makes a tremendous difference.
Or, better yet, a church should have a multiple of elders who all share in the teaching and the rest of the church participates in serving each other and reaching those in the community who are in need. That way, elders can follow the biblical model and work a job in the community, instead of relying on the church to make their living -- something that was unheard of for the first several centuries of the church. No pastor needs paid if the church is functioning biblically.
I have had several pastors that had a 'Day Job". They had several kids and needed health insurance and a retirement. The churches were small and all positions were volunteer. I loved being a part of these congregations. They never even asked for offering, there was a drop box by the door if you wanted to give. When a pastor is making more money then his average congregation members, I have a hard time with that. We would bless our pastors with gifts and a small offerings throughout the year. But our senior pastor had a job like everyone else in his congregation! I have so much respect for those pastors!
While the sentiment expressed here is one of respect for Pastors who work a "day job" while serving their congregations, it’s important to question whether the title of "Pastor" itself is being misapplied in this context. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see a prescribed "Pastor" role with a salary or full-time professional status. In fact, the term “Pastor” is used only once in Ephesians 4:11 to refer to those who shepherd the flock of God, but it is never a title that conveys authority or a paid occupation. The system of paying Pastors, even in situations where they have "day jobs," is a departure from the model we see in Scripture. In the early church, leaders were not paid but supported themselves through their own labor, as seen with the Apostle Paul, who worked as a tentmaker while also ministering (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). The Bible does not prescribe that someone must be a "full-time" Pastor in the way modern churches often define it. Instead, it encourages all believers to serve one another in various capacities, with the teaching of Scripture being the responsibility of the entire body of Christ, not one person with a title of "Pastor." Having respect for Pastors who work a regular job to support themselves is understandable, but the question remains: why are we still using the title of "Pastor" as we do today? The church system, which has professionalized the role of the Pastor, is not aligned with the early church model. It is good that Pastors are not demanding high salaries or financial dependence on their congregations, but it still raises the issue of whether they should even be holding the title of “Pastor” as it is defined in modern church systems. Moreover, this model can create unhealthy dependency on a single leader. The New Testament teaches that all believers are equally responsible for the work of ministry, not just a select few. The role of a Pastor should not be a full-time, authoritative position that is elevated above others in the congregation. It should instead be a role of service and teaching within the community, where the responsibility of leadership is shared and everyone contributes according to their abilities. This is where the issue becomes problematic: by continuing to use the title "Pastor" for a position that was never intended to be paid or professionalized in the first place, the church is reinforcing a hierarchical, clergy-driven system that is nowhere to be found in the early church. We need to ask ourselves if the "Pastor" model, even in its most humble form, is truly biblical, or if it has become an entrenched system that we are unwilling to challenge.
@@trappedcat3615 The idea that a Pastor’s primary role is to have ample time to prepare for preaching-especially at the expense of their work-is an unbiblical and misguided perspective. The role of a Pastor, as defined in the New Testament, was never about professional preparation for a sermon but about serving the body of Christ in a humble, participatory manner. This idea places too much emphasis on preaching as the central function of the Church, when in reality, the Church is called to be a community of believers who teach, admonish, and care for one another. First, the concept of a Pastor as a full-time, paid preacher is foreign to the early Church. In fact, the New Testament consistently portrays leaders as being bivocational or working alongside their congregations to support themselves (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Paul himself worked as a tentmaker to avoid burdening the churches he served (Acts 20:34). This reality demonstrates that the idea of a Pastor being paid to solely focus on sermon preparation is a modern, unbiblical invention. Second, the Church is not built on the performance of a preacher but on the active participation of all its members. The "sermon" should never be the main event. The true work of ministry is in discipleship, fellowship, mutual accountability, and living out the teachings of Jesus in the world. The New Testament emphasizes the "priesthood of all believers," where each member has a role to play (1 Peter 2:9). A Pastor's job is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, not to do all the work themselves. If a Pastor is spending all their time preparing for a sermon and neglecting the actual pastoral work-such as shepherding, caring for the congregation, and training others to lead-that’s not a faithful representation of the role described in Scripture. The Pastor's job is not to be a professional speaker but a servant leader, one who is involved in the daily life of the Church and helps empower others to live out their calling. Finally, the idea that a Pastor should have uninterrupted time for sermon preparation reveals a misunderstanding of ministry and discipleship. Pastoring involves living among the people, investing in their lives, and walking alongside them in the struggles and joys of life. If a Pastor’s work leaves little time for sermon preparation, it may be that they are investing in the right things-equipping others, building relationships, and spreading the gospel in practical ways. The emphasis on a Pastor needing time for sermon prep at the cost of other responsibilities is an incorrect view of pastoral ministry. Ministry is not about preparing for a sermon but about living out the gospel among the people. The Church is not about elevating a singular leader to a position of prominence, but about every member serving in their role and supporting one another. The modern “Pastor” model distorts this biblical reality.
I think a pastor's basic needs should be met and any extras can come in the form of gifts/donations. I met the criteria of widow (abandoned by husband, no family) and had a small child. I was young and able to work (unlike many young widows in biblical days) and would have managed just fine had our church not taught that it was a serious sin if I didn't tithe. After paying my tithes I wasn't able to make ends meet (didn't have enough food for myself - I survived thanks to the hospitality of neighbours). I brought this up to one of the pastors (asked for support) only to be given a lecture (how as head of my household I was responsible for my own bills). The hypocrisy was that none of the pastors were paying their own bills. They (and their dependents) all lived a comfortable middle class lifestyle which was possible thanks to people like me. The attitude they displayed was one of entitlement (believed they were entitle to everyone's tithes regardless of circumstances while not helping those in genuine need). While it's fair that pastors be supported (provided that they are in ministry full time), this type of thing should not be allowed.
I’m so very sorry you were abused like this. Never thought I’d ever say this, but check out Eating Sacred Cows episode 8 above, which taught me that scriptural tithing isn’t exactly what people say it is. NT says be generous and willing to share but tithing is not required. If one doesn’t take care of their family they are worse than an unbeliever. You are released from this legalism. Blessings on you.
@@lizardgirl72 Thank you for your kind response. I know now that tithing is not a NT requirement. I believe in being generous with what God blesses us but giving shouldn't come at the expense of our own basic needs (though I once shared my last loaf of bread with someone but I did that of my own free will not because I was coerced or manipulated into doing it). Unfortunately, I have friends who are still being manipulated by this false teaching and they have got themselves into some serious debt (can't afford their own bills so have to borrow). The response from their pastors? Crickets (or told they don't have enough faith).
At the end of Keith Greens music Ministry he desired to give away his last album, so instead of charging others he requested that the purchaser pay what they felt lead to give. I have always respected Mr Green for that stance. The owners of a Christian run roadhouse in the States decided not to set prices on their food menu's, instead asking patrons to give what they felt lead to give. In both cases God's was able to move through the people working on the faith displayed, and in both cases, the recipients received above what they normally would have received had they just relied on their own set prices. I have been in various forms of Ministry over the years, it is a honor to be able to give back to a God that has given so much. No man should labor for free, but God will meet your needs as you need them.
As a second generation Pastor's Kid, I think a church needs to consider the families as well. It's pretty hard to be content if you constantly live in debt, are constantly on the edge of poverty, and end up with mental health issues as a result.
There's a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church not allowing priests to marry but this is one of the reasons why. It's not only easier to support a single person (rather than their whole family too) but it also means that they are free to devote themselves entirely to ministry. If you're married, however, your family is your first priority (or should be). Also, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:7, some have been given the gift of celibacy so any criticism about priests not marrying is out of place.
But ultimately that decision of priests being celebit was made a thousand years ago so that the Catholic church and all it's property it obtained from believers, and from those they persecuted, was to keep that spoil and not divide it among family members. Sometimes churchianity builds buildings and occupies land instead of people being most important. Go and make disciples...do we really do that? Or do we make obediantand ignorant proselytes? Do we really have a clue what the body of Christ is and that He is the head of His body?....not our traditions, even in positions we call pastors. @anta3612
Pastor's out her doing the Lords work and going into situations others don't want to go into. Dealing with death, divorce and trauma. Running teams of people all while managing all the business side of the church and having to live a life above reproach. And we got people in the comments talking about they shouldn't be paid is wild to me. Lord help us here...
It's unsettling to me how many people here think that a full-time pastor shouldn't be paid. Just because a few very visible pastors abuse it. It's notable that Paul worked as a tentmaker until his friends arrived with funds donated from the sister church, at which point he is able to teach full time and his ministry explodes because he's able to devote himself entirely to it. The Body of Christ is called to take care of her members. The pastor is one of those members.
It’s troubling to see how many people here defend the modern concept of the full-time, paid Pastor, especially when it’s so clear that this position isn’t biblically grounded. The reality is that the notion of a "Pastor" as a paid, full-time role is a product of a misguided, modern church structure, not the New Testament model. Yes, Paul worked as a tentmaker, but this wasn’t because he needed "extra grace" from the church to cover his expenses, as the modern church suggests. He did it because the concept of a "full-time Pastor" or a paid clergy was nonexistent in the early church. When the church could support him, he gladly accepted what was offered, but he never took that position as one entitled to a paycheck. His focus was never on building a professional ministry but on spreading the gospel and equipping the church for service. The Body of Christ is indeed called to take care of her members-but that doesn’t mean we should single out one individual and elevate them above the congregation as the "Pastor." This hierarchical approach to church leadership is a distortion of Scripture. The church is supposed to function as a collective body where every member has a role (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). There is no biblical precedent for creating a division between the clergy (Pastor) and laity. That division is unbiblical and undermines the priesthood of all believers. Calling someone a "Pastor" is itself a modern innovation-nowhere in the New Testament do we see the title used as a permanent, professional office. The titles "elder" and "overseer" were meant to describe the role of a servant leader, not someone who is professionally employed to "lead" others in the church. These leaders were to teach, shepherd, and guide, but their work was part of the collective life of the church, not separate from it. Furthermore, the suggestion that the "Pastor" must be financially compensated full-time is a misunderstanding of the early church’s model. The apostle Paul made it clear in 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and Acts 18:3 that working to support oneself and being a part of the community was the norm. Ministers of the gospel should not be removed from the everyday life of the church and the world. They should be fully invested in the people, not in a professional role, as if they are somehow more important than the body of Christ itself. It’s time to question why so many people are clinging to the idea of a "Pastor" as a paid, full-time role. It only serves to further elevate a title that has no biblical basis and causes division within the church. Rather than elevating one individual as the "Pastor," let the body work together in mutual support, teaching, and equipping one another.
@@1Whipperin Elder. It's often translated elder. It's biblical. See Mike's teaching on women in ministry for a fuller understanding on the role of elder. Paul was a travelling evangelist and church planter, so maybe it's fair to differentiate. But the Church has had elders since the very beginning.
@@BewefauNot entirely true. They pay self-employment taxes. They don’t pay taxes on a portion of their income when they can document that they spent money on “housing” expenses…and this is only if the church doesn’t provide housing, like a parsonage.
I agree!! I have been in volunteer ministry positions in many churches my whole life, and not one of these churches (some with only 20-30 people in the congregation) haven't paid their pastors in some way shape or form. Tbh, congregations with less than 50 people in the congregation aren't gonna fiscally be able to afford to financially renumerate the pastor for their work, and in these cases, most churches I've been part of, employ the pastor 2-3 days a week, and then the pastor does other work outside of the local church, some even in other Christian organisations (like the bible society etc).
I had no idea that one could speak in tongues at will. I thought it was an involuntary manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I've never actually see anyone do it, either in real life or in a video. 70 years old and still learning new things. Thanks, Mike Winger!
I pray "in the Spirit" and I think some people are confused between this and speaking in "tongues". However, it is something I mostly do in private. The Bible says many times we are to "pray in the Spirit".
Tongues come as natural as literally anything, when you have it, but it’s comes generally always during a worship, praise, or private prayer and praise, when you’re affected deeply by what’s on your heart. That’s best I can explain it after 5 straight 12+ hr day lol. Peace! I enjoy your show, Mike.
Tongues is speaking another language, not babbling incoherence sounds. Scripture to interpret scripture. "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" talking about the language of their land." "44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." They where talking in another language they didn't know, through the power of the Holy Spirit. If no one can understand what you are saying why would the Holy Spirit do it.
I miss your music SO MUCH! Your gift of music is special and a blessing. I have been watching your videos since "way back when", 12 years ago, when you performed, for example, one song, 'We will Praise' on RUclips. Your voice suits your style of music perfectly. When the questioner brought up the subject, oh yes! Your newer, younger watchers are missing a part of your ministry. I am a retired professional violinist and retired from being a member of a praise team at a church I attended and it reminds me how much I miss it.
I hope The Lord will bless you. I admire Pastors and their choice to work for God, instead of themselves. Many Pastors are well qualified and could go into the private or government sector, earning lots of money, but instead choose to teach The Word. I highly admire and respect that. I really hope God will bless those people with abundance, even if they don't want that.
I live in Harlan KY and it has been referred to as Podunk by many 😀. Your right, $250,000 would buy a nice house here. Thanks for supporting your teachings with scripture because too many personal opinions and revelations have polluted the gospel teaching of many people I have encountered. In my small county we have 25,000 residents with over 400 churches ranging from Catholic to the ones who practice snake handling, which by the way was the denomination in which I was born and raised but no longer practice. Unity in the body being led by sound Biblical truths would be so powerful and I desire to see that. I think the most important step in accomplishing this is knowing the truth. Thanks brother for your work.
A pastor should never be filthy rich. After all, he is a steward to God to preach and teach. However, it would be a sin to allow our pastor to be poor and struggle to get by.
It seems clear to me that "double honor" either means 1) you pay the pastor twice as much, or 2) you honor the pastor with respect _and_ with a normal salary. I think it's (2). The pastor ideally should have a normal salary, one that's the same as the congregation's average income... IF the pastor accepts a salary. (I have a retirement pension from 25 years in the USPS. So I'm able to serve the churches I pastor without a salary.)
cat cam!!! also i loved the prayer at the end because it’s really been a struggle of mine with reading the bible lately and i want to have more faith that God will direct me to what it is that i need, taking into consideration that he knows what passage i need more than i do. i just want to hear whatever he wants me to know. God bless you and your ministry Mike & moderators. May he also bless your loved ones (pets included) 💙
Love the logos tool usage here. I've seen many of the examples of what you are talking about and the spectrum in-between.Within such an affluent America we need have a Philippians 4 contentment and desire for the work of ministry.
Since Covid many Christians are realizing the evil in many of our schools. The members of the church need to start making our Churches into schools and Minister deal with the operation of the schools including teaching youth
I think Mike Winger's channel is the best one on YT. But I have a different view although I'm not dogmatic about it, I'm totally open to being wrong and I recognize that most people disagree with me and that's totally cool. But, I think a church elder/pastor should be an older man who has raised a family and established himself with children (1 Tim 3:4-5, Titus 1:6). They should work with their own hands (Acts 20:17 & 34-35). This probably means he should be bi-vocational. I think they should be honored but the word honor in 1 Tim 5:17 is used for widows too at the beginning of the chapter. How were widows honored? By being allowed to partake in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1-2). It's worth noting that parents were honored by children taking care of them in their old age. The word "honor" us used many times just to refer to reward or respect. A prophet is without honor (same word) in his own town etc. When Paul says the laborer is worthy of his wages it's quoting from Luke where Jesus said that the disciples should eat and drink whatever is put before them. So, Jesus used the word wages to refer to food and Timothy applies Jesus words to pastors/elders. In terms of the hours a pastor works I think the pastoral role should be shared more equally with other men, instead of having a small eldership, and the churches should be smaller overall. 1 Corinthians 9 is talking about travelling apostles (missionaries). But that's just my understanding of scripture and I would have no problems being a part of a church that doesn’t share my view. If there was a Calvary Chapel in my city I would join. If I lived in Mike Wingers area I would definitely join his church.
Just as an fyi...Mike isn't part of Calvary Chapel anymore. He has said in more recent videos that he now goes to a Free Evangelical Church as a member and not part of leadership.
@@jenniferrogers5372 he is a member of an EV Free Church but he is still ordained through Calvary Chapel and recommends Calvary Chapel churches in general.
Mike, thank you so much for taking my question (#9)! Don’t worry about the last name. Wife and I have been listeners for 5+ years but I finally got a chance to actually tune in when I recently started working from home on Fridays. As for my question, I thought perhaps Mark was taking some liberties with the facts, but in light of your response, I think it’s very reasonable to believe Jesus was just telling them not to get an extra staff (which is why Matthew uses “acquire” rather than “bring” or “take”). Hope to bring some more questions soon, brother!
Pay for church staff is tricky. I played guitar at a pretty good size church - they were thinking of going multi campus. The worship leader was paid well enough to not have another job. He actually moved several states to take this position. I’m sure he does more than I know, but he worked for 6 hours on Sunday, our rehearsal and services. He also chose the music and sent that out. 7 hours of work a week doesn’t sound like it’s worth a living wage. Again, I’m sure he did more than that, but there’s a lot of hours between 7 and 40.
My husband and I were in a worship band and we would have never asked for money. I sang in a choir when I was younger and on Easter and Christmas other churches would hire us to sing in their church and we would either put that money in their collection plate or ours or some combination of churches depending on need.
@@shellyscholz1256 I was church pianist and in a worship band. The only time our band asked for $ was to pay for gas to go to churches that were outside our area. I personally only charged for weddings, but not for my services to my church, which included playing with an orchestra for choir and involved extra practice sessions.
@@ST52655 I believe that your methods are the right way to go. Weddings require more than just the day of the wedding. You need to know what they want you to play and oftentimes that requires learning new music. People who attend weddings and church services rarely know what goes into the preparations. We were rehearsing in a friend’s basement and a deacon was there. He pulled out his cell phone and played a song we didn’t know and expected us to have all the instruments and vocals ready in three days. Jesus accomplished everything that is necessary in three days, we couldn’t lay out the music in three days.
This video just appeared on my screen. My life is full of misery because my parents Bonnie and Terry Tipton as well my sister Shawn Noone, her husband, and their sons Travis and Brandon have been able to get me to believe I am a terrible failure in life. It also includes the partners of Brandon and Travis. It feels like misery and a nightmare having been made desperate to be dependent on the government pensions of my parents as well as made to feel very low qualified and desperate. At this point, I would be desperate to do any work. I just do not want to be near the Tiptons and Noones. My experience with them gets me to feel as bad as possible, maybe even suicidal. It really has been bad every day. Maybe the worst feeling is when they are seemingly perfect, and I am made to feel constantly wrong. Apparently, Bonnie Tipton, Terry Tipton, Shawn Noone, Jeremy Noone, Travis Noone, Alondra Ramirez, Brandon Noone and his girlfriend Jeannie are morally perfect. It is impossible for them to be dishonest, and they have never been irresponsible. They have exercised perfect judgement and discipline. They have had nothing but success economically while I am tormented with failure. Could I get employment where I never have to see them again? Or am I stuck in the parents house, and have no choice but to see these people, and feel depressed and closer to suicide than anything? Am I stuck to view them all as vastly superior people, and beg them how to be perfect people? I tend not believe in Christian theology anymore. Please get me to a place where I do not have to be around these people.
Brother winger I thank God for what you’re doing for the body of Christ by exposing these charlatans and teaching. I like to send to support your ministry
My dad was in insurance and coached a womens basketball team along with being a pastor, yes he drove a Benz he had 3 jobs (or as he put it 2 jobs and a calling). A pastor in my local area is an attorney. Yes he drives a Tesla, hes a lawyer they tend to do well. The pastor of the church I grew up in was a CFO, he didn't even take a salary for years the church had no money. This occasional assumption from Christians that if you have money your scamming someone is unfair.
Just one e.g.,,,, George Müller. Watched RUclips video about him just last night. Now there is a genuine man of God, a man of genuine, tried and tested fairh.
There’s a formula many churches follow. Take the average income of the congregation and that number becomes the pastor’s salary unless they lived in a parsonage. If they got the parsonage free to live in but had to pay utilities the salary was 75% of the congregations average. If they didn’t have to pay for any utilities or upkeep then the salary drops to 50%. This is my experience in rural areas, so not surprisingly many people donated crops, dairy and meat products to both the church and the pastor’s family as well as the poor in the community. Myself and another woman were hired to wallpaper the fellowship building. We put in an extremely low bid because we couldn’t do it for free. We painted it for free but they wanted us to get paid for papering it. The church got a new pastor while we were in the process of papering on a weekday, found out that I worked at a ski resort and asked me to give them free passes for their family to go skiing. There was no such thing as a free pass for people other than employees and they expected me to pay for them. They didn’t last long.
Indirectly, this is a question about speaking in tongues when there is no one to interpret. My church often has a piano solo. No one knows the words and every time it happens (I'm new there), all I can think is this is no different than speaking in tongues without someone to interpret.
Our pastor gets paid for 15 hours of ministry work, but does way more than that, and he also has a full time job. His wife works too and they rent a house and have just recently saved enough for a down payment on a house. He has been offered a full time ministry position at another church but feels he is called to serve at our local church. We really appreciate his commitment to our church and to teaching sound doctrine.
I have always felt "keeping the pastor poor" was shameful. One of my few points of agreement with the prosperity gospel was pick up your end and tithe...whether it's biblical or not, it's practical. I have been poor as dirt myself, and there's not much spiritual benefit it. God can use it...but, if you think that poverty is spiritually enriching, please try it yourself, congregant, before you inflict it on your pastor. (I have never been a pastor, or married to one, for full disclosure)
As long as things are getting paid for toward missions. If it's a large church. I have no issues with pastors making six figures... if not through the church, may be any side hustle (ie youtube). I understand their could be some obscenities... but Mike puts a lot of work into this channel WHILE serving the Lord AND reaching people all over the world... I have zero problem him reaping the benefits.
I've been in a lot of prayer meetings with people constantly speaking quietly in tongues. I do believe it's a valid gift but to be honest often times it reminded me of the "mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter" in Isaiah 8:19.
The devil always copies the things of God. A particular religion near me started doing prayer vigils and worship sessions and Christmas meetings to prevent their members from coming to church
Pastors should be well compensated so as to be able to build a retirement. Those that feel overcompensated should use their "excess" as a donation back to their church or other worthwhile effort. This by no means is intended to justify the scam pay of those like TD Jakes.
When I was growing up in a charismatic, non denominational church, only the pastor, secretary, and Christian school teachers were paid. I have no idea how much. Youth leaders, sunday school teachers, worship team etc were volunteer positions.
my church is the same way.... the pastor now has a $800,000 house while the average home in this area is about 300k, it made me feel so bad about tithing that I had to stop because it became such a huge stumbling block that my heart wasn't in it..... our church also NEVER tells how much money comes in and where it goes....
@@JohnnyAnderson1check out what tithing is really about. Bad fruit podcast episode 8 Eating Sacred Cows. My mind is blown. Tithing isn’t scripturally what people think it is.
I served as an unpaid pastor for 5 years. I worked a full-time job outside the church those entire 5 years. I was somewhat limited in my ministry due to working my job. Would not have minded some minimal pay so I could have spent more time in ministry.
What is very important in this is defining terms. What is meant by laboring, preaching, teaching, “ruling well”. What did this look like in the first century in that context? Pastors today generally speaking, I don’t they are doing the same thing.
You’re absolutely right that defining terms is key when discussing these roles, especially in the context of the first-century church versus today’s modern church structure. Let's break it down by looking at the specific roles mentioned and how they were understood in the early church. Laboring in the first-century context, particularly for the apostles and early church leaders, often meant working alongside the community-literally laboring to provide for oneself and contributing to the collective life of the church. The apostle Paul is a prime example of this, as he worked as a tentmaker to support himself while also spreading the gospel. This was not seen as a full-time, paid profession but as a part of the life of a faithful servant. The idea of laboring was not about securing a paycheck for doing spiritual work but about working diligently to spread the gospel and build up the body of Christ. Preaching and teaching in the first-century church were central to the life of the congregation. However, these activities were not performed by a professional "Pastor" as we understand the term today. They were performed by a plurality of elders, who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the congregation. These men were not titled "Pastor" in the modern sense but were simply faithful leaders who led by example, teaching sound doctrine and exhorting the church to live in light of the gospel. The early church was a shared responsibility, with every member contributing to the teaching and building up of the body. Preaching and teaching were not confined to one person or one person’s salary. As for “ruling well,” the term often refers to overseeing or shepherding the church. This wasn’t about authority in the modern hierarchical sense but more about guiding the congregation in godliness, providing counsel, and making sure that the church remained faithful to its mission. In the first-century context, ruling well was often about spiritual oversight and pastoral care. It didn’t involve a salary or professional status, but it did involve sacrifice and a willingness to serve the people of God. In contrast, today's Pastors often have a very different role. Many of them are full-time employees of the church, taking a salary to do what is typically viewed as their "job." The focus has shifted from shared, communal leadership to a hierarchical, professionalized position. In many modern churches, the Pastor is the primary figure who preaches, teaches, and sometimes makes decisions regarding church governance. This is very different from the shared leadership structure in the early church, where multiple elders and leaders, who may or may not have been financially supported, would lead the congregation. In short, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a leader who is dedicated to the ministry, the modern Pastor system, with its professionalization and financial compensation, doesn’t align with the New Testament model. Instead of a single figure who is "paid" to preach and rule, the early church model was a community-oriented leadership structure, with leaders laboring among the people and sharing responsibilities in a way that served the body as a whole. The modern Pastor system, as we know it, is a significant departure from that model and is often more about creating a professional class of clergy than truly laboring together for the gospel.
@ I’d agree in many points but this needs to be substantiated. Mike should research this and then teach it. Something to consider is that Back then, everyone didn’t have a copy of the scriptures available, today we have this and much more to know God’s word on our own. The apostles and elders weren’t spending a bunch of time researching a bunch of other Christians commentaries or putting together sermons for 1 to 3 hours a week. Their preaching and teaching doesn’t appear to be what is done today. Without looking into these things and determining what Paul and his audience understood these to be means the reader is going to put theirs or another’s definition into these terms likely missing the need and twisting these functions and actions to something they were never intended to be.
I’m not sure if I disagree with your answer to question 3, but I do disagree with how you interpret the temple items as a kind of go ahead to make similar items. Only because these images were commissioned by God with very specific instructions. They were also given warnings and even the Spirit to enable them to build everything exactly as God instructed for both Temples. I don’t think this allows, in any way for us to do similar things. That being said I still do agree with your conclusion. I believe that depictions of Biblical events can be displayed on murals or stained glass because not everyone could read back then and I think those were ways to present those stories.
Pastors should be paid. They also have basic human needs just like everyone else. However, people like TD Jakes is a business man, not a pastor - they serve money, not people
For question 3, I think it’s all about what God says do and don’t do/ commands. For the tabernacle He gives specifics of how it should be (Cherubim), and in the 10 commandments he says don’t make images.
I’d like to know about non pastoral positions. Does a church pay the projectionist, every worship team member, whoever runs light, etc? I know a church that does and previously had volunteers to do those things and they were happy to do it. However the church wanted professionals only. It seems wrong but I’m not sure.
I enjoyed the talk on honoring and paying pastors. The teaching on tongues left me thinking that tongues is a nuisance. Mike's teaching made it seem that one had to continuously check oneself if they wished to speak in tongues: "Is there a none believer present, does this need to be interpreted?" He's in effect placing the burden on the one speaking in tongues- creating a form of self censorship. What if I were speaking a foreign language like Chinese or Russian? I wouldn't be self censoring myself. Yet Mike seems to think that I shouldn't pray at all. Only pray in the language of the majority language in the room. It's horrible impractical to require that everyone pray this. How about this, let's just not pray publicaly, that way no one is offended.
Pastors should be paid *at least* the cost of living and be able to support his household (a wife and children) by himself on the salary being paid by the church. Anything less and the man is being mistreated by the church, in my opinion.
Yes they should be paid for the hours they work. They should not put in 20 hours (or less) and get paid like they have a full time job, am I wrong? A full time salary and yet only put in a couple of hours a day until Sunday. Just saying. But so should every person then who gives their time to serve at church. Also in my experience they also charge their own tithing members hundreds of dollars if they are asked (to do their job) as in conducting a marriage ceremony, and oh ya it cost $1, 500.00 to use the "facility" church for a few hours, for the wedding and rehearsal. Did I mention that the church building was given to the congregation for free, from another slowing dying (literally the congrats were aging out) church group? The Lord bless us and keep us!
I've seen the exact same thing. Pastor and building. That building never gets built. The poor get nothing. The pastor I know maybe 8 hrs for 40. It's abuse.
I mean it’s true that someone who works should be paid. If someone is a pastor night and day, how are people expecting them to stay alive to teach? This is why I think people don’t see the full picture when it comes to the idea of not needing to pay pastors. However, we also see the abuses of the millionaire pastors exploiting people out of money. But note their schemes usually stem from “don’t tithe, you don’t get something from God”. So I believe people need to keep elders in check when money is getting exploited. But not that all elders should be stripped of money. That means also stripping the hours they can be in ministry and have them be in another job to make up the difference. I like what Mike said. Pay them well. No they shouldn’t get filthy rich. But their pay should reflect their work. If the church is doing all they can awesome. But we have seen churches that also take withhold money and then exploiting it as well. All in all, I think it depends on the situation. But we should never intentionally not pay a pastor or at the very least provide them something. Why not feed the pastor so they don’t have to pay for their meals? There are other ways to support elders.
With question 7, Could when Jesus was saying,That these were signs that he has come, being the final sign that he came the first time. If the temple was destroyed then no more sacrifices could be offered for sin meaning that the old covenant was over.
I dont mind paying our Pastors well or even making sure they are well fed and looked after if the Church cant afford much or full time. What bugs me is that despite tithing and the Church being able to pay the staff well they still charge for ministry nights when there is no visiting speaker. In my opinion they are extravagant and unnecessarily over the top which I worry loses the focus on the teaching. During Covid because they couldnt have the end of year honours formal (but were able to move about in the community) they went from house to house delivering thank you cards. That was the most thoughtful way to express gratitude was virtually free and made you feel far more seen than a party. It saved the Church thousands. Imagine who they could support if they worked on relationships and gratitude that way every year. I guess as a 52 year old things are a lot different now. They used to pass around the offering bag when visiting speakers came but everyone was invited. Pot luck was a thing allowing people to practice hospitality and invest in their community. The needs of the Pastor was also a community concern. Sometimes as a tithe payer it feels like an us and them situation forgetting that we need each other to be the hands and feet of God. The giftings may be diffferent but the value is the same.
Here’s a revised version of your message: Hi Mike, I appreciate the work you do. Regarding the discussion about how much T.D. Jakes earns for a speaking engagement, it’s important to note that the fee is ultimately determined by the church or organization that books the event. Ministers like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Steven Furtick, to name a few, are orators who are compensated for their ability to speak and draw large crowds-similar to figures like Tony Robbins. Rest assured, the organizations booking these speakers also benefit significantly from the crowds they attract. It’s worth remembering that these ministers, like you, started from humble beginnings. I’m sure your RUclips channel is also doing well, using the same principle of leveraging your gifts to reach others. Lastly, one challenge with smaller non-denominational churches is that they often lack the financial support and resources of larger church networks. As a result, pastors of these churches receive little to no compensation for the courageous and important work they do. Best regards,
Q: Mike, I watched a few videos of yours in the past on the topic and don't know your current take and teaching on it, why are jews still considered the People of God (and having a special plan of salvation) when there's only one salvation which is the Church (a person believing in God and living a godly/righteous life) that is coming from the Root (of Jesse, which is Christ ) to which the gentiles are grafted to, not to the stem of Israel/jews , if we read correctly and carefully?? God doesn't have two Peoples of His, or a Wife and a Lover, or two brides and so on. There's only one salvation plan gifted to the humanity and this is His Church through His sacrifice. Thank you for your ministry!!! Blessings!!
I just watched a discussion about this. The modern day Jewish people are not God's chosen people. I believe in Paul's letter to the Galatians he States that Jerusalem are the descendants of Hagar, ishmaelites as it were and Christians were the descendants of Sarah, those who follow Jesus. God's chosen people today are Christians.
@SandShark350 ABSOLUTELY. But we also have to understand that jews as much God's people as any other peoples in the world. The same applied to the nation of Israel, it has no more no less rights as any other (past or future) nation in the world. No nation or peoples have any exclusivity in the eyes of God, per teaching of the prophets, Jesus, the apostles and the Church fathers. And christians are the people (jews or gentiles) that love God, put their faith in Him, and live ltheir lifes by obeying Christ's Law, w/out which there's no salvation. I love jews ✡️ a bit more than Palestinians due to the problematic teaching since I was born, but I am making a progress 😉. Please pray for Ukraine 🇺🇦💙💛 and the defeat of the evil that descending on to the world from the east ☠️💀
God has not forsaken Israel permanently, nor has the church replaced Israel. Israel has only been hardened for a time. There are so many promises in the Old Testament that have not come to total fruition. As for being grafted in, those who believe in Israel are the natural olive branches. Those who do not believe in Israel are the branches removed and thrown into the fire. Gentiles have simply been grafted into the same plant to inherit the promises given to Abraham on a spiritual level. You are right when you say God does not have two people groups. We are one and the same spiritual family, those who believe by faith.😮 The answer to your question can be found in Romans 10:19-11:32. Paul even specifically answers the question of whether Israel has fallen from their place as God's chosen people in 11:11: "Did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means!" And in 11:25, Paul declares that Israel's hardening is temporary "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in". In verse 28, it says, "As regards their election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers " and in verse 29, "the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable ". As for Mike's teaching on the subject, he has a thorough verse by verse study of the book of Romans.
I think a verse that gets missed a lot when talking about Paul working as a tentmaker is in Acts 18:5. Earlier in Acts 18 that it talks about Paul working as a tentmaker, then going to the Synagogue once a week. Silas and Timonthy show up (possibly with some cash?) and in verse 5 it says, "Paul devoted himself to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah." So, no the example of Paul is not always a tentmaker while doing ministry on the side. He did do that a few times, but he clearly also does also spend time doing his ministry full time, and we had to have gotten paid for it at least enough in order to survive.
0:57 I went to a church where the pastor was paid a stipend of 50 bucks a week when they preached, the a 150 dollars every two weeks for food, and room and board was taken care of by the church. These pastors making millions off the backs of their congregation is sick. If they do an 401k it is a little different. If they are married the husband for years was the only one paid. They changed this rule not that long ago, like maybe five years or so. They would get a stipend for every kid as well not sure how much.
You can't conflate things God instructed people to make with something we make of our own cognizance concerning statues and idolatry and the command not to make any graven images of Him in likeness of man or beast or any other form of creation it's been proven that when statues get involved in church settings people kneel before them which is always a problem
Good video, Mike, but I'm left with one question for you. I'm NOT disagreeing with you just looking for substantiation. You make the claim that Jakes getting paid $150K for one appearance where he delivered a message is wrong. "That's just wrong" if I remember correctly. But I don't hear you making a good, sound Biblical argument as to why? How do you justify and substantiate your claim from Scripture? What if it was $145K? $125K? $100k? $50K? Jakes will have to justify that one day before the Lord but I don't see anything from Scripture that tells me that I can definitely tell another church what they can or can't pay someone to come speak at their event or that a pastor can or can't tell others what he must be paid if they want him to show up for that event. Hope that makes sense.
I think the measuring line for how much a paster should make should be like that of George Verwer. Look it up. He was decidedly a poor man for the good of spreading the gospel. Anything else, with at least this attitude, shows where the heart is.
How much? How about I feel like that I give all that I have but the thing is it never ends,, It keeps going on and on. And that's what it becomes all about. Been there, got the T-shirt.
I guess my only "argument" would be, I know a pastor who agreed to a percentage (if memory served it was 10% of the tithes paid). Several years, he worked two jobs, paid the 10% back to the. Church and some his bivocational pay too just to keep the doors open. Now the church is booming. Doing great works. It's a good church. Hes never upped his 10%, but is now making 200k a year (of which he tithes back 10% plus offerings and missions) There are many in the community complaining about how much he makes
I wonder if god approves of say a John MacArthur selling his study bibles? What's the difference between something like that compared to Jesus flipping the table in the temple..
My NIV at Mk 9:23- 'If you can?' said Jesus, 'Everything is possible for one who believes' NOT 'If you can believe everything is possible...etc.' significantly different
The Catholic Church doesn't force priests to be celibate. Those entering the priesthood do so of their own free will and one of the conditions is celibacy. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:7 some have the gift of celibacy. One who is married must tend to the needs of his family first (they are his first priority) while those who are not married are able to give themselves fully to the ministry. This is why Catholic priests are celibate: so that they can devote themselves entirely to ministry.
We had an amazing pastor, until he got paid full-time. With $$ he picked up a bad attitude, started gossiping from the pulpit, and even said to those of us who havent been completely healed of any physical or mental disabilities that we dont fast, pray, volunteer and tithe enough. This actually caused us to leave our church. I know thats not always the case, but it certainly changed him sadly.
There was an outstanding associate pastor at a church I went who had to quit and go get a job. Associate pastors are basically paid part time. It was a job he applied for and agreed to, but I wished the church had decided to make it full-time.
lol - God provided an example to your point on speaking in tongues. The leaf blower was not reading the room, it was an outsider 😂it was disruptive, it was out of order- shouldn’t be there on a Friday. What a funny tangible example! Did anyone else catch this 😊
![Pastor Gino Jennings [ January 7, 2025 ]…TERRIFYING: A TERRIFYING FATE AWAITS!](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aMm9jeEWXVo/mqdefault.jpg)
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:43 {The Pastor’s Salary: How MUCH?} How much should pastors be paid for their work in the ministry?
2. 37:30 {Interpretations for Private Tongues?} When the gift of speaking in tongues is in operation, do the same requirements and standards exist for private/smaller ministry gatherings as they do the corporate gatherings of a church service? For example, if someone in the background is praying in tongues while you are praying for someone at a hospital, does that still demand an interpretation?
3. 49:38 {Images of God: Ever Biblical?} Author J.I. Packer states that the 2nd commandment forbids using images of God for worship (such as paintings or statues/icons of God) and that images cannot capture His power & only serve as a crutch when worshiping Him. Thoughts?
4. 58:19 {Was Jesus Tempted with Unbelief?} As a former atheist, the verse in Hebrews 4: 15 comforts and confuses me; how could the Son of Man be tempted with unbelief in Himself?
5. 1:03:03 {Immediate or Messianic Prophecy?} It looks like Isaiah 7: 14 is fulfilled in Isaiah 8:4. The prophecy seems to describe something immediate and not messianic. What do we do with Matthew seemingly saying it is a messianic prophecy?
6. 1:07:45 {How to “Obey the Gospel”} How do we answer those who think “obeying the Gospel” means physical obedience (works)? They cite verses like 1 Peter 1: 22, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, Romans 10: 16, and Matthew 7: 21.
7. 1:16:07 {Did The Apostles Misunderstand?} I’m struggling with the apostles believing that Jesus’ return was happening within their lifetime. How can we trust everything else they said to be inspired by God if they got this wrong?
8. 1:22:22 {Not Enough Prayer in Church?} Why do we pray so little collectively during Sunday services? Singing makes up 40%, while praying roughly 1-2%. This does not seem to line up biblically or historically (Acts 2: 42; 1 Timothy 2:1-8).
9. 1:28:55 {Gospel Contradictions?} Is there an irreconcilable contradiction in the Gospels as to whether Jesus instructed The Twelve to take a staff (Matt 10: 10, Mark 6:8)? How should this affect our view on inerrancy?
10. 1:32:52 {Resolving to Follow Christ Amid Doubts} Can you be saved by choosing the Christian life at any moment and hoping it’s real, or do you have to be convinced? What conditions do you need from God or yourself? Do you have to be feeling a certain way?
1:44:00 Bonus! Guitar Time, courtesy of Seth Yoder’s request.
Thank you for your ministry!!!!❤💙💛
This index needs to be pinned.
@@Berean_with_a_BTh It will be soon. Thanks! :)
Questions #2 & #3 are >200 characters, (how are those even getting submitted, much less selected?) and a week or two ago you rewarded a question spammer (rule violation) by selecting one of their questions. I'm here most every Friday, wait for Mike to be on screen before posting, and only post one question (except today I did 2 after what I witnessed the other day). Getting real close to unsubbing if we're not going to play by the rules.
@@rob41137what's your ?
We need a “Cash Cab” style show with Mike driving for Uber and instead of him asking them questions, they ask him Biblical questions and he has to answer them before he gets to their destination.
😂😂😂👌👌👌
😂
@@fangatang2614 That's a really cool idea..😎🙏❤️
YES
yes yes YES!
I would like to give my pastor and his wife a shoutout. I've never been in a church where the pastor and his wife work as hard as they do!! Our pastor seems tireless and his wife is always aware of people missing from church to give them a call to make sure all is well with them. She invites new families for meals after church, is in the church nursery on Sundays, takes people out for coffees. Pastor Jim gives rides to people to church every Sunday and of course he preaches and teaches. I'm amazed at the amount of work that they do. I should mention that they are in their seventies. They can, and do outwork many much younger pastors. ( For very little pay, I might add.) Pastor Jim and his wife Ethel from our church in Courtland, Ontario, Canada. Grace Family Bible Fellowship.
Fabulous pastors
I do think different humans have different capacities too
Well done to them ❤
What a massive blessing 😊
That’s truly amazing. Blessings to them!
I would just like to add that from my experience, sometimes churches can have unrealistic expectations of younger pastors, because older pastors are actually often capable of more than us younger pastor+wife who are still figuring life out and having kids. It comforts me to know that one day I’ll be able to do alot more than I currently can ❤ we recently had a helper come for a couple of months, she’s also in her seventies and her stamina blew me away. She was truly capable of soooo much more than I can! Inspiring and a huge blessing to have the example of such godly people to follow
I am a bivocational pastor. I love my church. They do everything they can to support me. That being said, it is frustrating not being able to dedicate as much time as I'd like to ministry because I need to work and support my family. If you have a bivocational pastor, please have some grace and support them because it is a tough thing to do.
While the sentiment expressed here about the challenges of being a bivocational Pastor is understandable, it’s important to question whether the very structure of "Pastoring" as we know it is biblically sound in the first place. The idea of a "Pastor" as a vocational, or even bivocational, role is a deviation from the New Testament model of leadership in the church.
Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the position of "Pastor" as a full-time or paid role. In fact, the Apostle Paul, who is often cited as a model for ministry, worked as a tentmaker to support himself while also ministering to others (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). The concept of a paid, vocational Pastor is a modern construct that has no basis in the early church.
The idea that a Pastor needs to dedicate full-time attention to ministry, especially at the expense of personal work, isn't supported by Scripture. Instead, the church should be a body of believers, all of whom are responsible for the work of ministry. The New Testament makes it clear that every believer has been gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve and edify the church (Ephesians 4:11-12, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). The idea of a "professional" Pastor, whose job it is to do all the ministry, is contrary to the communal and shared responsibility laid out in Scripture.
While it’s admirable that a bivocational Pastor loves their church and works hard to support their family, we must ask whether the issue lies in the fact that the pastoral position has been unnecessarily elevated to a status that it was never meant to have. The body of Christ is called to work together, not to rely on a single person, titled as "Pastor," to carry the load of ministry.
Instead of focusing on how difficult it is for a single Pastor to juggle multiple responsibilities, we should be questioning the entire framework of the Pastor-centered church. If every member of the congregation is doing the work of ministry, as Scripture commands, then no one person, whether full-time or bivocational, should bear the burden of leading and teaching alone. Ministry should be a shared effort, and the idea of paying or compensating one person for this work is not biblically supported. It's time for the church to rediscover the role of all believers as ministers and servants, rather than relying on a system that elevates one person as a "Pastor" while others sit by.
In short, the "bivocational Pastor" model is still rooted in an unbiblical, professionalized system. The true model of church leadership involves all believers taking part in ministry, not placing the responsibility on one person to carry the weight. Let’s reconsider the entire idea of "Pastoring" in favor of the New Testament vision of the church as a functioning body of equal servants, not a hierarchy with a professional "Pastor" at the top.
@@williamfowler8686 ❤️👍🙏
@@1Whipperin My first though upon seeing your thesis was Proverbs 29:11. Perhaps if you met with a Pastor, he could help you identify where you have erred.
@user-de4jk8vj4c Please explain how Proverbs 29:11 applies. Thank you.
@@1WhipperinI somewhat agree to a degree with your premise, in that it’s not the sole responsibility of one man to do “the ministry” According to Ephesians 4:8-16 “ Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”[a]
9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” Not everyone who is a Christian would be called into the Doma gifts. Yes, we’re all suppose to be about the “ministry of reconciliation” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19. But within the church each one supplies as part of the body, but not necessarily in a teaching capacity. It’s always been 5% of the people doing 95% of the work. Trying to get people to volunteer for “Ministry” is like asking people to have a tooth pulled. This, unfortunately has been ingrained for a very long time. The church at large needs a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit, after making sure they’re soundly saved.
Pastors kid here from India. Grew up financially very poor but never lacked in what we needed. Currently sponsor pastors and evangelists in India and my heart hearts that we can’t send more. But I take comfort in the truth that our Father in heaven will not let them go hungry or be in lack. He is our provider.
He is our Provider, and He usually provides thru the wallets of his ppl.
There is no example of a pastor or evangelist being in a salaried position in the NT, you should stop sending them money immediately. If they are truly called of God, then from place to place they may receive support via honorarium for the work they do, if indeed it is Biblical work for the extension of the kingdom.
It's like you didn't even listen to the video and just came here to share your opinion. Using your logic pastors should not be able to wear a suit because no examples exist in the bible of wearing a suit.
@@nccrchurchunusualthis man says he is already sending what he can. God is not dependent on anyone to help his servants. He can move on the hearts of anyone he chooses, including unbelievers. Anyone who feels moved to give should do so, but no one person should feel that he must impoverish his own family to support all the missionaries. Each must do what he can and leave the rest to God.
I knew one pastor who spent all week meeting with people in coffee shops to counsel and pray with them, visiting the sick in hospitals, serving refugees in our city, and researching the Word of God. He was a true and loving servant, and didn't get paid enough to support his family. Last I checked, he had two side gigs to bring in extra cash.
I know another pastor who preaches for 45 minutes on Sunday, jokes about being late for meetings, and doesn’t answer emails. I don't know how much he gets paid, but it's clear he is not doing the same job.
Pastors who work full time should get a living wage, but pastors who don't should not. Each church needs to be clear with their leaders about expectations and money.
Okay, but that’s like an odd way to approach the issue.
You don’t ask if someone should be paid based on people who don’t do their job or do it poorly.
Of course we assume this is a Pastor who serves well,
It seems the more pastors are paid and fawned over, the less they do and the more insulated from their brethren they become, and the more they delegate to others. They waste no time to install "yes" men under them and carve out their pastoral perks. I was on staff of a large Word of Faith church years ago, and we had five spin off churches. I've never seen egos inflate more quickly than in those who become pastors and in those who are promoted to the higher positions of ministry. Suddenly, they have "arrived." First order of business -- hit the golf course with all the others who have arrived. One new pastor (in his fifties, who came from another church) of the AoG church my wife and I once attended, as soon as his probation was up and was officially hired (the previous pastor had retired), he fired the "paraplegic" treasurer (a really humble man), the worship leader, an elder or two, and had the "safe" installed in his luxurious office, no kidding. He started posting pics of he and his family at restaurants and on a yacht of a rich member of the congregation. My wife and I left that church.
I see nothing wrong with this. Expectations and pay have to be in line. We have a heavenly goal but live on Earth. If the pastor feels he is underpaid he should speak up. If the pastor is not showing the dedication to thier congregation that is in line with their pay the congregation should speak up. In some cases a part time pastor makes sense, for everyone.
You have no idea how much ive been struggling with question 10 since you answered my question as a bonus question 5 months ago in your skeptics stream.
I dont know if any of you understand how it feels to have your thoughts put into words like that. I dont even know how to describe it.
Thank you for putting yourself out here Mike to let God speak through you. Thank you and God bless you Mr or Mrs Everyday Cinema for asking the question.
It was a phenomenal question! Thank you for asking it!
@@nathanfosdahl4074 i didnt ask it. Some one by the handle Everyday Cinema did.
I asked one 5 months ago in the skeptics only where he took 20 questions instead of 10, and mine was the bonus question.
Me too. I am so glad he answered that one. I don't think we really have much control over how convinced we are of Christianity. But we can choose to trust either way. I have been held back my doubts m whole life, I have never been more than maybe 50% sure its all true. But I choose to live as a Christian, and pray that it's enough. There are actually a lot of atheists who would say "I cant control that I don't believe, so its not my fault its Gods, if he does exist". This reasoning debunks that line of thought.
I’ve been a pastor for free. I’ve been a bi-vocational pastor. Today I’m a “full time” pastor.
If you want your pastor to be able to do his job well & enjoy his life with his family, pay him well.
Having been both, but currently blessed to be paid as a full time minister, I can't agree more. Freeing up your pastor to be able to concentrate on the Word, prayer and the gospel makes a tremendous difference.
Or, better yet, a church should have a multiple of elders who all share in the teaching and the rest of the church participates in serving each other and reaching those in the community who are in need. That way, elders can follow the biblical model and work a job in the community, instead of relying on the church to make their living -- something that was unheard of for the first several centuries of the church. No pastor needs paid if the church is functioning biblically.
@@larrysnellings7992Thank you! Well said!
I have had several pastors that had a 'Day Job". They had several kids and needed health insurance and a retirement. The churches were small and all positions were volunteer. I loved being a part of these congregations. They never even asked for offering, there was a drop box by the door if you wanted to give. When a pastor is making more money then his average congregation members, I have a hard time with that. We would bless our pastors with gifts and a small offerings throughout the year. But our senior pastor had a job like everyone else in his congregation! I have so much respect for those pastors!
While the sentiment expressed here is one of respect for Pastors who work a "day job" while serving their congregations, it’s important to question whether the title of "Pastor" itself is being misapplied in this context. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see a prescribed "Pastor" role with a salary or full-time professional status. In fact, the term “Pastor” is used only once in Ephesians 4:11 to refer to those who shepherd the flock of God, but it is never a title that conveys authority or a paid occupation.
The system of paying Pastors, even in situations where they have "day jobs," is a departure from the model we see in Scripture. In the early church, leaders were not paid but supported themselves through their own labor, as seen with the Apostle Paul, who worked as a tentmaker while also ministering (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). The Bible does not prescribe that someone must be a "full-time" Pastor in the way modern churches often define it. Instead, it encourages all believers to serve one another in various capacities, with the teaching of Scripture being the responsibility of the entire body of Christ, not one person with a title of "Pastor."
Having respect for Pastors who work a regular job to support themselves is understandable, but the question remains: why are we still using the title of "Pastor" as we do today? The church system, which has professionalized the role of the Pastor, is not aligned with the early church model. It is good that Pastors are not demanding high salaries or financial dependence on their congregations, but it still raises the issue of whether they should even be holding the title of “Pastor” as it is defined in modern church systems.
Moreover, this model can create unhealthy dependency on a single leader. The New Testament teaches that all believers are equally responsible for the work of ministry, not just a select few. The role of a Pastor should not be a full-time, authoritative position that is elevated above others in the congregation. It should instead be a role of service and teaching within the community, where the responsibility of leadership is shared and everyone contributes according to their abilities.
This is where the issue becomes problematic: by continuing to use the title "Pastor" for a position that was never intended to be paid or professionalized in the first place, the church is reinforcing a hierarchical, clergy-driven system that is nowhere to be found in the early church. We need to ask ourselves if the "Pastor" model, even in its most humble form, is truly biblical, or if it has become an entrenched system that we are unwilling to challenge.
I guess I've seen the extreme of that where the pastor has little time to prepare for preaching due to work.
@@trappedcat3615 The idea that a Pastor’s primary role is to have ample time to prepare for preaching-especially at the expense of their work-is an unbiblical and misguided perspective. The role of a Pastor, as defined in the New Testament, was never about professional preparation for a sermon but about serving the body of Christ in a humble, participatory manner. This idea places too much emphasis on preaching as the central function of the Church, when in reality, the Church is called to be a community of believers who teach, admonish, and care for one another.
First, the concept of a Pastor as a full-time, paid preacher is foreign to the early Church. In fact, the New Testament consistently portrays leaders as being bivocational or working alongside their congregations to support themselves (Acts 18:3, 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Paul himself worked as a tentmaker to avoid burdening the churches he served (Acts 20:34). This reality demonstrates that the idea of a Pastor being paid to solely focus on sermon preparation is a modern, unbiblical invention.
Second, the Church is not built on the performance of a preacher but on the active participation of all its members. The "sermon" should never be the main event. The true work of ministry is in discipleship, fellowship, mutual accountability, and living out the teachings of Jesus in the world. The New Testament emphasizes the "priesthood of all believers," where each member has a role to play (1 Peter 2:9). A Pastor's job is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, not to do all the work themselves.
If a Pastor is spending all their time preparing for a sermon and neglecting the actual pastoral work-such as shepherding, caring for the congregation, and training others to lead-that’s not a faithful representation of the role described in Scripture. The Pastor's job is not to be a professional speaker but a servant leader, one who is involved in the daily life of the Church and helps empower others to live out their calling.
Finally, the idea that a Pastor should have uninterrupted time for sermon preparation reveals a misunderstanding of ministry and discipleship. Pastoring involves living among the people, investing in their lives, and walking alongside them in the struggles and joys of life. If a Pastor’s work leaves little time for sermon preparation, it may be that they are investing in the right things-equipping others, building relationships, and spreading the gospel in practical ways.
The emphasis on a Pastor needing time for sermon prep at the cost of other responsibilities is an incorrect view of pastoral ministry. Ministry is not about preparing for a sermon but about living out the gospel among the people. The Church is not about elevating a singular leader to a position of prominence, but about every member serving in their role and supporting one another. The modern “Pastor” model distorts this biblical reality.
Watch the video lol
Great thinking
I think a pastor's basic needs should be met and any extras can come in the form of gifts/donations. I met the criteria of widow (abandoned by husband, no family) and had a small child. I was young and able to work (unlike many young widows in biblical days) and would have managed just fine had our church not taught that it was a serious sin if I didn't tithe. After paying my tithes I wasn't able to make ends meet (didn't have enough food for myself - I survived thanks to the hospitality of neighbours). I brought this up to one of the pastors (asked for support) only to be given a lecture (how as head of my household I was responsible for my own bills). The hypocrisy was that none of the pastors were paying their own bills. They (and their dependents) all lived a comfortable middle class lifestyle which was possible thanks to people like me. The attitude they displayed was one of entitlement (believed they were entitle to everyone's tithes regardless of circumstances while not helping those in genuine need). While it's fair that pastors be supported (provided that they are in ministry full time), this type of thing should not be allowed.
I’m so very sorry you were abused like this. Never thought I’d ever say this, but check out Eating Sacred Cows episode 8 above, which taught me that scriptural tithing isn’t exactly what people say it is. NT says be generous and willing to share but tithing is not required. If one doesn’t take care of their family they are worse than an unbeliever. You are released from this legalism. Blessings on you.
@@lizardgirl72 Thank you for your kind response. I know now that tithing is not a NT requirement. I believe in being generous with what God blesses us but giving shouldn't come at the expense of our own basic needs (though I once shared my last loaf of bread with someone but I did that of my own free will not because I was coerced or manipulated into doing it). Unfortunately, I have friends who are still being manipulated by this false teaching and they have got themselves into some serious debt (can't afford their own bills so have to borrow). The response from their pastors? Crickets (or told they don't have enough faith).
At the end of Keith Greens music Ministry he desired to give away his last album, so instead of charging others he requested that the purchaser pay what they felt lead to give. I have always respected Mr Green for that stance. The owners of a Christian run roadhouse in the States decided not to set prices on their food menu's, instead asking patrons to give what they felt lead to give. In both cases God's was able to move through the people working on the faith displayed, and in both cases, the recipients received above what they normally would have received had they just relied on their own set prices. I have been in various forms of Ministry over the years, it is a honor to be able to give back to a God that has given so much. No man should labor for free, but God will meet your needs as you need them.
Amen 🙏
Keith Green had it right. So did George Meuller.
As a second generation Pastor's Kid, I think a church needs to consider the families as well. It's pretty hard to be content if you constantly live in debt, are constantly on the edge of poverty, and end up with mental health issues as a result.
There's a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church not allowing priests to marry but this is one of the reasons why. It's not only easier to support a single person (rather than their whole family too) but it also means that they are free to devote themselves entirely to ministry. If you're married, however, your family is your first priority (or should be). Also, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:7, some have been given the gift of celibacy so any criticism about priests not marrying is out of place.
But ultimately that decision of priests being celebit was made a thousand years ago so that the Catholic church and all it's property it obtained from believers, and from those they persecuted, was to keep that spoil and not divide it among family members. Sometimes churchianity builds buildings and occupies land instead of people being most important. Go and make disciples...do we really do that? Or do we make obediantand ignorant proselytes? Do we really have a clue what the body of Christ is and that He is the head of His body?....not our traditions, even in positions we call pastors. @anta3612
Pastor's out her doing the Lords work and going into situations others don't want to go into. Dealing with death, divorce and trauma. Running teams of people all while managing all the business side of the church and having to live a life above reproach. And we got people in the comments talking about they shouldn't be paid is wild to me. Lord help us here...
And many of them raising children. Why do people want to impoverish their pastor and his wife and children? 😢
WELCOME to Christian living according to RUclips...
My problem is when pastors salaries are linked to the success of the church like a CEO to a company.
Exactly, and they are making merchandise of the people.
It's unsettling to me how many people here think that a full-time pastor shouldn't be paid. Just because a few very visible pastors abuse it.
It's notable that Paul worked as a tentmaker until his friends arrived with funds donated from the sister church, at which point he is able to teach full time and his ministry explodes because he's able to devote himself entirely to it.
The Body of Christ is called to take care of her members. The pastor is one of those members.
It’s troubling to see how many people here defend the modern concept of the full-time, paid Pastor, especially when it’s so clear that this position isn’t biblically grounded. The reality is that the notion of a "Pastor" as a paid, full-time role is a product of a misguided, modern church structure, not the New Testament model.
Yes, Paul worked as a tentmaker, but this wasn’t because he needed "extra grace" from the church to cover his expenses, as the modern church suggests. He did it because the concept of a "full-time Pastor" or a paid clergy was nonexistent in the early church. When the church could support him, he gladly accepted what was offered, but he never took that position as one entitled to a paycheck. His focus was never on building a professional ministry but on spreading the gospel and equipping the church for service.
The Body of Christ is indeed called to take care of her members-but that doesn’t mean we should single out one individual and elevate them above the congregation as the "Pastor." This hierarchical approach to church leadership is a distortion of Scripture. The church is supposed to function as a collective body where every member has a role (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). There is no biblical precedent for creating a division between the clergy (Pastor) and laity. That division is unbiblical and undermines the priesthood of all believers.
Calling someone a "Pastor" is itself a modern innovation-nowhere in the New Testament do we see the title used as a permanent, professional office. The titles "elder" and "overseer" were meant to describe the role of a servant leader, not someone who is professionally employed to "lead" others in the church. These leaders were to teach, shepherd, and guide, but their work was part of the collective life of the church, not separate from it.
Furthermore, the suggestion that the "Pastor" must be financially compensated full-time is a misunderstanding of the early church’s model. The apostle Paul made it clear in 1 Thessalonians 2:9 and Acts 18:3 that working to support oneself and being a part of the community was the norm. Ministers of the gospel should not be removed from the everyday life of the church and the world. They should be fully invested in the people, not in a professional role, as if they are somehow more important than the body of Christ itself.
It’s time to question why so many people are clinging to the idea of a "Pastor" as a paid, full-time role. It only serves to further elevate a title that has no biblical basis and causes division within the church. Rather than elevating one individual as the "Pastor," let the body work together in mutual support, teaching, and equipping one another.
@@1Whipperin Elder. It's often translated elder. It's biblical. See Mike's teaching on women in ministry for a fuller understanding on the role of elder. Paul was a travelling evangelist and church planter, so maybe it's fair to differentiate. But the Church has had elders since the very beginning.
Amen and they do, I don't ask for money but people give it.
they don't pay taxes....
@@BewefauNot entirely true. They pay self-employment taxes. They don’t pay taxes on a portion of their income when they can document that they spent money on “housing” expenses…and this is only if the church doesn’t provide housing, like a parsonage.
Praise God!!! After watching numerous videos with that guitar in the background we FINALLY get to hear it!!!! I want more!
I know, right? YAY!
You can listen to Mike’s music by finding it on his playlists. It’s all there, never fear.
He had a link for a download, but I can't remember the name. Sorry. I purchases it.. it is very good.
I agree!! I have been in volunteer ministry positions in many churches my whole life, and not one of these churches (some with only 20-30 people in the congregation) haven't paid their pastors in some way shape or form. Tbh, congregations with less than 50 people in the congregation aren't gonna fiscally be able to afford to financially renumerate the pastor for their work, and in these cases, most churches I've been part of, employ the pastor 2-3 days a week, and then the pastor does other work outside of the local church, some even in other Christian organisations (like the bible society etc).
I had no idea that one could speak in tongues at will. I thought it was an involuntary manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I've never actually see anyone do it, either in real life or in a video. 70 years old and still learning new things. Thanks, Mike Winger!
I pray "in the Spirit" and I think some people are confused between this and speaking in "tongues". However, it is something I mostly do in private. The Bible says many times we are to "pray in the Spirit".
@@chargreen9940What's the difference? Since you mentioned some people think it's the same thing.
As always you have brought light to your main topic. Much to ponder.
Tongues come as natural as literally anything, when you have it, but it’s comes generally always during a worship, praise, or private prayer and praise, when you’re affected deeply by what’s on your heart. That’s best I can explain it after 5 straight 12+ hr day lol.
Peace! I enjoy your show, Mike.
Tongues is speaking another language, not babbling incoherence sounds. Scripture to interpret scripture. "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" talking about the language of their land." "44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." They where talking in another language they didn't know, through the power of the Holy Spirit. If no one can understand what you are saying why would the Holy Spirit do it.
I miss your music SO MUCH! Your gift of music is special and a blessing. I have been watching your videos since "way back when", 12 years ago, when you performed, for example, one song, 'We will Praise' on RUclips. Your voice suits your style of music perfectly. When the questioner brought up the subject, oh yes! Your newer, younger watchers are missing a part of your ministry. I am a retired professional violinist and retired from being a member of a praise team at a church I attended and it reminds me how much I miss it.
Glad that you and your wife are safe! Praying for all in California!
I hope The Lord will bless you. I admire Pastors and their choice to work for God, instead of themselves. Many Pastors are well qualified and could go into the private or government sector, earning lots of money, but instead choose to teach The Word. I highly admire and respect that. I really hope God will bless those people with abundance, even if they don't want that.
I live in Harlan KY and it has been referred to as Podunk by many 😀. Your right, $250,000 would buy a nice house here. Thanks for supporting your teachings with scripture because too many personal opinions and revelations have polluted the gospel teaching of many people I have encountered. In my small county we have 25,000 residents with over 400 churches ranging from Catholic to the ones who practice snake handling, which by the way was the denomination in which I was born and raised but no longer practice. Unity in the body being led by sound Biblical truths would be so powerful and I desire to see that. I think the most important step in accomplishing this is knowing the truth. Thanks brother for your work.
Hello fellow Kentucky resident. Harlan is a metropolis compared to my city.
Thanks for the fair and balanced carful handling of God's word. May he bless you for your work for his Kingdom🙏🏾
Dang. That passage about helping my unbelief really got me. I was holding back my tears at work. Thanks for that.
That was my verse of the year for 2024. Humbling, inspiring, and so beneficial.
A pastor should never be filthy rich. After all, he is a steward to God to preach and teach. However, it would be a sin to allow our pastor to be poor and struggle to get by.
It seems clear to me that "double honor" either means
1) you pay the pastor twice as much, or
2) you honor the pastor with respect _and_ with a normal salary.
I think it's (2). The pastor ideally should have a normal salary, one that's the same as the congregation's average income... IF the pastor accepts a salary.
(I have a retirement pension from 25 years in the USPS. So I'm able to serve the churches I pastor without a salary.)
Mike, you did a great Job on # 1 about payment for pastor. I always enjoy your Friday Q&A
I have to say, the light moments (on these livestreams)…they really communicate how gentle God is as well, in a profound sense..❤
Thanks for your take Mike and thank you for blessing us with your guitar. Peace be with you this year.
cat cam!!! also i loved the prayer at the end because it’s really been a struggle of mine with reading the bible lately and i want to have more faith that God will direct me to what it is that i need, taking into consideration that he knows what passage i need more than i do. i just want to hear whatever he wants me to know. God bless you and your ministry Mike & moderators. May he also bless your loved ones (pets included) 💙
Great q&a Mike and Sarah, Thank-You! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏! The clapping is for your guitar 🎸 solo lolz. God bless You guy's!
Beautiful
Love the logos tool usage here. I've seen many of the examples of what you are talking about and the spectrum in-between.Within such an affluent America we need have a Philippians 4 contentment and desire for the work of ministry.
Thank you for the chord progessions😊at the end! You play beautifully! God bless you especially for your teaching!❤
Since Covid many Christians are realizing the evil in many of our schools. The members of the church need to start making our Churches into schools and Minister deal with the operation of the schools including teaching youth
Thoroughly spoken, thanks Mike.
I think Mike Winger's channel is the best one on YT. But I have a different view although I'm not dogmatic about it, I'm totally open to being wrong and I recognize that most people disagree with me and that's totally cool. But, I think a church elder/pastor should be an older man who has raised a family and established himself with children (1 Tim 3:4-5, Titus 1:6). They should work with their own hands (Acts 20:17 & 34-35). This probably means he should be bi-vocational. I think they should be honored but the word honor in 1 Tim 5:17 is used for widows too at the beginning of the chapter. How were widows honored? By being allowed to partake in the daily distribution of food (Acts 6:1-2). It's worth noting that parents were honored by children taking care of them in their old age. The word "honor" us used many times just to refer to reward or respect. A prophet is without honor (same word) in his own town etc. When Paul says the laborer is worthy of his wages it's quoting from Luke where Jesus said that the disciples should eat and drink whatever is put before them. So, Jesus used the word wages to refer to food and Timothy applies Jesus words to pastors/elders. In terms of the hours a pastor works I think the pastoral role should be shared more equally with other men, instead of having a small eldership, and the churches should be smaller overall. 1 Corinthians 9 is talking about travelling apostles (missionaries). But that's just my understanding of scripture and I would have no problems being a part of a church that doesn’t share my view. If there was a Calvary Chapel in my city I would join. If I lived in Mike Wingers area I would definitely join his church.
I agree with you entirely. It’s provision not a salary and it shouldn’t be a career.
@@iThinkBiblically ABSOLUTELY!
Just as an fyi...Mike isn't part of Calvary Chapel anymore. He has said in more recent videos that he now goes to a Free Evangelical Church as a member and not part of leadership.
@ right. I didn’t know that
@@jenniferrogers5372 he is a member of an EV Free Church but he is still ordained through Calvary Chapel and recommends Calvary Chapel churches in general.
Mike, thank you so much for taking my question (#9)! Don’t worry about the last name. Wife and I have been listeners for 5+ years but I finally got a chance to actually tune in when I recently started working from home on Fridays.
As for my question, I thought perhaps Mark was taking some liberties with the facts, but in light of your response, I think it’s very reasonable to believe Jesus was just telling them not to get an extra staff (which is why Matthew uses “acquire” rather than “bring” or “take”). Hope to bring some more questions soon, brother!
Pay for church staff is tricky. I played guitar at a pretty good size church - they were thinking of going multi campus. The worship leader was paid well enough to not have another job. He actually moved several states to take this position. I’m sure he does more than I know, but he worked for 6 hours on Sunday, our rehearsal and services. He also chose the music and sent that out. 7 hours of work a week doesn’t sound like it’s worth a living wage. Again, I’m sure he did more than that, but there’s a lot of hours between 7 and 40.
My husband and I were in a worship band and we would have never asked for money. I sang in a choir when I was younger and on Easter and Christmas other churches would hire us to sing in their church and we would either put that money in their collection plate or ours or some combination of churches depending on need.
@@shellyscholz1256 I was church pianist and in a worship band. The only time our band asked for $ was to pay for gas to go to churches that were outside our area. I personally only charged for weddings, but not for my services to my church, which included playing with an orchestra for choir and involved extra practice sessions.
@@ST52655 I believe that your methods are the right way to go. Weddings require more than just the day of the wedding. You need to know what they want you to play and oftentimes that requires learning new music. People who attend weddings and church services rarely know what goes into the preparations. We were rehearsing in a friend’s basement and a deacon was there. He pulled out his cell phone and played a song we didn’t know and expected us to have all the instruments and vocals ready in three days. Jesus accomplished everything that is necessary in three days, we couldn’t lay out the music in three days.
I would love to call for an Uber and have Pastor Mike show up...
he likes your revenue from youtube....
Wouldn't that be cool
If there was a Calvary Chapel in my city I would definitely join.
This video just appeared on my screen. My life is full of misery because my parents Bonnie and Terry Tipton as well my sister Shawn Noone, her husband, and their sons Travis and Brandon have been able to get me to believe I am a terrible failure in life. It also includes the partners of Brandon and Travis. It feels like misery and a nightmare having been made desperate to be dependent on the government pensions of my parents as well as made to feel very low qualified and desperate. At this point, I would be desperate to do any work. I just do not want to be near the Tiptons and Noones. My experience with them gets me to feel as bad as possible, maybe even suicidal. It really has been bad every day. Maybe the worst feeling is when they are seemingly perfect, and I am made to feel constantly wrong. Apparently, Bonnie Tipton, Terry Tipton, Shawn Noone, Jeremy Noone, Travis Noone, Alondra Ramirez, Brandon Noone and his girlfriend Jeannie are morally perfect. It is impossible for them to be dishonest, and they have never been irresponsible. They have exercised perfect judgement and discipline. They have had nothing but success economically while I am tormented with failure. Could I get employment where I never have to see them again? Or am I stuck in the parents house, and have no choice but to see these people, and feel depressed and closer to suicide than anything? Am I stuck to view them all as vastly superior people, and beg them how to be perfect people? I tend not believe in Christian theology anymore. Please get me to a place where I do not have to be around these people.
Same!
Brother winger I thank God for what you’re doing for the body of Christ by exposing these charlatans and teaching. I like to send to support your ministry
Well Mike, I consider you an authority on God's word. So do many on here.
Thanks for your teaching Mike 💯
My dad was in insurance and coached a womens basketball team along with being a pastor, yes he drove a Benz he had 3 jobs (or as he put it 2 jobs and a calling). A pastor in my local area is an attorney. Yes he drives a Tesla, hes a lawyer they tend to do well. The pastor of the church I grew up in was a CFO, he didn't even take a salary for years the church had no money. This occasional assumption from Christians that if you have money your scamming someone is unfair.
Thanks Mike!! I am learning and growing more with your expository teaching ❤
Just one e.g.,,,, George Müller. Watched RUclips video about him just last night. Now there is a genuine man of God, a man of genuine, tried and tested fairh.
There’s a formula many churches follow. Take the average income of the congregation and that number becomes the pastor’s salary unless they lived in a parsonage. If they got the parsonage free to live in but had to pay utilities the salary was 75% of the congregations average. If they didn’t have to pay for any utilities or upkeep then the salary drops to 50%. This is my experience in rural areas, so not surprisingly many people donated crops, dairy and meat products to both the church and the pastor’s family as well as the poor in the community. Myself and another woman were hired to wallpaper the fellowship building. We put in an extremely low bid because we couldn’t do it for free. We painted it for free but they wanted us to get paid for papering it. The church got a new pastor while we were in the process of papering on a weekday, found out that I worked at a ski resort and asked me to give them free passes for their family to go skiing. There was no such thing as a free pass for people other than employees and they expected me to pay for them. They didn’t last long.
Indirectly, this is a question about speaking in tongues when there is no one to interpret. My church often has a piano solo. No one knows the words and every time it happens (I'm new there), all I can think is this is no different than speaking in tongues without someone to interpret.
YAY! WINGER-LORE EPISODE!
My dad had very little education and was a pastor. Dress nice because he felt he represented God and the people. Worked 3 low jobs.
Our pastor gets paid for 15 hours of ministry work, but does way more than that, and he also has a full time job. His wife works too and they rent a house and have just recently saved enough for a down payment on a house. He has been offered a full time ministry position at another church but feels he is called to serve at our local church. We really appreciate his commitment to our church and to teaching sound doctrine.
I have always felt "keeping the pastor poor" was shameful. One of my few points of agreement with the prosperity gospel was pick up your end and tithe...whether it's biblical or not, it's practical. I have been poor as dirt myself, and there's not much spiritual benefit it. God can use it...but, if you think that poverty is spiritually enriching, please try it yourself, congregant, before you inflict it on your pastor. (I have never been a pastor, or married to one, for full disclosure)
As long as things are getting paid for toward missions. If it's a large church. I have no issues with pastors making six figures... if not through the church, may be any side hustle (ie youtube). I understand their could be some obscenities... but Mike puts a lot of work into this channel WHILE serving the Lord AND reaching people all over the world... I have zero problem him reaping the benefits.
I've been in a lot of prayer meetings with people constantly speaking quietly in tongues. I do believe it's a valid gift but to be honest often times it reminded me of the "mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter" in Isaiah 8:19.
The devil always copies the things of God.
A particular religion near me started doing prayer vigils and worship sessions and Christmas meetings to prevent their members from coming to church
Pastors should be well compensated so as to be able to build a retirement. Those that feel overcompensated should use their "excess" as a donation back to their church or other worthwhile effort. This by no means is intended to justify the scam pay of those like TD Jakes.
When I was growing up in a charismatic, non denominational church, only the pastor, secretary, and Christian school teachers were paid. I have no idea how much. Youth leaders, sunday school teachers, worship team etc were volunteer positions.
my church is the same way.... the pastor now has a $800,000 house while the average home in this area is about 300k, it made me feel so bad about tithing that I had to stop because it became such a huge stumbling block that my heart wasn't in it..... our church also NEVER tells how much money comes in and where it goes....
@@JohnnyAnderson1check out what tithing is really about. Bad fruit podcast episode 8 Eating Sacred Cows. My mind is blown. Tithing isn’t scripturally what people think it is.
New subscriber i love the way you explain this plus for the past couple nights I’ve been waking up to your lectures and videos
I served as an unpaid pastor for 5 years. I worked a full-time job outside the church those entire 5 years.
I was somewhat limited in my ministry due to working my job. Would not have minded some minimal pay so I could have spent more time in ministry.
What is very important in this is defining terms. What is meant by laboring, preaching, teaching, “ruling well”. What did this look like in the first century in that context? Pastors today generally speaking, I don’t they are doing the same thing.
You’re absolutely right that defining terms is key when discussing these roles, especially in the context of the first-century church versus today’s modern church structure. Let's break it down by looking at the specific roles mentioned and how they were understood in the early church.
Laboring in the first-century context, particularly for the apostles and early church leaders, often meant working alongside the community-literally laboring to provide for oneself and contributing to the collective life of the church. The apostle Paul is a prime example of this, as he worked as a tentmaker to support himself while also spreading the gospel. This was not seen as a full-time, paid profession but as a part of the life of a faithful servant. The idea of laboring was not about securing a paycheck for doing spiritual work but about working diligently to spread the gospel and build up the body of Christ.
Preaching and teaching in the first-century church were central to the life of the congregation. However, these activities were not performed by a professional "Pastor" as we understand the term today. They were performed by a plurality of elders, who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the congregation. These men were not titled "Pastor" in the modern sense but were simply faithful leaders who led by example, teaching sound doctrine and exhorting the church to live in light of the gospel. The early church was a shared responsibility, with every member contributing to the teaching and building up of the body. Preaching and teaching were not confined to one person or one person’s salary.
As for “ruling well,” the term often refers to overseeing or shepherding the church. This wasn’t about authority in the modern hierarchical sense but more about guiding the congregation in godliness, providing counsel, and making sure that the church remained faithful to its mission. In the first-century context, ruling well was often about spiritual oversight and pastoral care. It didn’t involve a salary or professional status, but it did involve sacrifice and a willingness to serve the people of God.
In contrast, today's Pastors often have a very different role. Many of them are full-time employees of the church, taking a salary to do what is typically viewed as their "job." The focus has shifted from shared, communal leadership to a hierarchical, professionalized position. In many modern churches, the Pastor is the primary figure who preaches, teaches, and sometimes makes decisions regarding church governance. This is very different from the shared leadership structure in the early church, where multiple elders and leaders, who may or may not have been financially supported, would lead the congregation.
In short, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a leader who is dedicated to the ministry, the modern Pastor system, with its professionalization and financial compensation, doesn’t align with the New Testament model. Instead of a single figure who is "paid" to preach and rule, the early church model was a community-oriented leadership structure, with leaders laboring among the people and sharing responsibilities in a way that served the body as a whole. The modern Pastor system, as we know it, is a significant departure from that model and is often more about creating a professional class of clergy than truly laboring together for the gospel.
@ I’d agree in many points but this needs to be substantiated. Mike should research this and then teach it. Something to consider is that Back then, everyone didn’t have a copy of the scriptures available, today we have this and much more to know God’s word on our own. The apostles and elders weren’t spending a bunch of time researching a bunch of other Christians commentaries or putting together sermons for 1 to 3 hours a week. Their preaching and teaching doesn’t appear to be what is done today. Without looking into these things and determining what Paul and his audience understood these to be means the reader is going to put theirs or another’s definition into these terms likely missing the need and twisting these functions and actions to something they were never intended to be.
@@KIEFFNERCLAN Thank you! Excellent!
I’m not sure if I disagree with your answer to question 3, but I do disagree with how you interpret the temple items as a kind of go ahead to make similar items. Only because these images were commissioned by God with very specific instructions. They were also given warnings and even the Spirit to enable them to build everything exactly as God instructed for both Temples. I don’t think this allows, in any way for us to do similar things.
That being said I still do agree with your conclusion. I believe that depictions of Biblical events can be displayed on murals or stained glass because not everyone could read back then and I think those were ways to present those stories.
Love the shirt 😊 😸
Thank you for sharing.
I love your video's and channel.
May God bless you indeed. Amen
Pastors should be paid. They also have basic human needs just like everyone else. However, people like TD Jakes is a business man, not a pastor - they serve money, not people
Thank you as always minister Mike!
For question 3, I think it’s all about what God says do and don’t do/ commands. For the tabernacle He gives specifics of how it should be (Cherubim), and in the 10 commandments he says don’t make images.
I’d like to know about non pastoral positions. Does a church pay the projectionist, every worship team member, whoever runs light, etc? I know a church that does and previously had volunteers to do those things and they were happy to do it. However the church wanted professionals only. It seems wrong but I’m not sure.
I enjoyed the talk on honoring and paying pastors. The teaching on tongues left me thinking that tongues is a nuisance. Mike's teaching made it seem that one had to continuously check oneself if they wished to speak in tongues: "Is there a none believer present, does this need to be interpreted?" He's in effect placing the burden on the one speaking in tongues- creating a form of self censorship. What if I were speaking a foreign language like Chinese or Russian? I wouldn't be self censoring myself. Yet Mike seems to think that I shouldn't pray at all. Only pray in the language of the majority language in the room. It's horrible impractical to require that everyone pray this. How about this, let's just not pray publicaly, that way no one is offended.
Pastors should be paid *at least* the cost of living and be able to support his household (a wife and children) by himself on the salary being paid by the church. Anything less and the man is being mistreated by the church, in my opinion.
My uncle was a pastor of a small church and had a day job.
Yes they should be paid for the hours they work. They should not put in 20 hours (or less) and get paid like they have a full time job, am I wrong? A full time salary and yet only put in a couple of hours a day until Sunday. Just saying. But so should every person then who gives their time to serve at church. Also in my experience they also charge their own tithing members hundreds of dollars if they are asked (to do their job) as in conducting a marriage ceremony, and oh ya it cost $1, 500.00 to use the "facility" church for a few hours, for the wedding and rehearsal. Did I mention that the church building was given to the congregation for free, from another slowing dying (literally the congrats were aging out) church group? The Lord bless us and keep us!
I've seen the exact same thing. Pastor and building. That building never gets built. The poor get nothing. The pastor I know maybe 8 hrs for 40. It's abuse.
Always so encouraging!
I mean it’s true that someone who works should be paid. If someone is a pastor night and day, how are people expecting them to stay alive to teach? This is why I think people don’t see the full picture when it comes to the idea of not needing to pay pastors.
However, we also see the abuses of the millionaire pastors exploiting people out of money. But note their schemes usually stem from “don’t tithe, you don’t get something from God”. So I believe people need to keep elders in check when money is getting exploited. But not that all elders should be stripped of money. That means also stripping the hours they can be in ministry and have them be in another job to make up the difference.
I like what Mike said. Pay them well. No they shouldn’t get filthy rich. But their pay should reflect their work. If the church is doing all they can awesome. But we have seen churches that also take withhold money and then exploiting it as well.
All in all, I think it depends on the situation. But we should never intentionally not pay a pastor or at the very least provide them something. Why not feed the pastor so they don’t have to pay for their meals? There are other ways to support elders.
With question 7, Could when Jesus was saying,That these were signs that he has come, being the final sign that he came the first time. If the temple was destroyed then no more sacrifices could be offered for sin meaning that the old covenant was over.
I dont mind paying our Pastors well or even making sure they are well fed and looked after if the Church cant afford much or full time.
What bugs me is that despite tithing and the Church being able to pay the staff well they still charge for ministry nights when there is no visiting speaker. In my opinion they are extravagant and unnecessarily over the top which I worry loses the focus on the teaching.
During Covid because they couldnt have the end of year honours formal (but were able to move about in the community) they went from house to house delivering thank you cards. That was the most thoughtful way to express gratitude was virtually free and made you feel far more seen than a party. It saved the Church thousands. Imagine who they could support if they worked on relationships and gratitude that way every year.
I guess as a 52 year old things are a lot different now.
They used to pass around the offering bag when visiting speakers came but everyone was invited. Pot luck was a thing allowing people to practice hospitality and invest in their community.
The needs of the Pastor was also a community concern.
Sometimes as a tithe payer it feels like an us and them situation forgetting that we need each other to be the hands and feet of God. The giftings may be diffferent but the value is the same.
Here’s a revised version of your message:
Hi Mike,
I appreciate the work you do. Regarding the discussion about how much T.D. Jakes earns for a speaking engagement, it’s important to note that the fee is ultimately determined by the church or organization that books the event. Ministers like T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, and Steven Furtick, to name a few, are orators who are compensated for their ability to speak and draw large crowds-similar to figures like Tony Robbins.
Rest assured, the organizations booking these speakers also benefit significantly from the crowds they attract. It’s worth remembering that these ministers, like you, started from humble beginnings. I’m sure your RUclips channel is also doing well, using the same principle of leveraging your gifts to reach others.
Lastly, one challenge with smaller non-denominational churches is that they often lack the financial support and resources of larger church networks. As a result, pastors of these churches receive little to no compensation for the courageous and important work they do.
Best regards,
Q: Mike, I watched a few videos of yours in the past on the topic and don't know your current take and teaching on it, why are jews still considered the People of God (and having a special plan of salvation) when there's only one salvation which is the Church (a person believing in God and living a godly/righteous life) that is coming from the Root (of Jesse, which is Christ ) to which the gentiles are grafted to, not to the stem of Israel/jews , if we read correctly and carefully?? God doesn't have two Peoples of His, or a Wife and a Lover, or two brides and so on. There's only one salvation plan gifted to the humanity and this is His Church through His sacrifice. Thank you for your ministry!!! Blessings!!
What I have been taught is because God told them they would be, found in OT.
I just watched a discussion about this. The modern day Jewish people are not God's chosen people. I believe in Paul's letter to the Galatians he States that Jerusalem are the descendants of Hagar, ishmaelites as it were and Christians were the descendants of Sarah, those who follow Jesus. God's chosen people today are Christians.
@SandShark350 ABSOLUTELY. But we also have to understand that jews as much God's people as any other peoples in the world. The same applied to the nation of Israel, it has no more no less rights as any other (past or future) nation in the world. No nation or peoples have any exclusivity in the eyes of God, per teaching of the prophets, Jesus, the apostles and the Church fathers. And christians are the people (jews or gentiles) that love God, put their faith in Him, and live ltheir lifes by obeying Christ's Law, w/out which there's no salvation. I love jews ✡️ a bit more than Palestinians due to the problematic teaching since I was born, but I am making a progress 😉. Please pray for Ukraine 🇺🇦💙💛 and the defeat of the evil that descending on to the world from the east ☠️💀
God has not forsaken Israel permanently, nor has the church replaced Israel. Israel has only been hardened for a time. There are so many promises in the Old Testament that have not come to total fruition. As for being grafted in, those who believe in Israel are the natural olive branches. Those who do not believe in Israel are the branches removed and thrown into the fire. Gentiles have simply been grafted into the same plant to inherit the promises given to Abraham on a spiritual level. You are right when you say God does not have two people groups. We are one and the same spiritual family, those who believe by faith.😮
The answer to your question can be found in Romans 10:19-11:32. Paul even specifically answers the question of whether Israel has fallen from their place as God's chosen people in 11:11:
"Did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means!"
And in 11:25, Paul declares that Israel's hardening is temporary "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in". In verse 28, it says, "As regards their election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers " and in verse 29, "the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable ".
As for Mike's teaching on the subject, he has a thorough verse by verse study of the book of Romans.
Dispensationalism.
This was a good video
Beautiful playing at the end there ❤
I would absolutely love a video series on your dissertation and research.
EXCELLENT vid Session,! Maybe we can say Jesus was tempted…in the categories as we are with
Lust of the Eye, the Flesh and the Pride of Life.
Don't you know he was without sin? Just is a sin
Love ❤️ you Pastor Mike
I think a verse that gets missed a lot when talking about Paul working as a tentmaker is in Acts 18:5. Earlier in Acts 18 that it talks about Paul working as a tentmaker, then going to the Synagogue once a week. Silas and Timonthy show up (possibly with some cash?) and in verse 5 it says, "Paul devoted himself to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah." So, no the example of Paul is not always a tentmaker while doing ministry on the side. He did do that a few times, but he clearly also does also spend time doing his ministry full time, and we had to have gotten paid for it at least enough in order to survive.
0:57 I went to a church where the pastor was paid a stipend of 50 bucks a week when they preached, the a 150 dollars every two weeks for food, and room and board was taken care of by the church. These pastors making millions off the backs of their congregation is sick.
If they do an 401k it is a little different.
If they are married the husband for years was the only one paid. They changed this rule not that long ago, like maybe five years or so. They would get a stipend for every kid as well not sure how much.
You can't conflate things God instructed people to make with something we make of our own cognizance concerning statues and idolatry and the command not to make any graven images of Him in likeness of man or beast or any other form of creation it's been proven that when statues get involved in church settings people kneel before them which is always a problem
Good video, Mike, but I'm left with one question for you. I'm NOT disagreeing with you just looking for substantiation. You make the claim that Jakes getting paid $150K for one appearance where he delivered a message is wrong. "That's just wrong" if I remember correctly.
But I don't hear you making a good, sound Biblical argument as to why? How do you justify and substantiate your claim from Scripture? What if it was $145K? $125K? $100k? $50K? Jakes will have to justify that one day before the Lord but I don't see anything from Scripture that tells me that I can definitely tell another church what they can or can't pay someone to come speak at their event or that a pastor can or can't tell others what he must be paid if they want him to show up for that event.
Hope that makes sense.
The answer for Question 10 is especially good
I think the measuring line for how much a paster should make should be like that of George Verwer. Look it up. He was decidedly a poor man for the good of spreading the gospel. Anything else, with at least this attitude, shows where the heart is.
Wish I could "not able to play a guitar" like Mike does..... 🙃
How much?
How about I feel like that I give all that I have but the thing is it never ends,,
It keeps going on and on. And that's what it becomes all about. Been there, got the T-shirt.
That shirt is awesome!!!
I guess my only "argument" would be, I know a pastor who agreed to a percentage (if memory served it was 10% of the tithes paid).
Several years, he worked two jobs, paid the 10% back to the. Church and some his bivocational pay too just to keep the doors open.
Now the church is booming. Doing great works. It's a good church.
Hes never upped his 10%, but is now making 200k a year (of which he tithes back 10% plus offerings and missions)
There are many in the community complaining about how much he makes
I wonder if god approves of say a John MacArthur selling his study bibles? What's the difference between something like that compared to Jesus flipping the table in the temple..
My NIV at Mk 9:23- 'If you can?' said Jesus, 'Everything is possible for one who believes' NOT 'If you can believe everything is possible...etc.' significantly different
The Catholic Church doesn't force priests to be celibate. Those entering the priesthood do so of their own free will and one of the conditions is celibacy. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:7 some have the gift of celibacy. One who is married must tend to the needs of his family first (they are his first priority) while those who are not married are able to give themselves fully to the ministry. This is why Catholic priests are celibate: so that they can devote themselves entirely to ministry.
We had an amazing pastor, until he got paid full-time. With $$ he picked up a bad attitude, started gossiping from the pulpit, and even said to those of us who havent been completely healed of any physical or mental disabilities that we dont fast, pray, volunteer and tithe enough. This actually caused us to leave our church.
I know thats not always the case, but it certainly changed him sadly.
There was an outstanding associate pastor at a church I went who had to quit and go get a job. Associate pastors are basically paid part time. It was a job he applied for and agreed to, but I wished the church had decided to make it full-time.
lol - God provided an example to your point on speaking in tongues. The leaf blower was not reading the room, it was an outsider 😂it was disruptive, it was out of order- shouldn’t be there on a Friday. What a funny tangible example! Did anyone else catch this 😊
i didn’t catch this! i think that’s a nice analogy 🤔
Needs does relate to where you live, but even more so it depends on the persons choice of lifestyle.
Paul
Speaks about this issue.
2 Corinthians 2:17
And it goes back to should they be paid?