The Opportunity to Give - PH86-02
Advanced Bible Doctrine - Philippians 4:10-13

We have now come to the final paragraphs of this tremendous letter – a letter which was written on the theme of happiness. Paul, again, as he comes to the section which we have before us, expresses his gratitude for the gift of money which was sent from the Philippian Christians by Epaphroditus, one of their church leaders in the city of Philippi. He has referred to this earlier in the book, and now as he comes to the end, he once more makes reference to this financial gift sent to him via Epaphroditus to his prison cell in Rome.

Paul has been a prisoner now for almost four years. He is on the verge of having his trial heard. As we found subsequently, he will stand before Nero, and he will be acquitted. So he is freed for a period of time, and then he receives a second Roman imprisonment from which he is not again freed, and in which, as a matter of fact, as a Roman citizen, he is beheaded for the fact that he is a member of an illegal religion now – Christianity. Previously it was not illegal to be a Christian. After his first release from prison, the Roman Senate declared Christianity an illegal religion, and thus Christians were subject to the penalty of death, and that led ultimately to Paul's death.

But at this time, Paul is very happily looking forward to a further ministry and to further contact with the Philippian Christians. Of course, finances are a critical part in any ministry. Paul, like all ministers and like all missionaries, is faced here with receiving money gifts from other people. That has to be done with dignity and graciousness. Lack of funds is, of course, a great hindrance. People who are in a ministry can often become very nervous about the fact that the money that needs to be there to conduct the Lord's work is not there. They may be tempted, consequently, to follow means of securing funds which the Word of God does not justify, and which are not the dignified ways that God has appointed for financing His work through the giving of God's people.

But Paul does not want, on the one hand, to display a spirit of indifferent independence toward his donors; nor, does he want to carry on a fake buttering-up of potential contributors. He simply wants to deal with them in godly genuineness. He has been called to perform a ministry on behalf of the body of Christ. He has been given certain spiritual gifts with which to perform that ministry. He is ready and willing and prepared to do so, and he has been doing so for many years. All of that takes finances. Therefore, it is necessary that the people of God provide Paul with the finances he needs to carry on the church planting ministry; the extensive evangelism; and, the extensive missionary work in which he was engaged. Without that money, it would not be possible – any more than it would be possible for us today to conduct any kind of ministry that propagates the Bible doctrine viewpoint without money to do it. The two have always gone together.

So the apostle Paul stops at the end of this letter, once more, simply to say, "Thank you for sending that gift," which apparently was a very generous gift at this time for the support of his work. There were times, of course, when he could work and finance his ministry. While he was in prison, that was not possible, so this gift arrived at a particularly critical time for him. But as I say, the apostle Paul always tried to strike a balance with people who were financing God's work that he was involved in. He didn't want to take an indifferent, independent attitude; nor, did he want to take a buttering-up attitude.

It is sad when church boards fall into this trap, as well as church leaders. I cannot tell you how many times, in my quarter-of-a-century plus in this pulpit and in this church, I've had members on various boards tell me to butter-up somebody who was a potential donor to the work. They only say that to me once, and they're sorry about it for the rest of eternity.

Financing the Lord's Work

Then in verse 9, he says, "For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail, for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." Paul says, "In order to finance our work, it was necessary for us to work night and day," which means that he had to exercise his trade as a tent maker, either during the daytime or the nighttime (probably during the daytime), and then do his ministry at night so that he was self-supporting and self-financing in the Lord's work. Yet there were people who suggested that Paul was in the ministry for the money that's in it.

That is often an accusation directed toward ministers. Most ministers, however, have not been very successful in achieving that goal if that has been their purpose. The apostle Paul was willing to work night and day in order to finance his own ministry. Of course, that didn't make him a better preacher. Anytime that he had to finance his own work, that made him a poorer teacher. That made him a poorer preacher. That is because, no matter how willing he may have been, he was no superman any more than the rest of us. Whatever his natural stamina may been, it looked apparently like he had a terrific physique (except for some elements of appearance – some physical shortcomings that in some way caused him not to be as handsome looking as we might hope he had been). But as far as his drive and his capacity, he seemed to have an ample supply of it, but that is only a limited supply. Anytime the apostle Paul had to go out there raising funds, whether by his own efforts or by other means, it detracted from his effectiveness in the ministry. It detracted from his full capacities being realized. It shortchanged the body of Christ in realizing all that could have come at those particular points in time from the spiritual gifts of the apostle Paul.

However, this is not to say that Paul did not understand God's principle that ministers of the Word of God are to be financed by those whom they instruct. In 1 Corinthians 9:11-14, for example, he makes this clear that he understands this principle, and that he does function upon it on occasion. This is his basic guideline. He had some problem also here in Corinth. These churches in the city of Corinth were also very negative. Thus they were very sinful. They were a very carnal group of believers, and they had some very harsh things to say about Paul and finances. In 1 Corinthians 9:11, Paul says, "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your carnal things?" By "carnal things," he means things for the body.

Verse 12: "If others be partaker of this right over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this right, but bear all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ." Because of the condition of carnality, and because of the negative volition rampantly displayed among the Corinthian Christians, Paul says, "I understand, on the basis of God's principles of financing His work and of caring for those who minister in spiritual things, that it is my right indeed to receive funds from you for my physical needs, to keep body and soul together." But he said, "You are well aware of the fact that when I was in Corinth, your offerings were rejected by me. Any finance that was extended by you people to me I refused to accept because of your spiritual condition, and because perhaps even of the attitude with which it was given."

Verse 13: "Don't you know that they who minister about holy things live of the things of the temple?" That's the way it was in the Old Testament. Where did the Levites get their money? Where did the priestly corps get the supply for their physical needs? They got it directly from the fact that part of the very offerings that were brought into the temple were earmarked for their use. A certain percentage went directly for the use of the priests, and thus they received, in effect, that salary. So this is not anything new.

"They who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar." There were occasions when the priest who sacrificed an animal on the altar was also entitled to take part of that animal. That was a fee for the performance of his ministry. "Even so, the Lord has ordained that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel." So Paul is indeed very clear on this principle of financing in the Lord's work.

Also notice in Galatians 6:6 where he refers to this again. Paul says, "Let him that is taught in the Word share with him that teaches in all good things." You couldn't put it any more explicitly than that. "Let him who is taught in the Word (the church member who receives Bible doctrine information) share with him (that is, in material things) that teaches in all good things." It doesn't tell you to share with the preacher who does not teach you true doctrine, or the preacher who does not teach you at all. It does not tell you to share with the preacher who runs a great, terrific social program. It does not tell you to share with the preacher who gets in the pulpit, and he inspires you and challenges you, but he does not instruct you in God's mind. But for the one who does, the Bible says, with him, you share. There is no other source of material sustenance for him except from you. If it does not come from you, then he has no recourse but to fall back upon his own labors, as Paul did on occasion. Consequently, the ministry is hindered, and the people of God are short changed. They have done it to themselves, in effect.

But there were times when Paul set aside this right to financial support, as he did with the Corinthian Christians, in order to counter their attacks against his motives. When he wrote the second letter to the Corinthians, he referred to this setting aside of his right. In 2 Corinthians 11:7-9, Paul says, "Have I committed an offense in basing myself that you might be exalted because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?" What these Corinthians were doing, in their spiritual insanity and their mad dog carnal qualities, was that they were now making contemptuous remarks about the apostle Paul as being undignified. They were saying, "You're a man of the cloth. Here you are sitting down there making tents like a common laborer. They were actually directing contemptuous remarks against Paul because he did not lean upon their financial care, even though he had the right to do so.

Paul says, "Have I insulted you?" This is one of those places where we can tell that the apostle Paul, unfortunately, did not go to seminary where they tell you, "Now boys, don't ever use sarcasm. Boys, don't ever use cutting words." The people who teach you that are the poor people who couldn't know sarcasm if they saw it, and couldn't come up with a cutting remark if their life depended upon it. But the apostle Paul knew how to use both effectively. This is what he's doing. He's being sarcastic. He's saying, "I must apologize to you people because I gave you the gospel freely. I gave you divine viewpoint."

You notice that in the back of all this emphasis is the fact that there was no other way for the people to get it. They weren't going to get it by reading the Bible. They were only going to get when a gifted man who had the God-given ability, through no merit in himself, could stand up and could explain what the Bible said in these original languages, and they could see it, and they could understand it, and the light of God's understanding could flood their souls. And they knew it. They knew that when they sat in that assembly group, and that gift of communication was exercised, God's viewpoint flooded their soul. It illuminated their minds, and it gave them direction in their lives. They knew what they were doing, and they knew where they were going. Without it, they were stumbling around in the dark, no matter how much they read the Bible themselves, and how much they struggled to kind of figure out what it meant. So behind all this was the critical factor that they needed this gift to be exercised. Paul gave them the gospel freely.

Then in verse 8, he twists the knife. He said, "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them to do you service. He says, "I apologize to you, Corinthians, because I didn't take your money. I must apologize to all these churches, one of which was Philippi, because I took their money, and they were supporting me while I was ministering to you bums in Corinth." How do you like them bananas? He knows how to twist the knife.

"And when I was present with you and lacked, I was chargeable to no man." Paul says, "Even when I found myself kind of broke, none of you was made to feel responsible for the fact that I was short."

"For that which was lacking to me, the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied." That's where Philippi was – in Macedonia. "And in all things, I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself." Paul says, "This is how I operate, and this is how I intend to operate." When you are in a proper spiritual condition; your giving is grace-oriented; you're doing it as unto the Lord; and, you understand that this is a proper and right thing that you don't do for an individual, but you do for God, in order to carry His work forward, and to store eternal treasures for you. Remember that. The money you give to the Lord's work reverts to eternal investment in heaven for you. Then, until you understand that, Paul says, "I will not accept your gifts. When you do understand that, I will welcome them as I did from the churches in Macedonia.

In verse 12, Paul says, "But what I do, that I will do that I may cut off occasion from them who desire occasion that in that which they glory, they may be found even as we." What he means there is he is cutting off those who have been accusing him of being in the ministry for the money that's in it, and who have been abusing him by suggesting he is degrading himself by financing himself. And indeed, as I say, there were many times when that's exactly what he did. He financed his own work.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:9, we have a reference to this. Paul says, "For you remember, brethren, our labors and travail, for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you. We preached unto you the gospel of God." Paul says, "I would not be a burden on you." Paul was a lousy candidate for the welfare program. If our country were filled with people like Paul, it would be turmoil in Washington. They wouldn't be able to sleep at night. They'd have to open a welfare school to teach people how to lean on others to take care of them. But that was not true of Paul. Paul says, "I wasn't chargeable to any of you."

There is one more example. In Acts 20:33-34, Paul says, "I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel." He says, "When I saw your money, I never had the desire to have your money. When I saw your nice clothes, I didn't have any desire to have your nice clothes." Paul says, "I didn't see somebody and say, 'Boy, would I like to have a nice suit like that?'"

Verse 34: "You yourself know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." Paul says, "Not only did I finance myself with my trade, but I took care of the people who work with me – my staff. There were times when they had no income but the income that I was producing."

So all of this is background that you should understand concerning the apostle Paul as he comes to this passage in Philippians. He is going to deal with financing missionary work; financing the work of the ministry; and, his particular relationship to it. Paul understood that ministers of the gospel are to be supported by the people that they minister to. This was the Old Testament order. This is the New Testament order. Paul, however, did understand that he should not receive finances from those who were not prepared to give finances. That's why we tell people that unless you understand the principle of grace giving, just keep your money until you learn the doctrine, and learn how to give according to grace principles. This is so that God can lead you. You can be acting on a divine plain rather than a mere humanistic human good plain. Then God will be able to reward you in eternity with treasures in heaven for what you have given.

The apostle Paul, from people who did understand grace giving, gladly and willingly received it, because that made it possible for him to do the work of the ministry; for him not to be sidetracked; and, for him not to get bogged down. You want to remember that anytime the preacher gets bogged down: having to raise funds; having to research funds; and, having to come up with financing, ultimately the buck stops at his desk. He's the one that it all comes back to in a local ministry, and he's the one upon whose shoulders finally everybody dumps it and says, "Get the money." When it's not there, the burden falls on him. If he has to sidetrack out to be raising the funds, and to be writing letters to promote income, you can just be sure that he wasn't sitting there poring over the Word of God. He wasn't sitting there digging out the gems of eternal enrichment that would have been yours. Someplace along the line, people have to make a swap. It's amazing how the people of God never seem to fully grasp that – that there is always an exchange when there is not enough to finance the work. They are exchanging that for spiritual blessing; spiritual enlightenment; and, spiritual returns, and it's a poor exchange.

Rejoice

Now he says, "I'm going to give you an example of how you made me happy." He closes on a very high and a very gracious note, because after talking about how great it is to be happy in the Lord, he is now, in effect, going to finish up in a very gracious way by pointing out that these people in Philippi had been the kind of believers that genuinely had made him happy. They know how he had been made unhappy by many such as those in Corinth.

This transition also then gives Paul another chance to express his appreciation for the financial support which the Philippians had sent for his ministry: "But I rejoiced." The word "rejoice" is the Greek word "chairo." "Chairo" is a word that describes a state of peace of personal well-being – what we would describe as happiness. It is speaking here of the specific occasion when Epaphroditus arrived with the financial gift, and with the offer of his personal services from the churches in Philippi. It was a very happy and welcomed surprise when he arrived. This word "chairo" for happiness (for rejoicing) is in the aorist tense, meaning that specific point in time. That's what the aorist tells us. It is that point when into Paul's prison room in Rome came Epaphroditus with this gift?

It's in the passive voice, which means that Paul didn't make himself happy. Paul didn't drum this up. Paul didn't say, "Well, I'm a little blue today. I'm going to do something to make myself happy." Rather, Paul was made happy without any effort on his own, as he saw the expression of love and concern which this gift represented. It was a happiness that was produced by God the Holy Spirit. It's indicative. It's a statement of fact about the expression of Paul's inner happiness.

This is the last time we're going to have the word "rejoice" in Philippians. We have had it before. This is the last shot, and it's the last time that he will use it. The word stands first in the sentence. First comes "chairo," and then comes the word "de," the first word we looked at. They reverse it in English. But this word that stands first in the sentence in the Greek always throws emphasis. That stresses that that's the big thing and the important thing. Paul wants to make it clear to them that they've really done something to lift his spirits.

This has been, he says, "In the Lord." The word "in" is the Greek word "en," which means "in the sphere of." The word "Lord" is our familiar "kurios" which stands for the deity of Christ specifically. What he is saying here is that his happiness is based on values and standards that flow from the thinking of Jesus Christ – the mind of Christ which he has received through doctrine. This is a divine viewpoint happiness. Any happiness that we have that is mere human viewpoint happiness is temporary. It's passing. Paul is speaking of something that is not just human happiness, but it is a divine-produced happiness. In other words, Paul is not reacting from his old sin nature because somebody has given him money. Let's get that very clear. Paul is not getting onto an emotional high because, "Oh, look here. Somebody has given me a big wad of money."

The money itself is not the thing that causes happiness. He's going to make that very clear. So I'll point that out to you now. This was not some quality of greed from the old nature. This was not some quality of desperation that the old sin nature was throwing up – that he's going to have to have this money; because he's going to have to meet these bills; he's going to have to have this financing; and, he's restricted in prison from doing anything about it as he has done in the past with his own trade. He has a divine viewpoint perspective, and the response to this gift is accordingly. He has a divine viewpoint response that is expressing itself is happiness, and it is not because they sent him a large contribution. The large gift did not make him happy. But something did, because he was viewing this in the Lord, from a divine viewpoint perspective.

This happiness he describes as, "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly." This is the Greek word "megalos." "Megalos" is never used again. It was never used before, and it is never used again. It's one of those words that is significant because of its singular use by the Holy Spirit. Here it is used to denote the degree or the intensity of Paul's happiness. God the Holy Spirit uses this word only once in the Bible in order to demonstrate how deep and how extensive was the happiness of Paul. Paul's joy was very great because of something the Philippians did – not because of what they gave. Also, this word stands last in the phrase, and that's another point of emphasis. What he's saying is, "You really made me happy."

Then he gives us the word "that." "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that." "That" is the Greek word "hoti." This is another one of those signal words. It introduces the reason that the gift from the Philippians made him so very happy. He's going to tell us why he was so happy. He's not going to say, "The thing that made me happy was that you sent me $10,000. You don't know how I needed $10,000. The amount of the gift (the gift itself) was not the thing that made him happy. Something else about this situation did make him happy.

"That now at the last" is a little expression that needs some explaining. The word "now" refers to the present time, and "at the last" refers to an interval of time. The word "now" is this word "ede" in the Greek, and "at the last" is the Greek word "pote." This word "now" indicates at the present time. It really marks the end of a period of time. But there was an interval of time here. We don't know how long. It may have been years. But there was a time when the Philippian church was greatly involved with financing Paul's work, and then it just dropped out of the picture, and they were not involved in financing anything that the apostle Paul was doing. So there was a stretch of time when he simply did not receive any financial help from them.

So we may translate "Now at the last" as "Now at length." He is referring to this indefinite period of time when there was a delay in which they were not able to help him. It may have been because they were short. You remember that one of the things for which the Macedonian churches, including the churches in Philippi, were commended for by Paul, when they were taking up that special offering to relieve the famine condition of the Saints in Jerusalem, was that the Macedonian believers (the Philippians among them) gave out of their poverty. There was a depression on in the Roman Empire, and the Philippians were caught up in it. It may have been that this was part of the problem – that they were under depressed economic conditions so they themselves did not have to give.

That's one of the things you want to remember about grace giving. It is great to be able to give, but it takes God providing you with the means to give. No matter how you may want to give, if you don't have it to give, you just don't have it to give. That's one of the happy things involved in giving. God has given it to you, because God can also take it away from you. It is not uncommon for people who are faithful in their giving to discover that God says you're a good steward. I'm going to trust you with a little more. They can't quite figure out why things are coming a little better to them. In part, it's because of the demonstration of being a good steward.

Other people, whom God prospers, never learn how to prosper God's work along with their prospering. So God starts stripping them down, and they don't know what's happening: "Why am I having these huge losses? Why am I getting shot through like this in my finances?" It's because you may have given, but you did not give commensurate to God's blessing upon you. And as God's blessing expanded, your giving should have expanded as well, and it didn't. It stayed at some miserly level. So God does not trust you as a steward.

The apostle Paul does not tell us what happened in the situation with the Philippian Christians. It may have been this economic depression that hit them, so they could not do as much. Or it may have been by the fact that his circumstances didn't lend themselves to their being able to get in touch with him. He was a prisoner for two years in Caesarea. He's been a prisoner for almost two years now in Rome. They may not have had easy access to him to bring him any gifts. In any case, we know that they were not involved in the missionary work.

Concern

It's infinitive, and this has a little bit of a technical matter in the grammar that we won't get into. But I'll just simply tell you that, in grammar, you have a subject, and then you have an object that the statement is directed toward of the verb "flourish" in between. "Now at last flourished your thinking," or your remembrance. In other words, he's again stressing that, for a while, they were not able to think of him. Now they were thinking concerning him. "Flourished your concern for me." That means "your thinking of me."

Let's look at the word "flourished" here. It is a very interesting and descriptive word. It is "anathallo." "Anathallo" means "to sprout again" or "to blossom out again." That's what the word "flourish" means. It comes from "ana" (again), and "thallo" (to blossom). So the idea here is "to revive." Something has revived. The thing that has revived is this thing up here that became the object of that verb, "Your concern for me." Paul says, "I'm delighted to see that once more, in the providence of God, He has made it possible for you to become a participant in worldwide evangelism – to become a participant in teaching doctrine – from the doctrine of the gospel through the full counsel of the Word of God. And you, under the mercy and the graciousness of God, have once more been provided with the means to participate in that."

And Paul says, "I'm happy for you." Why? Because Paul knows that this participation enables them to store treasures in heaven. He's not happy for the money they sent in. That's going to be helpful. He's not happy for his very gracious gift. That's going to take a lot of pressures off, and the work can go forward. Sure. But he says, "The thing I'm happy for is what you're getting out of it. God is enabling you once more to store treasures in heaven by being a participant in the work of the gospel with me. That's what "flourished" ("anathallo") means. It's aorist. It's at the point when they gathered up this money again and brought it through Epaphroditus. It's active. The Philippian Christians had this revival of concern themselves. It's indicative. It's a statement of fact.

So the idea is that the concern that the Philippian Christians for Paul and his Christian service sprouted and bloomed fresh like a tree putting forth fresh fruits after a dormant period during the winter season. It's all blossoming out again. What's blossoming out? Blossoming out their concern. He says, "I'm really happy for that." But he says, "I want to make it clear what it is I'm saying that I'm happy over." He adds the end of verse 10: "Of which you were also mindful, but you lacked opportunity." "Of which" may be translated as "in which matter." That refers to financing Paul's ministry, and thus the Lord's work. "In which matter you were also mindful."

In the Greek, we have this comparison of two words. We have the word "kai," and then a little later we get this word "de." That is a way that the Greek has of saying, "Indeed," and "but." Or we might say, "On the one hand, and on the other hand." When you see these two (and you have that in this sentence), he's making the comparison of what on the one hand they would like to have done, but which on the other hand they were able to do. They were not able to do what they wanted to do. This is a way of expressing that. Indeed, on the one hand, you want to do this, but on the other hand, you were not able to.

So the idea is that they on the one hand, "Were mindful." Again, he uses the same word that we before: "phroneo." He says, "On the one hand, you did have this concern," using "phroneo" again. You were mindful. However, this time when he uses "phroneo," he uses the imperfect tense. The imperfect in the Greek means that repeatedly in the past they would think about Paul and say, "Boy I wish we could help him. I wish we could do something about it. We haven't sent any money for a long time. I hope things straighten out. I hope things get better for us. We need to get some finances to him. I wish we could get in touch with him. We've got to figure out a way to get this money to him." Repeatedly in the past they were concerned. It is active, which means that this was the real feeling and the mental attitude of the Philippian Christians. It was indicative. This was a way of stating a fact about them.

Opportunity

We are not told the reason for nonsupport. But whatever it was, Paul makes it clear, "While I'm glad to see that now, after a long interval of time when we haven't been working together financially in the Lord's work, that God has enabled you to do this again. And you are going to be prospered at the Judgment Seat of Christ for it." However, he says, "I do want to make it clear that I do understand that your not sending this money was not because you were not concerned. It was not because you were not mindful of me. It was not because you forgot me – out of sight, out of mind. But it was because you did not have opportunity. The reason of that lack of opportunity we're not told.

So verse 10 says this: "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you were letting blossom anew your being mindful for me, in which matter, indeed, you were repeatedly concerned in the past, but you lacked opportunity."

The apostle Paul is determined that he's never going to act like a beggar preacher. This is something that is not characteristic of him. While Paul may ask for help in the Lord's work, and while he may alert people of the needs, they are indeed for that very purpose, so that God's work may go forward, not because he has some personal vested interest in this. Nothing is more loathsome than the sight of somebody in the ministry who is raising funds because they will prosper his own well-being, even if he needs it – the very thing that Paul is accused of, which he did not do. But it is not beneath some preachers to go around and seek financial remuneration. It is not beneath some preachers to go to a clothing store to buy a suit, and tell them that they're a preacher, and ask for discounts. If I were the man who owned the clothing store, I'd give him a discount, but I would cut one foot off of one leg, making one let shorter.

Years ago, I had a man here who came as a speaker. He was brought in during a missionary operation, and he was given a gift for his work. Then he was asked back again. I can't remember the circumstances, but he spoke at the evening service. And throughout that meeting, he used it for campaigning for funds for his work. Something rang a bell with me as to the kind of fund-raising promotion he was doing. It was not detached from himself personally, and for the Lord's work. So I decided not to give him any honorarium. He hung around after the service and talked. Pretty soon there was nobody left but he and I. I walked down the parking lot, and he still hung around and talked. Finally he said, "How did we do it last time? I don't remember. Did the deacons just give a gift directly, or did they mail it? And of course, one of the gifts I have is playing dumb, so I used it. I couldn't remember for the life of me. Finally, he decided to leave.

That week, I had a call from a friend of the church who had allowed this man to use a room in his house. He had worked himself into this man's sympathy as a servant of the Lord who was going about doing the Lord's work. He needed a place to stay. Then this man discovered that he had been charging things to his account. So he asked him to leave his room in his home, and he refused to do so. He just wasn't going to leave this fine setup he had in this house. And the poor church member had to take drastic actions to evict this man. That's what I mean that it is not beneath preachers to be using people to gain material ends for themselves, all under the guise of, "I'm serving the Lord."

Now, Paul has been accused of this, and his remark here in verse 10 might be misunderstood by some who would want to do so. When he says, "I'm glad that now at length your concern for my work, and for what I'm doing for the Lord, and your participation with me in this work, has again sprouted forth as a tree putting out new leaves in the spring." So the next verses give us some very significant information concerning personal contentment in material things, so that you do not fall into the traps that the world falls into, and so that you do not become a victim of materialism that most people in our society become victims of. We will look into that in greater detail in the next session.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1973

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