The Rich Young Pastor


 
by Neil Jennings Braithwaite 
 
One day Yahshua met a pastor who had grown-up in the church, attended Christian college and seminary, and upon graduation, moved from church to church working his way up the corporate ecclesiastical ladder. The man started his career as an associate youth pastor for a mere $20,000 per year salary, and finally at age forty, he became senior pastor of a large denominational church making over $75,000 a year, including full benefits and a generous retirement package. 

The pastor told Yahshua he had been working very hard since Christian college and seminary and felt greatly blessed to have been called as a pastor, on every occasion, to a church offering a larger salary and better benefits to meet the needs of his growing family. He also told Yahshua he was looking forward to his rest and reward in heaven for a life of sacrificial service as a full-time pastor and preacher of the gospel. The pastor also told Yahshua he had done his best to follow all His commands and examples and asked Yahshua if there was anything at all he could do with the rest of his life to please Him more. 

Yahshua said to the pastor, truly I say to you, as a "vocational" pastor you receive your reward in full with each pay check. If you truly want to please me, stop accepting a monetary reward for preaching the gospel and find work to financially support yourself and your family, and continue to shepherd my flock and preach the gospel at no charge – and then you will have treasure in heaven. Yahshua went on to remind the rich young pastor that you cannot serve both God and money, it is more blessed to give than receive, and freely you have received – freely you should give

When the pastor heard these words from Yahshua he went away grieving because making his living by preaching the gospel was all he ever wanted to do - and was all that he knew how to do. 

The rich young pastor wasn’t about throw away all he had worked so hard for by giving up his right to charge for his services as a minister of the gospel. So he went on his way - getting paid by the flock to preach the free gift of the gospel to them on Sunday mornings. 

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel WITHOUT CHARGE, so as NOT to make full use of MY RIGHT in the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 

"But I hope in the Lord Yahshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I [Paul] have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your [believers'] welfare. For they ALL seek after THEIR OWN interests, [and] NOT those of Christ Yahshua." Philippians 2:20-21  

"Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as CHARITY, and then all things are clean for you." Luke 11:39-41
"Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left EVERYTHING and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Yahshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” Matthew 19:27-30

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