A word about a book that is hot off the press, Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch. Alex Strauch is an elder, one of the elders in the assembly in Littleton, Colorado, and has done an extensive study on the function of elders as defined in the New Testament Church, going as well into the history of the term as it grows out of the Old Testament. a very positive contribution to some of the kinds of things we've been talking about. This really deals with the whole question of solid biblical leadership within the church. And I would make it must reading for any of you who are elders. It talks about the servant leadership role of the elder. And I think you'll find it very helpful. very enlightening and perhaps life-changing as we seek to see new leadership, new levels and qualities of leadership emerge in the assembly movement. Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauss, published by Doyle and Ross. I will give the information necessary on this to grant because it's not yet been distributed all over the country for mass sale, but it is available, and we'll be showing up in bookstores shortly, and I'm sure Grant will be able to order it for you. We'll have that information for you. We turn your Bibles once again to Acts chapter eleven as we continue to look at this church at Antioch. In Acts chapter eleven and verse twenty seven, God does some divine solicitation for funds. And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch, and there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man, according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren who dwelt in Judea, which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." The church in Antioch was committed. It was evangelistic. It was all taught. It had full-time workers who spent over a year, far beyond a year, perhaps two, with them. They had a multiplicity of gift exercises. We will look at that this evening. In addition to all of these things that were of heavy spiritual import, they were very practical. When a need arose, they were willing to get involved with meaning that financial need. By the hand of Agabus, another prophet's word was sent. to the apostles and to this church at Antioch that the saints in Jerusalem were going to very shortly have deep financial need. The apostles were touched with that. Paul was particularly touched with that. And I would like to trace Paul's involvement in meeting this need. And in doing that, trace something of the financial principles of New Testament church functioning that are recorded for us in the New Testament. And with Paul, I would like to add the verse of Philippians, not because I desire a gift, but because I desire that fruit might abound to your sake. If you'd like to give a gift, that's fine, too. But I want you to know the motivation. not that I desire gifts. The close of First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul, makes reference to this exercise that he has. In First Corinthians, he says this, now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him. Let there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whosoever you shall approve by your letters, then will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And it would be suitable that I go also, they shall go with me. The close of the Corinthian letter, as he had encouraged other churches, he had likewise encouraged the church at Corinth. And now writing to them, he says, look, don't be scurrying about to get that collection together when I come with you. Have it ready. Have it ready. He had talked to the Corinthians face to face very pointedly about the needs in Jerusalem. He now is reminding them to do what they said they were going to do and to do it well in advance of his coming. And then he says, I will come. And you have it ready. He expands on that in Second Corinthians, in Chapter Eight of Second Corinthians in this way. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. How many of you know that verse by heart? It's one of our memorized verses. It is in the context not of the Lord's Supper. It is in the context of giving. It is the standard of giving. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was ultimately rich, who became ultimately poor. And then Paul expands on that principle, bringing application to the promises that the Corinthian church had made in relationship to giving. And in this I give my advice, for this is expedient for you, who have begun before not only to do but also to be willing a year ago. Now therefore perform the doing of it. that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which you have. Verse one of chapter nine, for it's touching the ministering to the saints, it is deplorfulness for me to write to you. For I know the readiness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago. and your zeal hath provoked very many. Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf, that, as I said, ye may be ready, lest somehow, if they of Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, we, that we say not ye, should be ashamed. In this same confidence boasted. Verse six, he who sows sparingly, shall reap also sparingly. And he who sowed bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Do you get the picture of what Paul is doing here? He presented the need very specifically to the Corinthian church. The individuals of that church willingly promised to give. Our Baptist friends would call that a pledge. They promised to give. And Paul says, now you do what you promised to do. I have been boasting about your generosity all over my missionary journey. Now don't let me be ashamed, he says. lest you not have what you have promised. He encourages them. He has gained promises from them. He in fact exerts pressure on them to do what they promised to do. He told other people about what they promised to do. He used them as a standard to encourage others likewise to give for the Lord. In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul makes other specific application to financial responsibility on the part of the Corinthian believers, as on the part of all of us. And in verse one of chapter nine he says this, Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord? If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you, For the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord. My answer to them that do examine me is this. Have we no right to eat and to drink? Have we no right to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles? And as the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? For I only am Barnabas. Have we no right to prepare working? Who goeth to war in any time at his own expense? Who planteth a vineyard and eateth not of its fruit? Or who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man, or sayeth not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the grain. Does God take care for oxen? or saith he it altogether for our sakes. And as Mr. Flint of Amaz used to say, he didn't write that for oxen because oxen can't read. He wrote it for our sake. No doubt this is written that he that plows should plow in hope and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? others to be partakers of this right over you are not we rather verse thirteen do you not know that they who minister about holy things live of the things of the temple and they who wait at the altar are partakers with the altar even so hath the lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel The Apostle Paul not only speaks of needs of others, he addresses himself in principle way in which if those principles are followed, he himself will directly benefit. He opens this chapter that way. Am I not an apostle? How about Barnabas? How about me? And he uses himself. as a point of discussion. When the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, he again refers to that concept that comes out of the Old Testament, that the laborer is worthy of his hire and the ox that works should eat of the grain, this time in reference to elders. Those elders that rule well are counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word. All are ruling elders, and they're to be honored. And some who labor in the word as well are to be doubly honored. And the honor is not, hey, that's a good job, that's your honor. The honor is the laborer is worthy of his hire, and the ox does not tread in vain. The Apostle Paul in that same epistle writes concerning the church's responsibility to widows, better widows indeed, that they must of necessity be enrolled and ministered to by the church. Needy saints are the responsibility of the church. Orphans in the body of Christ are the responsibility of the church. We are to do good as well to all men, and especially to the household of God. There is more in the epistles about giving than there is about the Lord's Supper, and then there is about baptism. And yet we never hear it. Drawn across assembly life is a curtain of silence in relationship to our financial responsibility. A result not of following Scripture, because I have purposely read lots of Scripture in which there is very explicit discussion concerning gifts. not because we have followed scripture but we have followed a principle that one person followed a practice that one person practiced and has become the dominant method of financial involvement in the assemblies as we know them we are people who do not speak of finances. We are people who live by faith, not making needs known to God's people. And I would suggest that we are trying to be more spiritual than the Bible. I've just read portions in which the Apostle Paul speaks of his own condition, and the condition of other individuals, where He has encouraged, yea, commanded people to give. He had received from them promises. He has held them up as illustrations of generosity. He exerts pressure on them to fulfill the promises that they made. lest they should be shamed and he be shamed in the process. Clear statements of Scripture that we in general do not follow at all and in fact mock people who do follow. That's to our shame. That's to our shame. For a change, I would like assemblies to consider the principle that Paul states two or three times. That was stated in the Old Testament. That is a universal for all of life, not just for the church, but for the world. for the animal wealth, that the laborer is worthy of his hire. I would like to substitute that principle, which is totally biblical, old and New Testament alike, for a principle that says, I will be silent about finances, which finds no support in Scripture. And we need to hear that. Because one of the difficulties in assembly life here in North America and to a lesser extent on the farm field is that assembly work and works go begging for lack of funds. I happen to be in contact with lots of Bible camps. I have a son, son-in-law and daughter who are working full time for one of the bigger Bible camps in North America. The life of workers in camps are very short-lived because they can't live. And the dedicated people will survive for a few years. and go elsewhere. And we have forced camps to be that way. We must be silent about these things after all. I work at a school. And one of the things that blurs and faculty wrestle with is the need of staff. and faculty. Why is it that secretaries must share apartments or live in the dormitory at school? Because we can't quite pay the laborer his hire, what he's worthy of. That's why. We dare not tell anybody about that. Why did I have a dean of students who wanted to become involved and was qualified to become involved, was exercised and had the gift to be involved in planning churches in North America? He could not afford to do that with his family. He's doing it very successfully in Bolivia now. But in North America, he was told to get a job for a while and work. and prove yourself and then get involved in doing that kind of thing. We don't tell that to our missionaries who are exercised. We are thrilled when somebody of that same age is encouraged to the foreign field and we send them out and we send them out with a great deal of machinery behind them to communicate secondhand their needs to serve as channels of sending funds to them. And that's the way it should be. Did you hear me say that? But that same person on the home field, where there are similar and equivalent needs, is scuttled for lack of five And we can't talk about that unless we violate a supposed biblical principle. We hear some very interesting statements concerning the by faith life. The Christian worker should always be hanging on by his fingernails so that he can be living by faith continuously. How do you like that? If that's the case, Abraham couldn't live by faith. A very wealthy man, who by the way God says is the father of the faithful. Poverty, where hanging on by your fingernails, is no insurance that you're going to be living by faith. What it can very easily do is force Christian workers to play a system, an unwritten system that can be fine-tuned to one's advantage. And what we abhor in these folks that are out there begging, we force underground in a Sunday life. and you need only talk to Christian workers and you can identify the systems the good assemblies the places you should go this is truth not fiction some say there are three key ingredients if you want to flourish financially be commended by a number of solid assemblies. Write letters and work hard. How do you like that? Two of those are tricks. The biblical principle is if you work, you should be rewarded. But that's our system. Extra biblical system. Some organizations, assemblies, camps, function on the basis of substitutionary faith, where the operating procedure is set up by people who are not really involved in a sacrifice necessary to be involved. And a faith work comes out of the hide of the worker, not out of the organizer. The faith work comes out of the hide of the individual who is preaching and teaching and ministering, who is working out of the camp, not out of the people in charge. The faith is not the faith of the organization or of the church, it is the faith of the worker. substitutionary faith. And the consequence of that is that dedication eventually runs dry. And there's tremendous turnover and frustration. You see, one way of functioning is to tell no one but God alone. That is not what is one of the pages of Holy Scripture. Paul told everyone. He encouraged giving. He took pledges. He talked about others, to others, telling of their generous pledges. He talked about his own situation. where he would have benefited if, in fact, the people would have been exercised. Those things are biblical, and I have read them to you this afternoon. We need more full-time supported elders. It is biblical that they be supported. They are warned not to do it for filthy Lucas' sake. They are commanded to be counted worthy of double honor. We are commanded to count them worthy of double honor. We need men thus supported to give full-time attention to the things of the local church. We need to talk to one another about being able to support them. We can do that. A church of twenty-five families. making twenty-five thousand dollars per family, giving ten percent, has sixty-two thousand dollars in that church budget per year. Would have forty thousand dollars if they would give that elder or that full-time worker their mean income. We need to do those things so that the work of God can have the attention that it requires. We need as assembly folk to do what we say we always have done to come to Scripture and examine our practice. And our practice in relationship to finances has been far from biblical, though we have bragged about the biblical nature of it. And I would challenge you, as I have challenged my own heart, to re-examine Scripture in relationship to this. The passages that I have read, and many, many more. More thereabout than about the Lord's Supper. More than about head coverings. More than about woman's role. More than about baptism. There's a lot more in the Bible about money than any of those subjects. And we don't hear much about it. Let us look at those passages and examine them. May I add one very sectarian concept. There are many assembly works, and I am not speaking of them as necessarily, but many assembly works and assembly workers who do not have what they need to do all that they could do. and would desire to do for God, because here's the sectarian statement, good PB money is supporting numerous good works all over the world. We have a very narrow base. Assembly workers and works will never get Presbyterian money, Baptist money, Pentecostal money, Bible church money, any other kind of money. It all comes with pictures of Darby on it. They're the only kind of pictures we ever get. Okay? We don't get work money from any other sources. All those other places do. Do we understand that? And I think we need to examine all those good works and the few good works that are related to assembly life directly. And rethink how we as generous people distribute our goods. From looking at you, I see I have had your attention this afternoon, and for that I am glad, because for many years no one has said anything about this. I trust that we may be stimulated to examine Scripture and follow Paul and Barnabas and apostolic practice and precept, as we too are concerned about the needs of our brothers. as was the Antiochan Church. Like you turn in your Bibles to the Gospel according to St. Luke, Luke chapter ten and verse twenty-five. This is one of two occasions in which the same question was asked of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he has a similar response in each instance. Verse twenty-five of Luke chapter ten. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself. And he, Jesus, said unto him, Thou hast answered right, this do, and thou shalt live. But he desiring to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? A ruler came to Jesus and asked the same question, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And the answer was the same. Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself. That is a valid invitation, that in fact, by works a person can be saved. What does the law say? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor is yourself. And the Lord Jesus says, so do, and thou shalt live. In both instances, he continues the discussion. Here the lawyer says, and who is my neighbor? Todd lawyers always need definitions, don't they? And who is my neighbor? And the Lord Jesus Christ responds with the story of the good Samaritan. In the other instance, the lawyer said, the Lord said to the ruler, one thing thou lacks, go sell all that you have and give it to the poor. In each instance, the Lord was probing. with this person to show that in fact we do not love our neighbors as ourselves. In the former instance that we do not sell all that we have and give to the poor. We instinctively love ourselves more than the other person. The story is told of someone who rushed into the barbershop and said, George, your house is on fire. And the man in the chair with the apron on and the shaving cream on his face jumped out of the chair and he's running down the street with the foam flying in one direction and the apron in another. And after running a block, he says, why am I running? My name's not George. He didn't love George as he loved himself. That happened to me one day, a similar thing at least. I was painting a house of one of the trustees of a Miss Bible college, Lloyd. I'm not advertised. I was painting that house just a couple blocks from where I lived. And as I was painting, I heard the siren of an ambulance. And I got down off the ladder to see where it was going. And I saw that it was going to the intersection where my house was located. So I ran in that direction, out of pain in my hand, running as fast as I could, which was not very fast, to that intersection. And as I got closer, I saw that there was a bike underneath of a car. And my kids ride bikes there. And as I came on that intersection and came closer, I saw that it was the neighbor's bike and the neighbor's kid that had been hit. And I was relieved because I do not love my neighbor as I love myself. The child was not seriously injured, but I love my kids. More than my neighbor's kids. I love my house. More than my neighbor's house. I love myself. More than my neighbor. And if I cannot love my brother, whom I see, how can I love God, whom I do not see? You see, that's harder, says the Apostle God. In both instances, the Lord says, yes, You can get eternal life. You can gain eternal life by keeping the law perfectly. But I doubt you can. Why can't we meet God's standards? There really are three reasons. The first one is it is not our nature to do good things. What is the nature of a human being? The world out there, if we would go into Rosedale Mall and pull the people as they go by and say, do you think man is a good or an evil creature? They would say, to a large extent, good. It's not perfect, but it's good. How can we say that when we can read history? History is an eloquent statement that man is evil. Do any of you have these? How many have keys on? Very good. There's one to the car, another one to the car, one to a car that won't run, three to a mass Bible college where they're all Christians. Never been able to figure that one out, have you? Why do we have keys? Every culture in the world has some form of key. because wherever you go people are bad and yet we'll say they're good the nature of man is that he is evil and that from the very beginning the psalmist David when he is writing that great penitential psalm psalm fifty one after having been confronted by Nathan the prophet of his wicked sin with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of Uriah the Hittite. David writes that wonderful Psalm as a confession of his sin in which Psalm he states this, in sin did my mother conceive me. That is the nature of man. The nature of a dog is that he is a faithful, loyal, loving, best friend of man kind of animal. The nature of a cat is that he is aloof, independent, gaining to look on man as part of God's creation. That's a cat. The very nature of the animal. what it's like, what man is like, all of us is that we are sinful. Instinctively, naturally, we are evil. I have a picture of my daughter, Linda, when she was just a two-year-old. One hand, she's taking the lid off of the candy jar. The other she's taking a candy out and she's looking over her shoulder. Acute picture of sin. St. Augustine said that we laugh at the actions of children for which in adulthood we imprison people. And that's true. Reading. It's a candy joke. You do that fifteen years, twenty years later, it's a seven and eleven, and you're in prison. But in a child, it's cute. An adult life is sin. Guess what? It's sin early on. The sin nature. The child who sucked his tongue constantly And the mother who was trying to break him of that habit constantly. And as she's passing by his room one day, the little baby boy is doing this and sees mother. And says without speaking, no mom, I'm not going to suck my thumb, I'm going to scratch my head. We do the same thing. And that's all so. We're at the shopping mall and we see someone across the way that we think we know and we say, Tom, and the man turns and it's not Tom and my hand is in the air. What do you do? We're saying the same thing. I wasn't waving to you. I was putting my one hair in place. And we could go on telling stories of deception that we instinctively fall to at those kind of moments. We sin by nature. We have a sin nature that always is coming for. And that condemns us before God. we are totally marked by that kind of habitual action so that if we simply analyze the motivations of our lives we find that seldom are we motivated purely even as Christians far less as unbelievers that's in nature that determines I'm that kind of a person inherited from my parents who inherited from their parents and all the way back to Adam and Eve. That sin nature will eventually an individual act of sin. The kind that we have discussed. Ephesians talks about those kinds of sins. Ephesians chapter two, we read this. And you who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which in times past he walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that thou workest in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all had our manner of life, in times past the lust of our flesh. fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and whereby nature the children of wrath, even.