I read an article in Christianity Today on the Didache. One of the quotes sparked my interest. Apparently the writes of the Didache in addressing issues related to the church, said that if a visiting speaker comes, and wants money, that is a sure way to tell that he/she is not from God.
How do you think this would go over in today's evangelical/charistmatic circles? Public speaking in churches, at conferences, etc. is quite lucrative (our church pays a visiting speaker at least US$2,000 for 3 services -- and I know we are on the low end). Having dealt with evangelical/charistmatic speakers over the years, I know that many of them ask for honorariums and benefits (golf trips, certain kind of hotel rooms, etc.) that the average person in a church would never be able to afford. Our Christian celebrities have come to expect certain luxuries. I was told by the senior pastor of a mega-church (who often benefits from these luxuries) that this is simply the price we have to pay for for getting speakers who will draw a large crowd. Well known speakers expect to be catered to, and we need to do the catering!
Wonder what the early church fathers would say about that? Wonder what Jesus would say about that?
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"Our Christian celebrities have come to expect certain luxuries"
Funny how everything comes back to something Jesus addresses so clearly, 'God or money'. Apparently Jesus was onto something about our human nature, money can make us change out ideals.
Those people that pay a lot of money for preachers don't spend enough time helping people in their congregation empower themselves. They top that off with paying huge sums of cash to someone they think has a 'better revelation' of God. Little do they know that within their congregation and with the pooling of their resources they can both empower themselves for ministry and help the poor at the same time.
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