Fellowship
Galatians 6:6 reads, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” Most of my life I have heard brethren try to cram money into the “good things” category — a questionable association at best, if you ask me. The better application, and the one more consistent with the letter as a whole, is that we share a bond of fellowship with our teachers. We owe it to them to display, in words and actions impossible to misunderstand, the debt of gratitude we owe them for ministering to our spirits.
If you want to show that appreciation with money, I suspect the preacher in question would be grateful; Paul was (Philippians 4:14), I certainly am, and Brother Randolph will be at the end of next week’s gospel meeting. But that typically comes from the church treasury, which is considerably less personal than an individual expression of gratitude.
No, I’m not suggesting you should slip him a fifty on Friday night. But consistent attention during the sermon and a firm handshake afterward — or better yet, a week’s worth of them — goes a long way. So does a warm meal and an hour of conversation. (And thanks to those who have offered to provide exactly that.)
It’s fine and good to offer fellowship to workers in the Lord’s kingdom. But let’s do what we can to let that fellowship show next week. In bold relief.
