2 Corinthians 11:7-8 Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
Paul descends into sarcasm and polemics at this point in the letter. The rhetoric gets a bit rough around the edges. The very human Paul is responding to a growing crisis in Corinth. We can almost feel his frustration and exasperation at the situation. The first topic he brings up in the letter is the financial support the church gave him while he was there for a year and a half. He mentions in the 1 Corinthians 9:1-18 that he worked hard supporting himself while there and did not ask for their support. He preached the gospel “free of charge.” This was no sin. He should not be criticized for this. It was not to make the Corinthians feel good or put a temptation in their way. He did it to make the situation easier for evangelism. He worked hard as a tent maker, probably down in the market area where he could meet lots of people and share the gospel. There are situations like this where a minister can and should be bi-vocational to help the ministry get started.
Verse 8 suggests that Paul had financial needs in Corinth and the Corinthian church did not help him. Rather, other churches sent their support to him during this time. The word “robbed” here is a strong and shocking term to get the point across. Obviously Paul did not literally rob anyone, but others sacrificed so that he could have an effective and burdenless ministry in the city of Corinth. This is what some modern missionaries experience. Supporters give financially so that the missionaries can be church planters, evangelists, educators, and many other types of ministries. The local people can not support the ministry work. All of this should be done strategically and with prayer. Many pastors and missionaries sacrifice financially to serve in ministry. This should not be done to make themselves look good or righteous but for the furtherance of the mission.
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