Note 5 at 1 Cor. 9:6: Some people have failed to take these statements of Paul in context and have therefore come to some wrong conclusions. Paul is not saying that ministers should refuse to meet their needs through offerings from those they minister to and he did not refuse to receive offerings.

Paul and Barnabas had voluntarily chosen to work and support themselves rather than receive offerings for their personal maintenance from those in Corinth (1 Cor. 4:11-12; Acts 18:3). He also did this with the believers in Thessalonica (1 Th. 2:9; 2 Th. 3:7-9). However, he did receive personal offerings from the believers in Philippi on more than one occasion (Phil. 4:10-19), and he commended them for their support. Therefore, Paul did not always refuse offerings.

Paul received offerings from these Corinthians. The only type of offerings Paul refused were personal offerings. Paul gave commands to these Corinthians and the churches of Galatia about their duty of giving (1 Cor. 16:1) and said that they should do it in a systematic way on the first day of each week (1 Cor. 16:2). He even spoke to these Corinthians later in this same letter (1 Cor. 16:6) about needing their financial help to aid him in his journeys. In his next letter to the Corinthians, he devoted two chapters (2 Cor. 8-9) to encouraging them to give and said he had sent Titus to them for the express purpose of helping them become established in this grace of giving (2 Cor. 8:3-7).

Paul made it very clear that the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (v. 14). Paul chose to be an exception to this rule but only in his personal finances. He did still receive offerings from the Corinthians for the ministry.