Note 11 at 1 Cor. 9:14: Paul is probably referring to the words of the Lord Jesus found in Matthew 10:9-10 and Luke 10:7. "And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire (Lk. 10:7).

Note 12 at 1 Cor. 9:14: This was not man's idea. The Lord is the one who instituted the practice of ministers receiving their needs being met through those to whom they minister. The Lord could have arranged for a minister's need to be met some other way, but there are reasons for doing it this way. One of the most important reasons is that this way, those who support the gospel get to partake of all the rewards which come to the minister (1 Sam. 30:24-25). They become partners (Rom.10:14-15). Paul told the Philippians that he desired a gift from them because he wanted them to have "fruit that may abound to your account"(Phil. 4:17). Therefore, the people receiving ministry would miss a huge blessing if the Lord supplied a minister's needs some other way. Also, this provides another incentive for the minister to do a good job. If a minister isn't ministering very much or very well, his finances "dry up." This should not be the primary motivation for being a good minister, but it certainly is one which every minister can understand.

Note 13 at 1 Cor. 9:14: Not only should a minister's livelihood come from preaching the gospel, but it should also be proportional to his preaching of the gospel. Those who spend very little time ministering the gospel should expect to receive very little of their income from the gospel. When a minister is totally occupied with ministering the gospel, he can expect to live full time of the gospel. It is not wrong for a minister who is just getting started and has few opportunities to minister to supplement his income with secular work. Instead, it is far superior to work for a time and have your needs met than to suffer the hardships that come from being without money. A minister does not have to receive all his income from preaching the gospel to be committed to his calling.