Two verses after "freely give," Jesus tells His disciples the worker is worthy of his food.

Matthew 10:8 has become the verse people quote whenever a minister charges for anything. Leah and Malaine read the whole chapter, starting with who Jesus was actually sending out and what He told them to take with them.

From there the conversation moves through deliverance ministers charging sixty dollars a session, megachurch tithes and building funds, what the Acts church did with its money, and the backlash over Philip Anthony Mitchell's podcast tour. If Jesus showed up at your church this Sunday, whose books would He want to see first?

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"As always, take it to the prayer closet, get in the word, read more than just one scripture, understand the context, understand who he was actually speaking to and why he was talking to them about this."

-Malaine Lea Butler

Key Takeaways

• Why almost nobody quotes the first half of Matthew 10:8, and what Jesus actually told the twelve to do.
• Who Jesus was sending out in Matthew 10, and the towns He told them to pass by.
• Why "raise the dead" is missing from some manuscripts of this verse.
• What Jesus said two verses later about the worker and his food.
• Why a sixty dollar deliverance session draws more outrage online than a pastor with five jets.
• What the early church in Acts did with the money it collected, and what one church in Salt Lake City still does.
• The moment charging for ministry crosses into manipulation.
• Why paying for a session was what got Malaine out of bed and into her breakthrough.
• How Leah and Malaine read the backlash over Philip Anthony Mitchell's podcast tour.

Featured Scripture

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8 (NIV)

Application: This is the verse people quote most often in the debate over charging for ministry, and Leah and Malaine read it from the top of the chapter. Jesus was sending twelve specific men to the lost sheep of Israel, and two verses later He told them the workman is worthy of his meat. Before you stand on a verse, read the chapter around it, and ask who He was speaking to and what He was asking of them. Then take your own conviction about giving and receiving to Him in prayer. Once He settles it for you, let His answer be enough, whatever anyone else in the body of Christ has to say about it.

Timestamps

0:00:00 Welcome to The Fringe
0:01:57 Jesus sends the twelve to Israel
0:03:46 "Raise the dead" and the manuscripts
0:04:30 The workman is worthy of his meat
0:08:06 Megachurch jets and a $60 session
0:09:03 Tithes, building funds, and "free"
0:12:03 How the Acts church cared for its own
0:20:08 Charisma, Freemasonry, and anointing
0:21:56 A service dog and a security team
0:28:40 Personal conviction from Jesus
0:31:11 When the price changes mid-session
0:35:38 Why paying helped Malaine show up
0:40:15 The Philip Anthony Mitchell backlash
0:55:55 Fringe Insiders on Patreon
1:00:31 Take it to Jesus

Resources and Connect

Books mentioned in this episode:

How to Slay a Wizard by Owen Benjamin

All books available in the Faith on the Fringe Amazon Bookstore: https://amzn.to/3WscgNe

Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Documentary mentioned: The Religion Business by Nathan Apffel, on Prime Video and Apple TV

Faith on the Fringe:

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Related Episodes

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If Questioning Your Pastor is a Sin, You're in a Control System (History of the Five Fold Movement)

If You Teach or Preach It, You'd Better Have Researched It

Trauma-Based Mind Control & MKUltra in the Charismatic Church w/ Dr. Robin Perry Braun

Scriptures for Further Study

Matthew 10:1-15: The full sending of the twelve, including what they were told to carry and where to go

Luke 10:7: Jesus sends out the seventy and says the laborer is worthy of his wages

1 Corinthians 9:14: Those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel

1 Timothy 5:18: The worker deserves his wages, quoted as scripture

Acts 4:32-35: The early church shares everything, and no one among them is in need

James 1:27: Pure religion is caring for orphans and widows in their distress

Matthew 21:12-13: Jesus overturns the tables in the temple

Matthew 23:33: Jesus calls the religious leaders a brood of vipers

2 Corinthians 9:7: Each one gives as he has decided in his heart

Take it to the prayer closet, read the whole chapter, and ask Jesus what He is convicting you to do. Then come tell us what He said in the Fringe community on Patreon.

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