God’s servants have always had the right to receive financial help from others, but we have not insisted on that right because we want to preach the gospel without charge.

1 Corinthians 9:8-18

8 I am saying that, not only because people think that it is right. [RHQ] No, I am [RHQ] saying it because it is what God said in the laws that he gave to Moses. 9 Moses wrote in one of those laws, “While an ox is threshing grain, you must not tie its mouth shut so that it cannot eat the grain.” ◄God was not only concerned about oxen when he gave that law./Was God only concerned about oxen when he gave that law?► [RHQ] 10 No, he was [RHQ] concerned about us, also! Yes, God caused Moses to write those words because he is concerned about us! Those who plow the ground confidently expect to eat some of the crop that grows. Those who thresh grain confidently expect to eat some of the grain that they thresh. Similarly, we who proclaim the message about Christ have the right to confidently expect to receive financial help for our work. 11 And because we have proclaimed God’s message to you, we certainly have the right to receive from you the things that we need for our bodies [MET]! [MET, RHQ] 12 Since other people who preached to you had that right, certainly Barnabas and I have the same right. [RHQ]

However, neither of us insisted that you give us the things that we have a right to receive from you. Instead, we were willing to endure anything in order that we not hinder anyone from believing the message about Christ. 13 You should keep in mind that the priests and servants in the Temple eat some of the food that people bring to the Temple. [RHQ] Specifically, the priests who work at the altar eat some of the food that the people bring to sacrifice on the altar. 14 So the Lord has commanded that those who proclaim the good message about him should receive from those who hear that message what they need to live on.

15 However, I have not requested that you give me those things that I have a right to receive from you. Furthermore, I am writing this to you, not in order to request you to begin giving me financial help now. I would rather die than to receive help from you. I do not want anyone to prevent me from boasting about my proclaiming God’s message to you without receiving financial help from you. 16 When I proclaim the message about Christ, I cannot boast about doing it, because Christ has commanded me to do it. I would be very miserable (OR, I am afraid that God would punish me) if I did not proclaim that message. 17 If I had decided by myself to proclaim it, God would reward me. But I did not decide by myself to do that. I am simply doing the work that God entrusted to me. 18 So perhaps you wonder what my reward is. [RHQ] I will tell you. When I proclaim the good message about Christ, I do not ask people for financial help. It makes me very happy not to ask for help, and being happy is the reward I get. I do not want to use the rights that I have when I proclaim the gospel.