Grace in Galatians Part 164 – Honor the People Who Pour Into You

https://youtu.be/elNQKdIocTo?si=ygECVLVBskE-5wVo

Today, we continue our focus on THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, as we learn to maintain our posture of faith after God has revealed His plans for our future.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

2 Peter 3:18 GNT

“But continue to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be glory now and forever.”

Luke 10:20 Mirror

“It’s time for you to rediscover who you are from Heaven’s perspective.”

1 John 3:10 Mirror

“There is a very visible and vast difference between living one’s life from your God identity or from a fallen man’s mindset.”

Proverbs 25:2 NKJV

“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NIV

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Scripture we will study today:

Galatians 6:6 NKJV

“Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.”

Galatians 6:6 TPT

“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with his teacher.”

Galatians 6:6 NLT

“Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.”

Supporting scriptures:

1 Timothy 5:17 NKJV

“Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.”

1 Corinthians 9:11 NIV

“If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?”

Luke 10:7 NKJV

“for the laborer is worthy of his wages.”

Philippians 4:17 TPT

“I am not seeking gifts, but I am looking for the profit that accumulates in your account.”

Setting the Stage:

We just spent two days in Galatians 6:5 and established the critical difference between burdens and loads. We learned that your load was custom-built for your back, that grace empowers personal responsibility rather than removing it, and that spiritual discernment is the key to knowing when to help and when to step back. 

Now Paul shifts direction. After dealing with restoration, burden-bearing, self-examination, and personal responsibility, he addresses something that many believers find uncomfortable: honoring the people who teach you the Word. Galatians 6:6 is not a fundraising verse. It is a grace principle. When someone invests the Word of God into your life, something inside you should respond with generosity. Not because you are obligated. Not because a law demands it. But because grace creates a cycle of giving and receiving that blesses everyone it touches. And in THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, God, one of the key things you can discover is that honoring those who invest in your spiritual life is one of the signs that you are growing in grace.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Grace Produces Generosity Toward Those Who Invest in You.

Paul does not command giving here. He assumes it. He says “let the one who is taught share.” That language is an invitation, not a mandate. And that is important because grace never produces generosity out of guilt. Grace produces generosity through gratitude. When someone has poured the Word of God into your life, when they have spent hours studying, praying, preparing, and delivering truth that set you free, something inside you should want to give back. Not because they demanded it. Not because the church passed around a plate. But because your heart recognizes the value of what was deposited into you. Under the Law, giving was a requirement backed by consequences. Under grace, giving is a personal response fueled by appreciation. The difference is everything. 

How this applies to you:

— If the Word of God has changed your life, then don’t be surprised if the Holy Spirit leads you to honor the vessel who delivered it. God used them to transform you, and that deserves recognition.

— Some of you have been sitting under powerful teaching for years and have never once considered what it cost the person who delivered it. The hours of study. The personal sacrifice. What you received for free was not free to produce.

— Grace does not make you stingy. Grace makes you generous. If you are tight-fisted toward the people who pour into you, check whether you truly value what they gave you.

— Paul’s language here is not a command. It is an expectation of grace-matured believers. When grace has done its work in your heart, you do not need to be told to give. You look for opportunities.

— Gratitude is not just a feeling. It is an action. Paul is telling you to turn your appreciation into something tangible.  In Pual’s day, the local leaders did receive a salary, and under the New Covenant, people were not under obligation to give, like they were in the Old Covenant. So, Paul was teaching that there is an expectation that they should be taken care of. Today, many pastors do receive a salary, and some churches are in a financial position to take care of their leadership, but the Apostle Paul is just making this a principle that you should have a heart of generosity towards those who are pouring into your life, investing in your spiritual development. 

— In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, discover that generosity toward those who teach you is not an obligation. But it is the natural overflow of a heart that has been genuinely changed by the Word.

2. “All Good Things” Is Bigger Than a Check.

Notice what Paul says: share in all good things. Not just money. Not just financial support. All good things. That includes encouragement, loyalty, prayers, time, defense, and partnership. Yes, financial support matters. Paul argues elsewhere that the laborer is worthy of his wages and that sowing spiritual seed should produce material blessing. But if you reduce this verse to money alone, you miss the fullness of what Paul is saying. Some of the most valuable things you can share with a teacher of the Word have nothing to do with your wallet. A word of encouragement after they had to share something difficult. A prayer covering when they are under attack. Loyalty when others walk away. Defending their character when people gossip. These are “good things” that money cannot buy. And they are often the good things that matter most.

How this applies to you:

— Your pastor does need financial support, but they need more than that. They need your prayers, your encouragement, your loyalty, and your willingness to stand with them when things get difficult.

— Some of the most impactful things Isabella and I have received from people we have ministered to were not financial. Many times, just knowing that they appreciate what you’re doing and that appreciation can be expressed in many ways, that becomes an encouragement for the encouragers. 

— Philippians 4:17 reveals something powerful. Paul says he is not seeking gifts but looking for the profit that accumulates in the giver’s account. When you share good things with those who teach you, the return goes into YOUR account, not theirs. They get the seed, but you get the harvest.

— Financial support is part of the equation. 1 Corinthians 9:11 makes that plain. If someone sowed spiritual seed into your life, it is not unreasonable for them to receive material support in return. Do not spiritualize your way out of practical generosity.

— Loyalty is one of the most undervalued forms of “good things.” Anyone can give when things are going well. But will you stand with your pastor/leader/teacher when criticism comes? When attendance drops? Will you support those who supported you through difficult times?

— In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, discover that honoring those who teach you is a full-spectrum commitment. Money is part of it, but prayers, encouragement, loyalty, and partnership are equally important.

3. This Is Not Obligation. This Is Partnership.

Religion turns giving into an obligation. Grace turns giving into a partnership. And the word Paul uses here for “share” comes from the Greek koinoneo, the same root as koinonia, which means fellowship and partnership. When you share with the one who teaches you, you are entering into a partnership with them. You are saying, “I am invested in what God is doing through you, and I want to be part of it.” You are a partner in the mission. Your giving, your prayers, your support, and your encouragement make you a co-laborer in the work of the gospel. This is how the early church functioned. People did not just attend. They participated. They invested. They shared in all good things because they understood that the teacher’s ministry was their ministry too.

How this applies to you:

— You are not a spectator. You are a partner. When you support the person who teaches you the Word, you become a stakeholder in the fruit of their ministry.

—  I will make this point practical. Rick and Isabella Pina Ministries functions offer free will offerings. We are able to do what we do because people are generous enough to give pretty much every day of the year. As people all over the world are sowing into this ministry, they are becoming partakers of the grace that is on us and on this assignment. They are partners with us in ministry.

— Some of you have been consumers for too long. You show up, take notes, say amen, and go home. But you have never invested in the ministry that feeds you. Grace invites you to move from consumer to contributor, to partner.

— People love to quote Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,” but they strip it from its context. Paul was not making a general promise to every believer. He was speaking directly to the Philippians, the people who financially partnered with his ministry. They gave into what God was doing through Paul, and Paul responded by declaring that God would meet THEIR needs. The promise was connected to their partnership and generosity, not to simply knowing the verse exists.

— This is why Paul told the Philippians he was looking for the profit in THEIR account. When you partner with a teacher of the Word, heaven credits you for every life that ministry touches. Your seed goes further than you think.

— Religion says, “give because you owe.” Grace says, “give because you are part of something bigger than yourself.” One produces resentment. The other produces joy.

— Partnership means the teacher is not carrying the weight alone. Too many pastors, teachers, and ministry leaders are burned out because the people they serve treat the ministry like a free service. It is not free. Somebody is paying the cost. The question is whether you will share in it.

4. When You Honor What Feeds You, You Never Go Hungry.

This is the practical Kingdom principle behind Galatians 6:6, and it sets up what Paul is about to say in verse 7 about sowing and reaping. When you honor what feeds you, you create a cycle of blessing that sustains you. Think about it. When a farmer takes care of his field, the field takes care of him. When he neglects it, both suffer. 

How this applies to you:

— Some of you are spiritually hungry right now, and the reason is not that God stopped speaking. The reason is that you stopped honoring the channels through which He was speaking. You walked away from the ministry that was feeding you, and now the well feels dry.

— Take an honest look at where you are being fed spiritually. A church. A podcast. A mentor. A ministry. Now ask yourself: when was the last time you poured back into that source? If the answer is “never,” that’s a problem.

— This principle extends beyond church. If you have a mentor who invests in your business, honor that relationship. If you have a coach who develops your skills, invest in that connection. What you honor, you keep. What you neglect, you lose.

— 1 Timothy 5:17 says elders who labor in the Word deserve double honor. Not single. Double. That is how seriously God takes the relationship between teacher and student.

— In THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, discover that the people and ministries God uses to feed you are not accidents. They are divine assignments. When you honor what God assigned to nourish you, you position yourself to receive even more. The cycle never stops for the person who keeps sowing into what keeps pouring into them.  

That’s enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You for every person who has poured the Word of God into my life. I recognize the value of their investment, and I choose to honor it with generosity, gratitude, and partnership!

I am not a consumer. I am a contributor. I will share in all good things with those who teach me, not out of obligation, but because grace has made me generous!

I declare that “all good things” flows from my life toward those who feed me spiritually. My prayers, my encouragement, my loyalty, my resources, and my partnership are available to the people God has placed over me!

I reject the consumer mentality that takes from every ministry and gives to none. I am a Kingdom partner, and my investment in those who teach me produces fruit that I may never see but heaven always records!

I honor what feeds me, and because I honor it, I will never go spiritually hungry. The cycle of giving and receiving in my life is active, healthy, and blessed by God!

I am living in THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY, and I discover today that supporting those who pour into me is not a duty. It is a privilege that credits my heavenly account every time I do it!

The laborer is worthy of his wages, and I make sure the laborers in my life feel valued, supported, and covered. My generosity reflects the grace that transformed me!

I will not neglect the relationships that have built my faith. What God used to feed me, I will honor. What God used to grow me, I will water. And the field I tend will continue to produce harvest in my life!

GREATER IS COMING FOR ME, and I walk into it as a generous, grateful, grace-filled partner in everything God is doing through the people who teach me His Word!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!