WEDNESDAY'S WORD - TENTMAKING - Sadell Bradley- 12/7/16 New Life Covenant Cincinnati

"After these things he (Paul) left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome.  He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks." Acts 18:1-4  These days most think of clergy as a paid profession. Preachers teach that the Levites had no business inheritance and were set aside to be wholly devoted to the Lord. (Deut.10:8-9) Catholic priests and nuns with vows of poverty and chastity lead neighborhood parishes. There are full-time denominational and megachurch pastors. But 59% of America's churches have 100 members or less and 94% are under 500 members. (Hartford Institute for Religion Research) So MOST clergy are bi-vocational. They shepherd their flocks and have other jobs to meet their family's needs. I've been on both sides of this equation, and both present challenges. There is a struggle with work-life balance. We are torn between the demanding commitments of the day-job and leadership responsibilities. On the other side, it's easy to lose touch and empathy with parishioners' experience if you've never worked in a secular job. The Apostle Paul was a bi-vocational minister, as were Priscilla and Aquila, two other prominent teachers. Now we associate Tent-making with missionaries who go overseas and teach English or do another job in a clandestine fashion to open doors for the Gospel in closed countries. Paul was working a regular job, but he also believed in material compensation for spiritual work (1 Cor,9:11-14; Gal. 6:6) He worked and he received support from the churches. In certain circumstances, he committed to working as an example, or he didn't want to be a burden to the churches in a region, (2 Thess. 3:7-8) but he made tents. The other day one of our members, who happens to work with me proclaimed, "your Jesus never goes off!"  What a glorious thing to hear! (wish it were 100% true, lol!) Se eing me be the same in a secular setting said what we teach in church is real and not just conjecture or for show. Tent-making is NOT a second-class ministerial status. We are ALL to be preachers of the Gospel in our spheres of influence! Perhaps more pastors might consider this example, if even for a short time. Sure, sometimes I long to devote all my time to leading and caring for the flock. Then I recall that my leader, Jesus the Carpenter, was a small business owner!

THIS SUNDAY
9:30 AM Class
Youth Room 
11:00 AM Worship
The Great Room at Wyoming Presbyterian
225 Wyoming Ave., 45215

513-212-1131