THE BELIEVER AND SECULAR WORK

Acts 18:3

Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.

The ideology of believers and christian leaders not having a work where the earn to take care of themselves and their families is alien to the faith. The meaning of full time ministry is very well misunderstood by many. For the only justification of staying away from earthly labour could only have been adopted from the lifestyle of the prophets of old, who were 100% dedicated to the Lord.

Now listen, their lives were not ordinary lives, they did not just live amongst the people, they neither owned houses or properties, they lived entirely by faith.

The question then is, where did the so called spiritual leaders of today,  get the idea of idleness from? For measuring all the exploits and work Paul did, how many so called bishops, overseers, pope, archbishop, prophet etc can compare to the scope of his ministry. Yet he worked!

1 Corinthians 4:10-12

Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed.

Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don’t have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home.

We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us.

His longest stay was in Corinth, a year and a half:

Acts 18:11

So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.

One reason for this was that God reassured Him of his safety, that He had many people in that place.

He did not stay idle he worked and earned that he will not be a burden to others. Yes he got support from faithful believers in other places, but he did not stay unproductive. NO!

Then we ask, where do the ministers of today get their mentality from. Whose footsteps are they following?

They don't work yet they want to build great houses, own exotic cars and have large bank accounts. Please who do they serve?

Listen to Jesus:

Matthew 8:19-20

Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

When someone gives himself or herself a title, do they go through scriptures to understand what that title means, and the type of lifestyle expected of such? Do they even have a clue of what they New Covenant entails? It is a wonder what we see in the world today.

You are called a pastor, is it because you have gotten a sort of training, or is it that the Lord called you to ministry. They are NOT the same.

Paul was busy with kingdom business too, it was his main assignment:

Acts 18:4-5

Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.

And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

YET HE DID SECULAR WORK! Selah

Many are not even doing the kingdom business, some are just mere motivational speakers yet they don't want to work?

Are they okay?

Paul and the other apostles before and after him did a lot of the work, touring many countries, many who call themselves this or that cannot boast of any community talkless of cities they have conquered for the Lord, yet they want to be treated as kings, they are even ready to share or completely take God's glory. Oh what foolishness.

It is foolish, it is evil, that you want to eat when you have not worked:

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12

Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.”

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.

We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

These err must be corrected. Believers should never . . .

Romans 12:3

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

No lazy person is fit to lead the children or church of God.

2 Thessalonians 3:7-9

For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you.

We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.

We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow.

Who exactly are you serving?

The Lord bless His church.

He calls us blessed.

Love

@the watcher