Tent-Maker Ministry
Acts 18:1-3

1. Who: All non-preachers: (Acts 11:19-22)
1. According to our reference in Acts, the non-preachers went everywhere preaching the Lord Jesus'and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.  After that we read Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
• So, what we see is that the non-preachers went to where there were no believers, they preached the Lord Jesus and got people saved, they started Bible Studies and caused a great number (to) turn unto the Lord (in obedience).
• It was only after they had the basis of a church that a pastor was sent to them.
• This is opposite from what we see practiced today.  Today we send out a preacher and his family to start a church where there are no believers.
2. God gave the 'Great Commission' to all of His people.
• When a mother has a baby, the first thing she does is make sure that all of the body parts are there.  In Acts, we see that the first missionary church was Antioch and that the people who started it were the non-preachers.
• The body of Christ is the church, which is mainly non-preachers.  The non-preachers serve the function of a back, legs, hands and more.  Christ is the head and the pastor is like the neck, passing instructions from the head to the body.  Most mission works of today suffer because they need people to do the jobs which are supposed to be done by the non-preachers.  This includes things like soul-winning, providing the physical things like a meeting place and maintenance of the physical facilities, finances, helping with teaching, and more.
• All living things reproduce in like kind.  A mission church is a baby church produced by a mother church.  There are supposed to be all of the parts of the body in the mission church.  Our mission program is very weak today because we are taught that the mission work only needs the head and neck and that the pastor's family create the very small body of Christ.  This is not our Biblical example where God sent the non-preachers to get people saved and to start a Bible Study with the pastor being sent only after a group of believers were already gathered (Acts 11:22).
• God made sure that the body parts were in the new baby church of Antioch first.  We have been taught to do things backward from our Biblical example because we send the preacher where there are no believers and send him alone or only with His personal example.
3. In other places in Acts we see that God had non-preachers on the mission field to provide for the physical needs of the mission church.
• When Paul went to Philippi of Macedonia, he met Lydia, who provided her house for the church meeting place.
• When Paul left Macedonia, they supported his ministry in spite of having deep poverty.  They first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.  The Bible indicates that some traveled with Paul to Corinth, which was an expensive city, to get jobs and support Paul while he preached the gospel and started a mission work.
• The epistle to Philemon was written to a business man who had the church meeting in His home.
• Even when Paul traveled we are told that many others traveled with him and took care of the needs of the preacher.
4. When the Pilgrims first came to America the majority of the people were non-preachers and they only had one preacher who had just graduated from Bible School.  Because God's people were willing to sacrifice and serve, God blessed and America became a Christian nation.
5. Our current missions program came from the English Protestant Movement of the 1800's.  They started Mission Boards and used the Mission Boards to pool resources from many churches in order to send out missionary preacher families while the majority of the people stayed home.  This separated most people from the actual mission work.
6. If we want God to bless then we need to follow God's program and not the religious practices which come from the Bible.  We need to get everyone in the church involved in the mission program.
2. Qualifications: Mainly Saved and led by God in all areas of life.
1. spiritually mature and submissive (Acts 15:36-40).
• A physical teenager can reproduce physically and anyone younger is considered to be a child.  Someone who can not show another person how to get saved is still a spiritual child regardless of their physical age.  In addition, while a teenager can reproduce physically, they do not go out on their own until they learn how to provide for a family and teach children how to become mature adults.  When Filipinos leave their home church to get a job in another city or country, they need to be spiritually mature enough to lead a home Bible Study and teach newly saved people how to become spiritual adults which God can use anywhere that God sends them.
• Acts 18:26 says: And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. The Bible tells us that Aquila and Priscilla were tent-makers who helped to start churches in three cities.  Even though neither of this couple was a preacher, they were able to correct the doctrine of Apollos, who was a world-traveling evangelist at the time.  God wants all of His people to be sufficiently knowledgeable in the Bible that they can correct doctrinal error.  Too many people rely upon the preacher for their doctrine when it should be based upon the word of God as taught by the Spirit of God.
• We read about Aquila and Priscilla, Philemon and many other non-preachers in the Bible who were spiritually mature, provided for the physical needs of the church and of preachers, and, yet, were submissive to the spiritual leading of their pastor.  A non-preacher, who is truly spiritually mature, will be submissive to their pastor and expect God to take care of any problem which comes from being submissive when they believe the spiritual leader is leading them wrongly.
• We read in the Gospel of Mark that Mark was in the garden when Jesus was arrested.  He had followed the ministry of Jesus but was too young to be a disciple.  Jesus recognized his immaturity and refused to make him a disciple.
• He went on the first missionary trip but quit because he was too immature for the job.  He thought that he wasn't as important as the preachers but God says that everyone is important, they just have different jobs.  Given the later response from Paul, we can assume that he was told to stick with the ministry but refused to submit to his God-given authority.
• When he did mature, Paul sent for him because he was then profitable.  Also, God used Mark to write one of our Gospel accounts, but only after he matured sufficiently.
• We never hear about Barnabas after this point.  A church that sends out someone who is spiritually immature can hurt their own ministry.  A church which sends out a missionary who refuses to be submissive can destroy the reputation of the sending church when the person turns to doctrinal error.
2. Men of honest report (Acts 6:1-4).  The first deacons were chosen to take care of the physical needs within the church while the preachers will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
• There was a clear distinction of labor with the preachers leading in spiritual matters and the word while the deacons took care of the physical needs.
• They had to be men of honest report.  That is: their testimony in the world had to show control by God.  They had to be honest, faithful and submissive to their God-given authority or they would not be men of honest report.  Another way of saying this is that their thinking had to be right.  Another way of saying this is that their will had to be controlled by the Holy Ghost or there would be times when they acted selfishly and sinful and such actions would prevent them from being men of honest report.
• They had to be full of the Holy Ghost.  The Bible uses Holy Ghost when it speaks about the Third person in the Trinity controlling things in this world and uses Holy Spirit when it speaks about Him affecting our spirit and spiritual matters.  Thus, this requirement was to have their life in this world fully controlled by the Holy Ghost and we see this most often with how people respond to problems, stress and other situations which cause great emotional responses.  Another way of saying this is that their emotional responses to problems in life had to be controlled by the Holy Ghost.
• They had to be full of wisdom.  When people use the wisdom of this world they are led into sin and reap the results of being a Biblical fool.  Thus, this requirement was to have their thinking fully controlled Christ.  Another way of saying this is that they had to have the mind of Christ.
3. Faithful and obedient (1Corinthians 4:1-2).
• All saved are to be the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God, not just preachers.
• All saved are to serve Christ, which is the job of a minister.
• All spiritually mature saved people have been taught the mysteries of God and, according to 'The Great Commission', are responsible for teaching them to others.
• All are to be reliable regardless of circumstances.  Faithful means 'full of faith all of the time'.  We all must pass a test to prove that we are truly faithful.  John Mark flunked the test on the first missionary journey because he did not have enough true faith in Jesus Christ to get him through the circumstances.  He quit and ran.  If people are not faithful in their church attendance, personal Bible study, giving, lifestyle , then they will not be faithful when they get to the mission field.
• If people are not obedient then they will not be faithful when the circumstances of life makes remaining faithful a real test of our faith.  Having true faith means submitting to those who have the rule over us and obeying them when it goes against our natural thinking and trusting the promise of God to make it work.  The simple example is tithing.  A non-tither is not submissive, not obedient and lacks true faith in God.
• Hebrews 6:10-12 promises God's reward to faithful stewards who are not slothful but who do a labor of love.  God promises eternal rewards to all saved people who are diligent in their service for God.  With this promise, and similar promises, the pastor is to teach his people to trust the personal promises from God.  The pastor is to emphasize that the promise is from God and, therefore, is reliable no matter where the person goes.
4. Biblical Stewards: (1Corinthians 4:1-2).
• A steward is a servant who administers the things which belong to someone else (2Corinthians 8:18-22).  People need to be taught that they are not working for their human boss in order to get the money of this world but are truly working for God and that their true wages will be paid by God in eternity and the 1,000 year reign of Christ if they are faithful.  As God's steward they are working for the human boss in order to provide for the physical support of people who are preaching.  If a human boss ties to interfere with that then it is time to ask God where to go next or how to get the boss saved.  Regardless of circumstances, God's people need to keep their eyes on the spiritual and keep in mind that they are truly working for God.
• The things that a steward administers are to be administered in the way specified by the owner and for the profit of the owner (Luke 12:43-48).  People who earn a wage are to handle those wages as God tells them to in order to maximize the spreading of the Gospel.  Otherwise, they might get much in this world but will not have a spiritual prophet to show God.  Remember, it is all about hearing God say well done thou good and faithful servant because our labor produces a spiritual profit for God.
• Matthew 6:33 says: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The word first implies a second.  And, the phrase and all these things shall be added unto you tells us the second.  If we seek to make money so that we can support the church then God will bless us but if we seek to make money so that we can have the lusts of the flesh then God will curse us.  Once more, if we are working so that we can produce a spiritual profit for God then he can trust us with physical riches because we will know that having them is temporary.  However, if we are not working to produce a spiritual profit for God then we will be blinded by the riches of this world.
• 1Timothy 6:9-10 says: But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
5. Apt to teach (2Timothy 2:24-26)
• This section is instructions for the servant of the Lord.  A true Biblical steward is the servant of the Lordeven when he is not a preacher.  Look at the job of Joseph, Daniel, Mark, Luke, Philemon and many more examples in the Bible.
• Next, our section tells us the attitude that all Bible teachers need to have when it says must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness.  When God's people have this attitude towards those whom they work with they will rise in secular jobs just like out Bible examples did.  God will be sure to give them greater influence if they have a Godly attitude but will oppose their rise if they refuse to have this attitude.
• Next, our reference tells us how to consider the people whom we instruct when it says instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.  Even when teaching something about this world and about a secular job, the people often come with preconceived wrong ideas.  Again, applying Biblical commands on the secular job will help us to advance in the secular job and allow us to do more for the kingdom of God.  In everything. God's people are to remember that they are first a servant of God and striving to advance the kingdom of God.  Everything else is secondary.
• Finally, our reference says And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.  God's people need to always be aware of the possibly of their giving the gospel to people on the job and leading someone to true Biblical salvation.  Yes, they are to do a job for their human boss and do the best they can in that boss.  However, all of God's people need to always remember that they are truly a servant to God first and an employee of the company second.  Their primary job is to truly represent God and show His love to all people including the lost who act hateful.
3. Job: Tent Maker Ministry: Biblical examples which God's people are to consider following.
1. Aquila and Priscilla helped to start three (3) churches by working a job where the church was started, providing for the financial needs and doing whatever else they could do to help.
2. 3John was written to Gaius who traveled with Paul's team as a servant and when he got too old to travel he bought a house and housed missionaries and preachers who were traveling through his city.  Some people can take weeks at a time to go and help a mission work even if they can not move to the mission field.
3. Luke was the beloved physician and is the example for medical missions and any other worker who goes to the mission field for a short time in order to help the work.  All professionals are to consider following this example.  For example, how many missions need help building a meeting place while construction workers are not busy but are in a different church.  Pastors need to consider the possibility of raising support to send such workers to help in the mission work.  Such mission trips are a good way to introduce young adults to the work of missions.
4. John Mark was a preacher's servant and when he matured spiritually God used him to write the Gospel account which teaches us that Jesus Christ is the example servant.  Today, missions trips are planned and led by preachers.  However, people who are good at administration can take over those tasks and allow the preacher to concentrate on the work of an evangelist.
5. Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 tell us: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  No matter what your profession or job is, God wants you to use it to spread the gospel.  'Tent Maker Ministry' is about non-preachers using their own profession and job to do 'The Great Commission'.  Only you can ask God how he wants you to do that.  It is the job of non-preachers to train other non-preachers to do 'The Great Commission'.  Yes, it must be done under the authority and direction of the church and pastor, but that does not remove our personal responsibility to do this part of 'The Great Commission'.

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