Paul The Tentmaker
Paul The Tentmaker
Paul, The Tentmaker
Tentmaking Was Practical
This is the Lechaion Road today
Paul Turned Away Donations?
But there was a pastoral aspect as well. The city of Corinth, in common with many Roman cities, had a well-developed patron-client system. The patron-client system was all about status. Patrons were higher status, wealthier people, and clients were their followers. In exchange for free meals, the clients followed the patrons around, went with them to court to support their many lawsuits against one another, and generally added to their patron’s prestige. What no one wanted to do was actually work. If you read Paul’s Corinthian correspondence, you’ll see that he actually refused to take money from the Corinthians who wanted to give him money! That’s because he didn’t want to be seen to participate in the patron-client culture as either patron or client. They would have misunderstood the relationship if he had taken money from them.
It’s noteworthy that Paul did indeed receive patronage from someone in the region though. In Romans 16:2, Paul commends a deacon of the church in Cenchrea, a small city very near to Corinth. Her name is Phoebe, and Paul says that she’s been his patron and the patron of many. It’s pretty clear that Phoebe did not misunderstand the relationship, so Paul was able to receive her support. He even trusted her to deliver and perhaps to explain the epistle to the Romans as well.
Tentmaking As Counter-Cultural Witness
The other place where we know that Paul worked to support himself is Thessalonica. In 1 Thessalonians 2:9 Paul mentions that while he was with them he worked night and day so that he wouldn’t be a burden to them. Later, in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, Paul writes to them to live a quiet life, mind their own business, and work with their hands so that they won’t be dependent on anyone. This is likely a reference to the patron-client system or similar. Paul didn’t want them to sell their support to the highest bidder. He wanted them to do something useful in the world. His motivation in supporting himself among them was to provide them with an example of what it is to be a Christian. He was showing them how to live as a kingdom person, which was, and is, very different from following the ways of the world.
So What Kind of Missionary Are You?
So when we’re deciding whether to be a missionary “on support” or a “tent making” missionary, our motivation needs to be a kingdom motivation. We have to think about our own cultural background and the cultural background of the nation we’re called to. Our considerations should be both practical and spiritual in nature.
If our culture looks down on asking for support, that’s probably the exact thing we most need to do. The kingdom of God is about giving and receiving, not about buying and selling. By providing people with an opportunity to sow seeds of generosity, we oppose something important in a culture that is fixated on buying, selling, and getting. By choosing to live with less, we witness to what is most important. Not that there is anything wrong with working a paid job! But there is something powerful about the witness of people who have chosen to receive generosity so that they can give freely to others.
It’s All About Discipleship
If we’re seeking to disciple Christians in a nation that is averse to working with their hands, there is something very powerful about tent making, but it had better be a “working with your hands” kind of tent making. If we want to disciple people in being honest in business, then running a business honestly would be a powerful testimony. If you want to show the relative merits of various priorities, choosing less status at work in order to prioritize your family might be the way to go.
As Christians, we need to think very deliberately about what our lives say about who God is and how his kingdom works.
Paul The Fundraiser
In the next post in this series, we’ll talk about when Paul received, and even asked for, financial support.
If you have further questions, you can contact us on our website here: About Us | Who Is Pacific Reach? | YWAM Pacific Reach New Zealand
Or we’ve written another blog post with more details on the topics we teach during a DTS – YWAM DTS Lecture Topics.
“Last year I decided to seek after God wholeheartedly and applied for the Pilgrimage DTS. Going on this journey (physically and spiritually) has been life-changing! Instead of wandering on my own, I am now following the Almighty God. I have rediscovered a personal and intimate relationship with my Creator!”
Tim Stallard, 26, Switzerland
“Being part of the Wild Heart stream helped me know my place in the kingdom as well as parts of my spiritual identity. It broke lies and empowered me to be who God called me to be!”
Nicole Tavares, 18, Brazil
“Being a part of the Pilgrimage Stream impacted my life for the better. Not only did it teach me how to function in a small community (as we shared the burden of climbing those mountains together), but also how to rely on one another, have fun and worship together, and, most importantly, how to be vulnerable with each other. The focus of our Stream taught me what it looks like to be on a pilgrimage for God. God calls us out of our homes to the wilderness, where we’ll see Him face-to-face, and are forced to fully depend on Him before we receive His inheritance.”
Harty Dumalagan, 21, B.C. Canada
“Prayer and Passion completely changed my outlook on the true power that prayer has. It had always been something that I knew worked and I did, but it was boring. Being a part of this stream gave me new understanding of how prayer is worship and fuels the power of heaven connecting with earth. It will move you to a place of praying out of your relationship with the Lord rather than giving him a list of things you want. You will gain a newfound intimacy with God as your prayer life is propelled.”
Tilly Logan, 21, Australia
“SPHC is such an incredible gateway to seeing the world with God’s eyes. To see how His heart breaks at the brokenness of this world, and to see how the lack of education about little things such as germs and washing hands causes so much illness and suffering in the world, to then be equipped and sent to BRING THAT CHANGE! It is such a life changing/ perspective shifting program that has really changed my life!”
Antonio Wolfe, 20, Alberta, Canada
“Doing a DTS and being part of the worship stream was absolutely life changing for me. God took me from a luke-warm, passive, prideful faith, to an authentic passionate relationship with Him. As he revealed His worthiness to me, I learned to let go of everything in this world and cling to Him; to allow myself to be undone in His presence.”
Lauren Balzer, 18, BC Canada
“Before I did the Go Pacific DTS, I was expecting the Lord to do a lot of amazing things through me; and He did. However, I never expected Him to do so much work in my own heart. I drew a lot closer to God, experienced freedom, and I learned to believe in the ‘Jonas’ that He says I am. My relationship with God has become deeper and more serious, but at the same time it has become more fun and casual.”
Jonas Sørensen, 21, Denmark
“SPHC was honestly one of the best experiences of my life so far. From the lecture phase to outreach, my mind was constantly blown by the endless stream of possibilities that become available when you combine practical medical care with the power of prayer. Also, getting to hike, ride in boats and in the back of trucks, and setting up clinics basically anywhere was quite the highlight for a city girl like me.”
Tabitha Abishegam, 26, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
“Before coming to DTS I had a fixed view on what it meant to be a follower of God. Being on the Wild Heart Stream completely demolished every box I put God in and taught me to have reverence for the Lord. I learned that God doesn’t want a slave, he wants a best friend, a daughter and a relationship.”
Jessica Bryant, 19, England
“Throughout my time on the Pilgrimage DTS, God has worked in me in countless ways. Whether it was learning to see His beauty and love for us in creation, or learning to trust when I was soaking wet, and knowing it’s all for a purpose, a part of the adventure! But also a great part was having lectures about how to walk in the authority of Christ, and learning how to hear the voice of God and grow in relationship with Him! I must say, it’s been the adventure of a lifetime, which won’t end because God isn’t just staying with us for a season, He’s in it with us for eternity!”
Blaise Brunson, 17, Turkey/USA