1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 AND HE FOUND A CERTAIN JEW NAMED AQUILA, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife PRISCILLA (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.
3 SO, BECAUSE HE WAS OF THE SAME TRADE, HE STAYED WITH THEM AND WORKED; FOR by OCCUPATION THEY WERE TENTMAKERS."
Acts 18:1-3 (NKJV)
33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
34 Yes, YOU YOURSELVES KNOW THAT THESE HANDS HAVE PROVIDED FOR MY NECESSITIES, AND FOR THOSE WHO WERE WITH ME."
Acts 20:33,34 (NKJV)
• Those who labour in Word and doctrine are those who feed on the Word of God, search the Scriptures, to feed others (Acts 6:2-4; 1 Timothy 5:17,18; Hebrews 13:7,13).
- Such people labour in the Word and prayer, to feed the flock of God, watch over them in prayer, and take spiritual oversight of them (John 21:15-17; 2 Corinthians 11:27,28; Hebrews 13:7,17).
THOSE who do such things are not lazy at all! (1 Peter 5:2-4; Acts 20:28). - Those who work in the ministry are to be supported or taken care of, by the people whom they minister to (1 Corinthians 9:9-14; Galatians 6:6; Philippians 4:14-16).
- Even Jesus, in His earthly ministry, had some women who were giving their resources, money or possession, to support His work—outreaches:
1 Soon afterward JESUS BEGAN A TOUR of the nearby towns and villages, PREACHING AND ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 ALONG WITH SOME WOMEN who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; AND MANY OTHERS WHO WERE CONTRIBUTING FROM THEIR OWN RESOURCES TO SUPPORT JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES" (Luke 8:1-3 NLT).
• Therefore, if you were given the opportunity to work in the secular alongside with your Ministry, do not castigate or badmouth those whom God has mandated to do the work without adding any secular work with it:
4 WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ANOTHER'S SERVANT? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, FOR GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE HIM STAND. 5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. LET EACH BE FULLY CONVINCED IN HIS OWN MIND [about what he or she is assigned to do]. 7 FOR NONE OF US LIVES TO HIMSELF, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. THEREFORE, WHETHER WE LIVE OR DIE, WE ARE THE LORD'S" (Romans 14:4,5,78 NKJV).
"DO you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. HAPPY IS HE WHO DOES NOT CONDEMN HIMSELF IN WHAT HE APPROVES."
Romans 14:22 (NKJV)
• Ministry work is broad, you cannot claim to know everything about the work.
- If what someone else was doing for God is not similar to what you are doing, or the call of the person is not in the same line of your own calling, do not go about and be speaking against what the person is doing.
- You should not look down on whatever anyone is doing for the Lord. And also, you should not speak derisively about it, doing that could bring a problem—God's wrath on you and your work.
- Let whoever is called to build, build according to the pattern given to Such (Hebrews 8:5).
- God has NOT assigned anyone to be going about and be assessing those who are working for Him—especially those who are not under your leadership or submitted to you.
- God rewards faithfulness, not the size of the work that an individual is doing. THUS, do not speak derisively ABOUT another person's work.
- The fact that someone's work does not have any physical structure; like building of churches and schools, it does not mean the person is not working or you are higher than such.
- Ministry work is not measured by the Number of acres of land that your ministry sits on, and the Number of satellite churches you have planted; but an individual's faithfulness to what God has assigned him or her to do (2 Corinthians 10:12).
- Some have the notion that if you do not have a mega church, or you have not planted tens, hundreds, or thousands of branches or satellite churches, you are not working and you are not a success.
- Ministry is about what God has instructed you as an individual to do. AND what has the person done about it? IS the person faithful in doing the work with all his or her heart?
- Ministry is not about measuring yourself with others, and forming a CLIQUE, that you are the group of those who had certain number of branches, Satellite churches, or the group of those who had bought certain number of acres of land:
12 FOR WE [Paul and his team] DARE NOT CLASS OURSELVES OR COMPARE OURSELVES WITH THOSE WHO COMMEND THEMSELVES. BUT THEY, MEASURING THEMSELVES BY THEMSELVES, AND COMPARING THEMSELVES AMONG THEMSELVES, ARE NOT WISE" (2 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV). - It is not about your material acquisitions, the number of cars you have, how big the house you live in, and other material ACQUISITIONS.
- Stop looking down on others because of your material possession or acquisition.
- Stop castigating, degrading, and speaking derisively about the work of others, God does not look as man looks:
7 BUT the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. FOR THE LORD DOES NOT SEE AS MAN SEES; FOR MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART" (1 Samuel 16:7NKJV).
17 BECAUSE YOU SAY, ‘I AM RICH, HAVE BECOME WEALTHY, AND HAVE NEED OF NOTHING’—AND DO NOT KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRETCHED, MISERABLE, POOR, BLIND, AND NAKED— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me [Jesus] gold refined in the fire, THAT YOU MAY BE RICH; and white garments, THAT YOU MAY BE CLOTHED, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, THAT YOU MAY SEE. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. THEREFORE BE ZEALOUS AND REPENT."
Revelation 3:17-19 (NKJV)
• It is my prayer that you will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!