On mission.

I’m not a missionary. Not in the sense that God has called me to travel to a foreign land (yet) to share the Gospel.

Am I ready and willing if/when that happens?

Yes, Lord, I am.

Well, at least the willing part...jury’s still out on the “ready.”

There’s a lot to be appreciated by Paul’s missionary journey.

One of my favorite parts?

He was a tentmaker.

Our church is digging into Acts for the entire year (let’s give a slow clap for expository preaching!), and our pastor remarked that Paul would make tents in the morning and then, instead of napping the rest of the day like the rest of the town of Ephesus, he borrowed the lecture hall of Tyrannus to share the Gospel.

So why did Paul make tents and not rely on the donations of the Church to do the work God assigned Him to do?

According to GotQuestions.org:

“Paul turned to his training as a tentmaker in certain situations so as not to be a burden to the churches he was nurturing and to avoid accusations that he was preaching for gain.”

I’d start slow clapping again, but my wrists are sore.

I love how Paul stewards his ministry well. I’m not saying there isn’t a time when financial support is important in the way of missions, but I think Paul’s example teaches us a few things:

• We don’t need to “wait” to start doing the work God’s assigned us. Being on mission oftentimes means being content where you are and using your life as a reflection of Jesus in the everyday.
• We don’t necessarily need to expect others to pay our way so we can do the “important work.” It’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that others need to pull their own weight so we can go out and do “great things” for Jesus. But I’m not sure that’s the humble perspective God asks of us when we follow His will. Perhaps the point isn’t doing great things. Perhaps the point is being obedient and trusting He will pave the way, no matter the cost.
• Paul was practical. He didn’t ignore his financial needs or the needs of others to focus solely on “mission work.” He allowed God to order His life and his priorities in a way that was pleasing to the Spirit and didn’t elevate religious “tasks” over loving God’s people.

Paul honored the Church by focusing on it instead of himself. He carried the cross of missionary work (because from what I’ve learned from missionary friends and family, it’s certainly its own kind of cross), without complaint, careful to cover his own financial burden for the sake of those he loved.

Dang. Talk about truly serving others.

Another thing I want to mention is that we’re not all supposed to be Paul.

In some of my, say, darker times, I’ve beaten myself up for not being a missionary in Africa right now, saving the orphans and widows with the Word of God.

But then I ask myself, “What is God asking me to do this season?”

And the thing is, I know exactly what I’m supposed to do. And right now? It’s not being a missionary.

I think that’s important to point out because we’re not to glorify different roles in the Church. We’re all different parts of it, like different parts of a human body, just as Paul points out.

We’re all to function as God has designed us for His glory and His glory alone.