Acts 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
Sometimes I wonder if I hold back in declaring the Truth. Sometimes I think I hesitate when I should be bold. When I engage I want to have the best chance for a willing heart ready to receive what I have to say, and I think I have missed some opportunities that I can never get back.
It can be very hard to know when to speak and when to remain silent. Too many people only do one or the other, silence or an over abundance of words. But the ideal is to speak at the appropriate moments and to be silent when necessary. Finding that balance is difficult.
Paul the apostle was a man who had found this balance. He knew when to wait and when to speak. And as he completes his time with his fellow laborers prior to his final trip to Jerusalem, he sums up his personal commitment to the ministry.
Paul was what we would call a tent maker in ministry. He worked a full-time job in order to support his ministry. His ministry was not his source of income. In fact, we get this idea of ‘tent maker’ from Paul, for that is exactly what Paul did as a profession.
Paul was self-supporting. There were times when others gave toward the ministry he did, but that was by far the exception. For most of Paul’s work in ministry, he did tent making, the art of making tents.
It can be very difficult to work full-time at another job and then have enough energy to pastor a congregation and care for the needs of so many others. It can be a challenge to balance care for your own family and the family of God all while trying to earn enough to meet their needs and the needs of a congregation. Families can feel shortchanged, and congregations might get less than they need.
Paul found a way to keep this going. He didn’t have a family which eliminated the pressure of wife and children and their needs. He only had to provide for himself.
But the text tells us that he also provided for “the needs of my companions.” He took on the burden of those with whom he worked! I don’t think they were idle, but that their work was not as profitable and portable and Paul’s was.
Paul was single focused in his ministry. He was tasked with declaring the whole will of God and he did just that. Even the fact that he had to support himself financially didn’t impede his ministry. When we consider that much of the New Testament is written by Paul, this is quite the accomplishment.
Perhaps Paul’s need to work for financial support helped him be focused in his ministry. Since his time was split, maybe that sharpened his focus when he did have the opportunity to speak. I don’t know, the text doesn’t tell us. But we do know that he felt as though he had said everything he needed to say to those who would hear him.
For Paul, this meant that he proclaimed the will of God, the whole will. He left nothing on the table. He gave it all. Does our life, words and actions, proclaim the whole will of God? If not, why not?
The Arnold Journey 