Tenting making
Making money to pay
for your own Ministry
What the Bible has to say about a Tent
Making Ministry
Acts 18:2-4 (ESV) And he found a Jew named Aquila,
a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his
wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all
the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,
and because he was of the same trade he stayed
with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by
trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every
Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
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1 Corinthians 9-(ESV) Am I not free? Am I
not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?
Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to
others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you,
for you are the seal of my apostleship in the
Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who would
examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat
and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take
along a believing wife,
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as do the other apostles and the brothers of the
Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I
who have no right to refrain from working for a
living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own
expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating
any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without
getting some of the milk? 8 Do I say these things
on human authority? Does not the Law say the
same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses,
“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out
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the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned?
10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It
was written for our sake, because the plowman
should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in
hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown
spiritual things among you, is it too much if we
reap material things from you? 12 If others share
this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
Nevertheless, we have not made use of this
right, but we endure anything rather than put
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right, but we endure anything rather than put an
obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13 Do
you not know that those who are employed in
the temple service get their food from the
temple, and those who serve at the altar share
in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way,
the Lord commanded that those who proclaim
the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
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right, but we endure anything rather than put an
obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13 Do
you not know that those who are employed in
the temple service get their food from the
temple, and those who serve at the altar share
in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way,
the Lord commanded that those who proclaim
the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
15 But I have made no use of any of these rights,
nor am I writing these things to
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secure any such provision. For I would rather die
than have anyone deprive me of my ground for
boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives
me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid
upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the
gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a
reward, but if not of my own will, I am still
entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is
my reward? That in my preaching I may present
the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full
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use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am
free from all, I have made myself a servant to all,
that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I
became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those
under the law I became as one under the law
(though not being myself under the law) that I
might win those under the law. 21 To those
outside the law I became as one outside the law
(not being outside the law of God but under the
law of Christ) that I might win those outside the
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law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might
win the weak. I have become all things to all
people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I
do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may
share with them in its blessings. 24 Do you not
know that in a race all the runners run, but only
one receives the prize? So run that you may
obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in
all things. They do it to receive a perishable
wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not
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run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the
air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under
control,[b] lest after preaching to others I myself
should be disqualified.
Why did Paul work?
1. Credibility
Why did Paul work?
2. Identification
3. Modeling
2 Thessalonians3:6-12 (ESV) Now we
command you, brothers, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from
any brother who is walking in idleness and not
in accord with the tradition that you received
from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you
ought to imitate us, because we were not idle
when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat
anyone's bread without paying for it, but with
toil and labor we worked night and day, that
we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It
was not because we do not have that right,
but to give you in ourselves an example to
imitate. 10 For even when we were with you,
we would give you this command: If anyone is
not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we
hear that some among you walk in idleness,
not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now
such persons we command and encourage in
the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly
and to earn their own living.
Other advantages to Tentmaking
1. More people can try to plant a church
2. Every convert becomes a potential church
planter
3. Money does not drive ministry; people
moved by the Holy Spirit does.
Dangers to Tentmaking
1. Poorly trained people end up planting
churches
2. Tentmaking and Ministry get too
intertwined
3. People reached may not take on their
share of the responsibly for the church
being planted
