Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
March 20, 2005 - W0512

We are at the final message of the “Citizens & Sojourners” series, Tentmakers by Trade, and we’ll be taking a look at why God gives us jobs and what purpose He has for us in our secular jobs.

Do you recognize any of these names: Dr. Hudson Taylor, Dr. David Livingstone, Billy Sunday, coach Bill McCartney, attorney Chuck Colson, psychologist Dr. James Dobson, Paul the Apostle, and Priscilla and Aquila? Do you know what they have in common? They’re all tentmakers. No, not literally tentmakers – as was the case for Paul whose job it was to repair, make, and sell tents – but rather, all people who use their trades to be ambassadors for Christ. None of them were pastors. They’re all people who had secular, non-religious vocations; however, they each knew their work was not an end itself. They knew it was a means through which God could use them. Think of all of them as tentmakers:

“And he found a Jew named Aquila,…and his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:2-4).

Aquila and Priscilla worked as tentmakers but they had a much greater purpose in life than repairing and mending tents. They saw their jobs as mission fields through which they could lead people to Christ.  They knew their jobs really were all about souls:

“Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that our expense would not be a burden to anyone there as we preached God’s Good News among you” (I Thess. 2:9).

By Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila’s example, we see that God calls us to use our jobs as mission fields, or from a slightly different viewpoint, God also calls us to use our jobs to support ministries. Tentmakers are ones who see their church not as how many people are inside their church, but rather by how many people are outside of their church. This is the perspective of one who is seeking to grow and advance God’s kingdom in the community around him. Our real purpose is to advance the kingdom through our jobs.

WHY WE ARE TENTMAKERS:

We know God is calling us to be tentmakers but why is He calling us to do so?   The first principle we must remember as tentmakers is…

1.    THE EXCELLENCE OF WHAT WE DO EXPRESSES THE EXCELLENCE OF THE GOD WE SERVE.

The Lord has given us skills and we are to hone them so we can be a people of excellence in this dark world, right there at our jobs.

“The righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Prov. 12:26).

The Bible says, “Let your light so shine before men, so they’ll see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). If you sometimes wonder why God put you in a particular, “dark” job, consider this passage…God calls us to be lights in the darkness – a reflection of Him. God is saying He wants our excellence to reflect the excellence of the God we serve:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. Remember that the Lord…is the real Master you serve” (Col. 3:23-24 TEV).

The second principle we must understand and remember is:

2.    THE LOVE WE SHOW REGARDLESS OF THE PERSON’S DESERVEDNESS REFLECTS GOD’S KIND OF LOVE FOR THEM.

When you love just because of what you get back, that’s man’s kind of love.  But when we love somebody who we might think doesn’t deserve it, or who could never pay us back, that’s God’s kind of love.

 “The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:40). 

I just returned from Sri Lanka where the recent tsunami has had a devastating effect on the people and the lands. There is a lot of religious friction in the area between the Hindu and Buddhist communities and Christians. In the last 15 years, 258 Christian churches have been torched by militants in this predominantly Hindu region. While I was there, I met Pastor Yogarajah – a Foursquare pastor who has been living there for many years and was hated by the Hindus. To help you understand how much they hated Pastor Yoharajah, he reportedly had been beaten up nine times, and was even forced to dig his own grave once—but narrowly escaped.

In spite of the opposition (and threats), Pastor Yogarajah is ministering to the community there through whatever means he can, most recently through the distribution of food and provision of shelter to devastated families and villages of all religions (i.e., Hindu, Buddhist and Christian alike). These donations come from Christians such as ourselves here at New Hope; nothing has been provided by the government. During my visit, we were down at the seashore when we met some Hindu fishermen. When Pastor Yogarajah introduced me as the pastor of the church that has been providing all the aid they have been receiving, the fishermen told us, “First of all, we will be eternally grateful for all that you have done. We will no longer worship our Hindu gods, for they have not helped us. We now want to worship your God, because He loves us, even though we hated Him.”  Isn’t that tremendous?

Hindu hearts are being opened because of the work and ministry of Pastor Yogarajah and our church there in Sri Lanka. When we share God’s love with people who cannot pay us back, God is able to work miracles through that kind of love.  So this brings us to a third tentmaking principle: 

3.    THE WAY I STEWARD MY MONEY REFLECTS THE ETERNAL PRIORITIES OF MY LIFE.

What I spend my money on tells people what my priorities are in my life. As Christians, we are asked to tithe, or give a tenth of our earnings back to the Lord’s work because that is what we are all about. I had an accountant, once, that tried to talk me out of giving so much to the church. The next year I had a new accountant!

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your life” (Deut. 14:23b GN).

“They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have a chance to return. Instead, it was a better country they longed for, the heavenly country. And so God is not ashamed for them to call Him their God, because He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:15-16 TEV).

We do not want to forget who we are on this earth. We are called to be a people who will love those who can’t give love back, to reflect His radiance on this dark earth, and to steward our money in such a way that we advance the kingdom, here in Hawaii and across the ocean.  In order to do this, it’s going to require:

4.    OUR TESTIMONY AND INVITATION REVEALS THE DOORWAY TO HIM THAT LOVES THEM THE MOST.

“And the master said the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be full” (Luke 14:23).

The Bible says, “In My house are many mansions (John 14:2).” I believe that in heaven there is a mansion for every single person that God has conceived and given breath to.  On the contrary, God does not send people to hell. The Bible says God created hell for the devil and his angels. When people go to hell, it’s not because God sends people there but rather because they chose to reject God and his plan?

When I was in Okinawa, I asked the pastor there. “How did you receive Christ and become a pastor?” He said, “I was going to a secular college on the mainland and my roommate was a bother. He would talk to me about the Lord, ask me to go to church, and he even prayed for me while I was asleep. He really bugged me. I couldn’t stand it! That guy bothered me so much about the Lord, that one day I told him, ‘If you say one more thing about Jesus to me I’m going to hit you!’ But then, he got down on his knees and said, ‘John, I beg you, please give your heart to Jesus! I beg you—please!’ That touched me so much that within two weeks, I had given my heart to Christ…and now, I’m a pastor.”

So much can happen because one person compels another. This Easter, don’t just invite, but compel, those you know to come so that all of heaven can rejoice over each and every soul that accepts and receives Christ.

We are on this earth, and in our jobs, to be tentmakers and spread the news of God’s grace and glory. Remember to be a person of excellence so that others will see the excellence of God through you. Love all, regardless of their deservedness, as a demonstration of God’s kind of love. Steward your money to reflect your eternal priorities. And, let your testimony and invitation lead those to Him who loves them the most.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1.      Whether you have a job or not, God wants to show off His love through you. Is there a certain someone you feel God has placed on your heart, who you want to help accept Christ? Would you be willing to pray every day for that person (or people) and then compel them to come to our Easter services?

2.      Have you noticed God’s excellence in your life? Have others? If not, what can you polish up, to reflect God in a better way?

3.      Practice doing something for another who cannot repay. Do something, too, for someone who can. Do you notice any difference?

4.      If you are a Christian, are you tithing? If not, are you willing to pray for the willingness to begin?

5.      What if you were a missionary called by God to be a tentmaker in another country, trying to reach an un-reached group of people? Can I inspire you to think of yourself doing that here, right where you live?

Thank you very much Robin Hart, a woman serving God in her profession and as a volunteer sermon notes writer.  Her genuine heart and stewardship of her time and abilities is impacting the world for His kingdom.