Paul the Tent Maker: How Our Day Jobs Can Point Others to Christ
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- Updated Apr 14, 2023
When we hear of one of the greatest evangelists who ever lived, the Apostle Paul, it would be easy to imagine a glamorous life of travel, large crowds listening, and making a great name for himself. However, Paul knew what it was like to work a job and serve the Lord like anyone else. Scripture says that Paul was a tent maker. Today, we are going to uncover what it means that Paul was a tent maker.
Acts 18
When Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, he stayed with Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Acts 18:3 says, “Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tent makers just as he was.” What I love about this is that we get a small glimpse into the mundane. This would be like saying Paul went and worked at the local coffee shop, or he went and built houses for the construction company, or Paul was a substitute teacher with them.
If we are not careful, we can easily put Paul and other disciples of Jesus on a pedestal in the Bible. However, he was a regular man who heard the call of Jesus and chose to follow. He still had to make a living, he still needed money to buy food to eat, he still needed a place to sleep.
Acts 18:4 says, “Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.” Although Paul likely ministered with Aquila and Priscilla through people they met during their jobs and in his everyday life, Paul also took time to go to the synagogue and shared Jesus with the people.
What Is Your Tent?
Maybe you feel as if you never have time to share your faith or that you are not doing “ministry” because your job title is similar to tent maker. Perhaps you are a businessman, a full time mom, a teacher, or a librarian. Whatever you are doing is part of your ministry.
Paul led many people to Christ. He traveled as a missionary, but he still was faithful to work and provide for basic needs. I can picture Paul, Aquilla and Priscilla creating relationships and taking time to get to know their customers. They used their careers as platforms for sharing Christ with others.
So often, we can make excuses about how we leave evangelism and outreach to pastors, missionaries, and church employees. The truth is that God has called you and me to serve Him and share Him with everyone whom He puts in front of us.
1 Corinthians 3:9-11 says, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
I love that we are fellow workers, co-laborer with Christ. We do not have to depend on our own strength; these verses make it clear that Jesus did the work and He already laid the foundation. However, there is a warning, “But each one must be careful how he builds.” What are we building our lives on? Are we creating our plans for our own glory or are we surrendering ourselves to the glory of the Lord?
It is very tempting to compartmentalize our work from our faith. However, other than the sheer need of provision and the purposes of our work, the very reason we have jobs is to bring glory to God in them. Only a small percentage of people have ministry careers. However, we are all called to the ministry which Jesus has entrusted to us. This is found in Jesus’ final words to us before He ascended into Heaven after He died and rose again.
Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Jesus didn’t say to a group of only religious leaders, to a certain race, or a specific gender to go, he told all of His disciples to go share His gospel of salvation. Jesus’ followers included the wealthy, the poor, the old, the young, women, men, and all ethnicities. Jesus came for the world.
How Are You Pointing to Jesus with Your Tent?
What is your tent? Do others see you point to Jesus with your tent? Do people see the same you at church on Sunday as they do at work on Monday? How can we start our days and pray for opportunities to see others around us? How can we use our daily jobs and seemingly menial tasks to direct others to Christ’s love for them? If you feel inadequate, remember that Jesus is the One whom we rely on.
CRU (Formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) defines successful evangelism as “Taking the initiative to share the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.” We are not able to change anyone’s heart. We are only responsible to show up and share the hope that we have with others. It is a great comfort that the Holy Spirit is always with us and will give us the words to communicate the gospel clearly.
I Am a Tent Maker
I am just a tentmaker
One might say
Doing mundane work
Each and every day
Actions hidden beneath
The throws of daily life
Never go unnoticed
by God Who’s at my side
Although my tent seems small
It holds a lot of weight
The lives in which it holds
Have a special place
Winds and storms may try
To destroy the tents I make
But they are built on the Rock
Withstanding every shake
I am just a tentmaker
One might say
But revealing the Passageway
Into eternity
More from this author
What Does It Look Like to Seek Wholeness in Christ?
How Does the Year of Jubilee Joyfully Point Us Back to Jesus?
Glorify God with What He Has Placed in Your Hand
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