8. HABIT OF GOING

<PASTOR IN THE WORLD>

ARE YOU IN FULL-TIME MINISTRY?

“How many full-time ministers do we have in church today?” I like to tease the church with that question. A few hands of staff members shoot up into the air. 

Then I ask every person in the room to raise their hands. While hands are high, I say that the answer to the following question is what they are doing with their hands. I ask for all hands to go down.

Then I repeat, “How many full-time ministers do we have in church today?” All hands shoot up, and faces begin to light up with a new understanding.

Everyone is a full-time minister.

God pays you through your work.

Your work is your ministry.

You’re made to reach your coworkers. 

Priscilla and Aquila were a power couple among the first Christians. Their business was their ministry because ministry was their business. They are pacesetters for all of us who want to do more than just work, but to make a forever difference in what we do every day.

READ Acts 18

WRITE your SOAP journal first, and share with a friend.

ARE YOU A PASTOR AT WORK?

You are a pastor of the people you work with, you are an evangelist of the clients you serve, you are a teacher of the lives you mentor, and you are a prophet to encourage their potential, and you are an apostle of kingdom expansion at your job. Aquila and Priscilla show us how to turn our workshop into our witness.

1. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR BUSINESS.
The Apostle Paul met Aquila in the tent-making district of the city. The couple brought Paul into their business to work, house, and support his church planting in a new city (see Acts 18:3). They gave their business to God. As a result, Titius Justus, an upper-class Roman believed. He opened his home for a church. People whom Paul could never have reached alone were reached through business contacts (see Acts 18:7).

2. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR BUSINESS TRIPS.
When Paul wanted to start a new church in a big city, they rolled up their tools and printed new business cards.

3. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR HOME.
Their business generated enough income to purchase a home large enough for a church to meet in (see 1 Corinthians 16:9). Because their business was to do ministry, their living room became a sanctuary.

4. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
Not only did the power couple follow church-planter Paul to a new city, they were also prepared to stay after he left. They would use their self-starting spirit to expand the work (see Acts 18:19). Your skills learned in the marketplace to grow businesses can be used by the Lord in building his church.

5. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR EDUCATION.
Though this business couple were not trained Bible scholars, they did know their Bibles well enough to teach a preacher what to preach (see Acts 18:26) the Bible teaching of a business person is not second rate but top shelf.

6. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR EGOS.
These independent business people followed Pastor Paul (see Acts 18:18). But here’s an even greater surrender of their self-importance. In the Roman world, women had few rights and were not allowed to lead men. But it is evident that Priscilla was able to teach (see Romans 16:3). They are mentioned six times together in the Bible, a rare thing among the New Testament leaders. Half of those times Priscilla, the woman, is mentioned first. They were humble toward Paul and toward each other.

7. THEY SURRENDERED THEIR REPUTATION.
They put their careers on the line for Jesus (see Romans 16:3-4). They were willing to sacrifice the brand for the name of Jesus.

HOW COULD JESUS CHANGE LIVES THROUGH YOU?

VERSE OF THE WEEK

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Romans 16:3

PRAYER

Father, use my skills to shepherd, my contacts for evangelism, my customer service for healing, and my home for your church. Amen.

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