07 24 07 To Share or Not to Share

“So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
(1 Corinthians 15:58) NET)

There is a couple in the Bible that a minister friend and mentor of ours jokingly referred to one day when he spotted my wife Tamara and me one day in church. It caused me to learn a little about these friends of Paul. Aquila and Priscilla not only made their living together and grew in the Word together, they served the Lord together. When they were just getting started in business in Corinth their home was probably not big enough to hold all the Christians, so the house of Titus Justus was used. But it seems as though God had blessed them materially, and they were using their resources in Ephesus for His glory.

Their home was a meeting place for the Ephesian church. And the home of Aquila and Priscilla was always open to people who wanted to learn more about Christ, and for Christians who wanted to grow in the Word.. While we have church buildings, there is no substitute for the home as a center for evangelism and spiritual nurture in the community.

As my wife and I were called into full time ministry, we too heard the Lord tell us to work as a family, opening up our home and resources for His glory. To date we‘ve helped more than 1,700 individuals on the streets, in our home, and going into families and helping as they have a need. We have had had 15 people live within our home from the ages of newborn to 23 years old for periods of a few weeks to a few years. We have never charged for the assistance, but relied upon the Lord to provide. And He has met each need and some more at times. This is our job, our labor, our calling. We share everything; the joys and blessings as well as the hurts, the rejections, and the setbacks.

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”
(Hebrews 13:15-16)

My wife is the brains and beauty of our ministry/business. I am the grunt; the man on the streets. I like it that way. I have always been hands-on and the Lord has gifted me in this way as a teacher. Although my wife may be more intelligent and resourceful than me, God still wants her to look to me as her leader. That is not always easy for an extremely talented woman to do, but Priscilla did it and so does Tamara. She does not compete with me. She is using her God-given abilities, as a helpmeet to me for the glory of God. I am sure Aquila thanked God for her many times and accepted her wise counsel on many occasions, as I am learning to do. Tamara (and Priscilla) are two of the world’s truly liberated women, for there is no freedom that brings more joy and satisfaction than the freedom of obeying God’s Word.

“Dear friend, you demonstrate faithfulness by whatever you do for the brothers (even though they are strangers). They have testified to your love before the church. 12 You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone forth on behalf of ‘The Name’ accepting nothing from the pagans. Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we become coworkers in cooperation with the truth.”
(3 John 5:8)

Our burden is what TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE with others. John encouraged his followers to support the missionaries going through the area. Others in Ephesus were told not to do so! At times it is embarrassing to ask for so much, so we stay quiet and wait upon the Lord. Now I feel the burden of every missionary I speak to and listen to.

This is not a complaint, Lord knows. It’s just a request to share our burdens with us. We need you to help us do the work God established within us. We can’t quit: how embarrassing that would be to us and to the Lord! So we do our best not to grow weary in doing as much good as we can. I pray that some of you may also hear Paul’s instruction to “not neglect to do good and to share what you have” and John’s apostolic voice in admonishing all of us to “support such people, so that we become coworkers in cooperation with the truth.”