She heard yelling and a commotion from the booth next to the Dutch Cheeseman’s booth where she was working for the weekend. The European Market was in town and booths had been set up right along the waterfront between the city’s main square and the pier, aptly named “Audace” or “Audacious,” that jutted out into the Gulf of Trieste and welcomed large seafaring vessels. As a native English speaker who also had a solid grasp of Italian, she was enlisted by the Dutch Cheeseman, who knew very little Italian, to help man the booth during peak weekend hours. 

The commotion had come from the Dutch pancake (poffertjes) maker next door after the assistant had tossed a bucket of dirty dishwater into the sea not realizing that the professional and hard-to-come-by batter portioning tool was hidden beneath the milky water. And there it went, straight to the bottom of the sea. A crowd began to gather to see if they could make out where it had come to rest, but the water wasn’t clear enough and the winds were making the sea too choppy. Recognizing the sense of panic and desperation that was forming across the pancake maker’s face at the thought of an entire trip to the European Market now wasted due to this mistake, she decided to offer to help. She was a strong swimmer, having grown up in the jungles along the tributaries of the Amazon, and would have her husband bring down her swimsuit so she could attempt to dive down for it on her next break.

And dive she did. Down she went and up she came with no success. A second time she tried and, again, no luck. Finally, on the third try, she brought up the prized tool to the surprise and rejoicing of the pancake maker and her assistant. It had been no easy task and was even dangerous given the choppiness and depth of the water. But, nevertheless, she had done it, taking on the risk for the opportunity to provide hope -- hope to a person in desperate need. This hope was for something temporal but the reason she was even there, in the marketplace along the gulf of Trieste, was to find opportunities to share a greater, eternal hope, a hope found only in Jesus.

Linda and her husband (that’s me) were there because they were working with others to plant a church in the city of Trieste. We were supported missionaries, so why was Linda down working in the market? There were a couple of reasons. As with most missionaries who raise their own support, funds were often tight, and -- due to our visa status -- we couldn’t go out and get a normal job. But this was acceptable and these occasional gigs were a way to help offset some of the financial burdens while also getting to eat some pretty fantastic cheese. The other reason was that we, as foreigners, were always looking for ways and places to be involved in the community, build relationships, and seek opportunities to share the Gospel. A European Market was just the place since the whole city would come out to take a stroll and check out the many offerings.  

This Sunday we saw how the Apostle Paul chose to give up his right to be supported by the church in Corinth and instead made and mended tents down in the marketplace since he was a tent-maker. Was it because taking money from them would have made him beholden to them in some way and inhibited his preaching? Was it because he wanted to offer the Gospel freely and not appear to do so only for profit? Was it out of a desire to demonstrate true humility as an example to them? Or was it in order to have more avenues and opportunities to share the Gospel? It may have been all or none of these. We do not know, but we do know Paul’s purpose was that there would be no hindrance to the Gospel.

Some have taken the reality that Paul labored to provide for his needs in this situation as the “ideal” model for those who serve as missionaries or church planters, even asserting that being a “tent-maker” is the Biblical model. The problem with this is that, while Paul did indeed labor at times to provide for his needs, at other times he accepted resources and funds from churches. In 1 Corinthians 9 and 1 Timothy 5 Paul lays out a clear defense for churches providing for the needs of those who labor among them in the ministry of preaching and teaching.

In 2 Corinthians 11:8-9 we learn that when Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth from Macedonia they brought with them sufficient provision to fully support his needs, which enabled him to stop tent-making and begin focusing on the work of the ministry full-time. Paul writes, “I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you; and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.”

Additionally, we learn in 2 Corinthians 1 of Paul’s intent to visit them on his way to Macedonia and then return to them and, as Paul writes, “by you to be helped on my journey to Judea.” This phrase, “to be helped on a journey,” is used by Paul in his letters to the church in Rome and to Titus. It is also used by John in his third Epistles and, in each of these instances, it carries with it the idea of being helped with finances and/or provisions.

The point is this, at times Paul gave up his right to be supported by others and chose to labor, and at other times his ministry efforts were backed by the support of others. There is freedom for both tent-making and supported mission work. In fact, some missionaries are “tent-makers” out of necessity because they cannot get a visa to the countries where they are working without having a job lined up and an invitation from their employer. Some organizations even go to great lengths to create businesses in these countries so that missionaries can obtain their visas and gain access. 

There are a couple of observations that we can make out of all of this:

First, it is right to support missionaries and church planters, and we do. VBC currently supports 16 GO (Global Outreach) Partners who are serving in ministries around the world where the primary goal is making disciples and planting churches among the least reached people of the world. If you don’t know what they are doing or how to best pray for them, let me know. I would love to provide you with information on them and would love even more to be able to share with our GO partners that you are praying for them.

Second, ministry is best done with others and not alone. Paul was a pioneer of sorts but he didn’t go it alone. He wasn’t some lone wolf out there on his own doing ministry, but instead almost always had others serving with him. Serving in teams is critical on the mission field and off. We believe this, which is why our ministries at VBC are made up of teams. We have an elder team, a deacon team, a GO team, a hospitality team, a safety team, a children’s ministry team, a worship (music) team, and the list goes on and on -- volunteers and staff working together in teams. We are meant to serve alongside each other, together in the ministry to which God has called each one of us. So, if you aren’t already involved in a team, pray about it and consider where you might jump in as we head into the fall!