Surely a lot of red flags go up in people’s minds as they hear such things. But, but, Paul was a tent-maker! Yes, but he hung out with Christian tent-makers. But, but, I have to make a living! Yes, but God calls us, more importantly, to make a life. Are you really producing God things at your place of work, or have you been sucked into the very system God abhors? Were you called there to “be a witness”? Well, have you been? Are you so effective that people are quitting their work and coming over into the Kingdom?

Paul and Jesus both had ways of shutting down businesses altogether, when Kingdom work was at hand. Take a hard look at the demon-possessed fortune teller, and a certain pig-farmer with demon-possessed pigs. Can you imagine either of these men – Jesos or Paul - taking on employment from one of these employers? Yet do we not sign on to the purposes of the enemy when we bind ourselves to ungodly businesses? Not evil in the normal sense. But not godly either. Not producing God- fruit.

I confess that I spent too much of my life in a school system that has never produced one child of God, and that I joined that system, for one reason, so that I could make more money. More money than what? More money than the Christian school could pay me. Another reason was that Christians had encouraged me to be more “normal”, whatever that means.

God is forgiving and understanding. And I know this text may not say all I am making it say. But as for me, if I had it to do over, I would have stayed at that Christian school and helped turn out godly young men and women for the service of Jesus.

You will have to take your own situation before God, but I do hope you will consider the words of an old man who made a huge mistake, and try not to make it yourself. Much better to be dirt poor and happy in the Lord than fruitless and barren when it is time to stand before the Lord.

In chapters 8 and 9 of this letter, the apostle speaks of yet another possibility for “fellowship” among Christians (8:4, 9:13). Early on there was poverty in the church. Needs. Hurting believers. Paul does not address “charity” here, the idea of giving money to needy causes in the world. We are to love all men, for sure, but especially the household of faith. It is this household dealt with here.

The famous line of the Psalmist, that he had “never seen the righteous forsaken” faces great challenges in the history of the New Testament church. While the truth still abides, and cannot be broken, we must note that it is not an automatic provision from Heaven that supplies equally the needs of His people, but rather, clarion calls of desperation from church leaders in one part of the church to church leaders in the other parts. God has not gifted equally the finances of His people. He endows some with great riches, and leaves others in their poverty. The rich Christians are to look at their excess as the means by which God will bless the poor in the church. They are not to bow and pray religiously that poor people in the Body of Christ will have their needs met. They are to extract wallets from hips and purses, extract bills and checkbooks from same, and meet those needs until the hurt is felt. They are to tighten their belts and give sacrificially.