Every good and skilled craftsman has a full and usable toolbox. A carpenter needs more than a hammer to build a house. A brick mason needs more than a water hose to build a brick fireplace or stone wall. A doctor needs more than a sponge to operate successfully. Each needs a full toolbox. Jesus is a brilliant G.M. He knew he would be dealing with a great variety of workmen; so, he filled the toolbox full of all kinds of tools. There are those of us that think in pictures like the Hebrews, and some of us think in proposition like the Greek. Some of us have graduate degrees, and others got promoted out of pre-school because the seats got too small for our seats… But each one of us is a valuable workman.
In the current edition of MG Stories I explain why I was challenged to become a tent maker minister, one of the tools in our toolbox. This is a ministry designed for a special few in our western world. In our western world we seem to follow best the European clergy–laity type ministry. In the global south the church is free to use all the New Testament tools in our ministry toolbox. Some are rich enough to finance their own ministry, some are tent makers, some work with the gifts of fellow saints, and some use all the tools at different times. Perhaps this is why in the west the churches are declining at 2% a year, and in the global south the churches are gaining at 80,000 per hour. God seems to know what He is doing.
We are approaching 8 billion on earth and growing rapidly. We are not keeping pace, let alone catching up. We need to open our toolboxes wide and agree that there is a place for music evangelism, a place for workplace evangelism, pulpit evangelism, and personal evangelical work. Whatever fits you best, LET US BE A WORKMAN THAT NEEDS NOT TO BE ASHAMED.