Aquila finished stitching the last seam on the large market canopy as his wife Priscilla rose to answer the loud knock on the door of their shop. Daylight was fading quickly, and the sputtering oil lamp was struggling to dispel the gloom. The door swung open with a groan of rusty hinges, and a small, lithe man leapt into the cluttered room. Sabbath was over for another week, and the Apostle Paul, having spent the day expounding the Scriptures at the synagogue, had come to begin work on eight new tents for a family of North African traders.
They would sleep little this night, the three of them. After a simple meal, they would begin the wearying process of cutting and stitching and cutting some more. Their work would be punctuated by Paul’s rehearsal of the day’s events in the synagogue and by animated discussion of the teachings of the Christ. As they cut thick tabs of bull hide to reinforce corners and tie-downs, they would pause often to pray for the many new believers in Corinth and ask God for wisdom in establishing this new assembly with its diversity of people….
The Challenge
By their example, Aquila and Priscilla have issued us a challenge. They were tentmakers. When the Apostle Paul first met them, they were operating their business in Corinth. They employed Paul, who lived in their home, and they helped him start the church at Corinth. Aquila was a businessman who supported himself financially yet was vitally involved in missions. After 18 months of ministry together, they took off for Ephesus with Paul to do it all over again. Once more, they became the key players in starting another church while supporting themselves by making tents. When we last read of them, they were in Rome, still involved in the church. Still missionaries. Still a vital part of God’s worldwide strategy.
Do you hear their challenge? They were successful businesspeople who were willing to move from Italy to Greece to Turkey and then back to Italy. These are tentmakers–a special breed of missionaries who see the Kingdom of God as the priority of life. Who view career, business, and profession as only vehicles to fulfilling their greater calling.
How do you respond to Aquila’s challenge? Would you, like Priscilla, become a member of a church-planting team? Would you consider uprooting family and business for the sake of the Gospel? Would you be willing to support yourself while providing key support to church planting efforts around the world?
Remote Work Changes Everything
Today’s global job market makes it possible for you to do this. Remote working opportunities, as well as contract and freelance work, makes it possible to enter a mission field without having to raise support. This drastically reduces the time from “calling to arrival.” You can go now – especially if you’ve already got the language and culture training needed. Or you can determine to train on the field.
Alternatively, you could start a business somewhere around the world like Aquila and Priscilla. That is a bit more challenging than going somewhere and continuing to work remotely or joining a company in a new country. Starting a business is challenging enough in your hometown, much less in another country and culture. But it is happening all the time.
Not only does this model provide income but can also be a gateway for the visas needed to stay.
Your Opportunity
BMW SA missionaries are presently working at planting churches all over Africa and the world. They have goals and strategies, which could be enhanced by your contributions. You can become a part of one of those teams by securing a job in the same city in which they work. There are so many benefits to this approach! You’ll have the fellowship and accountability of co-workers already on the field. Your work situation can become an immediate platform for evangelism which is out of reach to the traditional missionary. Opportunities for ministry within the new church abound such as discipleship, music, teaching, preaching, Sunday School, youth ministries, or just being a stabilizing influence in a new church. When it’s time to return to South Africa, you will have the assurance that your fruit will remain. Missionaries will continue the work as you bring your newly developed skills and experience back to the people of South Africa (or the next mission field!) to do it all over again.
You too could be a Priscilla or Aquila. To find out more and get the conversation started, click here to contact us. We’d consider it a privilege to work with you on determining your next steps, and in the meantime, you may want to check out our article, “How to Choose a Mission Agency.”
