Americans oft look with fascination at places like Madagascar, Christmas Island, and Thailand and for their exotic difference alone Americans remark, “they are so strange.” The same is true of the Thai who look at America and for its exotic difference alone remark, “they are so strange.” It is usually forgivable and for that matter, acceptable, to be “strange” in custom or culture. After all, it is expected that the Thai are to be different or that the Chinese have separate holidays. But when you come to ministerial work, Americans are apprehensive when anything outside their cultural “norm” is attempted. The ‘way’ they grew up in church is the ‘way’ it has always been done. To the dismay of many, the MODERN ministerial profession is not how it ‘always has been.’ Multiply that peculiar difference in culture and custom, add two thousand years and the acceptable norm of modern ministerial work will have vanquished for most Americans.

How were the early Christians different? Certainly in culture and custom they were different but in profession they stand drastically different. There is much evidence of ministers who did not receive a salary. Some call it “bi vocational” ministers but this is incorrect. The working Christian in the first century had one job: fulfilling what Jesus Christ told them to do, the other was merely to support that endeavor. Apollos was taught by two Christians that worked a job (Acts 18.3, 24-28). The Corinthian church was founded by a working minister: Paul (I Corinthian 4.12, II Corinthians 11.9-10). In these examples, along with several others, they were not “bi-vocational”, they worked to provide for their ministry and not to be a burden to others (II Co 11.9-10; Ac 20.34; I Thess 2.9; II Thess 3.8).

The point is not that every minister should work a job, even Paul commented that he wished he hadn't worked one while at Corinth.  The point is the working minister can be just as effective if he has his purpose right.  Remember, the world was evangelized by a bunch of working class, persecuted, poor Christians.