Why does Paul spend hours at manual labor when there is a world to win?
He knows his hours in the workplace will speed up his mission. Paul’s three main biblical reasons are in 1 Cor. 9 and 2 Thess. 3. 1) The job gives Paul and his message credibility. That he preaches the Gospel tirelessly, under severe persecution, and for no financial gain, convinces even enemies that he is sincere and his message is true. 2) The job aids Paul’s identification with the working classes who make up the bulk of the Roman Empire. Only they can take the Gospel to their own non-Greek speaking villages in the hinterlands. Consequently, whole regions were quickly won! 3) The job permits Paul’s modeling for converts: discipleship; godly living in an immoral, idolatrous society; a biblical work ethic, essential for strong families and churches; and unpaid lay evangelism, for exponential church growth!
