Jesus’s Gift of Faith and Work in the Life of Paul

Scripture — Acts 20:32–35, 24:14–16

Now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all whom God has made holy. I haven’t craved anyone’s silver, gold, or clothing. You yourselves know that I have provided for my own needs and for those of my companions with my own hands. In everything I have shown you that, by working hard, we must help the weak. In this way we remember the Lord Jesus’ words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the law or written in the prophets. I have a hope in God—a hope that they themselves also accept—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Therefore I do my best always to have a clear conscience toward God and all people.

Devotion

Today’s Scripture passages come from two different speeches by Paul. The first is a speech to church leaders as Paul approaches his final visit to Jerusalem, and the second is a speech before the Roman governor Felix as Paul is on trial for what transpired in Jerusalem. In both of these speeches, Paul reflects on his life after his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. Therefore, these speeches provide insight into how following Jesus changed Paul’s life of faith, work, and worship.

In the first speech, Paul entrusts the church leaders to God and the message of grace that can build them up and give them an inheritance. Greek lexicons interpret inheritance (klēronomia) as a possession, property, or even transcendent salvation. While each of these definitions is an adequate interpretation, I have found it helpful to think about inheritance in terms of a family resemblance passed down across generations. In yesterday’s devotion, I noted how Paul’s violent actions bore a family resemblance to the actions of his unfaithful ancestors in previous generations; he inherited actions that put him at odds with God’s redemptive purposes. But now, instead of bearing a family resemblance to Israel’s unfaithful predecessors, Paul can pass on an inheritance to others that enfolds them within God’s redemption and covenant.

This new inheritance comes from the life and teachings of Jesus. Throughout Paul’s years of mission, he did not exploit people for their money but instead provided for his own needs and the needs of those with him. Paul interprets his actions as both helping the weak and living out Jesus’s teaching that it is more blessed to give than to receive. While we are right to have in mind here his work as an apostle, we should also include his work as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Guided by the teachings of Jesus, Paul bears a family resemblance to Jesus in his “ministry” work as an apostle and his “secular” work as a tentmaker. And in this way, Paul has become a model for others to follow.

In the second speech, Paul confesses that he worships the God of his ancestors according to the Way. For Paul, worshipping Israel’s God according to the way of Jesus does not put him at odds with the Law and the prophets, but has made it possible for him to believe and keep what is in the Scriptures. Paul’s discipleship to Jesus has impacted his worship as well as his work. And this has an ethical dimension, as his belief in the Resurrection animates his desire to have a clear conscience before all people. Under the lordship of the risen Jesus, Paul has come to love God and neighbor in a manner that can be passed on and inherited by future generations.

In these speeches, Paul reveals that following Jesus has impacted his work as an apostle, his work as a tentmaker, and his worship. Across every area of his life, Paul now bears a family resemblance to Jesus, especially in how he cares for the weak. To borrow a phrase from Tom Nelson’s wonderful book Why Your Work Matters, Paul’s Monday work is deeply connected to his Sunday worship (though for Paul, we might say his Sunday work is connected to his Saturday worship!).

The good news is that the same Jesus who radically transformed Paul’s life is calling you today. Regardless of the personal and organizational practices you’ve inherited, no matter how your family life or your workplace cultures have formed you, God desires to give you “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). Like Paul, your discipleship can transform your work and worship to bear a family resemblance to the risen Lord Jesus. And in doing so, you can pass on an inheritance of grace and truth to those whom you lead and with whom you work.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: 4 Attributes of Paul’s Leadership as Witness (Acts 20-28).