Making Tents……
[For Believers, this is a comparison of Jesus and the Apostle Paul. For unbelievers, it is “foolishness,” and the Bible said it would be to them, so I must wonder why they bother to read it.]
The Gospel of John, Chapter 14:1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 .) In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 .) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 4 .) And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. 5 .) Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 .) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus has promised that He has gont to prepare for His Church an Eternal Home, and promised that He will come again to gather His Church together, and take them to their Eternal Home.
Paul the Tent Maker
Paul The Tentmaker
(excerpt from article)
After these things Paul departed from Athens and
went to Corinth.
And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus,
who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla
(because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome);
and he came to them.
So, because he was of the same trade,
he stayed with them and worked;
for by occupation they were tentmakers.
And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath,
and persuaded both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 18:1-4)
A tentmaker is one who made tents. The ancient craft of tentmaking consisted of cutting and sewing cloth together, frequently goat's hair, and also attaching the ropes and loops. Such skills and crafts were passed from father to son. It was the traditional custom of the Jews to train their children in some family trades. This was the way many parents passed down their inheritances and estates as they taught their children how to continue in the family business.
Below are two Jewish sayings:
• He that teaches not his son a trade is as if he taught him to be a thief.
• He that has a trade in his hand is as a vineyard that is fenced.
An honest trade, by which a man gets his daily bread and butter, is not to be despised by others. Paul, though a Pharisee trained under the strict teachings of Gamaliel, had since his youth learned how to make tents. Gamaliel was a famous teacher. He was honored by the Jews as "the glory of the law," and was the first to be designated "Rabban," which meant "our master."
I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. (Acts 22:3)
Paul did not forsake the art of tentmaking even when he was ministering the Word of God! His native city of Cilicia exported Cilician cloth, a cloth of goat's hair. Paul was a very good tentmaker. He made tents for soldiers and shepherds, using cloth, leather or skins. He also made the outer coverings of the tents for the use of the Feast of Tabernacles.
IT IS WORTHY OF NOTE THAT WHILE JESUS WAS IN HEAVEN PREPARING OUR HEAVENLY HOMES, PAUL (during his ministry) WAS BUSY PREPARING OUR EARTHLY HOMES. This has always been a source of joy for me to remember, for it shows that God provides for His children. Now, and in the Time to Come.
ONE NOT NEED BE A BELIEVER TO APPRECIATE THE MESSAGE IN THIS STORY. ALL ONE HAS TO DO IS COMPARE THE MESSAGE WITH THE ACTIONS OF OUR FOUNDING FATHERS…….
Daily Kos: The "Founding Fathers" who lost their lives and fortunes - but not their honor
(excerpt from Article)
We all know the stories of the most famous leaders of that momentous era - Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and John/Abigail Adams will be remembered for time immemorial. Yet the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence in the summer of 1776 could not have known just how successful their effort would be.
Rather, all they knew was that they had committed High Treason against Great Britain and their sovereign, King George the 3rd, by signing their name to a document that renounced their allegiance to their mother country. "We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" is Jefferson's final sentence; for over 20 of the signers, that pledge would take on a woeful meaning in the years after 1776.
9 signers paid the ultimate sacrifice - their lives - for the cause of Independence. 17 (almost 1 for every 3 who signed) lost every penny they had and every piece of property they owned. Yet not a single one reneged on their pledge to stand "for the support of this Declaration".
Let me repeat - not one man out of the 56 signers of the Declaration ever recanted or apologized for their brave act in 1776. As delegate William Ellery recalled years later, having stood next to the document while it was being signed, "in no face was
able to discern real fear". That courage was sorely tested, but never faltered.
This was despite the terrible price many of them paid, and the hardships all of them endured during the Revolutionary War that followed. The ones we remember today survived and went to perform even greater service for their new nation. Many did not.
Going from North to South (as was the tradition then), here are some of the Founding Fathers who truly gave their lives and/or their well-being for the cause of Liberty:
HOW MANY OF OUR CURRENT POLITICIANS DO YOU KNOW THAT HAVE THE COURAGE AND COMMITMENT TO THE SURVIVAL AND WELL BEING OF OUR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC TO PAY THE PRICE THESE FOUNDING FATHERS PAID?
THEY GAVE THEIR ALL to provide for the “People” a Nation……..and how wonderful a story is that….
