hustle1: to pressure or coerce (a person) to buy or do something: to hustle the customers into buying more drinks.
2 Cor. 2:17, “For we are not, as so many, peddling (or sell for retail) the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”
Was the apostle Paul a hustler? What does the Word say?
2 Thess. 3:6-12, “6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which they received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, 9 not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. 10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
Acts 18:1-3
” 1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 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. 3 So, because he (Paul) was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tent makers.”
Acts 20:33-35
“33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
1 Cor. 9:18
“18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”
The impression I get after reading these scriptures is that Paul worked for a living with his own hands and was an apostle to the churches simultaneously. I have not found a example in his writings of him receiving or using money from the churches for himself. He had a job. Paul wrote 60.86% of the New Testament excluding the Gospels which are not the New Testament and including Hebrews if you agree he wrote it. If he didn’t write Hebrews which I disagree with then he would have wrote 56.52% of the New Testament. Point being, he wrote either 2/3 or close to 2/3 of the New Testament. So, my question is why are ministers of the gospel not mimicking or imitating Paul as he instructed to in 1 Cor. 11:1? Which says, “Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.”
Jesus spoke about hirelings in John 10:12. Paul calls himself a “freeman” and a bond-servant, Rom. 1:1.
A bond-servant was servant of their own free-will. According to Mosaic Law, after seven years a servant had a choice to leave his master. If he chose to stay and continue to be his master’s slave then he was a free-will bond-servant. Paul was a free-will bond-servant by grace to Christ. He willfully served Christ. In this grace enabled willingness, Phil. 2:13, he did not want to be paid for his service. He acted as a divinely, ordained and authorized financial delegator between the churches with the purpose of grace based equality 2 Cor. 8:13-14 and not socialistic equality. Equality based on revelation.
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