Introducing Gospel Patronsنموونە

We look to Scripture

“Yes, but is Gospel Patronage even biblical?” you ask. Good question.

Allow us to point out a few examples that for years have been right under our noses — in the Bible.

First, how did Jesus and his disciples fund three years of preaching tours from town to town and village to village after they had all left their jobs? Surely every lunch wasn’t a miracle meal of fishes and loaves. The Bible tells us, in Luke 8:1-3, that three generous women named Mary, Joanna, and Susanna came alongside Jesus and the disciples to provide for their ministry: Soon afterwards, He [Jesus] went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

These three women who were “with Him” also “provided for them out of their means.” They were involved and invested in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus Christ had Gospel Patrons.

In the book of Acts, we meet Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple in the early church, who were business people. But that did not stop them from engaging in God’s business to advance the gospel. They hosted a church in their house, came alongside a well-known preacher named Apollos and helped him with his theology, and partnered with the Apostle Paul at the risk of their own lives. (See these stories in Acts 18:1–3, 26 and 1 Cor. 16:19).

Priscilla and Aquila may never have addressed a crowd or preached a sermon, but their calling to support the church and spread the gospel earned them the thanks of “all the churches.” Paul says: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.” (Romans 16:3-4).

Lastly, a woman named Phoebe used her home to host missionaries as well as the church in her city. She even assisted the Apostle Paul and many others with their financial needs. Phoebe’s greatest ministry responsibility was likely to hand-carry Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. For these reasons, Paul described her with the title patron: “Welcome her [Phoebe] in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.”

God the Father could have chosen to provide for His Son in a number of ways.

1. God could have chosen for Jesus to be born into a wealthy family. Jesus might have been a trust-fund baby or the son of a ruler. All of His needs for three years of ministry would have been taken care of. But that’s not what happened.

2. God could have commanded His Son to miraculously multiply fishes and loaves every day for Jesus and His disciples’ lunch. But that’s not what He did.

3. Jesus could have turned more Galilean tap water into wine and started the best winery in the Roman Empire. And that business as mission could have funded His proclamation of the gospel. But that’s not how the story goes.

4. Jesus also could have instructed His disciples to go fishing every morning and caused them to haul in such huge catches of fish that their nets would nearly break. I picture the disciples like the fishmongers at Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market, throwing and catching and selling fish to fund ministry. But that was not God’s plan.

5. Or Jesus could have had Peter go catch fish with coins in their mouths each day— one for Caesar, two for ministry, and on and on. But that’s not what Jesus did.

When God the Father wanted to provide for His Son to preach the gospel, He called three women to step forward in faith and give generously. This is how God works. He raises up some to speak and others to send, some to go and others to give. Some are called to be preachers, and many others are called to be patrons.

Do you see? We are God’s method. Our faith-filled generosity is the miracle.

To continue on this discovery we invite you to read the full Gospel Patrons book which can be found here.