The Apostle Paul’s
Discipling Project
(Written
by Kevin A. Hall 07.31.16)
The Apostle Paul often
described himself as a bond-servant of the Lord. I would consider him a
work-horse. His entire reason for living was consumed with fulfilling his
commission:
“But
I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again,
because of the grace that was given me [f]from God, 16 to be a minister of
Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so
that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy
Spirit” (Romans 15:15-16). “Paul, the missionary, undertook three
missionary journeys, before he journeyed finally to Rome, and founded churches
in key cities of Asia and Europe within a span of about twelve years” (AD
46-57) [Kanagaraj]
Paul was purposed driven.
He had a plan of action. He had a definite strategy for accomplishing his goal.
He was gifted in working with people and it is through the efforts of his
ministry partners, he accomplished much over his lifetime. His purpose driven
approach “implies an order or discipline with which his missionary partners
were led to accomplish their mission, taking into consideration the cultural
context” (Kanagaraj) The strategy was brilliant. “Paul chose prominent cities
which provided him such strategic locations as the market places, synagogues, lecture
halls and houses to reach out easily both Jews and Gentiles with the gospel of
Jesus and to expand his mission to the neighboring towns and regions” (C.M) Weaved
into all his plans was guidance from the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6-10; 19:21a).
Of course, a key driver to
accomplishing his purpose was ministry partners. He appointed elders and
deacons to provide care and leadership to the churches planted. In addition to
visits, he wrote letters and provided training, encouragement, doctrinal
instructions and motivation. For Paul “to believe” is not just an individual
exercise, but it involves union with Christ along with others who have already
been joined to him (Act. 17:4,34)” (Kanagaraj) His strategy included:
ü Recruiting
men and women into the mission with him. Those he selected would be taken along
with him on the journey – an absolute best way to provide mentorship
ü “Paul
was careful enough to train, equip and install local leaders in each congregation
and thus facilitated indigenous leadership in churches so that they may
communicate the gospel more relevantly in their own language and in their
native cultural set-up” (Kanagaraj)
The Apostle Paul had no
fewer than 35 ministry partners.
Each exercising their own unique gifts in ministry. The following chart gives a brief overview of
a few of his partners:
Paul’s
Missionary Teammates
Achaius,
Sopater, Stephanus - All assisted in the collection of an offering for the
Jerusalem Believers
Artemas,
Barnabas, Epaphroditus – Associate ministers in the Gospel
Silas,
Timothy, Epaphras Titus
Luke
- Author and co-author of letters,
travelling companion
Tertius,
Tychicus – amanuensis and courier for letters
Priscilla
& Aquilla – Ministry partners who provided support for Paul. Also
business partners in Paul’s side job of tent making.
Aristarchus,
Demas, Jestus - Supporters of Paul during his imprisonments.
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The Apostle Paul knew the
value of people, and made it his mission to invest in a multi-talented group of
individuals during his years of ministry. We can see from the limited list
above that it took an elaborate network of committed individuals to accomplish
the mission God gave to him. A universal relationship principle is that you
become like your teacher. Paul knew this, and so his relationships varied in
degree, depending on his goal. He became all things to win many to Christ.
References:
Jey
J. Kanagaraj. Bethel Bible Institute. “The Strategies of Paul the Missionary”.
Retrieved from:
ChristianShepherd.org.
“The Apostle Paul’s Missionary Travelling Companions”. Retrieved from:
GoogleImage
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