Paul the ApostleEl Greco
Paul was a remarkable man. He was talented, trained, and totally committed to God. He understood that it was important to train others and disciple them until they were ready to stand on their own. Where did he learn this? Perhaps it was a major part of the training sessions that he had with the Lord in the remote areas of Arabia.
As we study the life of Paul, we discover that he always had a group of people with him. Why did he do that? Was he lonely and wanted company? No. That was not it. Paul was an organized person who knew that his work was multiplied by the people who were with him. Using the terms by which he called his followers, he was father, mother, and model to those who traveled with him.
He explains his approach in II Timothy 2:2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
He wanted his followers to do the same thing he was doing. What made him think that this method would be successful?
· He believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. He knew that since the Holy Spirit was residing in him, his life would show forth Christ. Therefore his mentoring would not be effective because Paul was an effective communicator, follower of Christ, and faithful teacher, but it would be because the greatest teacher who ever lived was present in him and others needed to know
Christ and become a faithful follower of the Lord.
· He knew that this was what God had called him to do. It was not a plan developed by Paul, but it was a God-given plan that Paul was going to follow . When we read the epistles to the Corinthians, we understand that Paul knew what a terrible danger it was to have men become followers of him. On the one hand, his desire was that men would follow him so that in turn they would be following Christ. On the other hand, he knew that when men followed him, they would have missed the One whom they should be following.
· As we follow his trail through the book of Acts and the writing of his epistles we see this plan in action. He has a group of people with him in all of his travels. It is even true when he is in prison and developing followers like Onesimus.
· Paul developed a close relationship with those whom he was mentoring. He feels a real sense of loss when they fail to follow Christ and go after selfish interests and lose out as we see in the case of Demas and others. His love for Timothy seems to be a result of the success of Timothy as well as a natural bond that they had as seen in the book of Acts.
We must understand that Paul lived in a different day than we do. We can hardly travel around without having adequate support and a plan of action. This does not mean that we should ignore what it was that was in the heart of the great apostle and what it was that made him the great apostle.
Mentoring others to help them desire a passion for following Christ ought to be a part of whatever we do. This is really doing the program of discipleship that is described in Scripture.
There are dangers that can divert us from the true objectives presented in the Word of God. We must not allow those dangers to overcome us and keep us from being all that God wants us to be.
1. Whereas we should expect to see churches established wherever we go, there is the danger of focusing on the ultimate goal of seeing local churches established in every work. If we do that we may then set our sights on the more affluent people who can support that church rather than seeing the whole picture of a world that is without Christ. It is tragic if we don’t see the homeless, helpless, and hopeless people who have little potential of contributing financially to the work we are establishing. We need to reach people without concern for their ability to support the work.
2. At the same time it is important that we see the potential of people and devote an appropriate amount of our time to the development of leadership potential in the work of the Lord. Churches that are established need to have leadership. The body of Christ in the country needs to have leadership who independently can carry on the work of the Lord in the country. What is a work without leaders? We must not forget that a work without followers is not much either.
3. It is vital that we do not see ourselves as God’s gift to the world and expect to be held in a higher position than is appropriate. The model that Paul presents in Philippians 2 should be the result of our having a developed relationship with Christ that makes us understand that every person we meet is to be considered better than ourselves, and that we should understand that their needs are more important than our needs.
We must be careful that we establish procedures that show we understand the needs of people in every situation. Often we develop plans for reaching the world in the context of those operations that will accomplish God’s purposes in a different local situation. It is important to remember that what is appropriate in the city may not be appropriate in the rural areas. What is right for Ireland may not be right for New Guinea. In these matters it is vital that we know the difference between what God sets as goals for every place we go and those that are our personal goals set to accomplish what we understand to be God’s goals. We should never compromise what it is that God asks us to do.
We should understand that it is just as important to mentor the poorest and the slowest of our people as it is to mentor the richest and best learner that we reach. God does not make a distinction. It is easy to allow our focus go to that well-to-do person because we know that person can provide so much more for the church we are establishing, but it is true that God may have a greater purpose for the least of our contacts.
We must always be conscious that God knows what is best for us and He knows what is best for us to do. We should always seek both and then we won’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks we should do.
As we study the life of Paul, we discover that he always had a group of people with him. Why did he do that? Was he lonely and wanted company? No. That was not it. Paul was an organized person who knew that his work was multiplied by the people who were with him. Using the terms by which he called his followers, he was father, mother, and model to those who traveled with him.
He explains his approach in II Timothy 2:2
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to
faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
He wanted his followers to do the same thing he was doing. What made him think that this method would be successful?
· He believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. He knew that since the Holy Spirit was residing in him, his life would show forth Christ. Therefore his mentoring would not be effective because Paul was an effective communicator, follower of Christ, and faithful teacher, but it would be because the greatest teacher who ever lived was present in him and others needed to know
Christ and become a faithful follower of the Lord.
· He knew that this was what God had called him to do. It was not a plan developed by Paul, but it was a God-given plan that Paul was going to follow . When we read the epistles to the Corinthians, we understand that Paul knew what a terrible danger it was to have men become followers of him. On the one hand, his desire was that men would follow him so that in turn they would be following Christ. On the other hand, he knew that when men followed him, they would have missed the One whom they should be following.
· As we follow his trail through the book of Acts and the writing of his epistles we see this plan in action. He has a group of people with him in all of his travels. It is even true when he is in prison and developing followers like Onesimus.
· Paul developed a close relationship with those whom he was mentoring. He feels a real sense of loss when they fail to follow Christ and go after selfish interests and lose out as we see in the case of Demas and others. His love for Timothy seems to be a result of the success of Timothy as well as a natural bond that they had as seen in the book of Acts.
We must understand that Paul lived in a different day than we do. We can hardly travel around without having adequate support and a plan of action. This does not mean that we should ignore what it was that was in the heart of the great apostle and what it was that made him the great apostle.
Mentoring others to help them desire a passion for following Christ ought to be a part of whatever we do. This is really doing the program of discipleship that is described in Scripture.
There are dangers that can divert us from the true objectives presented in the Word of God. We must not allow those dangers to overcome us and keep us from being all that God wants us to be.
1. Whereas we should expect to see churches established wherever we go, there is the danger of focusing on the ultimate goal of seeing local churches established in every work. If we do that we may then set our sights on the more affluent people who can support that church rather than seeing the whole picture of a world that is without Christ. It is tragic if we don’t see the homeless, helpless, and hopeless people who have little potential of contributing financially to the work we are establishing. We need to reach people without concern for their ability to support the work.
2. At the same time it is important that we see the potential of people and devote an appropriate amount of our time to the development of leadership potential in the work of the Lord. Churches that are established need to have leadership. The body of Christ in the country needs to have leadership who independently can carry on the work of the Lord in the country. What is a work without leaders? We must not forget that a work without followers is not much either.
3. It is vital that we do not see ourselves as God’s gift to the world and expect to be held in a higher position than is appropriate. The model that Paul presents in Philippians 2 should be the result of our having a developed relationship with Christ that makes us understand that every person we meet is to be considered better than ourselves, and that we should understand that their needs are more important than our needs.
We must be careful that we establish procedures that show we understand the needs of people in every situation. Often we develop plans for reaching the world in the context of those operations that will accomplish God’s purposes in a different local situation. It is important to remember that what is appropriate in the city may not be appropriate in the rural areas. What is right for Ireland may not be right for New Guinea. In these matters it is vital that we know the difference between what God sets as goals for every place we go and those that are our personal goals set to accomplish what we understand to be God’s goals. We should never compromise what it is that God asks us to do.
We should understand that it is just as important to mentor the poorest and the slowest of our people as it is to mentor the richest and best learner that we reach. God does not make a distinction. It is easy to allow our focus go to that well-to-do person because we know that person can provide so much more for the church we are establishing, but it is true that God may have a greater purpose for the least of our contacts.
We must always be conscious that God knows what is best for us and He knows what is best for us to do. We should always seek both and then we won’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks we should do.
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