Opus 2025-554: Paul’s Timing

I’m thinking that Paul’s trip to Rome was well planned as far as the timing goes.  Paul was one of those type A personalities that seemed to really be able to change the world around them.  Those of us who are not type A don’t understand what it’s like to be locked into that kind of motivation and self assurance.

I think that the biblical gift of apostle would be better translated missionary, and by missionary I don’t mean someone who goes to an established field and teaches theology.  I’m talking about someone who goes into a pagan environment and carves out a church.  It requires a kind of drive that most of us don’t have.  A lot of missionaries should have stayed home and run VBS.  I think of a dynasty in my denomination that went to Africa and served for two generations and made no converts.  I salute their commitment but not their wisdom.  I heard stories of two different “missionaries” who went to Japan and came home after one tour because they could not penetrate the culture.  That showed a proper sense of humility.

In modern times I think of someone like Mark Driscoll when he was at Mars Hill.  Years ago I used to listen to his podcasts as I would go walking.  He claimed it was the most unchurched area in the United States and I can believe that.  In that atmosphere God allowed him to build a large church on multiple campuses.  I have my theories about what brought him down.  It may have just simply been God’s time for him to move on.  He was definitely a type A personality like the apostle Paul.

I read the journals of John Wesley.  Wesley was one of the great men of God.  He was used by God to bring about revival in England, which preserved the culture and kept the country from dissolving into revolution and chaos.  At the same time I don’t think I would have enjoyed spending an afternoon with him.  He was intense to the point of being obnoxious.  If he felt something was right, nothing would keep him from moving forward.  God has a special place in his heart for people like this.

Down through history I think there have been many people like this.  Be thankful for them.  At least be thankful for the ones who were willing to be submissive to God’s guidance so they could advance righteousness in the world.  This type of personality, misusing the gift, probably also came out in the evil of tyrant and warlords.

I think Paul had to constantly fight this in his life.  He was on a crusade to destroy the church.  He was steeped in biblical knowledge, or at least in the rabbis’ interpretation of it.  He had a heart for God.  At the same time, he was so sure of himself that he didn’t spend as much time listening as he should have.  That’s why God had to deal with him severely on the road to Damascus.  That’s why Jesus had to appear to him personally and teach him personally.  Paul was not the kind of person who would listen to others, but he had the gifts that God wanted for the task ahead.

Paul went into pagan areas and was used of God to found churches.  I think the longest period he stayed was Ephesus for three years.  Other than that he would come in, preach and teach for a while, appoint elders and pastors, and move on.  He had been called by God to go to the Gentiles.  If you read your New Testament, you’ll find that in spite of the fact that he kept broadcasting that call he always started with the Jews.  He would go to a town, visit the local synagogue, be accepted as a rabbi, and start teaching.  After a while, he would make some converts and the rest would throw them out.

He would move on.

What brought me to this at the beginning was observations I made from reading the opening chapter of the book of Romans.  You’ll notice that he is anxious to come to Rome.  His reasons? Basically it comes down to the fact that he feels like they’re not as spiritual as they should be and he wanted to raise them to a higher level.  He completely ignores the fact that the church was established without his input, and as far as we know, was doing quite well without his assistance.  In spite of that he felt like he had a need to get in the middle of it.  Thankfully, God used this to provide us with the book of Romans.  But you noticed that somewhere in his involvement with Rome, he was arrested and eventually executed.

We also find I think three places where he starts talking about “my gospel”.  I don’t think he was aware of what he was saying there.  It was not “his” gospel.  It was the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I think he would have admitted that.  At the same time being such a forceful personality, he personified everything.

We have to go on tradition and legend at this point.  We don’t know that Paul was actually executed in Rome.  If he was, he was still in the prime of life.  He still had many years left if God wanted to preserve him and his ministry.  Instead, God brought it to an end.  We often wonder why people die when they do.  In reality, the only God knows, but I think He has a good reason for His timing.  Paul performed an invaluable service to the church and the kingdom.  It was time for him to step aside, but people with his personality don’t have a tendency to do so.  So God promoted him.

Now it’s your turn to do your part.

homo unius libri