Apostle=sent one

Jesus and the 12 apostles

Part 4

Gentle readers,

We have been considering the man that many have never heard of, and those that have heard of Him would rather follow a time before he came on the scene. That is Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles (now unless you’re a person of the Jewish persuasion, this is the man you should follow). There are several reasons why Christians have never fully grasped the importance of the New testament writings of Paul. First many Christian Pastors don’t understand him and as a result never bother to present the 14 Books that we have in our Bible as worth studying! We have the same mentality in our Seminaries. I once ask a student about his studies in regards the Apostle’s writings and he replied "Oh yes I had a semester of all Paul’s books"! Duh! A semester!!! I ask an old Bible teacher the same question and he replied " I have been studying the Epistles of Paul for 35 years and I think I am beginning to get a handle on understanding him a little bit"! In my opinion Gentle readers not to try to understand Paul is like trying to drive a automobile with first putting petrol in the tank or even siting on the drivers side and never putting the key in the ignition. So the first reason Paul is not understood is that is seldom read with any thought. For example Paul wrote this: For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? ( 1 Corinthians 1:11-12 )The reason was that those first century Christian were as divisive as what you see around you today. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (1 Corinthians 3:1-5 )

But the issue was even greater that playing "Whose my favorite Apostle" Because the issue was that many (including some of the 12 didn’t believe that Paul was an apostle . An Apostle[ Greek Apostolos (ap-os'-tol-os); was one that was especially delegated by the sender in this case it was God Himself that picked out Paul for this mission;

Ro 1:1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an APOSTLE, separated unto the gospel of God,

Ro 1:5 By whom we have received grace and APOSTLEship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:

Ro 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the APOSTLE of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

1co 1:1 Paul, called to be an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

1co 4:9 For I think that God hath set forth us the APOSTLEs last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.

1co 9:1 Am I not an APOSTLE? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?

1co 9:2 If I be not an APOSTLE unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine APOSTLEship are ye in the Lord.

1co 9:5 Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other APOSTLEs, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?

1co 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first APOSTLEs, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

1co 12:29 Are all APOSTLEs? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

1co 15:9 For I am the least of the APOSTLEs, that am not meet to be called an APOSTLE, because I persecuted the church of God.

2co 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

2co 11:5 For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest APOSTLEs.

2co 12:11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest APOSTLEs, though I be nothing.

2co 12:12 Truly the signs of an APOSTLE were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

Ga 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Ga 1:19 But other of the APOSTLEs saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.

Ga 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the APOSTLEship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles ) 

Eph 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy APOSTLEs and prophets by the Spirit;

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, APOSTLEs; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Col 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

1ti 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

1ti 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an APOSTLE, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

2ti 1:1 Paul, an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

2ti 1:11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an APOSTLE, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an APOSTLE of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness

It was this very fact that Paul had to fight to be heard. And today, Who hears Paul? In every book that bears Paul’s name he has to strive to be heard. More this next time Gentle Reader.

Love,

Denis

PAUL the Man

Paul, your Apostle


The Man the Mission The Message

Gentle readers,

Sometimes I think that I bit off more that I can chew! For example we find such a wide variety of readers who have as my Rabbi friends say “You get 6 Jews together and you have 12 opinions.” This is the Roman Catholic Year of St Paul and since I am a Pauline Scholar I am going to jump on the coattails of the Catholic Church to write a few blogs about what is the “truth” about your Apostle Paul.
Where do we begin? Ah yes a hot steaming cup of Irish coffee to clear your head!
Many have no idea that there has been a great controversy about the author of 14 books of the New Testament. Nor, the fact that some even believe that Paul was the founder of “Christianity” and that Paul’s idea of the church and Christ’s were totally different. On top of that who do you believe? This authority or that one? Many people think that Judas was the supreme betrayer of Jesus. But others say that Paul (Saul of Tarsus) holds that title.
Judas gave Jesus over to be tortured and put to death (isn’t that just like mankind if you can’t silence them “kill em” ) Paul it is claimed buried His spirit . Paul was charges with substituting his theology for the simple teachings of that itinerant preacher from Galilee. So lets get all the trash out of our thinking by looking first at the accusers of Paul and then in this 1st entry and Paul’s own testimony.
As recently as our president Thomas Jefferson who said to his friend in letter that Paul was “the first corrupter of the doctrine of Jesus” Now remember that while Jefferson was a deiist [The belief, based solely on reason, in a God who created the universe and then abandoned it, assuming no control over life, exerting no influence on natural phenomena, and giving no supernatural revelation. ] he in fact, cut the parts of the Bible he didn’t like out.
Next we have G. B. Shaw who said basically the same thing in the preface to his play “Androcles and the Lion”
Nietzsche called Paul in the Antichrist - “the Dysangelist” (Bad news bearer) and “ The man with the Genius for hatred”. Shaw told a reporter that it would have been better if Paul had never been born. What a contrast from Paul’s own words, and Christ’s.

To me I find it fascinating that God uses the as it were Mankind’s cast-offs for his work. One evening when my Partner in evangelism Ron Bridgewater [ A huge man of over 6 ½ feet tall and 350 pounds] as we were coming back to the church after a night out on visitation were we were able to share Christ with a whole family, father, mother, two children and all of them accepted Christ as their personal Saviour , Ron was in tears as he said to me “Denis, I just don’t understand how God can use a sinner like me to share the wonderful grace of Christ!” To which I replied as I tried to put my are around his shoulder in comfort “Ron, He’s desperate!”

You see Gentle Reader, In 1Corinthians 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1CO 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: God chose Moses and then allowed Him to mature on the back side of the desert to mature. He chose David a little Shepherd boy to become a King, and He chose the 12 disciples along with Peter to preached the message of the Kingdom of heaven. (Who would have picked that rag-tag bunch of smelly old fishermen and a tax collector. Why Gentle Reader, He chose you and me! And Paul (Saul of Tarsus, but I am getting ahead of my narrative Turn with me to Acts Chapter 9 ACTS 9:1-8 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
9:2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
9:4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
9:5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
9:6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
9:8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

Just think of that Gentle reader, Paul (Sorry, Saul) struck blind on the way to destroy this young group of believers (Jews his own people) why? Because he wanted to keep pure God’s honor. But we’ll leave that for next time.
Love,
Denis