Part 19 (1/2)
2. He was a _preacher_ of power. He was a master of the art of public speaking; and people would always listen to him with the deepest interest (Acts 17. 22-31. Acts 22. 1-2. Acts 26. 1-26).
3. He was a _theologian_. He saw the great truths of the gospel in clearer light than any of his co-workers. Under the guidance of the Spirit he formulated a system of doctrine (Gal. 1. 11, 12), which he sometimes called ”my gospel” (Rom. 2. 16; 2 Tim. 2. 8). This ”gospel according to Paul,” presented in his great epistles, came to be the theology of the church, and so remains.
4. He possessed rare _tact_ in dealing with men; knew how to adapt his methods to people of varied races and views. His manner of preaching at Athens was very different from that in Jerusalem. Note 1 Cor. 9. 19-22.
5. He was a _natural leader_ of men; ready to take responsibilities, quick to decide, yet thoughtful of others. He possessed the ruling spirit, yet was no imperious, self-willed man. People were as ready to follow as he was to lead.
6. He was a _tireless worker_; indomitable and undiscouraged, caring little for hards.h.i.+p (2 Cor. 11. 23-28), although he seems to have been delicate in health. See allusions 2 Cor. 12. 7-10. Gal. 4. 13. Notice the field of his labors, in the middle of his ministry (Rom. 15. 19).
Notice too his plans for regions more distant (Rom. 15. 24).
Blackboard Outline
PART ONE
=Pau. Prep. & Meth.=
I. =Je.= 1. Train. fai. 2. Part in Syn.
II. =Trai. Rec. Rab.= Sch. of Gam.
III. =h.e.l.l.= ”Gre. J.” Trav. Gre. Lang.
IV. =Rom. cit.=
V. =Apos.=
VI. =Nat. Endow.= 1. Sym. 2. Pre. 3. Theol. 4. Tac. 5. Nat.
lead. 6. Tir. Work.
Review Questions
PART ONE
What prominence does the book of Acts give to Paul in the period of the church among the Gentiles? How do we know that there were other workers at that time? Name some of these other workers. What churches are named which could not have been founded by Paul? What was Paul's age at the opening of this period? What were some advantages which Paul possessed for his work?
What were the advantages of his birth and training as a Jew? What education did he receive, and wherein was it a help to him? To what great branch of the Jews did Paul belong? How was this fact an advantage in his work? Of what nation was he a citizen? Name instances when this fact was of avail to Paul. With what authority could Paul speak? Whence came this authority? What were some of Paul's natural endowments for his ministry? What does Paul mean by the expression, ”my gospel”? What showed his industry as a worker?
PART TWO
VII. We must also study Paul's =Methods of Work=. These were varied greatly according to circ.u.mstances, but in them we may note certain principles.
1. _He took fellow workers_ with him. Notice his companions on his first journey. Acts 13. 2-5. On his second journey. Acts 15. 40; 16. 1-3. What other companion is indicated in the word ”we” in Acts 16. 10? On his third journey. Acts 19. 22, 29. Other companions on this journey. Acts 20. 4, 5. This method gave 1.) _Mutual encouragement_. Paul was social, loved companions.h.i.+p; was sometimes melancholy when alone (Acts 17. 15, 16; 2 Cor. 2. 12, 13; 2 Cor. 7. 5, 6). 2.) _Power in co-operation_; two can do much more than twice as much as one. 3.) There was also _training_ for younger workers, whom Paul always took with him; e. g., Mark, Timothy, and perhaps t.i.tus.
2. _He chose the cities_; and of these the largest and most important centers of population. Antioch, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, Rome.
Paul was, in training and tastes, a man of the city, not of the country.
He took great interest in men, but apparently none in nature. Contrast Paul in this respect with Christ, most of whose ill.u.s.trations were drawn from nature. One result of Paul's choice of the cities was the wide and rapid diffusion of the gospel. The cities became Christian long before the country-places. The word ”pagan” literally means ”countryman,” but it came to mean a wors.h.i.+per of idols. See the effect of Paul's two years in Ephesus (Acts 19. 10). ”The seven churches of Asia” (Rev. 1. 11) were the outgrowth of Paul's work in Ephesus.
3. _He supported himself by his trade._ His occupation. Acts 18. 3.
References to his self-support in different places. 1 Cor. 4. 12; 1 Thess. 2. 9; Acts 20. 34; Paul's was a ”self-supporting mission,”