THE APOSTLE PAUL AND HEAVEN

The Apostle Paul sincerely believed in Heaven and couldn't wait to get there!  On top of that, he wanted to take as many people with him as possible!  

An expression of his passion for winning spiritually lost people is noted in I Corinthians 9:19-23,

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. 

To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 

To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. 

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 

I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  

This guy was as RADICAL as they come!  He wanted to impact the world for Christ!  He wanted people to make Heaven!  He was DEEPLY committed to this task!  He evangelized all day and made tents at night to support himself in this ministry!  He travelled widely to increase his influence!  He rarely stayed very long in any one place - he wanted to reach the world with the message of salvation!  

Let's interview him to try to understand him better:

Hal:  Paul, where does this passion for winning people come from?

Paul:  Listen, Hal, “I worked hard and killed men and women who believed as I believe today. I put them in chains and sent them to prison. The head religious leader and the leaders of the people can tell you this is true. I got letters from them to take to our Jewish brothers in the city of Damascus. I was going there to put the Christians in chains and bring them to Jerusalem where they would be beaten.  [Acts 22:4-5  New Life Version]

Hal:  But how did your change of heart take place?

Paul:  I was near Damascus. All at once, about noon, I saw a bright light from heaven shining around me.  I fell to the ground. A voice said to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you work so hard against Me?’  I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you are working against.’  Those who were with me saw the light. But they did not hear Him speaking to me.  I asked, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go to Damascus. You will be told what to do there.’

I could not see because of the bright light. Those who were with me had to lead me by the hand until we came to Damascus.  Ananias lived there. He obeyed the Law and was respected by all the Jews.  He came and stood near me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ At once I was able to see him. Then Ananias said, ‘The God of our fathers chose you to know what He wants done. He chose you to see Jesus Christ, the One Right with God, and to hear His voice.  You are to tell all men what you have seen and heard.  What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on His name.’   [Acts 22:6-16  New Life Version]

Hal:  Wow!  You're more committed than anyone I've ever known!  How do you keep your passion so high?

Paul:  Hal, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last;  but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  

Therefore I do not run like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  [I Corinthians 9:24-27  NIV]

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Awesome God,

In my entire lifetime, I've only known a few people who seemed to be genuinely concerned about lost people.  Are You still impacting people today as You did Paul?  You still care about spiritually lost people, right?  You still want us to be "all things to all people", right?  Like Paul, we should do whatever it takes to get to know them so that we can then influence them toward You and Heaven - right?  

Why don't we see more people who are doing this?  

Thank You, Father for those who do!  Thank You for those who have left their homes to live in foreign cultures and learn foreign languages so that they can be a light shining for You in a dark place!  I know You'll honor their sacrifices!

But what about here?  How can we make a difference in a world so filled with hatred, bitterness and chaos?  Help me to find a way to make Your priorities my priorities!  Help me to sincerely care about spiritually lost people.  To care enough to go out of my way to get to know them and become a trusted resource to them.  Help me to be bold enough and courageous enough to speak to them about Your Kingdom.  Give me the privilege of leading people to You, Lord!  Give me just a little of the passion that Paul had.

For the Kingdom's sake.  Amen.  

A PASTOR'S WORK AND A PASTOR'S PAY

The Apostle Paul addresses these delicate issues in I Corinthians 9.  

First off, I'm not sure that the Apostle Paul viewed himself as a pastor.  He did view himself as an apostle - and he hotly defended himself in that role.  He probably fits more into the role of a travelling evangelist or church planter.  In doing so, he constantly supported himself by being a tent-maker on the side.  This is how he became friends with Priscilla and Aquilla (they were also tent-makers - a trade common and necessary to their day).  

Paul was proud that he provided for himself.  However, he consistently purported that he had the right to draw support from the church.  

If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?  If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we have it all the more?  [vs.11-12]

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."  [I Timothy 5:18-19]

Paul is crystal clear about his reason for supporting himself:

For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example.  We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it.  On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule:  "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."   [II Thessalonians 3:7-10] 

"Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes."  [from Mary T. Lathrap's poem published in 1895. The original title of the poem was Judge Softly, later titled Walk a Mile in His Moccasins.]

The Apostle didn't say a lot about the stress of ministry, but we do have the conclusion of his record of sufferings from I Corinthians 11:

Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  [v.28]

Perhaps only a committed pastor can speak to this issue.   The joys and rewards of the pastoral role are significant!  However the toll is also arduous.  

To be clear, most parishioners need to be a bit more concerned about the level of support they're providing for their pastor.  At the same time, most pastors need to be somewhat more aware that God is their Source and trust Him to provide for their needs.  

Paul's incentive was to get a crown that will last forever.  [v.25]  A pastor who has this kind of motivation will not likely want for anything.  :-)