3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

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tra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; and there they continued proclaiming the good news. The beginning of the second missionary journey concentrated on helping the churches in the provinces of Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41), most of which were not located in the large cities of Antioch and Tarsus. What is true from a sociological perspective is that the apostle did not overlook people in large cities, towns, and villages where he traveled in presenting the Gospel to them. Much of his ministry did take place in the larger cities of these Roman provinces, but to assume that he only focused on ‘cities’ in his ministry would be completely false. Beyond missionary strategy, perhaps some of the most valuable lessons to be learned from Paul’s third missionary journey relate to personal integrity and a basic understanding of ministry itself. In Paul’s farewell speech to the Ephesian leaders at Miletus Luke gives us his perspective on Paul’s understanding of ministry (Acts 20:17-36), and Paul supplies us with a beautiful portrayal of ministry in 2 Cor. 1-6. Already discussed above, these pictures do not need to be repeated here. But it does need to be affirmed that personal integrity in ministry was critical for the apostle Paul. And integrity included faithfulness to preach the Gospel message given him from God. But it also included honest and compassionate treatment of God’s people. Lastly, it had much to do with Paul’s behavior and character. In both these biblical sources we see a man whose life was unconditionally committed to Christ and thus built his entire life around presenting the Gospel message of Christ genuinely and without any failure or flaw. Although this was true for Paul from his conversion onward, the emphasis on it comes out forcefully during his third missionary journey. Any believer who desires God to use his or her life effectively in ministry today must follow Paul’s example of maintaining an impeccable integrity in all of life. This doesn’t mean perfection, but it does mean a profound commitment to serving and living every moment of every day under the complete control and leadership of God’s Spirit. No part of our life can be exempted from such commitment. What I am talking about applies equally across the spectrum of Christianity. No such thing as clergy and laity existed in the New Testament. This is a much later, false dichotomy injected into Christian thinking with destructive consequences. Neither is this level of commitment just for ‘missionaries’ or ‘preachers.’ It is a universal demand of the Gospel upon every believer. For a beautiful picture of a host of early believers who effectively served the Lord, read the Salutations sections of the letters of Paul, and especially those letters coming out of the third missionary journey: 1 Cor. 16:5-20; 2 Cor. 13:11-12; and especially Rom. 16:1-23. Tribute is paid to a large number of believers being used by God in various ministry roles in Ephesus and Corinth. The third missionary journey represents a further maturing of a seasoned missionary with a variety of new experiences, and at the same time new levels of impact in presenting the Gospel of Christ. Hopefully, you have come to the conclusion that has struck me in doing the research and writing of this material. I have gained a profoundly deeper appreciation for the personal sacrifice made by Paul in order to carry out the divine commissioning given to him at conversion. Paul gave up virtually everything that we modern Christians consider important in life: a home to live in, a wife and children to enjoy, a steady job with a dependable source of income, a relatively peaceful and harmonious lifestyle, an image of success and achievement. On and on the list could go. Paul walked away from a promising life as a rising star among Jewish scribes in the first century. Everything was sacrificed in order to faithfully carry out the mission given him by the risen Christ. Page 488
Some in Paul’s day recognized this sacrifice and were inspired by his example. But many, both outside and inside the Christian church, did not recognize this. They opposed the apostle at every turn and sought to make his life as miserable for him as possible. Not until long after his earthly life was over did Christians generally come to a deep appreciation for the ministry that God gave this converted Jewish Pharisee. And yet even in our world some still refuse to see the life of Paul in a positive, inspiring manner. Hopefully, as you move ever deeper in your commitment to serve God in your life, the amazing example of this man of God in the first century will inspire and motivate you to that deeper commitment to our God. Page 489
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The Apostle Paul, Servant of Christ
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coming out of the lengthy earlier s
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cause the borders of the province s
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to Christian communities at Ephesus
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What I find most encouraging here i
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Paul’s lengthy ministry at Ephesu
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καὶ ἐπροφήτευον, Wh
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It is important to note the way in
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the Gospel in the Jewish synagogue
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terminating their ministry in the s
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Gospel upon the lives of thousands
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Luke has an interesting depiction o
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is not the language that authentic
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a real power existed in the name of
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But the major thrust of the term τ
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μηδενὸς αἰτίου ὑπ
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Paphos. 86 Given previous patterns
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ἱκανὸν ὄχλον λέγω
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At Ephesus, more than in other plac
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4 Hence, as to the eating of food o
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ger: γενόμενοι πλήρε
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The imperfect form of this verb ε
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Upon recognizing Alexander as a des
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Δημήτριος καὶ οἱ σ
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7.1.2.2.5 Snapshot glimpses of Paul
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conversion (33 AD) on to the writin
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make the trip at this moment. Paul
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cally and emotionally. His experien
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ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πν
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after a lengthy ministry of 18 mont
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did not find my brother Titus there
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tant principles about Christian giv
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having enough of everything, you ma
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3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

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