Paul: Mission and Message

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3:13, 14, NKJV).

(Overview and commentary on: Paul: Mission and Message- Lesson 12)

Karakia Timatanga | Opening Prayer

He hōnore, he korōria ki te atua

All honour and glory to our maker

He maungārongo ki te whenua

Let there be peace and tranquillity on earth

He whakaaro pai ki ngā tangata katoa

Goodwill to mankind

Āmine.                                  

Amen

Saturday | Sabbath | Hātarei

The verse for this week is a good one to put to memory. There is one thing that Paul wanted to know and that was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (Phil 3:10-12). He didn't have the resurrection yet, but he knew that one day it would be his. In the mean time he would keep things in perspective and look to do those things God had called him to do. There are some very pleasant things in life that are worth remembering and cherishing. There are other things that need to be forgotten and put behind. These things don't help us, they drag us down. It is best to leave them with God. At some stage in his life Paul had to put a lot of evil deeds behind him and get on with what God wanted. Every day small things go wrong that we would perhaps have done differently if we could re-live them. These things need to be put behind us too. (Ps 55:22)

Sunday | Rātapu

Greeks and Jews
Paul talked about things that got in the road of Greeks and Jews believing. Yes signs and wisdom got in the road for many but not for all. Are there stumbling blocks within our own culture? Yes possibly. I think there are more stumbling blocks for Adventists than there are for Christians in general. Can we see them or are they unrecognisable? I will suggest a few. Feel free to agree or disagree.

Entertainment +/ Consumerism
Alcohol +/ Food +/ 'Recreational' drug use
Wealth +/ Property
Science + Technology
Sports + Leisure
Work +/ Status
Time
Fear

and perhaps the biggest stumbling block of all - US - YOU and ME (blundering, inconsistent, arrogant, opinionated, unwise Christians).

Monday | Rāhina

Soldiers and Athletes

Ancient Olympics

What I like about Paul's writings is the way he connected his audience with the contemporary culture of his day. This is the way that we should connect the gospel with those who don't believe yet. Without a doubt if Paul had been alive today he would some how have connected the All Blacks, Richie McCaw and the Rugby World Cup to God and Jesus. Jesus, or the spiritual life was the focus of all Paul's illustrations.

I suspect that Paul's illustrations about running and soldiering would have gone down well with his Gentile audience. It may not have gone down so well with a Jewish audience who would have found athletics not in keeping with their faith and traditions.

Tuesday | Rātū

Paul and the Law

As an Adventist I accept Schantz and Thompson's (2015) interpretation of the law but I am prepared to examine other explanations that have evidence from within the Bible. As Christians we should always be willing to test our ideas and see if they are robust enough to withstand scrutiny. If the idea is not robust enough to withstand a thorough examination it is not worth holding on to. God has endowed us with the ability to think and He expects us to actively to pursue truth (Jn 14:6) which can at times place us in some discomfort if we have to let some idea go that we have held for a long time. Changes in our thinking may change the way we behave and that can also put us in a place of tension.

The Mitzvot

An understanding of the law and some of the verses associated with it have not necessarily been understood well by Adventists and as a denomination we are well versed in law. When Jews talk about the law they are often speaking of the 613 laws and do not necessarily separate them from the ten commandments. We on the other hand have taken the ten and not necessarily considered the other 613. It is unfortunate that we cannot interrogate Paul further - unfortunately he's not here and we have to do the best we can.

Schantz and Thompson (2015) say "the ceremonial laws, detailing how one approached God through priesthood, Hebrew sanctuary, and sacrifices, ceased to be valid after the crucifixion." I accept this but, then we (Adventists) are left with a bit of a theological problem with regard to observing the restrictions around what food we eat. We argue well that these are health laws and that our bodies are the temple of God's spirit but the point remains that these are not part of the ten.



Paul may have viewed converts to Christianity quite differently in his expectations as to their observance of Jewish laws (Paul the Apostle and Judaism, n.d.). We know this was the case with circumcision (Gal 6:15; 1 Co 7:19; Col 2:11; Col 3:11). We also know that Paul circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:3) and practised Jewish ritual when called upon by the elders at Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-27). The explanation for this apparent inconsistency is that Paul expected Jews to observe all of the Mitzvot laws but not the Gentiles.

As an Adventist, ten is quite enough. I am also glad that God does not change (Mal 3:6; Num 23:19).

Wednesday  | Rāapa

The Cross and the Resurrection

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2, NKJV)

Well, actually Paul believed in a lot more than this but this was his starting premise.

He also believed in the physical resurrection and outlines its importance to Christianity. (1 Co 15:12-13; Rom 6:4; Rom 8:11; 1 Co 6:14; 2 Tim 2:8; 1 Co 15:14-20) These texts are so important please read them. I am a Christian because I believe Jesus was raised from the dead.
For us so far removed in time in place from these events there is still sufficient reason to believe if you wish to examine the evidence you might wish to start with Lee Strobel's book 'The Case for Christ'.

Any understanding of Christianity that defines itself differently is not the gospel or the Christianity of the Bible. Leave it well alone or turn your mind to doing something else because the gospel without the resurrection is useless.

Wikipedia (Paul the Apostle, n.d.) sums up Paul's message well in six points:

1. God sent his Son.2. The Son was crucified for the sins of humanity.3. After being dead three days, the Son was raised from the dead, defeating death.4. The Son would soon return.5. Those in Christ will live with him forever.6. Followers are urged to live by a set apart (sanctified) standard—"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Schantz and Thompson (2015) round this message out with three brief and vital points:

1. Only God has immortality (1 Tim 6:16);
2. Immortality is a gift from God to the saved (1 Thess 4:16);
3. Death is a sleep until Christ returns (1 Thess 4:13-15; 1 Cor 15:6). 

Thursday | Rāpare

Getting Along

John Mark (Orthodox icon)

Paul was a great Christian leader, missionary and apostle but he had his flaws too. He was quite hard nosed and goal driven which lead to the falling out with Barnabas over John Mark (Acts 15:38-41). Barnabas was nicknamed the 'Son of Encouragement' (Acts 4:36). It was Barnabas who initially introduced Paul to the Jerusalem church (Acts 9:26-27). Would the world have known Paul if it hadn't been for Barnabas? It is difficult to say - but we all need to remember that our accomplishments are never quite our own. We get there because of others. It seems that Paul and Barnabas may have reconciled at a later point (1 Co 9:6). In this disagreement it seems that Barnabas was right and Paul was wrong. Paul later works with Mark again (Col 4:10) and then we finally see Paul writing - "Get Mark he is helpful to me" (2 Ti 4:11). Thank God for Barnabas from time to time even Godly leaders need to be brought back to earth. One more thing - there is also reason to believe that John Mark may have been the author of the gospel that bears the name (Longenecker, 2012). Thank God once again for Barnabas!

Considerations for practise

1. Did Jesus rise from the dead as Paul has said?
2. If your answer is Yes what are you going to do about it? 

If your answer is No this also has implications.

Closing Prayer - Karakia Whakamutunga

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Kia tau ki a tātou katoa te atawhai o tō tātou Ariki, a Ihu Karaiti me te aroha o te Atua, me te whiwhingatahitanga ki te wairua tapu, ake, ake, ake, āmine.


Next week. Must the whole world hear? - Lesson 13.



References

Longenecker, D. (2012, December 18). Who wrote Mark? In Patheos. Retrieved from http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2012/12/who-wrote-mark.html

Paul the Apostle (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 12, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

Paul the Apostle and Judaism (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 12, 2015, from 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle_and_Judaism

Schantz, B. & Thompson, S. (2015). Biblical Missionaries. Adult Sabbath School Quarterly 3Q. 2015. Silver Spring: MD: Pacific Press.

Strobel, L. (1998). The case for Christ. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House.

Paul: Background and Call

Paul's Conversion

But the Lord said to Ananias, Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name (Acts 9:15-16 NIV).

(Overview and commentary on: Paul: background and call - Lesson 11)

This lesson is for my Dad, a believer in Jesus, who aside from Him, really looks forward to joining the queue in meeting the apostle Paul.

Karakia Timatanga | Opening Prayer

He hōnore, he korōria ki te atua

All honour and glory to our maker

He maungārongo ki te whenua

Let there be peace and tranquillity on earth

He whakaaro pai ki ngā tangata katoa

Goodwill to mankind

Āmine.                                  

Amen

Saturday | Sabbath | Hātarei

Nero

The sufferings of Paul are well catalogued (2 Co 11:23-28) finally culminating in his execution by beheading under the emperor Nero (Janeway, 2009). Sometimes it seems that the amount of good we do in the world is in proportion to the hardships we endure. The memory verse also reminds us that as humans our judgment of others is often flawed (1 Sa 16:7) and that it is unwise to predict how God might use the most unlikely of characters.

Paul was not only one of the most central figures in the New Testament he was also one of the most controversial. First he killed Christians and then his conversion propels him into their greatest first century advocate. As a first century Christian you would be very glad that he made the change. Paul is thought (by conservative Christian scholars) (Robinson, 2011) to have written thirteen of the twenty seven New Testament books not including Hebrews. In actual text written this equates to thirty one percent of the New Testament that we accept as God’s inspired word to us.
At this point in history it was very unlikely that Paul had any intention of leaving Judaism. Paul was more interested in having Jews and Gentiles believe in Christ. His interest in reform and change ultimately lead to the schism in much the same way as Martin Luther left the Roman Catholic church. He didn't mean it to happen, he was kicked out (Harfield, n.d.).

Sunday | Rātapu

Saul of Tarsus

Tarsus

Sometimes there is a view amongst Christians that education is not a good thing. This view is ignorant and usually surfaces when the educated person gives a minority perspective that diverges from the widely accepted views of the majority. An educated Christian has their own sphere of influence and they can bring to God's cause skills and knowledge that are badly needed by the church in the furtherance of the gospel. Saul or Paul as he later becomes was well educated and he was the holder of a minority perspective. He was able to mix in the Jewish and Gentile worlds. As a Jew he was educated by the eminent first century rabbi Gamaliel who held quite moderate views about Christianity. It is interesting that Gamaliel figures in the New Testament at all. It appears that the early church recognised this rabbinic scholar as someone whose views were worthy of consideration. Gamaliel defended Christianity saying (Acts 5:34-39) that God can take care of it so don't worry about it. This is very good advice to give people who might swing towards more radical religious views. Let it go - if God is sovereign and omnipotent (which I believe) then He can judge when, and what action He will take, as He sees fit. The account in Genesis tells us that in the first instance God's inclination is to mercy.

Monday | Rāhina

Paul, the Man

Galations 1:14 tells us that Paul was a man on the way up in Judaism. Allan Hall (2013) says that the four ways to make progress in your career are: 1. being innovative, 2. making recommendations, 3. raising your hand and 4. supporting others. If you use these four concepts to look at Paul's life you will notice that he carried out these principles passionately both in his promotion of Judaism and then in his promotion of Jesus Christ. Most of us live quite passive lives compared to Paul. Good leadership will notice these actions - God certainly did.

Tuesday | Rātū

From Saul to Paul

In reading this section I thought that Schantz and Thompson (2015) have done a good job. What can be added to the story of Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1-22; 26:16-18). His conversion still reverbates around the world nearly two thousand years later.

The points that Schantz and Thompson (2015) make about the impact of missionary work are important and worth reiterating. When people understand the gospel they:

1. Have their eyes (spiritually) opened. God and Jesus become real, present, active, and appealing.

2. Move from darkness to light, ignorance to knowledge—a core gospel theme. (See Luke 1:78-79)

3. Turn from the power of Satan to God.

4. Receive forgiveness of sins. The problem of sin has a solution. This is the living, healing, core message of Christians.

5. Receive a place among the sanctified; this means membership in God’s church, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or nationality.

The last point is the ideal. Sometimes there is no church or fellowship, or the believer is not accepted. In Paul's case he was kicked out of the synagogue which in a way, from a mainstream Jewish perspective is entirely understandable.

Wednesday  | Rāapa

Paul in the Mission Field

In Romans 15:19 we see Paul engaged in the work of preaching the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit, and he knows it. The central message of Paul is the cross (1 Co 1:23; 1 Co 2:2; Gal 6:14). The most successful Adventist preachers have made this their focus.

Schantz and Thompson (2015) say: 

"we can see at least three central elements to Paul’s missionary activity: proclaiming Jesus, church planting, and nurturing established churches".

Going by church statistics (Tracy, 2013) the Adventist church does the first two reasonably well but it is absolutely lousy at nurturing its established members. The church needs to examine itself very closely in this matter because its mission is also 'to the house of Israel'. It needs to analyse the problem and come up with real solutions because this impacts heavily and negatively on the membership. In order to address this the church needs to look at the way it deals with relationships at a local level. It may mean further development and training of its ministers because it is the leaders of our churches who dictate the tone and culture of the church. In some cases we have ministers who should not be leading churches. There needs to be a major focus on getting to know, and caring in practical terms, for every member in every church. Retaining members should be easier than gaining new members - if this is not happening we have to be asking the question - if not why not?

Thursday | Rāpare

Mission and Multiculturalism

The Adventist church has done well generally and historically at connecting to other cultures because of the church's world-wide biblical vision (Rev 14:6-7). What we have not given a lot of thought to is the church's cultural roots to North America (Bull and Lockhart, 2006). Lockhart (2011) says that "Adventism always tracks developments in American society."

In New Zealand there has been a demographic shift from the 1960's and 70's from a european/polynesian church to more of a polynesian/multi-cultural conglomerate, especially in the cities. Besides the obvious changes in ethnic composition in New Zealand there are also distinct lines of Adventism emerging along lines of belief. Coffin (2011) suggests that there are broadly three 'cultural' groups of Adventists: first, the conservatives/traditionalists/fundamentalists, second, there are liberals/progressives/revisionists and then there are what he calls 'cultural' Adventists. These Adventists attend church and are happy to do so but may not be able to explain at any depth why they are members. Adventism therefore, must necessarily deal with ethnic and belief driven Adventists if it is to function effectively. Adventism almost has as many sub-groups as Judaism. The church needs all of these groups and they need to be able to talk to one another. It would be sensible in this area to take the perspective of Gamaliel and be respectful of one another. I am not sure that we are necessarily or easily able to separate the:

"timeless,unchanging divine absolutes on one hand and their temporary cultural and religious vehicles on the other" (Schantz & Thompson, 2015).

Schantz and Thompson (2015) in Friday presented this quote:

Modern missiology applies the term contextualization to Paul’s mission methods stated here. Contextualization is defined as attempts to communicate the Gospel in word and deed and to establish the church in ways that make sense to people within their local cultural context, presenting Christianity in such a way that it meets people’s deepest needs and penetrates their worldview, thus allowing them to follow Christ and remain within their own culture.— Note1 Darrell L. Whiteman,Contextualization: The Theory, the Gap, the Challenge, International Bulletin of Missionary Research, vol.21 (January, 1997), p. 2.

In New Zealand I want to draw attention to one of the things we as Adventists have not done well and that is the way we have engaged with Māori. We were doing better over one hundred years ago than we are today. From the period 1885 to 1902, 29 gospel tracts were published by the church in Māori. These tracts were called "Te Karere o te Rongo Pai", loosley translated 'the message of the gospel'. These tracts to my knowledge are not found in the National Library, National Archives or in Auckland University's archives. They are found in the National Library of Australia. This is very wrong and needs addressing.

Maui Pomare

What few New Zealand Adventists seem to know is that Maui Pomare, one of New Zealand's leading Māori figures and Minister of the crown studied to become the first Māori doctor at Battle Creek (Butterworth, 2012). He was sponsored by Ellen White.

Another prominent Māori figure and leader at Parihaka (Scott, 1975), Te Whiti, although not an Adventist, was a Sabbath keeper.

Alongside Adventists many Māori are unfamiliar with these stories.

So why haven't we as a church in New Zealand built on these cultural connections?

Considerations for practise

These questions from Schantz and Thompson (2015) are worth thinking about"

1. Which of our Christian beliefs seem to conflict most sharply with the surrounding culture? How do you deal with the conflict without compromising what must never be compromised?

2. None of us is immune to pride. How should focusing on the Cross, and what it means, cure anyone of that sin?

3. If someone were to ask you, What about your own experience with Jesus? What can you tell me about Him? what would you say?

4. Think about the last time you witnessed to someone, in whatever capacity. How central was Jesus to what you said? How can you make sure that you always keep Him central?

For New Zealand Adventists I think we really need to consider how we can better meet the needs of Māori.

Closing Prayer - Karakia Whakamutunga

2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Kia tau ki a tātou katoa te atawhai o tō tātou Ariki, a Ihu Karaiti me te aroha o te Atua, me te whiwhingatahitanga ki te wairua tapu, ake, ake, ake, āmine.


See you next week. The following lesson is also on the apostle Paul.



References

Bull, M. & Lockhart, K. (2006). Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.


Butterworth, G. (2012, Oct 30). 'Pomare, Maui Wiremu Piti Naera', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3p30/pomare-maui-wiremu-piti-naera

Coffin, J. (2011, May 15). Who Are the Real "Cultural Adventists"? Retrieved from http://spectrummagazine.org/article/james-coffin/2011/05/15/who-are-real-cultural-adventists

Hall, A. (2013, April 12). Get Noticed! Four Easy Steps to Climbing the Corporate Ladder. In Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/alanhall/2013/04/11/get-noticed-four-easy-steps-to-climbing-the-corporate-ladder/

Harfield, D. (n.d.)  Did Martin Luther want to leave the Catholic Church? Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/Q/Did_Martin_Luther_want_to_leave_the_Catholic_Church

Janeway, B. (2009, October 8) New discoveries relating to the Apostle Paul. In Associates for Biblical Research. Retrieved from http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2009/10/08/New-Discoveries-Relating-to-the-Apostle-Paul.aspx#Article

Paul: At the feet of Gamaliel? (2011, September 7). In Reading Acts:Some Thoughts on the Book of Acts and Pauline Theology. Retrieved from http://readingacts.com/2011/09/07/paul-at-the-feet-of-gamaliel/

Robinson, B. (2011, September 5). The Christian scriptures: The 13 Pauline epistles. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_ntb3.htm

Schantz, B. & Thompson, S. (2015). Biblical Missionaries. Adult Sabbath School Quarterly 3Q. 2015. Silver Spring: MD: Pacific Press.

Tarsus. (n.d.). In Bibleplaces.com. Retrieved from http://www.bibleplaces.com/tarsus.htm

Nam, J. (2011, March 21) An Interview with Keith Lockhart -Seeking a Sanctuary. Retrieved from http://spectrummagazine.org/article/interviews/2011/03/21/interview-keith-lockhart-seeking-sanctuary

Scott, D. (1975). Ask that mountain: The story of Parihaka. Auckland: Reed Books.

Tracy, K. (2013, September 9) Adventists assess why 1 in 3 members leave the church. In Christianity Today. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/december/seventh-day-adventists-assess-why-1-in-3-members-leave-sda.html