The First Missionary of Jesus Christ - Essay Example

?Full Paul, the Missionary Paul, the first missionary of Jesus Christ to bring the gospel to the gentiles, considered himself a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (Philippians 3:4-6). He is known to have been a part of the killing of the early Christians. However, his mission changed from being a persecutor to an advocate when he encountered Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus to go after the church. From that time on, instead of bringing fear to the Christians he became a zealous worker in the vineyard of Christ. Having understood the principles of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, Paul became an encourager of the people, Jews and gentiles alike, to be of the same mind, having the same love and being of one accord (Phil. 2:1) because those are the values Paul came to understand in the trinity of God. He encouraged them to show love and respect among each other as true worshippers and followers of God as exemplified by Christ. When Christ came to the earth as a man, he did not make Himself treated like a king but made Himself of no reputation (Phil. 2:8). Further on his ministry, he encouraged the Christians in Colosse to walk in Jesus as they have received Him in their lives (Col. 2:6). His message about Jesus Christ is a change not only in actions of the people but more so in their thoughts and treatment of each other. He implores Christians to hold on to the gospel of Christ because in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). He further exhorts that the circumcision that they had is not of the flesh but of the spirit (2:11) so that they should then change their old way of living and follow the examples of Jesus. For Paul, Jesus became the center of his message that he brought to the gentiles as he received Him on that blessed day on his way to Damascus. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21) so that in the process of bringing the gospel to the gentiles, he did not fear for his life or consider his sufferings in vain. He has been through a lot, being in chains (Phil. 1:7), spitefully treated (2 Thes. 2:2) and suffering tribulation (1 Thes. 3:4). Nevertheless, these did not stop him in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people but he continued to encourage the Christians to hold fast to their faith in Jesus as he wrote to them even when he was in prison. Having been raised as a Hebrew, Paul believed in the order in the church. Therefore, for him to be able to go to other places, he appointed leaders who would continue his job when he is away. Moreover, he also taught his disciples to so the same. For instance, he encouraged Timothy and Titus, being young and inexperienced, to appoint leaders as he did. He then taught them how to choose the leaders, instructing them to find able people who have good standing not as the world recognizes people but leaders as approved by God. Paul gives the qualifications of those who should be appointed as bishops, deacons and elders to Timothy (1Tim 3:1-16) and Titus (Tit. 1:1-16), guiding them in how the church should be. For the members, they should be subject to rulers and authorities, in obedience and humility, ready to do what is good (Tit. 3:1-2). The church, as an example of what is good, should be better than the world’s peace and order when it comes to leadership and being subjects. In addition to the Christological and ecclesiological teachings of Paul, he also shared his eschatological beliefs. As a Pharisee, Paul believed in the afterlife and he taught that the things people do on earth will come to judgment when Christ returns to earth. He taught that the final destination of people who are able to follow the commandments of God to the last letter will go to heaven. However, since no man can really stick to the rigid commands of God, Paul often exhorts that it is by the grace of God that Christians should live their lives through Jesus Christ. This is the reason why Paul’s emphasis of the gospel is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and not the ability of man to do good works. Although good works are important, they should emanate from sincere hearts that follow the commandments of God and not through compulsion or to please people. Paul’s message was to do good works as a result of the teachings of Jesus so that when He comes again, He will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself (Phil. 3:20-21). Paul understands the hardships Christians go through because he himself experienced them but he still encourages himself and others by reminding them that Jesus will soon come from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God to call all His people to Himself (1Thes. 4:16-17). However, no one knows when this day of rejoicing will be because it comes as a thief in the night (1Thes. 5:1-3), without warning. Therefore he continues to encourage the Christians with his written words to continue the works that God begun in them. As a result, there are Christians to this day who have the same passion as Paul, going to other places to proclaim the word of God even if it means that their lives are in danger. An example of this is seen in the movie, “The Mission” which portrays the life of a priest who has been through a lot of hardships only to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth. References The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982. Print. The Mission. Dir. Roland Joffe. Perf. Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons. Warner Brothers, GoldCrest and Kingsmore, 1986. Youtube. . Read More