Michael Schellman Box 7211 NT112/Moritz Spring 2006 Pauline Theology of Mission Lifestyle

If we attempt to look to Acts and the Pauline epistles for a model of missional lifestyle, we are immediately confronted by a mysterious lack of encouragement, command, or instruction directing the churches toward the propagation of their faith; as Bowers observes, Paul who at every turn is himself so preoccupied with active mission to the gentiles fails ever to indicate clearly an independent responsibility in such a mission for his churches.1 To those who see evangelistic and missional activity as essential for the continuing life and health of the Church, this absence presents somewhat of a problem; how is the Kingdoms advance to manifest outside of the Apostle himself in his churches and in our day? In an attempt to answer this question, this paper examines Acts and the writings of Paul in order to discover Pauls theology of missional lifestyle. Hurdles to Cross In coming to understand a Pauline theology of missional lifestyle, two hurdles arise which must be crossed if we are to make any progress. The first is the unique nature of Pauls call and mission, and the second comes from Pauls depiction of the churches themselves. The narrative sequence in Acts 9:1ff, tells of the unique nature of Pauls calling. On the road to Damascus, Saul (a Pharisee at the time), sees a bright light and hears the voice of the Lord calling to him. Gilliland notes that the pattern of repetition of his name Saul, Saul when the Lord calls to him, parallels other significant Old Testament call narratives where God chooses someone in a special way (Gen. 22:11; Exod. 3:4; 1 Sam. 3:10).2 It is also notable that in each of these instances God is about to do some great work with his people. The call of Abraham sees the founding of Gods people, the call to Moses sees the liberation of Gods people, and call to Samuel sees the ushering in of the Monarchy. What will the significance of Pauls ministry be? Just a few verses later, the Lord tells Ananias to go to Saul for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel (Acts1 2

Bowers, Paul, Church and Mission in Paul: JSNT 44. 1991p 90 Gilliland, Dean S. Pauline Theology & Mission Practice. (Baker: Grand Rapids, 1983) p 83

9:15). The account of this special calling is confirmed in Pauls own words several times in his epistles, for instance in Galatians 1:11-23 where Paul states that he was called by no human, but by God himself. Bowers erroneously equates the highly unique nature of Pauls calling with an exclusive call to mission activity stating that Pauls understanding the missionary calling is deeply rooted in the Old Testament concept of individuals set aside by God for a special task.3 What exactly makes Pauls experience unique? Is it that he is called to be a missionary or something more significant? If what Bowers says is true, very few people are called to the active spread of the Gospel. If on the other hand there is something else about Pauls ministry that is exclusive, then we need not see the particularity of Pauls calling to be a sign of the exclusive nature of his ministry. To this end, OBrien, points out from Galatians 1:11-17 that Paul understood his specific ministry to have to do with the restoration of Israel. First, Paul defines his ministry in terms of Gods promise made to Abraham being fulfilled as Gentiles are brought into a living relationship with him through the Gospel (Gal 3:8). Second Paul expresses his missionary work to proclaim Gods Son among the Gentiles, (1:16) in language that suggests he is continuing the salvation historical work of the Servant figure of Isaiah 40-55. 4 Therefore to borrow a concept from Aristotle, the substance of Pauls mission is the restoration of Israel, the accidence is his missionary activity. A second hurdle to cross is Pauls depiction of the churches themselves. As nearly all of Pauls instruction is directed toward churches, it is from what he intends for them that we can most readily discover what he intends for us. Yet, as it was stated in the beginning this paper, there is this mysterious lack of direction from Paul on this matter. Bowers concludes that the churches per se, are not intended to be centers of mission activity, that they are the goal rather than a means of Pauls mission activity. He likens churchs mission to that of Israel in the Old Testament, effected not by active outreach, but by living the life of Gods true people before the nations.5 The metaphors Paul uses to describe the church are all internally oriented and have no aspect that faces outward toward the world. Bowers also notes that in those instances where growth is mentioned, it pertains to spiritual development as in the body imagery of Eph. 4:16 and not to numbers, in the two instances where it pertains to numbers the body imagery of3 4

Bowers, Paul, Church and Mission in Paul: JSNT 44. 1991p 108 OBrien, P.T. Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul, p 12 5 Bowers, Paul p 109

Colossians 2:19. and the building imagery of Eph. 2:19-22, Christ is the agent of growth (2:13-18) or Paul(3:1-13).6 Therefore it would seem that the churchs have a separate mission from that of Paul, namely the edification and nurture of believers. Banks states that, in these early letters of Paul the term ecclesia consistently refers to actual gatherings of Christians as such, or to Christians in a local area conceived or defined as a regular assembling community. 7 If the word ecclesia is therefore, more descriptive of an event than an ongoing reality, the inward focus of Pauls metaphors begins to make more sense, because it describes what happens inside the gathering of the faithful. If their focus was to turn to some outward purpose, the word ecclesia would no longer apply, because they would have to cease performing the action which defines them. This does not preclude mission activity; it simply means that believers are not an ecclesia while they are doing it. Individual agents are free to go many places that formal bodies cannot. As dynamic relational gatherings they can be extremely small, wherever two or more are gathered (Matt. 18:20), and they can spring up anywhere even in the household of Caesar himself (Phil. 4:22). It is not difficult to see how such a group would eventually filter its way through the Empire. Having surmounted the obstacles in our path, what can be said about Pauls Theology of Missional Lifestyle? It is my intention to demonstrate that Paul understands mission, to be the work of the Spirit, and that we as believers are caught up in that work according to the various gifts that God grants through the Holy Spirit. These gifts emerge or are revealed within the context of the gathered community ecclesia, and are put to service in various ministries. One of which being evangelism. The advance of the Kingdom of God therefore occurs on multiple fronts, evangelism and mission being just one area of service in the kingdoms advance. Mission - The Spirits Work Roland Allen missionary to China in the early 20th century hypothesized that the reason behind the lack of directive material in Pauls letters had to do with the fact that Paul saw no need to encourage people to do what they were already doing naturally, what he called the Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. By Spontaneous Expansion, Allen meant the expansion which follows the un-exhorted and unorganized

6 7

ibid p 96-97 Banks, Robert. Pauls Idea of Community. (Hendrickson: Massachusetts, 1994) p 35

activity of individual members of the Church.8 He cites two powerful urges that compel people to share their faith, the natural longing for fellowship with others like themselves, and the compelling urge of the Holy Spirit to save human beings.9 Allens hypothesis seems highly plausible when you consider that the Spirit was always far ahead of the Apostles. Just days after the sermon at Pentecost the gospel was making its way out into the rest of the Roman Empire (Acts 2 ff). Even Paul in all his ambition discovered an existing church in Rome before his arrival. OBrien notes that Paul frequently speaks of the Gospel as a force or agency which is able to accomplish something, and which has a purpose toward which it moves.10 Take for instance, the language in Colossians 1:5a-6, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth and also in 2 Corinthians 10:14 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction -. In both these passages Paul emphasizes the action of the Word portraying a power wholly independent of human agency. Paul understands that while he is an agent of the Gospel, the Gospel is by no means dependant upon him it is and does move above and beyond his efforts. From this understanding flows the confidence which allows him to say, even when imprisoned, that the Gospel is not imprisoned (2:Tim 2:9). Furthermore, Paul expects the work of the Spirit in his churches to produce gifts and ministries that will serve the advance of the kingdom. This is why he never directs believers to go out and evangelize their neighbors. Gifts and ministries come from God, and cannot be required of every person. This is the same principal upon which Paul instructs the Corinthians about the members need for one another (1 Cor. 12:14-18). Paul saw all manifestations of Gifts as necessary and allowed the Spirit to distribute them as he saw fit.

8

Allen, Roland. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1962) p 7

9

Allen, Roland p 9 OBrien, P.T., Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul: An Exegetical and Theological Analysis (Baker: Grand Rapids, 1995) p 11310

Naturally, the Spirit would raise up some people who would be gifted evangelists, or have gifts that Paul found useful in his missionary journeys. Schnabel indicates that many of Pauls coworkers came to travel with Paul from these newly formed churches.11 Advance on Multiple Fronts The fact that Paul never directly commands or exhorts his churches to engage in mission work, for some would seem to undermine the commonly held belief that the churches were to be centers of missionary activity. This all depends on how one looks at it. While the churches did not engage in mission activity as churches, many if not most of the members had a part in the missionary effort. Churchs were training and recruitment centers, raising up mature believers in the Lord. They were homes and families for traveling missionaries. And they were a network that allowed information to spread throughout the Christian community across the Roman Empire. They were also the means of monetary support for missionaries and evangelists. Pauls Authority As a final note of interest I would like to discuss Pauls view of authority. For all that Paul says about the cooperative nature of his work, Banks (and others), find it hard to conceive that Pauls coworkers were much more than his personal assistants. Many of the people Paul addresses as coworkers or by one of the many other designations were not necessarily coworkers in the sense that they directly worked with Paul, or even came from his churches. Schnabel lists 17 different designations for coworkers, 38 of whom are named specifically, yet only some can be identified specifically with Pauls mission work.12 Yet Schnabel assumes that they must have come into his employ at some point, else why would he call them fellow workers. Why must we assume that names in every such instance refer to recruits of Pauls? It is quite possible, even likely, that persons may have been named who had ministries quite apart from Pauls and were not under his direct authority. Pauls mention could simply be an expression of his comradery with active ministers with whom he had a passing acquaintance. The common loyalty to and dependence upon the one Lord establishes the unity of all ministries and ministers who serve the people of God.1311

Schnabel, Eckhard J. Early Christian Mission, vol. 2; Paul and the Early Church. (Baker: Downers Grove, 2004) p 1443 12 ibid, p 1425-1427. 13 Schnabel, p 1480

Banks states that there are only two examples where Paul is not treated as the Authority; Acts 15:36-41 where Barnabas refuses comply with Pauls insistence that they leave Mark behind, and 1 Cor 16:12, Where Apollos declines to go to Corinth at Pauls request. The first instance he attributes to Barnabas being the senior member of the team (commissioned by Antioch). The second he attributes to Apollos having his own ministry, and not falling under Pauls authority. Is this the same Paul of 1 Corinthians 1:24 who does not Lord it over their faith? It is equally likely that those who traveled with Paul did so because they wanted to, because they loved and believed in him, and were free to come and go as they pleased. You never see Paul pull rank on anybody. Though he occasionally made appeal to the special nature of his calling, he did not see this as the credential of his ministry. Where he does appeal to his Apostleship, or to his suffering he does so with those who are being deceived by the credentials of others. But he always does it tongue in cheek in order to undermine the whole concept (eg 2 Cor 11:16 ff). Paul actually considers his credentials to be the people comprising the churches which he founded (1 Corinthians 9:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 3:1-3). He also considers his ministry to be validated by the integrity of his message (Gal. 1:6-8 and 2 Cor. 11:4-12:13). Paul sets his standard well within the reach of those who have the gifting to aspire to. He shows great encouragement when others are emboldened to proclaim the Gospel, even if they consider themselves his rivals (Philippians 1:12-18). Summary I have argued that Paul understands mission, to be the work of the Spirit, and that we as believers participate in that work according to the various gifts that God grants through the Holy Spirit. These gifts are discovered within the context of the Ecclesia the gathering of the faithful for mutual edification and support. The church itself does not engage in missionary work (at least as the church was understood in the 1st century) because ecclesia refers more to the periodic gathering of believers than it does to a fixed body to which one belongs. The decentralized and fluid nature of the gathering allows it to spread rapidly and gain entry where an organized body would not. Paul feels no need to direct believers to exercise particular gifts or ministries, because each one is given as the Spirit sees fit. These gifts emerge within the context of the gathered community ecclesia, and are put to service in various ways. Paul likewise does not direct the ministries of individual believers, even those who join him on his journeys. The Spirit works

independently in every believer. Unity comes therefore, not from a strong top down management, but from unification to the One Lord. For these reasons, Pauls theology of mission lifestyle is, relational and familial, rather than organizational and authoritarian. It is a movement headed by Jesus Christ, lead through the Holy Spirit, and executed by brothers and sisters whose bond us their unity in Christ.

Word Count: 2510

BibliographyAllen, Roland. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 1962).

I gravitate strongly toward Allens Spontaneous Expansion model which was designed precisely to explain the 1st century phenomenon; though his concept of the church as centers of mission activity may need adjustment. Banks, Robert. Pauls Idea of Community. (Hendrickson: Massachusetts, 1994). Banks Ecclesiology was useful in orienting the question of the churchs relation to mission to Pauls first century context. Banks view of the Apostles authority struck me as somewhat inconsistent. Bowers, Paul. Church and Mission in Paul, JSNT 44 (1991), pp89-111. Bowers critique of the use of Pauline material to support missiology provided a useful counterpoint for the writing of this paper. His thorough examination deserves consideration by anyone seeking to do missiology from a biblical perspective. Gilliland, Dean S. Pauline Theology & Mission Practice. (Baker: Grand Rapids, 1983). Gillilands book is a very interesting and detailed examination of Paul and his Missiology. Given the hurdles of Bowers critique, however I could not justify direct application of them as models for his churches or for us. I did one of his arguments for the unique nature of Pauls Call. OBrien, P.T., Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul: An Exegetical and Theological Analysis (Baker: Grand Rapids, 1995). OBriens book is a very helpful response to Bowers. His insight into Pauls use of Old Testament Material was particularly helpful in getting past Bowers appeal to Pauls unique and exclusive status. Schnabel, Eckhard J. Early Christian Misison, vol. 2; Paul and the Early Church. (Baker: Downers Grove, 2004). Schnabels voluminous work was a mine of research which would prove invaluable on several technical points, as I found it to be for his research on Pauls coworkers. I was less satisfied with his conclusion on this matter and would caution against deferring to his well researched conclusions automatically.