Contents

Introduction

1. A man working knowledge of the Bible

2. A man with a consistent prayer life

3. A man with genuine concern for people

3.1 Be Encouraged and United for Christ

3.1.1 Hearts Encouraged by Christ

3.1.2 Unity in love through Christ

3.2 Grow in Understanding, Knowledge, and Wisdom of Christ

3.2.1 Assurance of a Correct Understanding of Christ

3.2.2 Knowledge of the Mystery of Christ

3.2.3 Treasures of Wisdom in Christ

4. A man being filled with the Holy Spirit

5. A man with assurance of salvation.

6. Follow up Approach
6.1 Word of Encouragement
6.2 Edification
7. Socio-Economic Strategy
7.1 Self- Support (Acts 20:31-35)
7.2 Self – Conscious
7.3 Social Ethics
8. Team work of Paul in Mission
Conclusion:
Introduction
Apostle Paul’s missionary work is an important and useful task, he is powerful to influence and
motivate people. He had visited many places and influenced people in various areas. Paul had
faced many hardships in spite of all; he also worked efficiently with all the people. He had come
with the vision of God for the God’s mission and succeeded in the task which God had given
him. In today’s missionaries we can find problem. They became money minded; they are
becoming professionals rather than becoming slaves of God. So, this paper helps the missionary
to understand the qualified strategies of missionary, form the life of Apostle Paul.

1. A man working knowledge of the Bible

As we read in Acts 9:20, After his conversion, Paul immediately started preaching that our God is
Christ. But his spiritual strength actually could not be built over night, could it? In Galatians 1: 1-
18 Paul explains, he actually went to Arabia to embark on a 3 year retreat before conferring with
flesh and blood and meeting up with Peter. He did not become God’s channel instantly, but he
had a long retreat in order to understand scripture and live a life of communion with God. Here,
Apostle Paul has deeply made his foundation in the scripture.1

After his conversion when Christ called him, he did not go to Jerusalem to receive
instruction from the apostles. Rather, he retired into Arabia for a time and not until three years
later did he go to Jerusalem. Even then, the only apostle he met was Peter, and the only other
leader he met was James, the presiding elder of the Jerusalem church. It has often been remarked
that Paul clearly implied that he spent three years being taught by Jesus Himself (1:12), either
directly or (perhaps more likely) through the study of the Word. Paul studied with Christ for
three years before he beginning his ministry.2

2. A man with a consistent prayer life

Paul is a man of prayer in his lives. We can find out throughout Acts, how did he pray to God
in persecution and hard situation. Here, in this study of Paul’s prayers will highlight five areas
where we can grow in our understanding and practice of prayer. We will seek to examine and
follow Paul’s priorities, passion, perseverance, power, and purpose in prayer. We’ll look at each
of these five important of Paul’s prayer attitude.

First, consider Paul’s priorities in prayer. We normally pray when we faced serious illness,
tragedy, financial need, relational strife, or difficult decision. We are asking God to provide,
heal, protect, and lead. But Paul’s common practice is to pray looks different. He consistently
thanks God for signs of his grace at work in people’s lives, such as growing faith, love,
1
Warren W. Wiersbe, Ephesians Through Revelation Volume-2, (Eastbourne: England, 1989) p. 173.
2
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-preparation-of-paul.
faithfulness in time of hardship (2 Thess. 1:3-4). He also consistently asks God, such as
believers’ deepening knowledge of God, growing spiritual maturity, and increasing love for one
another. This is the valuable qualification that Paul has been having in his lives.

Second, Paul’s passion for people motivates his petitioner prayers. In 1 Thessalonians 3: 9-
10, Paul writes, “ what we feel joy for your sake before our God, that we will give it back as
thanksgiving to God, And also as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face
to face and what is lack in their faith he want to supply it. And he tells believers in Philippians
1:8, that is, Paul’s deep affection for other Christians flows from his own profound experience of
God’s love in Christ. This is the most valuable qualification that we are to follow the apostle’s
example in petitioner prayer. We must be controlled by the love of Christ and most foster our
love for people in practical, self- sacrificing way.

Third, the apostle demonstrates remarkable perseverance in prayer. Many of us may have
the desire to pray more or better, but we don’t stick with it. Paul and his coworkers thank God
always, praying unceasingly for the churches. Paul perseveres in earnest, joyful petitions for
other people even when the going gets tough. He continues to pray for others when he is in
prison, when his travel plans are canceled, when his circumstances appear uncertain or bleak.
Paul persists in prayer because of his unshakable confidence “that he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

Fourth, Paul recognizes that the true power for effective ministry and life transformation
comes from God in response to prayer. Scripture order us to recognize our shortfall and
weakness and rely on God’s “power at work within us” (Eph. 3:20), which strengthens us “for
all endurance and patience” (Col. 1:11; see sessions 4 and 7). Paul prays that God by His power
“may fulfill every resolve for good and

Fifth, Paul prays and ministers with a clear sense of purpose. Often when we pray,
particularly for urgent, pressing needs, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. , we see that Paul
consistently purposes to bring glory to His name and to save and sanctify His people. God acts
for His glory and our good, and He accomplishes His glorious purposes in response to the
expectant, dependent prayers of His people. 2nd Thessalonians 1:12 summarizes Paul’s ultimate
goal in his petitions for the churches: “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in
you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” So Paul has a
more qualification for fulfilling God’s mission.3

3. A man with genuine concern for people

The apostles don’t just preach Christ to people who are like minded, or will get it, but to
everyone. They do what they do because they genuinely want people to be saved for eternity. Paul
wants King Agrippa, and the whole assembly, to be converted to Christianity. He wants nothing

3
D.A Carson & Brain J, PRAYING WITH PAUL a call to spiritual reformation, (Life way fress: Nashvilie) p. 5-7
more. He doesn’t desire freedom, or power, or even just better food in his jail cell after being
locked up for 2 years. He just wants everyone to hear him and follow Christ.

3.1 Be Encouraged and United for Christ

Paul wanted the believers at these churches to be encouraged in heart and united in love so that
they could stand for Christ in times of adversity.

3.1.1 Hearts Encouraged by Christ

Paul wanted the people at these churches to be encouraged. So they can continue
serving Christ and they can withstand the attacks of the false teachers. The encouragement is has
the idea of being strengthened to stand for Christ. We know that the Holy Spirit strengthens and
comforts the believer (Eph. 3: 16-19), but Christ also has a part in strengthening the believer. In
2 Thess 2:16-17; 1 peter 5:10, Paul was concerned that the believers were going to be fooled by
false teachings. Therefore, their hearts needed to be strengthened so they could withstand these
attacks. He is talking about their hearts being strengthened; in the Bible, it is common for the
word Heart to mean “the inner life of a person, the center of his personality, understood as the
source of the will, emotion, thoughts and affections.” 4

3.1.2 Unity in love through Christ

The believers of these churches were to be knit together or united in love. In Col 3: 14,
The unifying theme of the believers love for each other is Christ, for believers have been unified
in Christ. In Rom 6: 5; Gal 3:28, Because of Christ’s love for man and especially his chosen
children, believers can be unified in love. Love is the essential key to having unity in the church.
Throughout the New Testament, love linked with unity. The only way that Christians can have
unity is through love. This is not a worldly love or lust that unbelievers show, but a humble, self-
sacrificing love towards each other. Only through Christ can we have that love. In fact, unifying
love is what sets Christians apart from the rest of the world. Christ said in John 17:21 that unity
is what make unsaved people know that Christ loved us and that we love Christ.5

3.2 Grow in Understanding, Knowledge, and Wisdom of Christ

Paul wanted these believers of the Lycus Valley to continue growing in their
understanding, knowledge, and wisdom of Christ. He knew that the false teachers would deceive
a Christian that was not established in God’s Word.

3.2.1 Assurance of a Correct Understanding of Christ

4
John Paul Heil, Colossians: encouragement to walk in all wisdom as Holy ones in Chris, (Society of Bible
Literature: Atlanta, 2010) p. 95.

5
Francis Schaeffer, The Mark of the Christian , (Downers Grove, Ill.: intervarsity, 1970), p. 15
It is essential that Christians gain a clear understanding of God’s Word. Paul wanted the
believers to have all the riches and wealth from understanding Christ. This wealth is not referring
to physical riches, but to spiritual riches that are in Christ. Those things, we do not have the
ability to understand the things of the Spirit of God without Christ. Therefore we cannot have
these riches. And according to Paul, in 1 cor. 2:14, Believers must have full assurance or a
complete knowledge and trust in what they have been taught about Christ.

3.2.2 Knowledge of the Mystery of Christ

Paul is talking in his teaching, believers are not only having an understanding about Christ
but they are to have a deep knowledge about the mystery of Christ. This mystery in this context
is Christ, and as Col 1:27 said, “Christ in you.” Paul wanted the believers to have a firm
knowledge of Christ’s deity, so that when false teachers attacked them, they would be able to
withstand the heresy. The knowledge of this mystery will aid against the attacks of the false
teachers.

3.2.3 Treasures of Wisdom in Christ

When a believer has an understanding of Christ and a deep knowledge of the mystery of Christ,
then he will realize that there are treasures of wisdom in Christ. The false teachers were teaching
that they had wisdom, but Paul is stating that true wisdom is found only in Christ. A person
without Christ cannot have this wisdom since the wisdom is hidden or contained in Christ (Col
1:25-27; 1 cor. 2:6-7; Rom 11:33).6

4. A man being filled with the Holy Spirit

Up to this point, this paper is discussing about Paul’s qualities that individuals need to work
on God’s ministry. However, mission will very rarely relies on human capabilities, and I would be
a misguided list without understanding that apostle need the Holy Spirit. The church celebrates
the feast of the apostle after Pentecost, when the apostle actually received the Holy Spirit as
tongues of fire. They spoke every language believers.

Saul was a famous persecutor of the church, after all. His conversion was unexpected to say
the least. But God spoke to a man named Ananias and told him to go visit Saul and pray for him,
because Saul was a chosen vessel to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Saul already had put his
faith in Christ. He already had met the risen Lord on the Damascus road. But Ananias arrived
and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent
me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (acts 9: 17) . Saul would
become the apostle Paul, one of the most powerful preachers in the history of the church, and
would pen a good portion of the New Testament.7

6
John MacArthur, Colossians (Chicago: Moody Press, 1996), 90.
7
https://www.christianity.com/jesus/early-church-history/the-apostle-paul/paul-empowered-by-the-holy-
spirit.html
5. A man with assurance of salvation.
Paul speaks of the role that the Spirit plays in salvation, in him you also sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit when we hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, and believing
in him. When the Ephesians trusted Christ as lord and savior, God sealed them. Paul employs a
divine passive, “you were sealed”, to draw attention to the father as one who seals. In another
passage Paul indicate that the father seals Christians with the Spirit. He does this by
distinguishing God from Christ and the Spirit (2 Cor.1:21-22).8

6. Follow up Approach
In the spring of New Testament teaching of mission, follow up approach in inevitable.
Unfortunately it is not practiced in today’s mission. Apostle Paul was very much conscious about
his responsibilities. He did not leave his mission with the initial work of sowing seed; rather he
continued to work with it. He did the follow up work with different means. In order to do follow
up work, Paul founding local churches, which he seeks to nurture through occasional pastoral
visits and lengthy letters, and by sending his fellow-workers to them. He intercedes on behalf of
his congregations and counsels them about a great variety of very practical and down-to-earth
matters; he waits for them to grow in spiritual maturity and stewardship, and to become beacons
of light in their environment.9
As it was mentioned earlier, he had his co-worker to take care of the works which are
left behind; he gave the responsibilities to them. He trusted the missionary responsible for a
particular church to deal with whatever the issue they bring. Without doubt he was available for
consultation, but he maintained direct contact only with the churches he had found personally. It
also shows that follow up work is also is necessary, because it helps the person to be strong in his
faith. The motive of the follow up work is to encourage and edify one another. Therefore Paul’s
mission method is an inclusive of edification, encouragement and admonishment. Paul found
these elements are necessary for the growth of the believer and the church. 10
6.1 Word of Encouragement
Paul’s follow up praxis consisted not solely in the evangelistic proclamation of the gospel
to Jews and gentiles and in the establishment of the churches. And the apostle consistently
accompanied the local congregation on their way to dynamic maturity in which the creative
energy of the Christian community finds expression in the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Gunther Bornkman writes, in his influential book on Paul, The great goal of carrying
gospel to the ends of the earth kept him always on the move and gave no rest.11
Michael Green perceives, probably in light of effective praxis of many evangelists and
exiting expansion of the church in 20th century, which Paul traveled from city to city with

8
Robert A. Peterson, The assurance of salvation, (Zondervan:MIchigon, 2019), p. 19-20.
9
David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, 130.
10
Jerome Murphy – O’Connor, Paul: A Critical Life, 173.
11
Udo Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Bakers, 2009), 342.
intensive of conquering new territories for the gospel leaving the new converts behind after
providing them with a minimum of instruction.12
Such views ignores the fact that Paul mission to Corinth and Ephesus lasted in each case
for over two years, before he started new missionary initiatives in regions in which the gospel
had not been preached before.
Paul seeks to strengthen the gift of the individual believer as they work for the welfare of
the entire congregation. His description need to be supplemented by two areas. First, Paul often
emphasized the nature of the church as the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit always plays an
important role in Paul’s exhortation of the believers, but the spirit is always present as the spirit
of Jesus Christ. Second Paul reminds the churches of the role of local congregation as a concrete
representation of the ‘words of life’ that they offer to the world. Paul not only encouraged the
believers he also admonished, and edified them through love.
6.2 Edification
Paul as a multifaceted personality, he played different role in church, as a brother he
encourages the believers, as a pastor consolidates them and edifies them. If he must be command
and exhort, correct and rebuke, it is only because of deep affection for the people of God. His
somewhat troubling relationship with the Corinthian Christian are softened by glimpses of the
apostles’ real longing for their welfare and rejoicing over their concern for him (2 Cor 7:7). Nor
it can forget that it was in writing to this same church that Paul penned his exquisite hymn on
charity (1 Cor 13) and it can’t suppose that its challenging tenets had made no mark upon the life
and character of writer. Paul’s authority was also is of love and edification.13
That Paul again takes up the word love 12:31, it shows that he intend the way of love. He
lives and teaches the love of Christ that has been received; this is why the churches should adopt
the model. The instruction that Paul adds in 1 Cor 5-7, dealing with various conflicts, reveal the
very different sorts of argument Paul might use to support his ethics. 14 Therefore edification
provided much impact on believers. It builds up the ethical approach of the believers as well.
7. Socio-Economic Strategy
For the physical survival of a missionary finance has major role. It may at first sight seem
strange to think about finance as one of the external accompaniments of the preaching rather than
as part of the organization of the church. But it is as it affects Paul’s approach to his hearers that
finance assumes its real significance and throws its most interesting light upon missionary work
at present.
7.1 Self- Support (Acts 20:31-35)
In economic realm Paul maintained three major principles which guides his practice.
Firstly, he did not seek financial help for himself. Secondly, he did not take financial help to
those whom he preached; thirdly, he did not administer local church funds. In this first contact
with strangers and in his dealings with the church he was careful to avoid any appearance of

12
Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament, 321.
13
Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, (London: IVP,1961), 388.
14
Udo Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Bakers, 2009), 323.
money making. In Paul’s time among the heathens there was a large class of teachers who
wandered from town collecting money from who attended their lecture.
He refused to receive anything from those who listen to him. Similarly in the church
there was a class of people who made their living by preaching. But Paul did not condemn them
in contrast he argued that it was legitimate that they should do so (1 Cor 9:12) in that Paul insist
1Cor 9:4-6, with decisive argumentation, that as an apostle he has the right to receive support,
following verses describes firstly, Paul refers to soldier and their pay.15
Not only he refused to take gifts even he did not take financial support to his converts.
That it could be so never seems to have suggested itself to his mind. Paul observed the principle
that every church should administer its own funds.16 On the other hand Paul did receive gifts
from his converts. He speaks of the Philippians as having sent once and again unto his necessity
(Phil 4:16) and he tells the Corinthians that he robbed other churches, taking wages of them (2
Cor 11:8).17
There was the time when Paul had to earn his livelihood by manual labor as a ‘tent
maker’ or ‘leather worker’.18 Paul does not follows the pre-Easter instruction about money and
support that Jesus gave to the twelve before their short time mission to the towns in Galilee(Matt
10-9-10) but he explicitly quotes Jesus in 1 Cor 9 when he discuss the matter of financial support
for missionaries. This confirms that the dominical saying in matt10:9-10 had limited significance
in a specific historical setting.
7.2 Self – Conscious
Paul’s self – consciousness in his mission played a vital role, at present day situation
many of the missionaries conscious are been sheared. Of particular in this respect is Paul’s self
conscious and the way in which he present him as a model to be emulated, not only by his fellow
workers, but by all Christians. Referring to 1 Thessalonians 1:6 , Bosch quotes from Malherbe
as, Paul’s method of shaping community was to gather converts around himself and by his own
behavior to demonstrate what he taught.”19
As with the serious philosophers, Paul’s life cannot be distinguished from what he
preaches; his life authenticates his gospel. Paul however offers himself as a model to be
emulated. But , and this is important, Paul’s confidence in offering himself as archetype does not
reside in himself and his own accomplishments; rather, he continually refers to God’s initiative
and power in his own life. By the same token Paul’s boldness is not , as in the case with the
philosophers, based on a moral freedom gained by reason and exercise of the will; it is , as he
clearly states in 1Thess 2:1-5, given by God.20
7.3 Social Ethics

15
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Early Christian Mission Paul and Early Church, (Illinois: IVP, 2002), 2, 1426
16
Ibid, p. 1426.
17
Roland Allen, Missionary Methods Paul or ours?, 56.
18
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Early Christian Mission Paul and Early Church,1450.
19
David J Bosch, Transforming Mission, 132.
20
David J Bosch, Transforming Mission,132-133.
 The instruction Paul gives for the Christian life, and the reason for the following his
instructions, vary from letter to letter. It is also well established by Luke in his second volume. In
Thessalonians the near arouse of the lord and the motivation for a blameless life in holiness
(1Thess 3:13, 4:3, 4:7, 5:23. In accordance with the conventional ethics prevalent in the whole
letter, the church is instructed to live quietly and unobtrusively (1 Thess 4:11) so that outsiders
are not offended (4:12). It is the social status and the social ethics of Apostle Paul. 21
8. Team work of Paul in Mission
Paul surrounded himself with a circle of co-workers, team of fellow missionaries whose
composition frequently changed. The large number of coworker is remarkable simply because
lack of source and information concerning any of the other apostle. Only some of the Paul’s
coworkers can be connected with specific phase of Paul’s missionary.
Some missionaries were relatively constant members of Paul’s missionary team
particularly timothy. Other missionary workers with Paul for a certain period of time but also
worked independently of Paul as missionaries for example, Barnabas, Silas, and Apollo. Some
coworkers were more consistently dependent upon their home churches than others.22
In Paul’s team circle timothy embodies a good example of the central elements of
missionary cooperation with Paul. Timothy apparently was converted in the course of paul’s
missionary activities in Galatians in A.D 46, presumably during his mission to lystra (Acts 14:6-
20). Three years later Paul recruit him as a coworker when he was en route to the province of
Asia, eventually diverted to Macedonia and Achaia (Acts16:1-3). When Paul had to leave
Thessaloniki in a hurry because some local Jews threatened his life, he moved with Silas to
Berea, where they started a new missionary initiative (Acts 17:10). While timothy evidently
stayed in Thessaloniki, he carried the responsibility for the churches in the province of Asia,
perhaps after AD 62 when Paul had been arrested.23
Conclusion:
In this paper, we discussed about the missionary qualities throughout the mission of
Apostle Paul. He was a hard working man to get the knowledge of the bible, a consistent prayer
warrior, a man with genuine concerning of the people and believer, a man being filled with Holy
Spirit, a man with assurance of salvation, apostle Paul was very much conscious about his
responsibilities. Paul’s approach to his hearers that finance assumes its real significance and
throws its most interesting light upon missionary work at present. And, Paul surrounded himself
with a circle of co-workers, team of fellow missionaries whose composition frequently changed.
This information is very useful for the every one, blessed is the man who takes the example of
Paul’s life and follows him as his/her role model in the mission filed.

Bibliography:

21
Udo Schnelle, Theology of the New Testament, 323.
22
ibid, 324
23
Schnabel, 1428-1429, Theology of the New Testament,1443.