Paul reveals the secret of his effective ministry in these words: "God strengthens us in all our afflictions, so that

we may be able to strengthen

those who are in affliction WITH THE SAME STRENGTH WITH WHICH WE ARE STRENGTHENED BY GOD" ( 2 Cor.1:4). Paul had to go
through many afflictions in order to receive a spiritual education. Only thus could he pass on to others the strength that he himself had received
when he went through trials. Without such an education, no one can be a servant of the new covenant. There is a vast difference between an
anointed Samson under the old covenant and an anointed Paul under the new covenant. Samson had the Spirit's power to overcome external lions.
Paul however had the Spirit's power to overcome the lions that dwelt within his own flesh - which Samson could not overcome.
Under the old covenant, God's servants stood in God's presence, heard what God had to say, and then told others what they had heard. But that is
not sufficient in the new covenant. Now, God's servants must go through trials and afflictions and experience God's grace helping them to
overcome in all those trials, and then exhort others to follow their own example. That is how new covenant ministry is far higher than old
covenant ministry - and it is far costlier too.
We cannot become servants of the new covenant by going to a Bible-school. No true apostle or prophet in the Bible ever came out of a Bible-
school. We cannot study the Bible like we study chemistry, cooped up in a classroom. The Holy Spirit teaches us the meaning of the Scriptures in
the midst of life's situations. That was how the apostles learnt it. And that is how God's servants learn it today as well. Only thus can we lead
others to partake of eternal life. It is by following Jesus that we become servants of the new covenant. Under the old covenant it was not possible
for people to press on to perfection. But in the new covenant we can (See Heb.6:1 with 7:19).
But we cannot lead others to perfection if we are not pressing on to perfection ourselves. Only if we are "cleansing OURSELVES from all
defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor.7:1), and "purifying OURSELVES even as Jesus is pure" (1 Jn.3:3)
can we lead others also to such a life. There is no other way. We have to be mini-forerunners for the others. That is why God takes us through
varied and trying situations - more than all the other believers in our churches have to go through. For only thus can we be true shepherds to
them. Otherwise we will be hirelings, seeking our own gain - either money or man's honour.
That does not mean that we have to face all the circumstances that others in our church face. That would be impossible. Jesus did not become our
Forerunner by facing all our circumstances, but by being tempted with all the temptations that we face ( Heb.4:15). Jesus did not have a drunken
father or a nagging wife or disobedient children, as some of us may be having. Jesus did not have to wait in long queues outside government
offices for a license as we have to wait today. Yet He was our Forerunner, because He faced all the temptations that we face today, in different
circumstances in His day.
God has to take us through all the temptations that our brothers and sisters face. But in all those temptations, we must overcome, if we are to
serve them,and lead them to partake of eternal life. That is how we become servants of the new covenant. Peter writes to the elders "to be
examples to the flock" (1 Pet.5:3). And Paul writes to Timothy (in1 Timothy 4:12) that he should be "an example to those who believe - in
speech, love, faith and purity". First of all, we must be examples in our speech. Our speech must always be gentle and gracious. We must be
totally free from gossiping. If someone shares something with us in confidence, we must be able to keep the matter secret - even from our wives.
We must be examples in love. Others must see that no matter what they say or do to us, our love to them never changes.
We must be examples in faith. In all the trying circumstances that we face, people must see that we never get into a panic, but always have the
perfect confidence that God is able to see us through. We must be examples in purity. We cannot expect purity in the relationships between young
brothers and sisters in our churches, if we ourselves are not first class examples in this area.
 A Chronological Study of Paul's Ministry

Author:
Dennis McCallum

Why is Chronology Important?

Chronology is the study of the sequence of events in an historical text, and the comparison of
those events with other known events from other sources. The Bible is an historical document,
and part of assessing the value of any historical narrative is the study of Chronology. When
events in the Bible line up with known dates confirmed outside the Bible, is suggests a high level
of reliability in the biblical text. Also, some areas of doctrine are based on chronological
assertions, as we shall see in the case of Gal. 2. This outline explains in shortened form how
scholars date the events in the ministry of Paul. A more complete study of this process is
available in Jack Finnegan, A Handbook of Biblical Chronology.

Sequential Outline of the Movements of Paul by Major Periods

The first step in studying chronology is to assemble a sequence of events along with all
chronological notes. In other words, a narrator will say, "for over two years" or "in time for the
Passover." These notes, when assembled, form a time chain, often with some missing spots. Here
are the important events for Paul's ministry:

A. The period from the conversion of Paul until the 1st trip to Jerusalem.

1. (Acts 9-12). Paul was converted on the road to Damascus

2. He entered Damascus and stayed there for an unknown amount of time (Acts 9:19)
3. Paul went to Arabia for an unspecified period, and returned to Damascus afterward (Gal.1:17).
4. The whole period from his conversion until his departure from Damascus is given as "3 years"
(Gal.1:18)
5. He went to Jerusalem at this time, and stayed for 15 days (Acts 9:26-29; Gal.1:18)

B. The period from the 1st visit until the 2nd visit to Jerusalem.
1. After the 15 days at Jerusalem, Paul was sent away to avoid capture, and sailed from Caesarea to
the regions of Syria and Cilicia (Acts 9:30; Gal.1:21)
2. After a period ranging from 8 to 14 years, Paul traveled to Antioch with Barnabas and stayed for
1 year (Acts 11:25; Gal.1:21-2:1 see below).
3. Paul then traveled to Jerusalem from Antioch, staying for a short time. This was in connection
with the collection taken up in Antioch because of Agabus' vision (Acts 11:27-30; Gal.2:1). He
then returned to Antioch.

C. The period from the 2nd until the 3rd visit to Jerusalem.

1. After the relief visit (2nd visit) to Jerusalem, Paul returned to Antioch.
2. Very soon afterwards, the 1st missionary journey began.
o Paul traveled from Antioch to Seleucia, then to Cyprus.
o Then he went to Pamphylia which lies to the north of Cyprus in modern day Turkey.
o From there, he went to Galatia, as far as the city of Derbe.
o Then he went back through the same cities in the opposite direction.
o Finally, he sailed from Antioch of Pisidia to Antioch of Syria.
o This entire journey apparently lasted 6--9 months, concluding before the storms of winter would
have stopped ship travel in the Mediterranean.

D. The period from the third trip to Jerusalem (the Jerusalem Council; Acts 15) until the
last trip there.

1. Paul traveled from Antioch to Jerusalem for the council, then back to Antioch.
2. At that time, they began the 2nd Missionary Journey (Acts 15-17).
o Paul journeyed from Antioch to Syria and Cilicia, this time using the overland route to Turkey.
o They visited Derbe and Lystra, then passed through Phrygia and Galatia. He arrived at Troas,
where he set sail for Macedonia.
o Upon arrival, he went to Phillipi, then to Samothrace, Neopolis, Amphipolis, Thessalonica,
Berea, Athens, and finally to Corinth where he stayed for 1 1/2 years.
o After the Macedonian and Greek ministry, he traveled to Ephesus, Caesarea, and back to Antioch
in Syria.
3. Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey (Acts 18-21)
o Paul traveled from Antioch to Phrygia and Galatia for the third time.
o He then traveled back to Ephesus where he stayed 2 1/4 years.
o After the Ephesian ministry, he sailed to Macedonia, and went by foot to Greece including a
second stop at Corinth(II Cor. 13:1).
o He then walked back to Macedonia stopping at Phillipi, and set sail for Troas.
o From Troas, he sailed for Jerusalem stopping on the way at Assos, Mytelene, Chios, Samos,
Miletus, Ephesus, Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Tyre, Ptolemais, and Caesarea.

E. Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, and imprisonment at Caesarea (Acts 21:17-26:32)

 Paul was arrested in Jerusalem shortly after arriving from his 3rd Missionary Journey and taken
to Caesarea where he was imprisoned for 2 years.

F. Paul's trip to Rome (Acts 27-28)

1. Paul left from Caesarea and sailed to Sidon, Myra, and Fair Havens on Crete, where he stayed
until after the Day of Atonement.
2. He then sailed west until shipwrecked on Malta, where he stayed 3 months.
3. When Spring came, he sailed to Syracuse, Rhegium, and Puteoli, finally arriving in Rome, where
he was imprisoned for 2 more years.

G. Paul's movements after the Roman imprisonment.

Paul was apparently freed in after the Roman imprisonment. there is Biblical and early church
historical evidence and that Paul was released and traveled more, including a trip to Spain.
(Clement of Rome in I Clement, and II Tim.) At some point he returned to Rome where he was
martyred in the summer of 64 A.D.

Assigning dates to the events in the list above.

After assembling the chronological sequence, the next step is to discover, if possible, a firm time
"peg" somewhere in the sequence. If any event in the sequence can be dated independently and
reliably, the other events can also be dated by counting backward and forward from the peg. In
the case of Paul, we have a very good peg dating his Corinthian ministry during the second
missionary visit.

Gallio (Acts 18:12) The mention of Gallio as proconsul of Achaia offers the possibility of
establishing a fixed point in the chronology of Paul's life. From that point, we can reckon
forward and backward to establish the best times for all of the events mentioned.

 Achaia was the area of ancient Greece south of Macedonia. The province was made responsible
to the Senate by Claudius in A.D. 44.
 The term of office for a Proconsul (governor) was 1 year (2 years in rare cases).
 The beginning of the term of office was May or June. This is indicated by the fact that in A.D.
42, Claudius ordered all proconsuls to leave Rome for their provinces by April 1. In A.D. 43, he
amended his law so that proconsuls only had to leave by the middle of April. Thus, allowing for
travel time, the term of office would have started in early summer and lasted from summer to
summer.
 Some biographical information on Gallio is available. His full name was L. Junius Gallio
Annaeanus. He was a brother of Seneca, the Roman Philosopher. Gallio is recorded in history by
both Tacitus and Dio Cassius.
 The Delphi Inscription is a copy of a letter from the emperor Claudius to the city of Delphi
(located across the bay from Corinth). In it, we find the name of Gallio mentioned in his official
capacity of proconsul, and the letter is dated.
 The date given is the 26th "imperial acclamation" of emperor Claudius. An imperial acclamation
was an honorary appellation by which the Roman soldiers saluted their general after a military
victory. Later, the Senate took over the giving of the imperial acclamation, and the nature of the
appellation changed to one signifying supreme power. Emperors during this period were
receiving these honors on a regular basis, often more than once in a year. The 26th and 27th
imperial acclamation of Claudius occurred in 52 A.D.
o This date is arrived at by considering another honor known as the "tribunician power." Roman
magistrates known as tribunes enjoyed a certain amount of respect, and a similar privilege was
conferred upon the emperor when he was granted this honor. The honor came to be granted
annually, in addition to the initial granting upon the ascension of the new emperor to the throne.
This honor is also mentioned in the Delphi inscription. Although the exact number of times this
honor had been conveyed is lost from the tablet, a corresponding Carian inscription links
Claudius' 12th tribunician power (going from Jan. 25 A.D. 52 to Jan. 25 A.D. 53) with his 26th
imperial acclamation. Therefore the 26th imperial acclamation must fall within this period.
o On the Aqua Claudia at Rome, (an aqueduct dedicated on Aug. 1, A.D. 52), is an inscription
which states that Claudius had received the tribunician power the l2th time, and had received the
imperial acclamation the 27th time. Thus Claudius must have received his 26th imperial
acclamation prior to the building of the Aqueduct (i.e. within the time period from Jan. 25 to
August 1, A.D. 52). Therefore the Delphi inscription can be dated as having been written during
the first half (Jan-July) of 52 A.D. C.
o Narrowing the date: When was Paul brought before Gallio?
 Acts 18:11-12 states that Paul stayed a year and six months in Corinth. He was then brought
before Gallio by the Jews, "while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia." It is likely that Gallio was
newly arrived in Achaia at the time of this trial. As a new magistrate, he would be anxious to
curry favor with the natives by granting their legal requests. He would thus provide a ripe
opportunity for the Jews to try to get rid of Paul. It is probable, therefore, that Paul was brought
before Gallio in the summer of 51 A.D.

Counting Backward

After establishing the sequence of events, and the chronological notes involved, and driving a
firm time "peg" into the ground, we can use the sequence to count backwards or forward. Other
corroborating material should fit in naturally.

1. Arrival at Corinth-- Counting backwards from the time that Paul was brought before Gallio 1 &
1/2 years (which was the amount of time previously spent in Corinth) we come to the winter of
49/50 A.D. as the time of Paul's arrival at Corinth.
o There is evidence to support this conclusion from the historian Orossius. In Acts 18:2, it says that
when he arrived at Corinth, Paul "found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, lately come
from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome."
 Orossius says that this was the expulsion referred to by Seutonius in Claudius 25, "since the Jews
constantly made disturbances at the instigation of a certain Chrestus, he expelled them from
Rome." (It has been suggested that "Chrestus" was, in fact, Christ, which, if true, would make
this one of the earliest mentions of Jesus in secular history.) Orossius also says that this
expulsion occurred in the 9th year of Claudius' reign. If we consider the first year of his reign to
be the reckoning point, (since he started on Jan. 25) then the ninth year would have been A.D.49.
Thus, it could truly be said that Aquila had "lately come" when he met Paul in the winter 49/50.
2. Beginning the 2nd missionary journey-- Allowing a period of from eight to ten months for the
events that occurred from the beginning of the second journey until the arrival at Corinth seems
reasonable. The actual time units given are short (usually stays of days or weeks in each city),
and there are several unknown units of time as well. Subtracting this figure then from the date of
his arrival in Corinth (winter 49/50) would bring us to the spring of 49 A.D. as the start of his
2nd Missionary Journey.
3. The Jerusalem Council-- This would indicate that the Jerusalem Council occurred in the winter
of 48/49 A.D. (possibly Jan.- Feb. of 49 A.D.). Paul would have spent only a short time in
Jerusalem, and then would have returned to Antioch with the news of the Council's decisions.
4. The First Missionary Journey-- This journey would need to have been finished and Paul returned
to Antioch by the fall of 48 A.D. in order to leave time for the council and related events. The
length of his lst Missionary Journey would have been anywhere from 4 to 10 months. This would
put his departure for the lst Missionary Journey no sooner than early spring 48 A.D.
5. The Second Trip To Jerusalem-- We can place his second trip to Jerusalem (the one resulting
from Agabus' prophecy--Acts 11:27ff) anywhere between 44 and early 48 A.D. In order to check
our work, and to narrow it down, we have two considerations:
o the Famine (see Acts 11:27-30) recorded by Luke took place in approximately 46 A.D. according
to Tacitus. Josephus and Sentonius say it was between 44 and 48 A.D.
o At about this time the death of Herod occurred (Acts 12). Herod died c. 44 A.D. (although some
scholars argue for a later date)
o As will be seen, the later date is preferred for this event, so we might speculate that the visit
could have occurred as late as late 47 A.D. (since the effects of the famine would not have been
felt until after the drought was over). We know from Acts 11:26 that Paul was in Antioch at least
l year prior to this trip, which would place his coming to Antioch in 46 A.D. if not earlier.
6. The First Jerusalem Visit-- If the second Galatian visit is the same as the second visit of Paul as
recorded in Acts, then we should be able to count backwards either 14 or 17 years (depending on
whether Paul meant the three years and the 14 years to be consecutive or contiguous--both dating
from the decisive event of his salvation) and find out when Paul was converted. If the larger
figure is used, it will be seen that Paul must have been converted in A.D. 30! To avoid this
problem, some scholars suggest that the second visit to Jerusalem mentioned in Galatians is
actually referring to the Jerusalem council. However, this is hardly likely for the following
reasons.
o Why would Paul fail to mention a visit to Jerusalem when he was defending himself against
charges that he was just a mimicker of the other Apostles? In light of vs. 20 in Gal. 1, this would
certainly be a serious omission indeed!
o Gal.2:2 gives the reason for the visit in vs.1. Paul says "...it was because of a revelation that I
went up." This would be a very appropriate description of the Agabus visit, but a very poor one
of the council visit. There is no vision or revelation mentioned in connection with the council
visit.
o Gal 2:2 also says that Paul submitted to the apostles the gospel that he was preaching, but that he
did so "in private." Yet, at the Jerusalem council, Paul had to argue his theology publicly--
before both the leaders and everyone else (see Acts 15:4).
o Gal. 2:10 says that the only thing the Apostles had to say was that Paul should "remember the
poor". At the Jerusalem council, they said four things, and none of them had to do with the poor!
As a matter of fact, the content of the rulings given at the Jerusalem council related directly to
the subject matter that Paul is discussing-- the content of the gospel. For Paul to paraphrase the
findings of the council in this way would be nothing less than pure distortion of the truth!
o The final and most telling argument has to do with why Paul never does mention the findings of
the council if, in fact, it had already occurred. It cannot be argued that Paul rejected the findings
of the council, in view of Acts 16:4. We are forced to assume therefore that the council had not
yet occurred.
o Assuming then, that the second visit mentioned in Gal.2:1 is, in fact, the visit in connection with
Agabus' vision, we are left with an even more difficult problem fitting 17 (or even 14!) years in
between Paul's conversion and the Acts 11 visit to Jerusalem. This visit cannot be dated any later
than 47 A.D. as already pointed out above.
o However we might be dealing with a figure that is actually less than 14 years. It was common
practice to count a part of a year as a whole year. Compare Acts 19:8-10 with Acts 20:31 to see
how Paul reckoned an actual period of 2 years and 3 months into 3 years. Therefore the actual
figure that we are dealing with could very easily be closer to 13 years.
o Counting back approximately 13 years we would arrive at late 33 A.D. or sometime in 34 A.D.
as the time of Paul's conversion. We can also see that Paul's first visit to Jerusalem happened no
earlier than the fall of 36 A.D.

Counting Forward

1. We placed Paul's confrontation before Gallio as happening in the summer of 51 A.D. After a
short period of time Paul returned to Antioch, in the fall of 51 A.D.
2. The Third Missionary Journey-- After allowing the winter to pass, Paul started his 3rd
Missionary Journey in the spring of 52 A.D. Paul's journey brought him to Ephesus where he
stayed for 2 years and 3 months. This brings us to the summer of 54 A.D. Paul then passed
through Macedonia in the fall and arrived in Greece where he spent 3 months (Acts 20:3). This
would have been mid-winter A.D. 54/55. Returning through Macedonia during the spring (Acts
20:3), he sailed from Phillipi shortly after April 7 (Acts 20:6). He arrived in Jerusalem in
May/June A.D. 55, prior to Pentecost.
3. From Jerusalem to Fair Havens-- Paul was arrested in Jerusalem in the summer of A.D. 55 and
taken to Caesarea where he was confined for 2 years (Acts 24:27). This brings us to summer of
A.D. 57. At that point, Paul left by ship for Rome (Acts 27:1-2). Luke says it was very slow
going (Acts 27:7). They arrived eventually at Fair Havens on Crete, where they stayed until after
the "fast" (i.e. the day of atonement, 7 Tishri) was past. This would have been after Sept. 29, of
that year--A.D. 57.
4. From Fair Havens to Rome-- they then set sail and were shipwrecked at Malta 14 days later,
which would be in late October. (Acts 27:27; 18:1). They stayed for 3 months (A.D. 57/58, Acts
 28:11). In Feb. of A.D. 58, they set sail for Rome and arrived at Rome in the spring of 58 A.D.
Paul remained in custody for 2 more years (Acts 28:30) which brings us up to 60 A.D.
5. After the Roman Imprisonment-- Paul was apparently freed shortly after this time as he predicted
in Phil. 1:25. References to this time in l Clement 5 and the Muratorian Fragment make it
probable that he visited Spain. This is also the most likely time for the writing of I and II
Timothy and Titus (as well as Hebrews if, indeed he wrote that book). He then returned to Rome,
where he was martyred in the summer of 64 A.D., in connection with the persecution instituted
by Nero (II Tim. 4:6).
Paul's Principles for Cross Cultural Ministry
Written by Karl Dahlfred on 11 July 2009.

I love reading articles about missions that both point me back to Scripture and demonstrate intimate acquaintance with the realities of life and ministry
on the mission field. "Putting Contextualization in its Place" in the recent 9Marks eJournal is one of those article. The author presents an excellent
explanation of how contextualization is found in the pages of Scripture, and is not an idea hoisted onto it. He then goes on to explain how and his team
put this principles into practice in their setting in a Central Asian country. The article covers a lot of ground and is worth reading in its entirety but I
wanted to share with you one particular section that I found to be a good reminder of what my attitude and approach should be in living with and trying
to serve the Thai people.

******************

PAUL'S PRINCIPLES FOR CROSS-CULTURAL MINISTRY

Perhaps the most widely-quoted passage of Scripture that teaches about contextualization is 1 Corinthians 9:1-23:

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an
apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a
believing wife,1 as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain
from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends
a flock without getting some of the milk?

8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an
ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake,
because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among
you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13
Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in
the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have
anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon
me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but not of my own will, I am still entrusted
with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of
my right in the gospel.

19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in
order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those
under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ)
that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that
by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
This text is worth close examination. In interpreting this passage, it is important to remember that Paul was a Hellenistic Jew working in a cross-cultural
setting in Corinth. In fact, Paul in many ways is what we today would call a "Third Culture Kid." He grew up in the Greek culture of Hellenistic Tarsus in
modern-day Turkey, but he grew up there as a Jew. He trained in Jerusalem as a rabbi and a Pharisee. He had a foot in both worlds. Corinth itself was a
grossly immoral and idolatrous city. The church there faced issues that the church in Palestine would never even imagine.

The specific context of this passage is Paul's extended discussion of whether or not Christians should eat meat sacrificed to idols. This discussion could
only arise in a Gentile setting like Corinth. The kosher laws of rabbinic Judaism would have made this entire issue impossible, so Paul was forced to deal
with something for which his theological education gave him no training at all. He does so pastorally, in the context of what it really means to love our
brothers and sisters, recognizing that some brothers and sisters have stronger consciences than others. In the process, he broadened the discussion to
address how our freedom in Christ intersects the work of the gospel in a cross-cultural setting.

The key to understanding this passage is found in verse 12: "We endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ." Paul's
passion was the advance of the gospel, and he didn't want anything unnecessary to hinder that advance. This did not mean that he would compromise
any biblical truth or biblical command in the process. Verses later on in the chapter make that clear. However, he was willing to endure any inconvenience
or personal hardship that might enable the gospel to spread more effectively.

He expanded on that thought with some key principles for cross-cultural ministry.

1. Give Up Your Rights

First, Paul voluntarily chose not to make use of legitimate rights. He had a right to eat meat, to take along a believing wife, and to receive monetary
support. He would not be sinning by doing any of those things. Indeed, such things would be considered normal and even expected, and other apostles
apparently did them. Nevertheless, Paul gave up those rights in order not to put any obstacle in the way of the gospel.
We Americans struggle with this. We are raised to demand our rights. As a free American, I have a "right" to do a lot of things that would be offensive in
my new cultural context: wear my shoes indoors, eat or touch someone with my left hand, put up a fence around my own yard without my local
community leader's permission, or even leave a Central Asian birthday party before the rice is served! I have the "right" to dress how I want, eat
whatever I want, and decorate my house how I want. However, at the same time, I do not have a biblical command to do any of these things.

The issue in exercising these rights is not obedience to God, but my own comfort and convenience. If anything that I do makes it harder for Muslims to
hear the gospel from me, other than those things that Scripture commands me to do, I need to give them up voluntarily.

2. Become a Servant of Non-Believers

Second, Paul adopted a posture of servanthood toward non-believers. In verse 19, he wrote: "Though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to
all, that I might win more of them." Paul approached non-Christians with the mindset of a servant. It is clear that he is not talking here about serving
Christians, because he is serving those who need to be won. So Paul not only chose not to make use of his rights, he went farther and chose to make
himself the servant of those whom he is trying to reach with the gospel.

This idea also rubs our flesh the wrong way, especially when we are in the throes of culture shock. We want to set people straight, not serve them! Yet
Jesus himself came not to be served, but to serve. He served people who were wrong, who were in rebellion against him, and who would eventually kill
him. Paul understood the mind of his master well at this point.

The posture of servanthood reflects the character of Christ, shatters stereotypes of the ugly American, and causes barriers to drop. Servanthood is an
essential characteristic of effective cross-cultural ministry, and it paradoxically defines how we are to make use of our freedom in Christ.

3. Adapt to Others' Lifestyle as Much as Possible Without Sinning

Third, Paul chose to identify with the people he was trying to reach, and to adapt to their lifestyle as much as he could without compromising the law of
Christ (see verses 19-23).

Paul was a Jew. The Jews really were God's chosen people. If any culture had a right to consider itself intrinsically more godly than all others, it was
Jewish culture. Paul certainly had a "right" to maintain his Jewish cultural heritage. At the same time, Paul had been set free from the burden of the law.
He was certainly free from the rabbinic hedge around the law. He had a "right" to ignore any of the endless extra-biblical rules and regulations of
Pharisaic Judaism. Yet, with Jews he acted like a Jew. With Gentiles he acted like a Gentile. With the weak – people with lots of scruples and hang-ups –
he lived within their scruples.

He became all things to all people that by all means he might save some. He identified with the people he was trying to reach. He adapted his lifestyle to
theirs in anything that might block them from hearing the gospel. He valued the gospel more than his own rights, more than hi s own comfort, more than
his own culture. If there was any offense in the gospel, he wanted it to be the offense of the cross, and not the offense of foreignness.

4. Stay Within the Bounds of Scripture

Fourth, however, Paul insisted on staying within the bounds of Scripture. In the middle of his statement on identification and adaptation, he inserts an all-
important parenthesis: "not being outside the law of God, but under the law of Christ."

Although free from the requirement of keeping the ceremonial law, and free from the penalty of failing to keep the law of God perfectly, and certainly free
from the burdensome rabbinic superstructure of rules built around the law, he still very much regarded himself as under the authority of God expressed
in his word. Scripture, in its theology, worldview, commands and principles, set the boundaries for his adaptation to the people he was trying to reach.

The same must apply to us. Every human culture reflects common grace, but every culture also reflects the fall. We must not adapt to that which
contradicts Scripture.

Paul's understanding of this principle becomes clear when the entirety of his writings are examined. He refused to accommodate to the "wisdom" of the
popular Hellenistic worldview around him, because he realized that it negated the gospel at its very heart, however sophisticated it might have sounded.
Indeed, Paul never condoned diversity or accommodation in matters of doctrine. He did not accommodate the seedy practices of contemporary itinerate
teachers. He most certainly did not accommodate the "acceptable" immorality of Corinthian society. Human culture and human tradition are negotiable.
God's Word is not, ever.

Contextualization, then, is both unavoidable and good. The gospel can, and should, transform people in every culture. And we must identify with those
we are trying to reach and adapt to their culture, no matter what discomfort it causes us. However, the gospel also challenges and condemns every
culture at some points (including our own). Where the Bible draws a line, we must draw a line.

The point of contextualization is not comfort, but clarity. The gospel will never be completely comfortable in any fallen society or to any sinful human
being. Our goal is to make sure that we do not put any obstacles in the way of the gospel, and that the only stumbling block is the stumbling block of the
cross itself. (© 9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org. Email: info@9marks.org. Toll Free: (888) 543-1030.)
Mission Essentials: The story of cross-cultural mission in Acts
Dean Flemming
Tuesday, March 13, 2012

The story of the early church is a story of crossing boundaries. Acts narrates the movement of the gospel of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth,
according to Jesus’ promise in Acts 1:8. Like ripples from a stone that is dropped into a pool of water, the witness of Jesus’ followers extends toward ever wider
geographical areas and new groups of people. The Holy Spirit guides and empowers this movement from beginning to end.

The first signs of a boundary-crossing gospel appear on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 2). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the miracle of
people from all nations hearing the good news in their various languages. This symbolizes that the gospel is not confined to any single nation or to the Hebrew
tongue. It is able to address all people in their own “heart language.” This is a foundation pillar for the church in mission in every generation.

Nevertheless, in the early chapters of Acts, the Christian movement operates solely within the cultural and religious borders of the Jewish people. It is not until
Jesus’ disciples are scattered by persecution that we see the gospel crossing cultural boundaries. In Acts 8, a Greek-speaking Jew named Philip leaves the
familiar confines of Jerusalem to share the good news with the people of Samaria (see Acts 8:4-25). This is a bold step. The Samaritans, who were not full-
blooded Jews, were considered culturally and religiously inferior by Jewish people. The Samaritans’ positive response to the gospel shows that God is interested
in “outsiders,” as well as “insiders.”

The story of Philip’s encounter with an Ethiopian official on a desert road enables the gospel to cross another boundary (see Acts 8:26-39). This man is a dark-
skinned African, probably a Gentile. At the same time, he is a sincere seeker after the God of Israel, returning from worshipping at the temple in Jerusalem. Philip
meets him where he is, explaining the Scriptures that he is already reading. The result is that for the first time in Acts, a Gentile comes to faith in Jesus the
Messiah. Racial, cultural, and geographical barriers come down.

Acts 10 and 11 describe Peter’s encounter with the Roman officer Cornelius. This is a critical moment in the gospel’s movement into the Gentile world. It is
actually the story of two conversions. On the one hand, Cornelius and his household readily receive the gospel when they hear it from Peter. This event
symbolizes that Gentiles, as well as Jews, are welcomed into God’s family.

On the other hand, Peter has to experience a theological and cultural conversion. Through a vision of unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16), God shows him that his
understanding of who is “in” and who is “out” of God’s favor is far too narrow. At first, Peter resists. “Surely not, Lord!” (Acts 10:14). Ultimately, he is dragged
“kicking and screaming” by the Holy Spirit into the discovery that God doesn’t play favorites, but accepts people from every nation (Acts 10:34-35). Are there times
when our culture-bound perspectives get in the way of what God wants to do in the world?

If the story of Peter and Cornelius paves the way for a mission to Gentiles, we see an actual example of that mission in the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). This
is the first multicultural church, where Jewish and Gentile Christians worship, and, apparently share meals (a big issue in their cultural world!) together. The church
in Antioch is also the first missionary sending church. Under the guidance of the Spirit, they send out Paul and Barnabas on the first “overseas” mission to Gentiles
as well as Jews (Acts 13:1-3). Mission today remains, not the activity of “lone Christians,” but the calling of the whole church.

It is in the ministry of the apostle Paul, however, that we see the gospel truly reaching the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The second half of Acts tells the story of
the missionary work of Paul and his colleagues, as the word of God penetrates the Gentile world. There is more to say about that than space allows. Therefore I
will simply highlight one dimension of Paul’s ministry—how he approached different cultural audiences. Paul was absolutely committed to the gospel that
announces God’s mission to reconcile all people through Jesus Christ. At the same time, Paul was flexible in the way that good news could be expressed.

If we compare what Paul said to a group of Jews at a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (see Acts 13:13-43) to his message to some educated Gentiles in Athens (see
Acts 17:16-33), we find great sensitivity to the situation and the audience. In the former case, Paul narrates a story that is well known to his Jewish listeners,
relating how God has worked in the history of his people Israel. He repeatedly quotes Scripture to show that God’s promises are fulfilled in Jesus. In Athens,
however, Paul begins with a point of contact familiar to his Gentile audience—an altar to an unknown god. This becomes a springboard to talk about the “Lord of
heaven and earth,” who created everything. It is language these biblically illiterate people can understand. And rather than a series of Bible quotations, he cites
their own Greek poets!

Yet Paul does not water down the message. He announces the good news that God raised Jesus from the dead, even though some of his audience think this
claim is disgusting and silly (17:31-32). Paul offers a good model for us today. Our efforts in mission must always be sensitive to the life situations of the different
groups of people we encounter. At the same time, we must tell and live out the good news without compromising the message. The gospel challenges aspects of
every worldview and culture—including our own.

The story of Acts, then, is the story of barriers coming down. The gospel is for all kinds of people and every culture. And we are also part of that story. The church
today is called to get caught up in the same mission of God. God’s purpose to bring salvation to the world through a Spirit-empowered church is an unfinished
story. It is a story that is still being lived out in places like Lima and London and Lagos—to the very ends of the earth.

-- Dean Flemming is professor of New Testament and missions at MidAmerica Nazarene Universityin Olathe, Kansas. Previously, he was a lecturer at European
Nazarene College, in Büsingen, Germany, since 2000. He also has served as professor of New Testament at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological
Seminary, Philippines (1987-97), and as a local church pastor in Japan and the U.S.
Refine your search:
Select a VOLUME/YEAR to show ISSUES

VOLUME/YEAR
ARTICLE TYPE
SERIES
AUTHOR
BIBLE TEXT

 Home
 71/1995
 Issue: 4, 11/15/1994
 VanOverloop Ronald


Cross-Cultural Missions - Its Biblical Basis

By VanOverloop Ronald, in Go Ye Into All the World
Volume 71/1995
Issue: 4, 11/15/1994

PREVIOUS ARTICLE

NEXT ARTICLE

Rev. VanOverloop is pastor of Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church in Bauer, Michigan.

The last command of the ascending Christ to His church was that it "go into all the world" and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).

Local congregations and denominations must, to the best of their ability, take the glorious gospel of grace everywhere, to every nation and people. God has elected His people
out of every nation, tribe, and tongue to manifest the diversity and extent of His grace. This universality and diversity of the church serve as the occasion for those already saved
to take the "good news" to as many as they can, even into different counties with their different cultures.

The gospel crosses cultures. It is greater than any one nation and culture. It may not be limited to any one race of people. It cannot be restricted.

During the whole of the old dispensation the good news of salvation in the Messiah was brought, with rare exceptions, only to the descendants of Abraham. The message of
salvation was almost exclusively given to Israelites. The result was that this salvation and its message became an essential part of the life and daily practice of that particular
nation and people. The few individuals, from outside of the physical seed of Abraham who were saved were obvious exceptions to the rule; and then (except for the Ninevites)
they were saved in the way of being brought into and becoming a part of Israel. The corporate organism of those whom God saved was identified with the nation of Israel. The
church and the nation of Israel were seen to be one and the same.

The new dispensation introduces the truth that God saves people "out of every nation." Jews and Gentiles are made to be one in Christ. Instead of being "without Christ, aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world," non-Jews who believe are "now in Christ Jesus"
(Eph. 2). The middle wall of partition between the two is broken down. Circumcision and uncircumcision do not amount to anything in themselves.

The crossing of cultures with the gospel began in earnest, after the Spirit of the ascended Christ was poured out on Pentecost. The Spirit was given to believers from many
different nations, and the good news about the coming of the Christ was proclaimed in many different languages.

The task of taking the preaching from one culture into another is no easy task. It was extremely difficult immediately after the Spirit was poured out upon people from every
nation. And it is very difficult today.

The apostle Paul was very conscious of what happens when the gospel crosses from one culture into another. So distinct was the presentation of the gospel to the
uncircumcised from its presentation to the circumcised that the inspired apostle speaks of two gospels: "the gospel of the uncircumcision" and "the gospel of the circumcision"
(Gal. 2:7). The apostle was inspired to use similar language when he wrote to the Corinthians for the first time, and said that to the Jews he came "as under the law," and to the
Gentiles he came "as without law" (I Cor. 9:20, 21). This strong language does not imply and may not be made to imply that the gospel was or is to be changed in any sense.
But this language is used to make clear that the manner in which the gospel is to be brought is going to be different. Paul is inspired to use this language to show that the same
gospel is to be presented differently, depending upon the audience to whom the gospel is being preached.

In the epistle to the Galatians we are taught that the gospel had to be presented differently to those who had no knowledge of and background in the Old Testament Scriptures,
in contrast to those who do have that knowledge and background. The one and same gospel had to be preached differently. It is the same gospel, but its presentation is so
distinct that it is called "the gospel of the uncircumcision" in contrast to "the gospel of the circumcision."

These different presentations of the same gospel brought criticism upon Paul. Some charged him with preaching a false gospel. In the first two chapters of his letter to the
Galatians he defends himself and the gospel he had been preaching among the Gentiles, which included the Galatian churches. Paul labors to show that what he preached
among them was not of or from man, but was of and from God (Galatians 1:11, 12). To substantiate this claim, Paul describes his conversion (Galatians 1:13-16) and his early
ministry (Galatians 1:16-24). Then he speaks of the conclusion of the leaders. of the Christians at the "Jerusalem Council" (Galatians 2:1-10), namely, that God had committed
to him and Barnabas the responsibility of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to the heathen, even as He had committed to Peter, James, and John the responsibility of
preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to the Jews. His unique ministry to the heathen was acknowledged and accepted by the church. Finally, Paul is inspired to describe a
time when he was forced to confront Peter when Peter foolishly and sinfully conducted himself as if one had to become a Jew to be truly saved in Jesus Christ. The apostle
goes to such length in his inspired epistle to the Galatians in order to show that while the gospel is the same, the manner of its presentation is to be distinct, and this distinction
is not to, be judged as compromising the gospel.

The Holy Spirit saw fit to include in the book of Acts the record of some of the sermons preached by the apostles. These sermons are examples of the presentation of the gospel
and its demands upon those who hear it. In Acts 13 we find a sermon Paul preached to an audience in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:16-41). The hearers in that
synagogue that Sabbath day were Jews ("men of Israel"—verse 16; "children of the stock of Abraham"—v. 27) and Gentiles who had been proselytized into the Jewish nation
("ye that fear God"—vv. 16, 27). Paul's presentation of the gospel to this audience was based on the Old Testament Scriptures and on God's relationship to Israel and His
promise to David. There is obviously no need for this audience to have an explanation of who David, Moses, and John the Baptist are. No explanation is needed when quotes
are made from Psalm 2, Psalm 16, and Isaiah 55.

In Acts 17 the Holy Spirit records another sermon. This sermon, preached by the same apostle who preached in Antioch's synagogue, is a sample of the kind of sermon which
was preached to the heathen. There the apostle Paul is presenting the gospel to philosophers of the Epicureans and of the Stoics, to the men of Athens. In this sermon the
apostle does not quote from the Old Testament, nor does he refer to figures of the Old Testament, but he begins by declaring God to be Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
This sermon of the apostle is not to be judged a poorer sermon than the one preached to the Jews in the synagogue in Antioch. It is rather to be seen as evidence that the one
and same gospel is to be proclaimed in different manners, depending on the audience. The sermon is of the same quality as that preached in the synagogue in Antioch. The
difference is not in the gospel presented, but in the manner of its presentation to different cultures. Whether to the Jews and proselytes of Antioch, or to the Gentiles on Mars'
Hill, Paul condemned sin and demanded repentance and belief in Jesus Christ.

Further biblical evidence of the necessity of distinct presentations of the gospel, dependent on the culture of the audience, is found in I Corinthians 9:19-22. Paul declares
himself to be first and foremost a servant of Jesus Christ. This servitude compelled him to preach (I Cor. 9:16). But Paul is also a servant of the audiences to which he preached
("I made myself servant unto all"—v. 19). Because the minister is a servant to God, he must make himself a servant to others. He serves his Master by serving his Master's
people. Like the Master, missionaries and pastors are called, not to be served, but to serve those to whom they preach. It is this servitude to the audience which demands a
presentation of the gospel which they can most easily understand.

Paul describes his servitude to those to whom he preached as being "made all things to all men" (v. 22); "To the Jews" Paul conducted himself "as a Jew," that is, "as under the
law" (v. 20). The Jews to whom Paul brought the gospel believed themselves to be bound to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. They were still observing the temple
service, the sacrifices and feasts, circumcision, and the distinction between clean and unclean food. Paul knew that in Christ he was free from having to observe the ceremonial
laws. But for the sake of the gospel which he brought to the Jews, Paul lived under, that is, in observance of those laws. This does not mean that Paul compromised biblical
principles by taking up Jewish ritual and practice. But it does mean that, when among Jews, Paul observed Jewish custom concerning things indifferent. Paul did not consider it
a sin to observe a ceremonial law, if this observance was not done as a means to acquire salvation and righteousness. He preached Christ from the Old Testament Scripture,
but concerning food and drink he lived as a Jew. Though he was free to eat whatever food he wanted, he abstained from that which had been forbidden by ceremonial law, so
as not to give offense. In order not to offend the Jews to whom he came with the gospel, Paul had Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3). For the same reason Paul took upon himself
an old dispensational vow (Acts 21:23ff.). But Paul refused to have Titus circumcised when those who demanded Titus' circumcision said it was necessary for salvation (Gal.
2:1-3): Paul's observance of the ceremonial laws did not compromise the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ alone, but it was an accommodation in order to win the Jews and to
avoid being a stumbling block to them.

On the other hand, to the Gentiles Paul came "as without law" (v. 21). In Christ, Paul and we are made free from needing obedience to the law to be saved. But salvation in
Christ enabled Paul and enables us to keep the law by loving God and our neighbor. So when Paul was among the Gentiles, then he preached Christ and demanded
repentance and obedience, but he refused to live and act as a Jew. Paul also refused to demand that the heathen conform, to Jewish traditions and practices. As much as
possible Paul lived as the people with whom he labored.

The purpose for the distinctive presentations of the one gospel, according to the inspired apostle, is "that I might gain the more" (v. 19), or "that I might by all means save some"
(v. 22). This does not mean that Paul saw himself as the one who was gaining or saving people. Rather, Paul was conscious that God is pleased to use earthly means to
perform His miracles of saving and strengthening His people. God can use anything He wants or nothing at all, for nothing is impossible with Him. But He is pleased to use
means, and the Scriptures show us that the means He normally uses for bringing the gospel is the preaching by ministers and missionaries. God's sovereign use of the
preaching of ministers and missionaries does not relieve them of their responsibility to present the gospel in the preaching in the best possible way and to the best of their
ability. In fact, from a certain perspective, God's use of these men increases their responsibility to do the best they possibly can do. Paul was fully aware of this responsibility. He
knew that those who preach the gospel can offend unnecessarily by their conduct. It is a terrible sin to cause offense by conduct. Those who preach the gospel have the God-
given responsibility to conduct themselves with "meekness and fear" (I Pet. 3:15) and to see that their "speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:6). They are to
be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matt. 10:16). Paul used this approach because he desired, the salvation of those to whom God sent him to preach.

Paul adapted himself, in his presentation of the gospel, to the weak. His purpose was to bring them to Christ. Paul did not adapt himself to the stubborn, because his purpose
was not to further man's own interests. But in as far as he is able before God, Paul sought to live among the people to whom he preached the gospel, in such a way that he
would not by his personal conduct unnecessarily offend the hearers.

Taking the gospel across cultures requires wisdom, much wisdom, but it must be done. We must learn from the experiences of the early New Testament church, for they are
recorded as an example for us.

It is the intent of the four men responsible for this rubric during this volume-year to deal with the subject of cross-cultural missions biblically and practically. What is involved in
bringing the glorious gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to Singapore or Ghana or Jamaica? It is our prayer that these articles will make it easier for all to understand the issues
and difficulties of taking the gospel to other lands. We covet your prayers, your interest, and your questions and responses.