Paul was a pioneer
“The Christian movement...in 35 A.D.... would
Who was the
Apostle Paul?
Paul was a
theologian
“...the fact remains that Paul’s influence and
writings have shaped Christianity as the
writings/theology of no other single individual
have...if theology is measured in terms of
articulation of Christian belief, then Paul’s
letters laid a foundation for Christian theology
which has never been rivaled or superseded.
Hence also the claim that he is the greatest
Christian theologian of all time...”
~ James D. G. Dunn
Paul was Human
“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
~ I Timothy 1:15
As a human, Paul was subject to the same
limitations as everyone else. He was not
omniscient - he needed to learn & grow.
have appeared to a superficial observer to be a
Jewish sect. Thirty years later it was plainly a
world religion. This establishment of
Christianity as a world religion, to almost as
great an extent as any great historical
movement can be ascribed to one man, was the
work of Paul.” ~ J. Gresham Machen
“The spread of Christianity cannot be imagined
apart from [Paul’s] work...he devoted all to the
task of Gentile evangelization.” ~ F.F. Bruce
Paul was a
missionary
“the awareness is dawning in current
scholarship that Paul should be understood not
simply as a theologian and writer of letters but
as a self-supporting missionary actively engaged
in cooperative projects with a number of groups
and individuals.” ~ Robert Jewett
What helped paul on
his spiritual journey?
Paul benefited from godly fellowship
Paul believed in God’s promises
Paul believed in God’s sovereignty
 Godly Fellowship
Philippians 1:3-5 ~ “I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you, always in every
prayer of mine making request for you all with
joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the
first day until now,”
“koinonia” - partnership, fellowship, sharing.
Paul’s Fellowship
“Paul’s letter to the Philippians is like an open
window into the Apostle’s very heart. In it we
have the artless outpouring of his unrestrained
love for and his unalloyed joy in his devoted
and loyal Philippian friends. It is the most
intimate and spontaneous of his writings... It
is ... a letter of love, inspired by friendship
motives” ~ D. Edmond Hiebert
Paul’s Fellowship
“It rambles along just as any real letter would
with personal news and personal feelings and
outbursts of personal affection between tried
friends.” ~ Doremus Hayes
Fellowship is
influential
Proverbs 27:6 ~ “Faithful are the wounds of a
friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Proverbs 27:17 ~ “As iron sharpens iron, so a
man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
Proverbs 13:20 ~ “He who walks with wise men
will be wise, but the companion of fools will be
destroyed.”
Proverbs 12:26 ~ “The righteous should choose
his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked
leads them astray.
Paul’s Fellowship
“Only from friends who lay deep in his love and
confidence would Paul have received gifts of
money. We can measure his tenderness for
them by the strength of the principle which
absolutely forbade him to take such help from
others.” ~ R.D. Shaw
Paul’s Fellowship
Ananias - Acts 9:10-17
Paul’s friends were willing to take great risks
for the Lord. Personal ambition and even
personal safety were subservient to obedience
to God.
Paul must have been thankful for this man’s
boldness and obedience.
Paul’s Fellowship
Barnabas - Acts 9:26-27
Barnabas was convinced of Paul’s conversion
and usefulness. In fact, his conviction was so
strong that he was willing to be the first to
publicly associate with Paul.
Paul must have been influenced by Barnabas’
encouragement and conviction.
Paul’s Fellowship
Aquila & Priscilla - Acts 18:3
Even though Paul was a stranger to them,
Aquila & Priscilla opened their home to him.
Their concern for the teaching of God’s
Word is first alluded to in verse 18, but it is
seen more clearly in 18:26 and in I Cor.
16:19.
II. Paul believed
God’s promises
Promise of Preservation - 1:6
Promise of Adoption - 3:21
Promise of Provision - 4:19
Paul’s Fellowship
John Mark & Timothy
These two individuals give us a vivid contrast
in dealing with the weaknesses / immaturity
of others.
“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring
him with you, for he is useful to me for
ministry.” ~ II Timothy 4:11
Paul’s Fellowship
The point isn’t necessarily what Paul learned
from his friends, but rather that he had to have
been influenced (and vice-versa) by them.
It was a love for Christ that drew Paul and his
friends together.
II. Paul believed
God’s promises
Romans 5:8-10 ~ “But God shows his love for
us in that while we were still sinners, Christ
died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been
justified by his blood, much more shall we be
saved by him from the wrath of God. For if
while we were enemies we were reconciled to
God by the death of his Son, much more, now
that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by
his life.”
 II. Paul believed
God’s promises
I Corinthians 1:7-9 ~ “so that you are not
lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the
revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will
sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of
our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by
whom you were called into the fellowship of his
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
II. Paul believed
God’s promises
I Thessalonians 5:23,24 ~ “Now may the God of
peace himself sanctify you completely, and may
your whole spirit and soul and body be kept
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will
surely do it.”
II Timothy 4:18 ~ “The Lord will rescue me
from every evil deed and bring me safely into
his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory
forever and ever. Amen.”
Sovereignty in
Paul’s location
Paul understood that his being in prison was
actually fulfilling his life’s purpose. (Acts 9:16)
Acts 20:24 ~ “But none of these things move
me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so
that I may finish my race with joy, and the
ministry which I received from the Lord jesus,
to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
“When the apostle went to Rome as a prisoner,
it was in reality the gospel that went to Rome.”
~ William Hendriksen
II. Paul believed
God’s promises
II Corinthians 4:14 ~ “knowing that he who
raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with
Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”
Colossians 3:4 ~ “When Christ who is your life
appears, than you also will appear with him in
glory.”
III. Paul believed
God’s sovereignty
Paul recognized God’s sovereignty in:
His location
His reputation
His vocation
Sovereignty in
Paul’s reputation
“As far as one is able to gather from the text,
none of the heralds is a preacher of false
doctrine. There was a church in Rome long
before Paul arrived there. It can scarcely be
doubted, therefore, that certain preachers in
Rome had attained a degree of prominence
amount the brothers.” ~ Hendriksen
Having a great reputation wasn’t a high priority
for Paul (I Cor. 1) because it would be
inconsistent with Christ’s example (Phil. 2)
 Sovereignty in
Paul’s vocation
Paul was distressed because two desires were
burning within. While personally, he would
rather “break camp” and go to Christ, he
recognized that there was still work for him to
do on earth.
Application
Do you make fellowship a priority? Are you a
partner in the ministry? Your encouragement
and others’ could be at stake.
Do you really believe that God will keep His
word? Do you know what He has promised?
Do you find satisfaction in God’s sovereignty?
Being in despair will cease spiritual growth.