A Biblical model of a global Christian leader by Dr. David Coffey (Guest Writer)
By: David Coffey
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Paul as a missionary- pastor-theologian had a remarkable international vision for the 1st century and I have selected a passage from his life, when he is in his early 50's and he knows that time may be running out in term of years of active ministry. Paul can serve as our mentor in grounding us in some biblical principles for discovering the characteristics of a global Christian leader.
The best way to begin this passage is to read Romans 15:23-29 & 16:23, and using a map note the six geographical locations-Spain, Rome, Jerusalem, Corinth, Macedonia and Achaia. Paul is probably writing the letter to the Romans from Corinth (16:23) where he had been given an offering of money from the Christians of Macedonia and Achaia (15:26). He plans to take this offering to Jerusalem (15:25) and from Jerusalem he hopes to visit Rome (15:24 and 28) from where his ultimate destination is Spain (15:24 and 28).
He has a compelling vision to commence a missionary work in Spain. As we study this passage, remember that everything that Paul shares with the congregations at Rome is designed to gain spiritual and practical support for his church planting programme at the Western end of the Mediterranean.
Let me identify seven aspects of a global Christian leader
1. The global leader as a friend (15:23)
Romans is a letter from Paul to a city he has never visited, and yet it reveals a warm relationship with the diverse congregations in Rome. He can describe these Christians as a group of people he has been longing to meet for many years (15:23).
Paul had no access to email or Skype and cheap air flights were centuries away. How did he know so much about a place he had never visited and how was he able to express such warm tokens of friendship in his writings? Commercial travellers used the great network of Roman roads as well as the sea lanes of the Mediterranean and these travellers would arrive in cities such as Corinth. Christian leaders such as Aquila and Priscilla were living in Corinth AD 49-54 and were probably hosts to a number of business people from the congregations of Rome and by this means they became known to the apostle Paul who was resident in Corinth.
Paul had a network of international contacts and he remembered the people he had met and probably prayed for them. In chapter 16 there are 24 people he names, adding in most cases an appreciative personal reference. Emil Brunner called this chapter one of the most instructive in whole of the New Testament. Chrysostom said it is possible from these bare names to find a great treasure of pastoral wisdom.
The warmth and kindness in his greetings emphasise the importance of friendship. Paul had many Christian friends and appreciated them. Look at some of the affectionate terms he uses:
Epenetus-‘my dear friend’ (16:5); Ampliatus ’whom I love in the Lord’ (16:8); Stachys ‘my dear friend’ (16:9); Persis ‘my dear friend’ (16:12); the mother of Rufus ‘who has been a mother to me’ (16:13)
The first mark of the global leader is friendship. Fellowship with other leaders is a major building block and without strong caring friendships our global networks are impoverished. Think of creative ways to nourish long distance friendships?
2. The global leader as a bible student (vs.15-19)
Paul describes his missionary work as a ‘minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles’, which is a phrase carrying allusions to Old Testament passages concerning priests and sacrifices. The image of Gentile converts being offered to God as a sacrifice is drawn from the closing verses of the vision of Isaiah (66:20) and is a reminder that the Gospel is for all nations-including the inhabitants of far away Spain.
Eugene Petersen suggests that Paul’s mind was harnessed and saturated with scripture. The Bible for Paul is not just a book to study, but the scriptures provide him with his vocabulary and they sharpen his creative imagination. The scriptures are a vast presence in Paul’s life providing immense horizons. In the whole of Romans Paul uses 65 quotations from16 out of the 39 OT books. There are18 refs from Isaiah and 13 from the Psalms. Paul so inhabits a bible story that meditating on the Genesis passages he can speak in Romans 8 of the whole creation groaning in travail because of the Fall. As he reflects on the early chapters of Genesis, Abraham and Sarah are people who become alive in his imagination. He discerns the purposes of God in their lives and retells their story for our own faith journey as believers today (see Rom.4)
The second mark of the global leader is someone whose life and ministry is shaped by a personal knowledge of scripture. How can we emulate this pattern of spiritual formation in our walk with God? Think of some of the ways the Bible shapes your ministry.
3. The global leader as a visionary (vs.19-22)
In these verses you have a concise statement of Paul’s burning ambition. His vision was to plant churches where no one had been before. This is the core of how he feels called to serve the Lord. He first summarises ten years of his mission work which involved three missionary journeys. He indicates the boundaries of his journeys (vs19), from Jerusalem to Illyricum, which is the equivalent of Israel to modern day Albania. Within this framework he has operated according to a pioneering principle. Paul has always limited his preaching to virgin territory. He has gone where no one else has been, in order to lay the spiritual foundations stones of new congregations (vs.20)
He has limited his preaching ministry to evangelising those who have never heard the good news about Jesus Christ (vs21) and this church-planting ministry has been so demanding, he has been unable to visit the Christians at Rome. This same pioneering strategy is what has given him a missionary vision for Spain. The apostolic master builder has become vastly experienced in the digging of foundations of new congregations. This was not everybody’s calling but he perceived it as his God given vision.
The third mark of the global leader is someone who knows the personal plan God has determined for their life and everything else is subordinated to the fulfilment of that vision. Reflect on how you are discovering God’s personal plan for your part in his global mission.
4. The global leader as a strategist (vs.23-24)
It is not sufficient to have a God given vision, there has to be an accompanying strategy to deliver that vision. Paul has concluded his missionary work in the countries bordering on the eastern end of the Mediterranean and is now on the verge of fulfilling his long standing spiritual ambition to visit the capital city of the Roman Empire (vs.23)
Not only is Rome a cultural and political centre of great significance, it is the home of a competent and gifted cluster of congregations; Paul sees the strategic importance of Rome as a mission base for Spain. These congregations have the resources he needs to fulfil his mission objective. It is a sign of courtesy and spiritual maturity that he shares with the congregations in Rome this God given vision for church planting in Spain. If they are going to be an integral part of his strategy he has to give them time to own this vision for themselves.
It is instructive to note the way he outlines his vision:
*He prepares the ground for what will be a costly request by expressing his longing to see this group of Christians (vs.23)
*He expresses his confidence that there is a mutual ability in Paul and the church at Rome to refresh one another in spiritual things (vs. 29 and Rom.1:11-12)
*He explains to them the partnership he has in mind, summed up in the phrase ‘assist me on my journey there’ (vs.24) This is probably shorthand for the assembling of provisions for a long sea voyage; the gathering of immediate and long term economic support; the recruitment from the congregations of Rome of some suitably gifted travelling companions, and the dedicated commitment of prayer support from the Christians in Rome.
The careful sharing of a strategy with other people takes great patience and without this sharing, many good visions are never fulfilled.
Paul is using here the spiritual gift of administration. The Greek word kyberneseis is often translated in our bible as the gift of administration. (1 Cor 12.28) It is more accurate to translate the word as pilot. The pilot is the person gifted with gifts of navigation. The task of the pilot is to steer and navigate the ship.
Derek Tidball in his helpful study on this NT word reminds us that the gift of the kybernetes was the person whose hand was on the tiller. “This gift of piloting the church takes both skill and gift to know just what touch to have upon the tiller-when to be firm and when to be gentle, when to be authoritative and when to let go, when to be pro-active and when to be passive, when to be assertive and when to give others more responsibility”
The fourth mark of the global leader is to humbly recognise the God given gift of piloting the church. This gift is exercised in partnership with other leaders and in humble dependence on the Holy Spirit. Reflect on positive and negative examples of how you have initiated a mission strategy with God’s people.
5. The global leader as a passionate advocate for Gospel unity (vs.25-29)
You need to reflect on why it is that Paul is making a detour from Corinth to Jerusalem on the way to his desired destination of Rome? (vs.25) There must have been some trusted person from Corinth who could take the generous famine relief offering to Jerusalem? This would release Paul to get on with his plans for the Spanish mission he has in mind. There are three things to understand about this gift of money.
First, the money was a sign of Christian compassion. For a variety of reasons, including famine and persecution, the mother church at Jerusalem had been through a difficult and trying time. Some have suggested that in a city characterised by poverty, some of the Christians in Jerusalem were among the poorest of the poor.
There is evidence from the Acts of the Apostles of Paul assisting in the delivery of offerings to assist this needy congregation. (Acts 11:27-30)
Secondly, the gift was a sign of Christian unity. The givers of the famine offering were congregations in the regions of Macedonia and Achaia. They were mainly Gentile Christians who revelled in the freedom of the Gospel. The recipients of the famine offering were the very conservative believers of Jerusalem. This famine offering cut across the racial and theological divides of the church and this underlines the importance of the offering. The word ‘contribution’ in vs.26 is the same word we use for fellowship and indicates not just a generous gift of money, but a practical expression of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit which binds together all true believers in Christ.
Thirdly, the gift is a sign of a spiritual debt (vs.27). The debt which is spoken of in this verse soon becomes apparent when you consider the central theme of Romans. It was God’s intention that the Gospel should first be preached to Jewish people (1:16). Through the long years of preparation, God had chosen the Jews and into this chosen nation was born his son Jesus. The Gentile believers should feel a sense of deep gratitude to have been included in the privileges and promises first given to the Jews and should remember they are no more than a wild olive shoot which has been grafted into the branch (11:18-20)
The Acts of the Apostles remind us that Gentile believers first heard the good news of the Gospel through courageous Jewish missionaries such as Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas.
These missionaries risked their lives and reputations in taking the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul has no doubt worked hard through his teaching to persuade the Gentile Christians of Macedonia and Achaia of the deep symbolism of this famine offering. It is a material sign of a spiritual debt of gratitude to those who have given so much.
Too often Baptist Christians use their theological disagreements for withholding their funding from an organisation. Paul sees the famine offering in Gospel terms and uses it to express the deep importance of unity in diversity in the Body of Christ.
The fifth mark of the global leader is a person wholly committed to the unity of the Church. This is not a compromising unity willing to achieve oneness at any price, but a unity grounded in the truth of the Gospel. It is an emphasis that should not be lost on 21st century Christian leaders. One of the most urgent tasks is to foster leaders who will take seriously the prayer of Jesus in John 17. His prayer was for a unity in the Church that would enable the world to believe that God had sent Jesus into the world. What are the challenges to the unity of the church family in your part of the world-what steps can be taken to strengthen the bonds of fellowship?
6. The global leader as a courageous disciple who trusts God’s providence (verses 30-33)
These final verses are not Paul simply signing off a prayer letter with the customary words-‘please pray for me’. There are sufficient clues here to indicate this was a highly dangerous mission that Paul was undertaking with no certain outcome. On his way to Jerusalem he was warned of the dangers that awaited him in Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11) This is why he is asking the Roman congregations to pray for him in the spiritual warfare he knows he will encounter (vs.30) He invites prayers that he will be rescued from the opposition of unbelievers (vs.31) And there is an additional prayer request, that his service in Jerusalem will be acceptable (vs.31). There is obviously a lurking doubt in Paul’s mind about his arrival in the capital city.
Would the conservative leadership in Jerusalem be ready to accept a gift of money from Gentile Christians?
There is no record in the Acts of the Apostles that the gift was actually received, although we must accept the probability that Paul’s advocacy of persuasion and the dire need of the poor would have meant the gift exchanged hands successfully.
Paul’s prayer that he reached Rome for a time of mutual refreshing (vs.32) was eventually answered, but not in the way anyone would have expected. He had to survive trials in court-rooms and storms at sea. He nearly lost his life through a shipwreck off Malta and arrived in Rome as a prisoner. (Read how he describes his trials and tribulations in 2 Corinthians 11-23-33)
In facing these trying circumstances, Paul would have been drawing on the pastoral counsel he had offered to the Roman believers. He believed that in all things God is working for the good of those who love him (8:28)
The mystery of how God works through our ministry as leaders has to be acknowledged. The
Greater mystery concerns the contribution of prayer in our lives as leaders. In this functional age, Eugene Peterson reminds us that mystery is not what is left over when we have done our best to reason things out.
“Mystery is not the absence of meaning, but the presence of more meaning than we can comprehend. We need not figure everything out, but live in the awe of the God of mystery, glad to know there is more going on than we can see or get our minds around.”
The sixth mark of the global leader concerns Christian character. All of us, whatever our earthly titles or positions, are basically disciples of Jesus Christ. The call to discipleship is an invitation to a faith journey which will involve courageous cross bearing (Luke 9:23) Leaders cannot always comprehend the reasons why ministry is deeply difficult, and sometimes demonically challenging, but they can trust the one who has called them and look for the ways God is always working for their good. Reflect on the biggest challenges you have faced as a leader and what resources God has provided to strengthen you in the time of trial and temptation (Isaiah 43 verse2)
7. The global leader has a personal commitment to serve God’s global vision
From Genesis to Revelation we see that God’s plan of salvation is intended to bless the whole world. There is no narrow nationalistic self interest in the Mission of God. His promise to Abraham was that through his descendants the whole world would be blessed. (Gen. 12:3) The vision given to John was a redeemed community that God would call out of every nation tribe and people group (Rev.7:9)
From the brokenness of the nations in Genesis 11 to the healing of the nations in Revelation 21-22, behind it all stands God with a global mission. If we know we are called to serve this God, then by definition we are bound in covenant love to share this global vision.
Our ministry should reflect this global vision. We should always be extending the boundaries of our service and encouraging those we work with to possess this global heart. Think global and work local is the watchword. It is instructive to note the way the early church understood this commitment to the global mission. We tend to think that the mission of the Early Church followed neatly the Acts 1:8 commission of Jesus. The Holy Spirit empowered the apostles to be witnesses in the precise order of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. In fact as Chris Wright demonstrates (The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative IVP 2006), there was an amazing expansion of the Church in crisscrossing lines of mission and evangelism all over the international Mediterranean world. Philip goes from Jerusalem to Samaria, to Gaza, to Azotus and to Caesarea (Acts 8)
Peter goes to Lydda and Joppa (Acts 9:32-43). People from Cyprus go to Antioch and initiate a multiethnic church there (Acts 11:19-21)Barnabas goes from Antioch to Tarsus to get Saul ()Acts 11:22-26). Timothy goes form Lystra to Ephesus, while Titus ends up in Crete (Acts 16). Priscilla and Aquila come from Italy and end up in Corinth (Acts 18).
Apollos comes from Alexandria to Ephesus and then ends up in Corinth (Acts 18-19)
© David Coffey
June 2008
Not to be reprinted without the author's permission
Page 1 of 1