We can hardly imagine a New Testament canon if Barnabas had not mentored Paul. Although Barnabas does not get frequent mention in the lists of great Church thinkers, his intentional approach to befriending Paul is paradigmatic for theological educators. More than that, Barnabas brought Paul into the believers’ community, for theological education is most effectively done therein. Teachers and students all need strong community friendships to bring out their best and to curtail theological idiosyncrasy. The academy may laud great scholarship, but the Church craves scholar-pastors who mentor and have been mentored—or more biblically, discipled—and who promote community. Community does not arise by accident; it is formed intentionally by key members who have a proclivity …show more content…
In comparison with many other countries, the American Church is well resourced. One can hardly say anything about the academy without noting the large numbers of underemployed biblical scholars with PhDs in the United States, even while the Church in parts of Africa, Asia, South America, and even Europe are desperate for scholar-pastors to help in theological school teaching. Again, following the example of my own mentor Gordon Fee who took one term in three to serve the Church in developing countries, I hope to continue my commitment to teaching and training national church leaders in under-resourced countries, perhaps by volunteering my services abroad, or by leading student teams on short-term trips overseas, or by being involved in a college’s international students group. Believing in reciprocity of community, I believe that my own understanding of theological education will be enhanced significantly by the worldwide communion of the Church’s scholar-pastors and their congregations. Given the cross-culture ministry of Paul the scholar and Barnabas the mentor, such endeavors seem
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier . The Alban Institute, Inc., 1991. Kindle eBook file.
John MacArthur is a well-known and sometimes controversial pastor that holds a strong conservative viewpoint of the Scriptures. As a graduate of Talbot Theological Seminary, MacArthur’s ministry has covered a wide spectrum of Christian fields including pastor, author and radio host. MacArthur currently serves as the Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sunny Valley, California. For over 45 years his pastoral ministry at Grace Community Church has given evidence of a deep abiding love for the exposition of the Scriptures. Beyond his role as pastor, MacArthur serves as the president of the Master’s College and Seminary, which functions to train men to work in various areas of Christian ministry. As a successful author, MacArthur continues to write many books ranging from culturally and theological relevant issues to New Testament expositional commentaries and study guides. Macarthur also serves as the lead teacher of Grace to You, an everyday radio and television ministry, which centers on verse by verse exposition of Scripture. MacArthur is not known for shying away from controversial topics that Christianity struggles with. He seeks to use scripture to help modern Christians think through these topics.
Reverend Josiah Strong's Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis inspired missionaries to travel to foreign nations.
In the bible we see that one of the first well-known missionaries was the Apostle Paul. Even though we see that Paul had background work in taking care of or killing those who did not share the same mind set as he did, he did however experience a life changing moment where he was able see the importance of acceptance and bringing Christianity into ones own identity. The work of the Apostle Paul was given by God to serve all people and share with them God’s grace and message through Jesus Christ. 3 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for[a] Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,.” Paul traveled to many places and was known for sharing the...
Himes, B. (2011). Discipleship as theological praxis: Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a resource for educational ministry. Christian Education Journal, 8(2), 263-277.
“The call is something that is an indescribable joy and an indefinable burden at the same time.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 32). There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a congregation of the redeemed moving forward in their faith. However exciting this may be, it is usually not the thrill that propels the pastor in his service. It is the burden placed on the pastor by God that compels him in his work. The pastor understands that he is largely responsible for the work of God being accomplished by his faithfulness to his calling. “All through the Word of God and down through the annals of history, when God has moved it has almost always been attended by the preaching of the Word.” (Bryant and Brunson 2007, 31)
After a car accident three years ago, God used the recovery period to hone my old skills and birth new. Over the course of the process, He repositioned me for a different journey. The new path led to a transition from a secular K-12 setting to Christian higher education; yet, still within the context of supporting a diverse student population. My purpose became preparing and teaching ministerial leadership in a multi-ethnic church, “bridging the gap leadership.” In fulfilling God’s will and direction, I was led to me apply to graduate school.
As we first meet Joses, in the book of Acts, we learn much about his person. Joses, who we are told was surnamed Barnabas by the Apostles, must have spent a considerable amount of time with them, considering he had received a surname from them. Certainly, even in the free for all social climates that we have in society today, one would not deliberately call someone Fred when his given name was Lawrence unless their be great affection among these acquaintances. Most likely, because Barnabas was a Levite, he may have had previous interactions with the other apostles and through these interactions; they were able to view God’s development of his character. “This was not insignificant in itself because the granting of a nickname was often seen as a sign of respect.” Strong’s Concordance tells us the Barnabas means exhorter. “Joses was nicknamed Barnabas, which means Son of Exhortation, evidently because of his character and ability to encourage those who were downhearted.”
Jesus and Paul are two crucial characters in the New Testament. They both depict the Gospel on which Christianity is based upon, but there is debate about rather these two versions of the Gospel are complementary. Scholars like George Shaw claim that Paul is “anti-Christian,” and he “produced a fantastic theology” (Shaw 415-416). On the other hand, I believe that even though Jesus and Paul may present the Gospel different at times, they are still advocating the same religion. Through the understanding of the Gospels and Paul’s letters it is clear that Jesus and Paul have the same underlining goals and values.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew records Jesus’ last words to His disciples these verses have become known as “The Great Commission.”Since, the giving of the Great Commission followers of Christ has left their own culture in order to engage another with the saving message of the Gospel. Numerous books, articles and blogs have been written on the subject of World Evangelization or Missions. One such book on missions is called, “The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends” this book was written by Michael Pocock, Gailyn Van Rheenen, and Douglas McConnell. All three men are experts in the field of missions; the writers have served overseas and are now currently engaged in equipping the next generation through teaching at Dallas and Fuller Theological Seminary. The authors bring a wealth of personal and academic excellence to their particular chapters as well as a passion to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The balance between academia and real world application make “The Changing Face of World Missions”, an informative and exciting read.
Ministry is messy, filled with many dichotomies that that can sabotage a minister’s effectiveness. Can a minister be entrepreneurial while being a good steward? Can a ministry grow and still be healthy? How does the business of ministry and culture of the church coexist? How do ministries remain ethical while maintain the business of ministry? These are the questions that pastors face and must answer correctly in order to be effective.
Paul the Apostle, formerly known as Saul, lived much of his life preaching the Good News that Jesus brought and spreading it to the nations. Paul is a particularly notable follower of Jesus because he contributed several books to the Bible, and he reached a large number of people groups during his travels abroad. However, Paul was not always a such a saint. It is important to note that Paul was a human and had real struggles, just like us. Although he accomplished many things for the Kingdom of God, he wouldn’t have been able to do so without trusting God to work through him. In this paper I will demonstrate how God can turn a life around and what the life of a servant of the Lord looks like, with its successes and failures, through a chronology of Paul’s life.
Awwad,Johnny 2011. From Saul to Paul: The Conversion of Paul the Apostle. Theological Review vol 32, pgs 1-14
While working on this report the committee had four goals they wanted to meet. (1) To develop our understanding of the interrelation of the gospel and culture with special reference to God's revelation, to our interpretation and communication of it, and to the response of the hearers in their conversion, their churches and their life style. (2) To reflect critically on the implications of the communication of the gospel cross-culturally. (3) To identify the tools required for more adequate communication of the gospel. (4) To share the fruits of the consultation with Christian leaders in Church and mission.