Ministry and service in the church in the modern era relate a lot to the ancient times in history. Theology, being the study of God and spirituality with an in-depth study of the scriptures, which were written long ago, presents an affirmation of the divine and spiritual nature. It is this concept that this discussion focuses on deducing a clear theological rationale from Paul’s ministry and service in the church during those ancient times. Paul is an outstanding figure from whose views, beliefs and teachings can be deduced to the roles and relationships of 21st-century believers. This discussion takes an in-depth look at Paul’s ministry and his views.
One of Paul’s greatest and popular views is his take on the role of women in the ministry. In those ancient times, men were very dominant on issues regarding leadership in the church and ministry. Paul, on the contrary, worked mostly with female ministers whom he collaborated with primarily in his ministry. In Romans 16: 1-2, he commends the Ministry of Phoebe, a woman who took his letter to the Romans. In the same chapter, Paul is also seen praising several other women ( Fuller Theological Seminary, 2016) . This showed Paul as one who appreciated and respected the place of women in the church. He gave women’s ministry opportunities to serve God, despite women being overlooked in leadership and other areas of service.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In setting out the relationship between believers and non-believers, Paul took it upon himself to reach out to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were not Christians and were of a pagan background. They had different traditions and beliefs from those of the Jews ( Meeks, 2014) . They viewed Christianity as a foreign religion and did not want to associate with it. With this conservative nature, the Gentiles had to cutoff interactions with the Jewish Christians at any cost, but Paul believed he had an obligation to preach the word to them. Using the vast knowledge he had, concerning their culture, Paul taught them about Christianity. His move was criticized because of the interaction restrictions between Jews and Gentiles. He even in one of his letters termed himself as an apostle to the Gentiles.
He also displayed the role of a believer in the ministry by the way he committed himself entirely to the Ministry of God. The Bible considers him as being educated and intelligent, but he purposed to dedicate his time, intelligence and education to full-time ministry. With such a high profile he could have opted for political leadership, but he, on the contrary, chose the ministry. He was passionate about ministry and believed that it was God’s ultimate plan for him. He was of a firm belief and faith that God would complete the work that He had begun in him.
In the modern church today, Paul is an iconic figure who presented the church with great implications for the roles to play in the ministry and how to relate to each other. Taking a theological rationale for Paul’s ministry gives great teachings to the modern church. Just as he embraced the role of women in his ministry so should the 21st-century church. The church should note that just as God calls men to His service, so does he call women. Again, Paul’s reaching out to the gentiles, a non-Christian faction, presents the believers with an obligation to reach out to the non-believers in the modern society. It also shows the great need of establishing and having good relationships with non-believers. Leaders in the church can also learn to be committed to God’s work and to do it passionately just as Paul did, having faith in the fulfillment of a greater purpose of God through them.
Paul’s theology is the pillar on which the roles and relationships of believers in ministry are founded on. His life in ministry should be reflected in the modern day church and his teachings should be the guiding principles in the sharing of the scriptures.
References
Fuller Theological Seminary. (2016). The Basis in Paul: David Scholer's Essay on Women in Ministry. Retrieved from http://fuller.edu/about/women-in-ministry/women-in-ministry--the-basis-in-paul/.
Meeks, W. A. (2014). Paul's Mission and Letters. Frontline . Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/first/missions.html.
