Paul, The Wise Master Builder

by Johnston, Brian, D. | Category: Builders For God | Apr 2008

This world has seen some famous building projects: the Great pyramid at Giza and the Great Wall of China to name but two. Each one is wonderfully impressive in its own way; each a testimony to human ingenuity and enterprise; each overcoming many setbacks and challenges in the making. But 2000 years ago, a building project which is documented in the Acts of the Apostles eclipsed them all, and left behind churches of God to grace the New Testament landscape.

At what cost were they produced? From the dynamic travel-diary doctor Luke has given us of Paul the master builder in the book of Acts, we read of dangers inherent in travel as well as from evil men; struggles in communication with local languages, awkward misinterpretations by those of differing worldviews; the heartbreak of exposing deceitful workers; the crushing weight of responsibility and spiritual grief; and all this blending into the many anxieties inherent in cross-cultural church-planting. Beyond all this, the full cost of these structures could never be computed. The raw material of 'living stones' (1 Pet. 2:5) was quarried at Calvary. In different locations shortly afterward, and again today, this would lead to churches of God �which he bought with the blood of his own� (Acts 20:28 lit.).

We are aware of gangsters coming to Christ, and of academics who would later regard themselves as reluctant converts, but the case of Saul of Tarsus (Paul) is remarkable by any standard. A Jew of impeccable pedigree, and a Roman citizen to boot, from 'no mean city', having received a first-class education, Saul of Tarsus seemed to be a man going somewhere.

In fact, it was while he was en route to Damascus, to vent his fury at Christians there, that Saul encountered the risen Christ. To stare at the sun with the naked eye easily results in blindness, but that day it was a light above the brightness of the noon-day sun which Saul saw (Acts 9). After that he was blind to anything this world could offer him.

From the timing given in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, Bible scholar, F.F.Bruce(1) suggests Paul's experience of being 'caught up into the third heaven' may well date to the time between him returning to Tarsus and later being called upon by Barnabas to exercise his teaching gift at Syrian Antioch. From this experience in the extra-terrestrial realm Paul learned how to lean on God's grace amid human weakness. This would prove essential for the Antioch-based missions soon to follow in successive stages: first to Central Asia Minor, then to the Aegean perimeter, then further afield to Illyricum (Albania) and Rome.

To the Church of God in Philippi, the first on European soil, Paul wrote of the 'progress' of the Gospel using a word describing the action of wood-cutters who cleared the way for advancing armies. Paul was a trailblazer: his aim was to head for 'regions beyond' (2 Cor. 10:16), labouring where no-one had previously worked. Paul moved along Roman highways (like the Via Egnatia) as they were the main lines of communication, preaching and planting in strategic centres. He then left to others the task of further dissemination: Thessalonica serving as a base for further evangelization in Macedonia; Corinth for Achaia; and Ephesus for proconsular Asia.

Paul could both graphically portray a crucified Messiah and also be comfortable reasoning from evidence in a workshop style, interacting with his audience as he 'told thoroughly' (Acts 17:2). This would seem to indicate that Paul was careful to define his terms, point to supporting evidence, and debate with his critics � a method of this master builder for God applicable today in societies where Christianity is again fast becoming marginalized.

When the news of outstanding success on the first mission spread, there was joy at Antioch, but perhaps a measure of consternation at Jerusalem. It appears that just as Peter visited Antioch (Gal. 2:11), 'troublemakers' came from Jerusalem to unsettle the new churches in Galatia. By the time of Acts 15 and the Jerusalem Conference, with the wisdom of a master builder, Paul had built his winning case for the crucial debate there. The gospel of salvation by God�s grace through faith alone was preserved.

Preachers ever since have admired the wisdom of Paul's Gospel presentation at Athens. Fundamentally biblical in its approach (the essence of Romans 1-4 may be seen in Acts 17:22-31), this address illustrates well the versatility of the wise master builder in being 'all things to all men' as he engaged with these cultured pagans. For this was no theologically heavy treatise on being found 'in Christ' by grace, but with the persuasiveness of one who had already by this time been a successful evangelist to the pagan world (1 Thes. 1:9ff.) he showed his familiarity with their culture by quoting their poets as points of contact with his audience. Paul began with creation and ended with judgement: it was a case of 'In the beginning, God' and 'In the end, God'. When Paul declared afterwards to the Church of God at Corinth that he had �determined to know nothing among [them] except ... Christ ... crucified� (1 Cor. 2:2), he was not acknowledging a mistaken approach at Athens, but as a master builder he had discerned exactly what was required for the situation now facing him at Corinth. True, fewer responded at Athens, but that was because of their prior commitment to a worldly philosophy (compare the slow rate of progress today in the western world with its dominant secularism and naturalism).

Once at Corinth, Paul described the church there as being 'God's building' (1 Cor. 3:9). It was here that Paul developed his pastoral maturity, through having to endure power struggles. He says, �like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it� (1 Cor. 3:10). He then seems to hint that not all who built on this foundation were building well. At the beginning of Second Corinthians, Paul seems deflated. It appears this comes after a painful visit there during which his authority was challenged by some, and Paul, unable to rest, follows this up by sending them a stern (non-biblical) letter which Titus delivered. Paul had been anxious to know how they received it and is overjoyed to be told by Titus that the church has responded positively (2 Cor. 7:6-8). However, later it appears as if the dissatisfaction of some there (with Paul) was again whipped up, possibly by others arriving from Jerusalem. Masterfully, Paul by the Spirit answers the questions put to him by the church, and by turns is forthright and compassionate, but always passionately committed to them.

Although many of the details are not recorded, Paul's time at Ephesus was probably the most difficult of his missionary career. It seems likely this is the Asian �affliction� of which he writes in 2 Cor. 1:8-10 when testifying to God's deliverance of him and his companions �from so great a peril of death�. We feel for Paul grappling by correspondence with major issues at Corinth while contending with 'many adversaries' at Ephesus (1 Cor. 16:9). But there was also �a wide door for effective service� as Paul again showed his versatility by engaging with synagogue audiences which included God-fearing non-Jews, so providing a bridgehead to the Gentiles. Then, when indicated, Paul drew the serious contacts away into lecture-halls or house groups (see Acts 18:7). Regarding the former, of which we read in Acts 19, someone has guessed that in Ephesus there would probably be more people awake at 1 a.m. than at 1 p.m., but the lecture hall was likely only available to Paul during siesta time. However, it seems few slept through Paul's lectures on exploring Christianity, as �the whole of Asia heard the Word of the Lord� (v.10).

Paul, as we have seen, in writing to �the church of God which is at Corinth� (1 Cor. 1:2 NKJ), said to them, �... you are God's building� (1 Cor. 3:9 NKJ), �... you are [a] temple of God� (1 Cor. 3:16). When writing to the Church of God at Ephesus, he developed his building metaphor further, describing how �each several building, fitly framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord� (Eph. 2:21 ASV). Ordinary Greek idiom here calls for 'every building', not for 'all the building' (Robertson, Grammar (2)), though, in Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament(3), he adds: 'it is not perfectly clear what that means'. Was Robertson thinking only in terms of the Church the Body? If, however, we take our cue from the Corinthian text (3:9), can we not see that Paul had in mind the visible unity of local churches of God combining in the aggregate to form God's spiritual house on earth, being 'the pillar and support of the truth' (1 Tim. 3:15)?

Paul's preaching was of 'the whole purpose of God' (Acts 20:27), resulting in companies of disciples, all baptized by immersion in water, all added locally to church of God fellowship, all within an overall community of interdependent churches serving everywhere according to the one original pattern of teaching (1 Cor. 4:17), and maintained under a fellowship of elders while separated to God (Acts 14:23; 15). The whole purpose of God was to provide in this way for a people on earth (Heb. 3:6) who would access the sanctuary in heaven (Heb. 6:19) in their weekly worship at the breaking of the bread (Heb. 10:19). In this, we arrive at the very apex of our year's study which has featured various builders who built for God, but always according to God's own pattern, as Paul also did (2 Tim. 1:13).

Paul might have been forgiven if he felt low in spirits while facing up to the chill prospect of his final winter on earth (2 Tim. 4:21). The spiritual career which had began with a blinding light on the Damascus highway was coming to an end in a dark dungeon in Rome. He had foreseen the coming of 'savage wolves' (Acts 20:29) and saw much of his work washed away like sand-castles when the tide turned against him in Asia (2 Tim. 1:15). Would history ever see their like again? By the grace of God, yes! For Paul, like the missionary returning home by ship and seeing others being granted a grand welcome ceremony while there was no-one at the harbour to greet him, Paul might have felt sad, but then as with that missionary of more modern times, he too would have heard an inner voice assuring him, "You are not home yet!" Many will swell the ranks of the Thessalonians as forming his 'joy' and 'crown' (1 Thes. 2:19) on that one future day for which the wise master builder lived his life: the day of Christ (Phil. 1:6).

References:

(1) F.F.Bruce, Paul, Apostle of the Free Spirit, Paternoster Press; Revised edition (February 1981)

(2) A.T. Robertson, Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research, Broadman & Holman (June 1947) p.772

(3) A.T.Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, B&H Publishing Group (Oct 1980)

Biblical quotations from NASB unless otherwise stated

For further study:

1. Which of Paul's gospel presentation ideas and church-planting strategies are particularly suited to a) the west and b) the east today?

2. Identify a key purpose of God's house on earth.

3. How do the spiritual metaphors of stones, buildings and temple combine to give the complete biblical picture of God's spiritual house in this present age?

Johnston, Brian, D. | Apr 2008
Builders For God