“In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1st Peter 3:15).
In our last study I shared that one practical application from our study of the life of Paul was to pray that God will give me the same passionate desire Paul had to know Christ more intimately and fully. A second application is to make Christ known to others, especially those who have not yet received Him as their Savior.
Paul’s heart broke when he thought of those who did not know Christ experientially. He wept over them in prayer. Thus, tying these two applications together and finding a way to state it in a mission statement would be – To know Him and to make Him known! That captures in my mind what the study of his life is all about.
Growing out of this was his realization that it would take more than just him to reach a world with the message of Christ. This led to his strategy of reproducing himself in others, stated simply yet eloquently in 2nd Timothy 2:2: “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
He put everything he had into implementing these principles in his own life and into the lives of others. Listen to how he put it in Colossians 1:28-29: “We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect (or mature) in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” He labored to the point of exhaustion, while relying on the Holy Spirit for strength to go on.
Now that we know Paul we are better prepared to study his major book, Romans.
You were born to reproduce! Is that happening in your life?
