The Apostle Paul acted boldly. A man with such conviction was obviously impacted by his encounter with the Lord on the Damascus road. Paul’s primary direction for each of his missionary endeavors came from the Holy Spirit. It was in Paul’s nature to not only lead, but be an evangelist. Paul’s writings tell us that whatever he did for the Lord, he did with all of who he was. Paul took his calling very seriously.
Even though Paul did not walk with Jesus when he was on earth, several of his ideas and strategies to spread the good news came from Jesus. Paul’s approach was practical. He would step into town, goto those that were wavering and speak the truth to them. He led by example and the Holy Spirit converted the people. He would utilize the converts to foster and grow communities of believers. These communities resemble today’s church plants. Paul invested his time and resources. He equipped the leaders to eventually take over and lead these new churches, usually located in large cities.
Jesus was able to deliver and communicate perfectly. Paul could not, so he had to be flexible, to learn from the situation, surroundings and audience to be able to connect to people intellectually. When it came down to it, the message was perfect and all he had to do was share the truth and let the Holy Spirit move in the lives of the people. Today, we should remember, just as Paul did, that people are brought to Jesus only by the power of the Holy Sprit and not by anything we can do ourselves.
