“This is why I wrote these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave to me for building you up, not for tearing you down.”
– 2 Corinthians 13:10
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you think was Paul’s missionary mandate? How did Paul use his missionary directive? Do you hope to be given a Paul type missionary call? What do you think makes a guy or gal a missionary? What do you think a guy or gal does as a missionary? What do you think needs to take place for a guy or gal to become a missionary? The word missionary cannot be found anyplace in the Bible. The word apostle can be found in the Bible. The words ‘sent ones’ can be found in the Bible. Paul and Barnabas were called ‘sent ones’ after guys who were leaders in the Antioch Christ-follower fellowship laid their hands on Paul and Barnabas as they were sending Paul and Barnabas out on their first ‘missionary’ trip. Paul thought of himself as being an apostle. Your grandpaa believes that God in the fall of 1973 called him and your grandmaa to be missionaries someplace outside United States boundaries. Your grandmaa believes that because your grandpaa received a call from God to be a missionary that the call that God gave to your grandpaa was for her also. When your grandpaa received the call from God to be a missionary, your grandmaa and grandpaa did not have a clue what they would do as missionaries. When your grandpaa received God’s call directing him and your grandmaa to be missionaries in an overseas, cross-cultural context, your grandmaa and grandpaa were members of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Soon after God gave your grandpaa a ‘missionary call’, your grandpaa sent a letter to the Christian & Missionary Alliance denominational headquarters to let the Christian & Missionary Alliance mission leaders know that your grandmaa and grandpaa were available to be missionaries wherever they needed help. In a return letter that was sent to your grandpaa by someone in the Christian & Missionary Alliance headquarters – in response to your grandpaa’s letter, your grandpaa was told that he needed to have a degree from a Bible college before your grandmaa and grandpaa could be Christian & Missionary Alliance denominational, cross-cultural missionaries. Because your grandpaa was convinced that he had been given a ‘missionary call’, your grandpaa did what he was encouraged to do in the letter that was sent by someone who was working at the Christian & Missionary Alliance headquarters. Your grandpaa was accepted by Moody Bible Institute to begin studying there in August of 1974. Your grandpaa graduated from Moody Bible Institute in May of 1977. Your grandmaa, grandpaa, dad and Aunt Lynn arrived Bolivia at the end of August of 1978 almost five years after your grandpaa – during Aberdeen Christian & Missionary Alliance Church’s annual missions conference, had God – as God the Spirit, place a reoccurring thought going through his mind that he and your grandmaa were still young enough to take their kids with them someplace overseas instead of encouraging one or both of their kids to honor a ‘missionary call’ if God should give either or both of them a ‘missionary call’.
Paul sent two letters to the guys and gals who were members of the city of Corinth Christ-follower fellowship. The Christ-follower fellowship of guys and gals that was in the city of Corinth had internal issues that upset Paul enough that he drafted the two letters to confront these issues that the guys and gals in the Christ-follower fellowship in the city of Corinth were facing. False teachers were a persistent nemesis for Paul. The teachings of false teachers invariably contradicted Paul’s teachings. Paul’s letters passionately implored Christ-follower guys and gals – such as the guys and gals who were in the Christ-follower fellowship in the city of Corinth, to categorially reject teaching that challenged what he knew to be truth. Paul in the letters that he sent to the Christ-follower guys and gals in the city of Corinth stipulated that they resolve a serious morality compromise or he would go to the city of Corinth to deal with the problem himself. 2 Corinthians 13 is Paul stating that he will use his apostolic authority to enforce disciplinary action against any guy or gal who continued to rebel against his counsel. Your grandpaa believes that any guy who is sent out as a missionary goes with an authority that is apostolic. Your grandpaa has been influenced by what Watchmen Nee wrote in one of his books about the apostle gift. Watchmen Nee wrote that the apostle gift is a gift that a missionary/sent one has. The apostle gift – per Watchmen Nee, is an innate ability that a missionary has to apply any of the ministry gifts during each ministry opportunity. Verse 10 has Paul using the apostle gift, “This is why I wrote these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave to me for building you up, not for tearing you down.” Your grandpaa believes that God has imbued missionaries with authority through the apostle gift for the advancement of His kingdom on planet Earth.
Paul’s letters invariably encouraged Christ-follower guys and gals to do a faith reexamination. Paul strongly urged the guys and gals in the Christ-follower fellowship that was in the city of Corinth to seriously reflect on what they believe as truth to find out if what they believe jibe with his teachings. Paul had no problem understanding that it was through his weakness that he came to have a born again relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul accepted as truth that it was through Jesus’ death – in His weakness, that was giving him the power to live as a Christ-follower. Your grandpaa knows that God having given him the apostle gift enabled him to do what he did in Bolivia and Guatemala.
2 Corinthians 13 (1023)