PAUL'S STRATEGY

Biblical Model of Discipleship



Biblical Model of Discipleship

Introduction

The purpose of the biblical model of discipleship related to the Christianity in which Paul's intension is to expand the followers or the disciples of the Christianity. The study is related to the biblical model of discipleship based on the Paul's strategy for ministry. This strategy focuses on the discipleship with the purpose of gaining more attention and providing more facilities to the people. Moreover, this biblical model of discipleship also enables the people to come to know about the religion and will also get the opportunity to involve in the acts that are done for the expansion and betterment of the religion.

Discussion

Paul's Strategy

This section of the study focuses on the resources that are important for the Paul's strategies in planting a church which are as choosing strategic location, selecting receptive people and the employing effective methods. The biblical model of discipleship based on the Paul's strategy for ministry worked very well for the Christianity. In the study of biblical model of discipleship Paul involved himself in planting the churches and is a master builder of the church. The basic reason of the planning the churches is to increase the disciples. Although Paul's period of missionary work spans only a little more than ten years, yet, he plants healthy and growing churches in four provinces of the Roman Empire, namely, Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia. (Kelly & Nelson, 2003)

Choosing Strategic Location

To increase the discipleship, Paul chooses urban areas rather than remote villages to plant churches in his entire missionary career. This section shows the demography of Paul's target cities, factors to choose cities, and the worldwide vision beyond the cities based on Acts 13-28. (Bonhoeffer, 2001)

The Demography of Cities during Paul's Time

Paul's strategy of selecting and working on the resource includes the proper examination of the city. Paul prefers larger cities to plant a church like the cases in Antioch. Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Rome were preferred because of their convenience, but because of their strategic importance. In his missionary journey, Paul moves to major cities, looks for a Jewish synagogue, and proclaims Jesus to the Jews and the Gentile God-fearers on every Sabbath. Paul's cities are the main centers as far as communication, culture, commerce, politics, and religion are concerned. Philippi is a Roman colony and the leading biggest city of Macedonia. (Vogt, 2001) Athens is a city of the most prominent political, cultural, academic, religious, social, and amphitheatric center in Roman Empire. Ephesus is a commercial, cultural, sports, and religious center in Asia. There are well constructed stone paved Roman military roads that connect city to city. In brief, all the cities or towns in which Paul's church planting activities take place are centers of Roman administrations, of Greek civilization, of Jewish influence, of Roman military camp, and of some commercial importance. (Dulles, 1987)

Factors in Choosing Cities

Paul seems to have two reasons to choose cities for the biblical model of ...