Unit 2 Issue 3 AND 4

Issue 3: Recognizing Ministers of the Gospel BIBLICAL PASSAGES When reading the passages, take note to do two very important tasks: (1) read the passage with the intent of determining the Author’s/author’s intended meaning, and (2) study the passage as it relates to the issues and questions proposed. • Acts 13:1–14:28 “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstoo…”

20:17–38 “From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. “And indeed, now I know that you all, …” • Ephesians 4:11–16 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

1 Timothy, esp. 4:1–6 • 2 Timothy 1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calli…” • Titus THEOLOGICAL READINGS o. “From Commissioning for Ministry to Ordaining for Life,” Kevin Giles (Advanced) SOCRATIC DISCUSSIONS 1.How were ministers of the gospel recognized within and amongst churches in the New Testament? 2. What is the significance of the laying of hands on Timothy? Is ordination a good modern day parallel? 3.How should ministers of the gospel be recognized today? Is the degree system an adequate anchor for an effective recognition/assessment system? 4. Who should recognize ministers of the gospel?

PROJECTS Projects Associated with Issues 1–3: 1. Write (or chart, diagram) a brief two- to three-page paper on the work of ministers of the gospel. Be sure to include the following in your paper: • The core work of ministers of the gospel, including any order of priority of their work. • The role and function of a minister of the gospel within a local church. • The assessment and recognition process of a minister of the gospel. This project will build as you go through the unit. After issue one, you will want to have the core work of a minister of the gospel completed. After issue two, include the role and function of a minister of the gospel in a local church. After issue three, assessment and recognition aspects should be added to your project. See “The Work of Ministers of the Gospel” in the Project Examples.

Issue 4: Pauline Teams—Legitimacy, Authority, and Contemporary Formation

BIBLICAL PASSAGES When reading the passages, take note to do two very important tasks: (1) read the passage with the intent of determining the Author’s/author’s intended meaning, and (2) study the passage as it relates to the issues and questions proposed. • Ephesians 4:11–16 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” • • 2 Timothy 1 “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” • Titus THEOLOGICAL READINGS d. “The Nature of Paul’s Authority,” Robert Banks e. “The Exercise of Paul’s Authority,” Robert Banks f. “Paul and His Co-Workers,” E. E. Ellis • Paul’s Idea of Community , Robert Banks, pp. 149–200 (Advanced—Not in the Theological Reader) • The Pauline Circle , by F. F. Bruce (Advanced—Not in the Theological Reader)

SOCRATIC DISCUSSIONS 1. Do some of Paul’s functions continue today outside the life of a single local church? Are any of them intended to be perpetual—from generation to generation? 2. How might a Pauline team be formed today? Are there any guidelines from Paul’s model that appear to be normative for today? 3. Does a Pauline team have any authority? If so, what kind? What sphere does it operate in? What are its limits? 4. How old would one have to be to be on a Pauline team? Can women be part of the team? If so, what would the parameters of their role be? PROJECTS 1. Design a mini-theology of Pauline teams as a prototype for contemporary missionary teams, defining the role of the missionary team, a local church, and a network of churches. Attempt to answer where this team gets its authority and how it should constitute itself beyond the borders of the sending churches of the team members. See “Theology of Pauline Teams” in the Project Examples.