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Subject: Corpus-Paul

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  • From: Ntsearcher AT aol.com
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: gospel
  • Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2001 08:23:18 EDT


I'm intrigued by Edgar's question.

It seems to me that Paul's gospel was not centered on the earthly Jesus, but
rather the cosmological Christ... the Christ before time, the Christ of
creation.

Although Paul was familiar with the Lord's earthly life (there are hints of
this in the epistles...he probably learned most of it when he was with Peter
those 2 weeks in Jerusalem), he doesn't emphasize nor center on it.

To my mind, we can get the best glimpse of what Paul actually preached to a
group of people when he first encountered them by looking at 3 of his
epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, and Romans.

Since these were 3 churches ... assuming Ephesians was encyclical to Asia
Minor... that Paul never saw face to face. Consequently, it's safe to assume
that this was his message when he was planting a church.

And what a high gospel it was, the likes of which most ministers today could
not tie the shoes of! The fruit of it was incredible. New converts who
didn't have Bibles, most of whom couldn't read, coming straight out of
blood-drinking pagananism, and then Paul walking out on them totally, leaving
them helpless without any outside help for years! On top of that... he only
spent 3 to 6 months giving that gospel to most of these new churches, then
walking out on them ... sink or swim! (without appointing elders either...
that came later).

And when he returned, they were still there... together... following the
Lord. Now that's some mighty gospel he preached. Certainly, he showed these
new converts how to know an indwelling Lord.

I guess I'm attempting to start a new thread here on the heels of Edgar's:
That is, how did Paul actually plant churches and what on earth did that man
preach to hold these new converts to hold on to one another as a church
without outside help for so long (?)

Something to consider... and measure our modern church planting methods (and
gospel) against.


Frank Anthony




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