Off on the First Missionary Journey

The men start off on their first missionary journey with the support of the church in Antioch.  Barnabas, as the patron, is the leader and Paul as client with John a helper are in the party.  They land on the west end of Cyprus and visit all the synagogues on the island as they make their way to the capital, Paphos.

There the procounsel or governor wants to hear what they are saying.  But a member of the governor’s court objects.  Paul casts a spell blinding the man.  This really imporesses the governor but he doesn’t convert to the Jesus Movement message.

They return to the mainland at Perga in Pamphylia.  There John returns to Antioch.  Barnabas and Paul go on to Pisidian Antioch and other cities.

Paul and His Patron Barnabas

     The first century Roman empire had an omnipresent and ubiquitous practice of patronage.  It was practiced from the lowest slave to the highest reaches of the imperial family.  The society worked with patrons and clients. The more clients you had, the more influential you were.  The more important a  patron you had, the better off you were.  In a society where everyone had a place, and there was a place for everyone, the system worked.  It was the grease that made the society work.

     Barnabas, an established member of the Jesus Movement in Jerusalem, took on Paul as a client when he showed up in Jerusalem after the time in the desert.  Paul was wildly preaching in the streets with little sense of adroitness or concern for whom he offended.  He was rapidly gaining enemies.    He also was trying to   meet the leaders of the movement, in the Jerusalem Council such as James and Peter.  

       Barnabas introduced him to the Council.  But Paul continued wildly preach, making enemies to the point that a plot was being hatched to kill him.  The Council learned of the plot, and not wanting to have a disturbance, decided to get rid of Paul.  They sent him down to Caesarea and paid to ship him off to this hometown of Tarsus where he stayed.  

      Acts 11:19 reports that in the meantime there is explosive growth of  believers in Antioch.  The council sends Barnabas to the city to bring some order and management.  But Barnabas gets there and decides he needs some help.  So off he goes to find his client Paul, induces him to come  to Antioch  and help in the church. 

     They work together for a “whole year” with Barnabas as the lead or patron, and Paul the client or helper.  When the Antioch believers decide to send help to Jerusalem to alleviate the famine, they send Barnabas and Paul, with Barnabas mentioned first as the patron.  to take the aid to Jerusalem.

Charlie Hustle of the First Century

     Paul was the Charlie Hustle, the hardest working salesman, of the first century.  But we first meet him as a rabid hater of the Jesus Movement.  We are introduced to him in Jerusalem after the Crucifixion when he holds the coats of those who were stoning Stephen the believer.   He was a zealous Pharisee, a believer in the story and spin the High Priests were giving to this apostasy of the Jesus followers.  He got into the action by getting himself hired on as a member of the Temple hit squad chasing down those followers in Jerusalem.  His bosses through so much of him and his experience that he was sent on an official trip to Damascus to find as many of these followers as he could and make it difficult for them.  

     It was on the road to Damascus where has an out of life experience, hears the voice of God, and is blinded.   The voice tells him to go into Damascus and seek out a certain member of the sect.  Ananias is the believer directed by God to meet with Paul, he does so, and Paul converts to the Movement.

     He then goes off on a retreat where he learns more about Jesus and the mission God has for him.  After returning to Jerusalem and then going back to his home town of Tarsus, he remains for some time until Barnabas finds him and takes him to Antioch to help with the Movement there.

     After some time, God visits the prophets and elders of the Antioch church and directs  Paul and Barnabas go off on a missionary journey to spread the message of Jesus.

     And that’s where we pick Paul up as the Charlie Hustle, selling the faith.

Open Source Salvation

Traditional  churches and denominations are loosing ground and breaking up to the smaller and more responsive groupings of like minded seekers, worsipers and believers.  Society is becomeing so niche oriented that the one size fits all religious denomination of the last century seems destined to expire. 

Similiar things are happening to the nation-state’s military that was so effective for the past 500 years.  The one size firs all formula could win against anything less strong.  But at the beginning of this century the great nation-state military organizations are being truped by small, temporary, resistence groups.  They are forming for a specific function, they believe in a cause, and the get their adherents from a multitud of sources sust as softward coupanies get their input from a multitude of specialists and experts in one particulzr item. 

The seeker in this century seems to be saying the one size denomination does not meet all needs.  The seeker moves from group to group, learning and asking questions at all times.  And in the end, the seeker has worked out a theology that he can believe in.

This is Open Source Salvation.  Changing, forming and reforming as the person grows in victory through justice.  Not vicgtory through the militancy of a set denomination.

Thanks for the Comment, Carrie.

Blogging is “high tech” for me, but I’ll learn. 

Want to hear from folks who are interested in considering the Apostle Paul’s Missionary trips from a strategic marketing point of view.  What do you think about the comparison of Paul’s missionary journey to a contemporary strategic marketing campaign?

Welcome to Ancient Concepts…Successful Techniques

Try to think about the Apostle Paul running a marketing campaign.  Ever thought of him that way?  Always thought of him as a poor missionary walking the hot and dusty roads of the Roman Empire? 

He was a lot more than a missionary spreading the Word.  He took a product, brought it to the religious market, appealed to the consumers, and reaped profits that would endure and become the bedrock of Western civilization.   

Paul was not only a humble missionary, but one of the best marketing strategists the world has ever known.  How could the message about a poor Jew from Galilee completely transform the Roman culture, and eventually, the world?

Paul has seven ancient concepts and successful techniques to take the Jesus Movement to the world:

(1 Paul did his own research selecting and investigating opportunities.  2) Paul selected a target market.    3) He settled on a position in the market and created a product, place, promotion, and price.  4) He wrote a marketing plan using the four P’s. 5) He dispensed the plan, and 6) he went back to observe and check the results.   7) He started over again. 

Some may think this too simple or complex to fit into the mission of Paul and the already existing, centuries-old expectations of his ministry, but as we approach Paul’s journey through the lens of marketing strategy, parallels may surface.  Please check back often and don’t hesitate to leave your questions, comments, ideas, or your own take on Paul and his marketing.