Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-08
REVIEWS LIFE OF ST.
PAUL AS MISSIONARY
Protected as Citizen of Roman EN-.
pire, He Was Able to Travel
Her Great Highways
in Safety

At the First Christian church yes
terday morning the pastor, Rev. A. c.
Smither preached on Paul the Mis-
sionary." He said in part:
1.-THE distinctive work of Paul was
missionary. He was the first and
greatest missionary in the history of
Christianity. He was called of God
to carry the gospel to the Gentle
world.
mo man was ever better prepared
for his life work than was Paul. He
was born among the GentileS and well
knew their appalling need of the gos-
pei of Christ. He was reared on heath
en- soil and his sympathy went out for
those people who had no knowledge
of the true God. He was born a Ro-
man citizen and the whole Roman gov
eminent was pledged to his protection
as he went along her great highways
proclaiming the story of divine love.
This citizenship rendered him
great service. He was we'll educated
at home and abroad. In his native
city was located a great university in
whose blessings he doubtless shared.
He was educated at the feet of the
greatest rabbi of his age and we'll I'M
derstood the history and religion of
his own people. He was divinely called
and fitted for this great Service. God
had reared and qualified him for one "
the greatest tasks of all history.
LAS a missionary on the field his
history and characteristics are worthy
of study and appropriation. His was
great soul and mind and he was fully
surrendered to his Lord and knew no
master but the Christ, and had no am
bition but to preach him to souls that
had never heard the story of redeem
ing love.
HE was a man of vision. The fu-
ture lured him on. challenging him to
great tasks and offering him great re-
wards. He was a man of the pioneer
spirit. The charm of untouched fields
lured him to service and sacrifice. Like
our civilization he entered new fields
and told with rapturous delight the
story of the cross. He planted the gos-
pei in virgin soil He built on no other
mans foundations. He was a self
supporting missionary.
Was Self-Supporting
I'm the early period of his service
Paul labored with his own hands.
Later in life he seems to have been
financially independent and to have
surrendered himself and his all to the
great work of his life. He labored at
great personal sacrifice and suffering.
The mere enumeration of his suffering
would fill the ordinary missionary with
despair.
Nothing daunted by pain or toll ne
pushed on to the worlds great centers
where he planted churches. He was
missionary strategist He well knew
that the city is the nerve center of
civilization and that from such centers
Christianity would radiate in every di-
rection Paul preached in such CEN
ters as Jerusalem, Damascus, Antioch,
Philippi, Ephesus, Corinth and Rome
and from churches established by his
own ministry Christianity Mad its be-
ginning in many cities.
1.-The results of Pauls ministry among
the Gentiles were tremendous. There
was given to the world in Paul one of
the finest characters in all human his
tory. The influence of such a life is
unreasonable. Hundreds of individ-
uals were won to Christ as result OF
his ministry. Many lives and destinles
were changed. Many churches were
planted in important centers, such as
Ephesus, Philippi and Corinth. From
the pen of Paul and inspired by these
churches has flowed a stream of lit
erature that has been of incalculable
value to the church of Christ. To
Paul. more than to any scriptural
writer. are we indebted for a large
portion of the New Testament scrip
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