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How would Paul and Tabitha go in the same church?
As part of our Five Fold series we are looking at examples of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors/shepherds and teachers.
Romans 15:14-24 is a great passage that illustrates the wiring of Paul the apostle to start new things. Acts 9:36-43 is a great passage that illustrates the wiring of Tabitha as a pastor who is always caring for people.
How do you think Paul and Tabitha would get along in the same church congregation - one always wanting to head off on new projects, the other wanting to make sure all the existing people were cared for? Now I think mature apostles and pastors can get along, and indeed Romans 15 includes Paul's pastoral care for poor Christians in Jerusalem. However that getting along needs to involve managing the tension between maintaining what exists and creating something new. Pastors mustn't squash apostles and their enthusiasm to start new things while apostles need to appreciate the caring perspective of pastors. Managed well the tension can lead to the creating AND sustaining of new kingdom ventures. That is definitely worth aiming for!
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David Wanstall, 21/08/2014
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