The apostle Paul was arguably the greatest Christian missionary that ever lived. Within just under three decades, he had "fully preached the gospel of Christ" over a wide stretch of the inhabited world (Romans 15:19). By the end of his life, he could say that the good news was proclaimed "to every creature which is under heaven" (Colossians 1:23). Multitudes of souls were saved (Acts 13:48; 14:1; etc.), dozens of churches were planted (Acts 14:21-23), and the Christian faith was set to become the most significant force for good in the world. Paul may very rightly be regarded as the father of Christian missions.
Paul attributes all his success to the gracious gifting of God (1 Corinthians 15:10), both in initially enabling him (1 Timothy 1:12-16), and in continually empowering him (Philippians 4:13). His sufficiency was from God (2 Corinthians 3:4-6), his ministry was from God (Ephesians 3:8-9), and his efficacy was from God (1 Corinthians 3:5-7). "All things are of God" (2 Corinthians 5:18), he once wrote. Paul had a total Trinitarian trust in God, praying to the Father for daily strength (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), looking to the Son for daily encouragement (Philippians 4:6-7), and relying on the Spirit for daily power (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). Before and above anything else, the greatest lesson we must learn from Paul is that a missionary must be mastered by a complete dependence upon God, from whom, and in whom, and to whom their all must be (Romans 11:36).
There were at least three aspects of Paul's labor which made him so eminently successful in the evangelistic ministry:
1. An Effective Missionary is Foundational
A missionary must be chiefly concerned with ministry work which is primary and most essential. The gospel is the first and greatest matter of anything religious, and so, for the effective evangelist, the preaching of the gospel is preeminent: "I am ready to preach the gospel" (Romans 1:15). Indeed, Paul sums up his life goal in the proclamation of the saving message of Christ: "…so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).
2. An Effective Missionary is Fruitful
A missionary which God approves of will always be endeavoring to reap eternal results (John 4:36) for their Redeemer. In marketing terminology, they have a good ROI (return on investment) for their labors. There was none more productive than Paul, whose life was like the proverbial seed Jesus spoke of, which must fall into the ground and die to bring forth much fruit (John 12:24-25).
3. An Effective Missionary is Flexible
The first words Paul uttered when he was confronted by the risen Christ were very telling: "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). This expresses Paul's willingness to do whatever God would call him to. Paul was not stubborn or stiff-necked concerning his own plans and pursuits, but he humbly submitted to the will of God in all things.
May every missionary be thus minded like the great and honorable Paul (Philippians 3:15)!