Introduction
Many lay Christians and biblical scholars have noted that Paul’s work was based on justification by faith, while Jesus preached exclusively on the kingdom of heaven. This controversy has led many individuals to conclude that their preaching was based on two gospels. In contrast, others have argued that both preached on the kingdom of God and justification.
Examining the pastoral ministry and lifestyle of both Jesus and Paul, it is possible to discern the trajectory of each ministry. Additionally, as a pastor, Paul had to consider conflict resolution skills that God approves of when dealing with crises. Paul emulated the ways of Christ, exemplifying humility, love, forgiveness, and active service. The Gospel of Jesus primarily focused on teaching God’s message and encouraging faith in Him, whereas Paul emphasized faithfulness to Christ.
Jesus as a Pastor
Jesus, as a great pastor, proclaimed the heavenly kingdom where he shared the message of God’s love. According to John 8:38-42; 12:49-50; 14:24, the words and messages that came out of Jesus were those of the Heavenly Father (Nelson, 1975). While Christ is the most important person to have walked on earth, he did not dwell on the gospel of himself but on God. As in the book of Luke 4:43, for this gospel to reach various people, He had to engage in pastoral ministry, treating it like a shepherd (Nelson, 1975). During his pastoral ministry, he engaged in various activities that earned him the title of a great and shameless pastor that everyone should emulate.
Jesus, as a pastor, is like a pacesetter in establishing the kingdom of God on earth, a concept that Paul later developed through the creation of Christianity. During Jesus’ ministry, he preached the belief in him as the way to the heavenly kingdom. All these came after the message of the Heavenly Kingdom, and for a sinner to enter the holy kingdom, the believer must have faith in Jesus Christ. To strengthen the faith of his followers, Jesus Christ, through the heavenly power, performed several miracles to demonstrate that He was the divine Son of God.
Most of the miracles that Jesus performed demonstrated His care and empathy for His followers, a trait that qualifies Him as the Good Shepherd. Through the miracles, He demonstrated God’s mercy and love to the people (Jesus Film Project, 2020). A good example of his empathy is during the leper’s healing. In addition, Jesus’ act of feeding the 5,000 people categorizes him as the true Messiah that was expected (Willmington, 2018). The miracles are one of the reasons He is comparable to any pastor who has ever existed.
The teaching style adopted by Jesus, such as the use of parables, is one of the unique attributes that distinguish Jesus from any other pastor. Parables were an excellent form of teaching for a pastor because people could stay attentive while listening to them. Because of this, the crowds would always be around, waiting to listen for more and for a short period. Through all these, Jesus effectively completed his mission on earth.
Paul as a Pastor
Paul is recognized as a convert and a follower of Jesus Christ, who justified the ministry of Christ; he received his conversion on the road to Damascus. Paul, whose name was Saul before the conversion, is later recognized as the founder of a religion; he was an influential missionary and teacher, primarily through his theological work (McKnight, 2019). Paul was a Jewish diaspora member who experienced a revelation of Jesus’ resurrection (Nelson, 1975). After this experience, he began pastoral work, traveling through the eastern Roman empire, spreading the good news about Jesus’s return, and ushering in God’s kingdom. It is recorded that Paul strived with his strength while laboring in this type of ministry during this time.
In most of Paul’s teachings, it is noticeable that he never dwelt much on the Heavenly kingdom compared to Jesus Christ. Instead, he majored in having faith and believing in the risen Christ. In Athens, it is recorded that Paul’s message dwelt on the good news of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. In Antioch Pisidia, Paul demonstrated several pastoral traits that can be reflected in Christ Jesus (Gultom, Tobing & Manullang, 2021).
He preached in the Synagogue, elevating the nature of Christ, dwelling on the importance of faith in Jesus, and fulfilling the Old Testament promise of bringing a Savior to the Israelites. Through his letters, the convinced individual could continue the mission that he started to this date. In modern society, pastors who lead various churches are expected to emulate the ways of Christ as expressed through the Apostle Paul (McKnight, 2019). The current belief remains that one should have faith in Christ, as that is the way to heaven, as proclaimed by Paul and Jesus Christ.
Through his pastoral ministry, Paul expounds on the love and human nature of Jesus Christ. In the book of 2 Timothy 2:1-7, it is evident how Paul shares Christ’s love with Timothy (Nelson, 1975). Through those pastoral insights, various church leaders and pastors are emulating them to care for one another and their church members. In this book, Paul addresses fellow pastors in the Christian world.
Paul’s words to Timothy also confirm that he was a pastor who expounded on Christ’s footsteps. From the lessons on the teachings of Timothy and Paul, it is clear that for a pastor to adhere to Paul’s teachings, the believer must be strengthened by Jesus Christ. This is recorded in 2 Timothy 2:1: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace in Christ Jesus” (Nelson, 1975).
The verse specifies perseverance as a pastor, and it will be hard for one to succeed in the pastoral ministry as Paul did without seeking strength from Christ. Paul convincingly explained this verse to Timothy, mentioning examples of individuals who abandoned him because they lacked Christ’s strength. Paul was concerned with staying faithful to the gospel.
As pastors, when emulated by the current society, many believers will plant churches because they are faithful to the scripture. Through the theological works of Paul, Christians can believe in and follow the ways of Christ by adhering to the teachings found in the letters of Paul. To Paul, in the mission of spreading the gospel, suffering, hardship, and difficulty must be accepted by any pastor who is in for spreading the gospel of Christ.
In other theological works of Paul, such as Acts of the Apostles, it is clear that Paul makes it clear to the world that sinners can be accepted by God when they believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With Paul’s theological scriptures that justify the works, the doings, and the meaning of Christ, Christians worldwide can maintain their faith in Jesus. Paul is therefore a good example of a pastor because, through his ministry, God’s work has been expressed to Christians in several dimensions, creating a better understanding of the heavenly kingdom.
Crisis Pastoral Care
As a pastor, Jesus embodies God’s ways, as manifested through him, in resolving various conflicts. Some viable ways acceptable before God in times of crisis include humility, love, and forgiveness. In resolving conflict, Jesus never controlled or manipulated people to agree with Him; instead, He made people aware of who He was and His mission.
With this, Jesus invited people into a conversation to help them see where the audience stood about Him. Through this, Jesus could emulate Biblical crisis management as highlighted in Isaiah 1:18, where God says, “Come now and let us reason together” (Nelson, 1975). Considering Paul’s strategies, as a follower of Jesus Christ, he heeds to his actions as they flowed from God Almighty. Therefore, in the current world, in the event of a crisis in churches, pastors should employ the recommended ways of God, as manifested in Christ and as outlined by Paul.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that, as much as Jesus Christ preached the importance of having faith in Him as the Savior, He was sent by the heavenly Father to spread God’s message to the people. On the other hand, Paul preached on the justification of having faith in Jesus Christ as the way to the heavenly kingdom. Through this, it is evident that Paul, as a pastor, indirectly ministered God’s message to the world through his theological works, while directly preaching the gospel of Christ (Church of the Great God, 2022).
Justifying belief in Christ led to the emergence of Christianity, which has endured to this day. Christianity later gave birth to several churches that proclaim the same message of Christ. Pastors should, therefore, have faith in Jesus Christ to persevere in Paul’s ministry life and in pastoral ways of solving crises.
References
Church of the Great God. (2022). What did Jesus preach? Web.
Gultom, R. A. T., Tobing, L. L., & Manullang, M. (2021). Paul and Peter’s debate at Antioch as the reality of the Gospel of deliverance from Christ: A Theological review of Galatians 2: 11-21. The International Journal of Social Sciences World (TIJOSSW), 3(01), 79-85. Web.
Jesus Film Project. (2020). 3 Times Jesus modeled a Pastor’s Heart. Web.
McKnight, S. (2019). Pastor Paul (Theological Explorations for the Church Catholic): Nurturing a culture of Christoformity in the Church. Brazos Press.
Nelson, Thomas. (1975). New King James Version (NKJV). Bible Gateway. Web.
Willmington, H. (2018). The miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the 5,000. Web.