The Catalytic Leader (Apostle Paul) by Eric Bryant

Posted on September 14, 2011

This fall I am going through the stories and letters of Paul in chronological order with some our network leaders at Gateway Church in Austin. We are trying to determine the characteristics that made him so catalytic so that we might grow in this as well.

Here is the order we are reading through and discussing:

• Week One:  Acts 7-16
• Week Two: Galatians and Acts 17
• Week Three: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, Acts 18-19
• Week Four: 1 Corinthians
• Week Five: 2 Corinthians
• Week Six: Romans
• Week Seven: Acts 20-28 & Colossians
• Week Eight: Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians
• Week Nine: 1 Timothy, Titus, 2 Timothy

Here are some of the Week One highlights:

• Saul heard Stephen share the story of God and later shared the same story.
• Saul saw Stephen killed and personally persecuted the church.
• Persecution was needed for the church to advance through the message of those who were following Christ (rather than the apostles).
• Saul came to Christ in a miraculous way, but he seemed to focus more on the message than the miracles.
• Luke and Paul wrote half of the New Testament even though they weren’t part of the 12 disciples (a reminder to us that you don’t have to be one of the 12 disciples to make a significant impact).
• Paul was invested in by Ananias and Barnabas and the apostles.
• Paul trusted and submitted himself to his leaders.
• Paul invested in others as he was on mission (“on-the-go mentoring”)
• Paul advanced the church further than anyone at that time in history, but he was not alone.
• Paul was not a superhero nor a great speaker, but he was fully surrendered to Christ.
• The early church worked through conflict in the context of a trusting community.

• Who can we pass along the story of Paul and the principles of catalytic leadership this week?
• How can we apply what we see in Paul’s life to our own life and leadership?

Feel free to join along with us. I will posting our discoveries once a week and would enjoy hearing yours.

From Acts 7-16, what do you notice about Paul that made him catalytic? What can we apply to our own service and leadership?