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Originally Posted by Ohio
Didn't Apostle Paul have schools in Ephesus and Rome? In Ephesus (Acts 19.9) apparently Paul helped to train a dozen brothers who only knew about the baptism of John. In Rome (Acts 28) the record ends with Paul using house confinement to educate all who would visit him concerning the kingdom of God.
Concerning Matthias, who replaced Judas, didn't he accompany the disciples from the time John was baptizing in the Jordan? He was with them longer than Jesus was, so to speak, and hence received much of the same first hand instruction as the other eleven. To imply that Matthias was somehow randomly selected is not fair the Biblical record. To stretch my point, history tells us that Matthias was more effective and upright in the house of God, than Judas ever was, and the Lord prayed all night long before appointing him.
I'm not saying that any of LSM's training programs were extracted directly from scripture, but to imply that there is no hint of leadership training in the New Testament is also an extreme view. The bottom line is that what is taught is no better than he who teaches it. John, you have simply confirmed in your post that mature and principled men make the best leaders, regardless of their "spiritual" pedigree. This was exactly Paul's message to Timothy and Titus in his epistles to them.
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In the verses you cite, I do not see that Paul had schools with the purpose of training leaders. I see no formal program or process (or, dare I say, “system”) in which he was training selected believers to be leaders. First, here is Acts 19:
8 And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks. - (Act 19:8-10 NASB)
As you can read in context, even though Paul used Tyrannus’s school, he was not presenting training materials for the Christian leaders of tomorrow. He was not reasoning with the disciples (or some select group of novitiates). He was reasoning and persuading those who would listen about the kingdom of God. When the environment in the synagogue became not conducive to his discussions, he moved to a school building and continued, preaching the word of the Lord and reaching all in Asia. It sounds like these were gatherings with the purpose to bring people to salvation to me.
As to Acts 28, I have chosen the following verses to highlight, as they seem to be the ones most relevant:
23 When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. ... 30 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. - (Act 28:23, 30-31 NASB)
A similar analysis applies to this passage. Paul was preaching the gospel (if you will) in the place where he lodged. He preached and taught to all who would come and listen, thus furthering the kingdom of God. He was not carrying on a leadership training institute with some chosen believers.
These are the facts according to the record as I read it. If you want to believe that Paul was carrying on some type of formal training for leaders on the side, you are free to do so. It is not, however, even implied in these verses as I read them.
You are right that Matthias had been with the apostles as they were with the Lord—that was the objective criterion that put him into the pool for selection in the first place. I was not trying to describe the whole situation or cover up the truth. It’s there in the Bible for all to read. I was just replying with UntoHim’s phraseology, since it dawned on me that the first selection of an apostle after Jesus’s earthly ministry was finally determined by lot. I accurately depicted the end of the transaction, which was the part that applied to the phraseology. Of course, that was not all that happened, as if everyone in the room was given a slip of paper or whatever—men, women, and children. Maybe I assumed that readers would have read the account before and realize the obvious connection to UntoHim’s statement, not try to take it to a place where it was not intended to go. I resist your implication that I implied that he was “randomly selected.” To say such implies that it was merely a matter of chance, when those involved had prayed that their drawing of lots would be guided by God. However, then, according to the Bible, they did draw lots, and Matthias was the selection.
As to your last paragraph, I have not stated a detailed position on the matter. Further, I hope that you are not ascribing to me one of the extreme positions that you have identified. What I have done so far is this: To UntoHim, I asked questions and stated that I didn’t think the lists of requirements in the Bible supported the idea of a leadership training system. To you, I think I have shown that the verses you brought up do not support such a thing. I don’t intend to go further with this at this time; since I am working on other writing projects.