[aron]

One thing about Paul which is interesting to me in this line of thinking is where he shares a similar strain with John, as it were; a penchant to go it alone. John disappears from the record (Acts, written by Luke, who was with Paul), and reappears it seems some years later, post-Paul, post-Peter, post-James.

Well, Paul has his own disappearing act as well. Remember the part in the first chapter of Galatians, where Paul says he got a commission from God to preach the gospel to the gentiles, and he didn't go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before him? He remained unknown to the churches in Judea. He went off for 3 years, then stopped by for 2 weeks and said hello to Peter & James (John seems to have been gone by then) & then disappeared from that scene for another 14 years.

Now, if you were an aspiring apostle, why not join to the top dog? That's how Jesse Jackson got his spot. Number 2 to MLK; and therefore next in line when the mantle is passed. Lee was at least in his eyes Nee's closest co-worker. Benson Philips was Lee's chief aide, and so forth. The path to power is accessed by attaching to those in power.

But Paul didn't take that route. He didn't take the Jerusalem route. He took the hinterlands route, and God surely seems to have sustained him. Eventually Paul went to Jerusalem, at the end of the book of Acts, but by then he seems to have gotten in his head that he must be martyred like Christ. He gave speeches to this effect, just as Jesus had done before.

Anyway, Paul didn't take the traditional route to power, and I gotta give him props for that. Ultimately Jerusalem "swallowed" him, but not before he had largely run his course.

So, if we are to follow Paul, should we "go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles who were before", or should we take the Holy Spirit's path? My own argument is that the way to follow Paul is not to follow Paul. Because Paul didn't follow the apostles before him, but rather was led by the God who calls. We, likewise, shouldn't follow those apostles who are before us, in today's "Jerusalem", but rather should be free to follow the moving of the Spirit. I know Ray Graver probably wouldn't appreciate my addendum on his "how to follow the apostle" list, but there it is, anyway.