By Rev. A. M. Cattanach, M.A.
Second Series
IX Separated for Missionary Service.
In the course of our first series of eight studies, we devoted some time and thought to that part of the Apostle’s life which stretched from the time of his conversion on the Damascus road, to that of the momentous meeting for prayer in the city of Antioch, at which it was made abundantly clear to the five brethren engaged therein, that the Lord meant them to extend the work of preaching the good news of the Kingdom beyond the borders of Syria and Judaea. The second series of studies, which begins with this issue of the Magazine, will cover the period of Paul’s life in which he served his Lord and Master in a series of missionary journeys, which took him round much of the ancient world bordering on the shores of the Mediterranean, and brought him into contact with countless numbers of Jews and Gentiles, scattered throughout the Roman Empire. The Lord willing, we shall devote some time and thought, in the same manner as in our first series, to a few of the salient points of these famous journeys for the Lord’s sake, as the Apostle himself in a poignant passage in one of his epistles, so forcibly reminds us, ‘in journeyings oft’, and seek to learn from them some spiritual lessons, which, by the blessing of the Holy Ghost, might be of some lasting profit for our souls. We seek His guidance once more, as we turn to the contemplation of this interesting period in the Apostle’s life history. The life of this great servant of Christ can be conveniently divided, for our present purpose, into three periods, so that, in our studies, if time permit, according to the will of the Lord, a final series could deal with the period of his life from his ascent in Jerusalem until he gained the crown of righteousness, when he had finished his earthly course.