by Kelsey McKain
St. Patrick was an English priest who, after being kidnapped and held captive as a slave in Ireland, escaped home to England only to hear God calling him to go back and share the Gospel with his former captors. There are many myths and legends surrounding St. Patrick’s life, but one thing we know for certain is that he was an incredible servant of the Lord. During his ministry in Ireland he planted over 700 churches, baptized thousands of people (some say as many as 100,000) and changed the course of Ireland forever. Rather than celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with shamrocks and leprechauns, we’re honoring St. Patrick with 5 lessons you can learn from his ministry.
1. Extraordinary Forgiveness
When he was just 16 years old, young Patrick was stolen from his home and forced to work as a slave in Ireland. For the next 6 years he was made to live with and work for the people that kidnapped him. I imagine he thought daily about escaping, running away, maybe even harming his captors. He missed his parents, his homeland, his freedom. These people took everything from him.
I would have a hard time forgiving the people that stole 6 years of my life, the people that terrified and traumatized me, that broke the hearts of my parents, that changed my life forever. Patrick eventually escaped and returned home to England, where he could have easily lived out his days as a bitter, resentful man who hated the Irish for the things they’d done to him. He could’ve even taken the high road and managed to forgive his oppressors, possibly even pray for them, while staying comfortably in his safe and cozy home. That would’ve been honorable, even Christ-like, to forgive and move on.
But Patrick took it a step further. He didn’t just forgive them, he didn’t just pray for them, he chose to love them. He loved them so much that, after he returned home to England, he became a priest and returned to Ireland to share the Gospel with them. He saw the very people that hurt him, that kidnapped him, that caused the darkest time in his life, and he saw brothers and sisters in Christ who needed to hear about Jesus. I can’t imagine a more epic tale of forgiveness.
2. Hopeful Perseverance
St. Patrick spent most of his life persevering. As a young slave in Ireland, he had to constantly hold onto the hope and promise of Christ. He had to stand strong in the face of oppression and cruelty. He spent 6 years of his life, unsure about if or when he’d ever return home, connecting with God, trusting Him, and leaning on His promises. After he escaped home he could’ve easily stayed there, but he chose to return to Ireland to share Jesus.
The tribes in Ireland were callous and violent and did not appreciate Patrick’s attempt at evangelism. They tried to force him out in any way they could. In his writings, Patrick confessed, “Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, but I fear none of these things because of the promise of heaven.”
Patrick’s perseverance paid off. He refused to be backed down or run out of town, despite any consequences that arose, and instead focused on the promises of God, and in doing so became one of the greatest disciple makers of all time.
3. God Qualifies the Called, Not the Other Way Around
People are often afraid to begin their journey into missions or ministry because they don’t feel educated or qualified enough and often wait to share the Gospel until they feel “ready.” St. Patrick, however, was prepared to be obedient when God called, no matter his education.
His calling from God could not be ignored. While Patrick was home in England he received a vision from the Lord. He describes it in this writings:
I saw a man coming, as it were from Ireland. His name was Victoricus, and he carried many letters, and he gave me one of them. I read the heading: “The Voice of the Irish”. As I began the letter, I imagined in that moment that I heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut, which is beside the western sea—and they cried out, as with one voice: “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.”
Despite his calling, Patrick was nervous about his ministry because of his education levels. Being abducted at 16 had interrupted his studies and he felt much less intelligent than his peers. He was quite self conscious and even goes as far as to say, “I am unable to explain my mind to learned people.” Despite his insecurities, Patrick obeyed God’s calling and ended up starting one of the largest Church Multiplication Movements in history.
4. Team Work Makes the Dream Work
One of the reasons many think St. Patrick was so fruitful was because of his specific type of evangelism method. Rather than converting people and sending them out alone, Patrick realized it was much more beneficial to send new believers and “missionaries” out in teams. These teams typically had about a dozen members who would travel together from tribe to tribe, sharing the Gospel and discipling people. After a few months with one tribe, Patrick’s team would leave a few people behind to continue discipling the new believers and in turn, a few of the new believers would begin traveling with the team, learning and discipling as they went.
This seems to be one of the reasons Patrick was so successful in his mission to convert all of Ireland. Rather than “go it alone” and get overwhelmed and exhausted by the work, he chose to travel in a team, where he could call and rely on others to help and encourage him in his mission. Having extra support systems are an integral part to any missions work. Having a team on the field working with you and a team at home praying for you will make all the difference in your ministry!
5. Disciple Making is Key
The other reason many think Patrick was so successful was his commitment to discipleship. When his teams would enter a new tribe they’d ask to live with them, in community, for a few months. They “did life” together so to speak, working, eating, and talking with each other daily. They didn’t shout Bible verses and drive away, they invested in these people and showed them what it meant to be a Christian.
As we mentioned before, when the team was ready to move on they left a few people behind to continue to disciple these baby Christians, rather than leaving them to fend for themselves or work out any issues that may arise without help. Patrick had another strategy of discipling and converting the King or Chief of the tribe first and then allowing him to disciple the rest of his people. These Chiefs would often send their sons with Patrick when he left so he could teach and disciple them while they prepared to take leadership of the tribe.
Making disciples is what makes the difference between a church plant that quickly crumbles and a healthy, sustainable Church Multiplication Movement that duplicates itself time and again. Patrick also realized the importance of duplicating himself on a regular basis. He trained over 5,000 priests of his own to continue his work in Ireland and Europe.
How About You?
St. Patrick’s story has at least one takeaway for all of us. Maybe this St. Patrick’s day you should take some time to forgive someone, not just casually, but with the love of Christ. Maybe you need to recommit and persevere. Is this God’s reminder for you to not give up?
Perhaps you feel called into missions, but you don’t feel qualified. Let me share a secret, nobody feels qualified. We aren’t qualified. Only God can change a heart and we rely on Him every step of the way. It might not be easy, but answering God’s call on your life is the most fulfilling thing you will ever do. If you’d like to do that, we can help. We’ll pair you with a team. We’ll show you how to become a disciple-maker. And we’ll be here to support you, every step of the way. Let’s start a conversation about answering God’s call, today.
