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*SS-God Calls an Apostle (Paul)-07-15-07*
* *
*Focus: *Consider the providence of God in Paul’s life and answer God’s call to evangelism.
*Central Truth:* God’s transformed people are called to evangelize the lost.
*Golden Text: *"For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”"
(Acts 13:47, NKJV)
This is the last lesson that will cover Bible characters in our unit theme of God’s providential plan to bring salvation to mankind.
Today we will look at the life of Paul, who provides us with an excellent example of God at work in a person’s life.
Paul was born at Tarsus, the chief city of Cilicia in the southeast Asia Minor.
He was of the tribe of Benjamin and he was also born a Roman citizen.
Paul was part of his Roman name, Paullus; his Jewish name was Saul.
At some point in his youth, probably around the age of 13, Paul was sent to Jerusalem to study at the feet of Gamaliel, who was one of the leading rabbi-teachers of that time.
Paul was a good student and he was enthusiastic and zealous of the Jewish law.
His fanaticism drove him to be one of the most passionate persecutors of the early church.
He was fierce and cruel, sending many Christians to prison and probably their death.
But, one day, he had an experience with Jesus that turned his world upside down.
Converted to Christianity, Paul became its strongest proponent; traveling extensively throughout the Roman Empire evangelizing and planting churches as he preached the gospel.
His letters to the churches and individuals make up much of our NT.
He is the author of more NT books that any other person.
Paul died as a martyr for Christ.
Question: What are your thoughts about Paul?
*I.
Plan: Redirect a Life.
Acts 7:54-8:3; 9:1-5.*
* *
*Acts 7:54-8:3.*
This is the first account in the Bible of Saul.
He was a young man, which might mean around 30 years old, and he was a witness to the death of Stephen, one of the chosen deacons.
The Bible describes Stephen as a man full of wisdom and the Spirit.
He was a man who, although never called an apostle or minister, was a powerful influence for Christianity in Jerusalem and through him the Holy Spirit was performing miracles and wonders.
Because of this, he became an enemy of the religious leaders in Jerusalem and we read here where he was being stoned to death.
Saul was among those who condoned his death which started a period of intense persecution of the early Christian church in Jerusalem.
The persecution caused the Christians to scatter to other cities in the Roman Empire.
Saul was among those commissioned by the Jewish religious leaders to pursue the Christians wherever they were and send them to prison.
How intensely did Paul persecute the church?
In different parts of the Bible, Paul Himself describes his actions against the church.
He persecuted both men and women “unto the death”, taking them from their homes and synagogues.
He had them imprisoned and beaten.
If they renounced their faith in Jesus Christ, they were set free; if they did not recant, they could be killed.
In later years, Paul described himself as “exceedingly mad against them”, “a blasphemer because he denounced Jesus Christ, and a violent persecutor.
Saul was on his way to be a leading religious figure in Jerusalem.
He was a Pharisee, like his father.
He describes himself in Gal.
1:13-14, "For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers."
Many Biblical scholars believe that Saul’s persecution of the church influenced him to fully commit his life to Christ and the preaching of the gospel.
We can see this in his first letter to the Corinthians where he says in I Cor.
15:8-9, "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
It is easy to see from this that the memories of his persecution of the church drove Paul to labor all the more intensely to build it through his missionary journeys.
*Acts 9:1-5.*
We have already commented enough on Paul’s persecution of the church as it further describes it here in vs. 1-2.
So, we’ll move on to the moment of his conversion in vs. 3-5.
This is the most famous conversion in history.
Saul was 100% against Christianity.
It threatened every thing he believed in and he was determined to put an end to the blasphemy he believed was being preached.
So, he secures the authority he needs to pursue the Christians to Damascus and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.
But, he was interrupted on the way.
While he was on the road, a bright light, shining down from heaven, surrounded Saul.
The light was so intense it caused Saul to fall to the ground and then he heard a voice asking Saul why was he persecuting him.
Saul knew this voice had to belong to God, but he still asks the question, who are you Lord? Paul needed some clarification of what was happening.
He knew he was persecuting the Christian church.
But, this voice asked Saul why he was persecuting him.
As zealous as Saul was for God, this had to be a scary moment.
A goad is a pointed stick for urging on a team of oxen.
This may mean that Paul was already having his conscience pricked about the terrible things he was doing.
That is how I have found the Lord to work.
Before the encounter, the Holy Spirit will bring you to a point of readiness and prepare you to receive.
*II.
Provision: Confirm an Apostle.
Acts 9:6-22; Galatians 1:1, 11-17.*
* *
*Acts 9:6-9.*
When Jesus revealed who He was, Paul trembled.
This sudden realization that he had been persecuting people who believed in Jesus as the Son of God - who had been crucified and had risen from the dead – and now Paul has encountered this resurrected Jesus.
Immediately Paul knew that Jesus was real.
He also knew he was being confronted by deity – the same deity he had been crusading against.
You can bet he was trembling.
Was Jesus going to now repay him for his persecution of Christians?
So, he does the only thing he can.
He asks the Lord what he wants him to do.
This is an amazing transformation.
Up to this moment Paul had been doing what /he/ liked, what /he/ thought best, what /his/ will dictated.
But, from this time forward he would be told what to do.
A Christian is a person who has stopped doing what he or she wants to do and who has begun to do what Christ wants them to do.
The men who were with Paul could hear a voice, but they were not allowed to see Jesus.
Paul’s spiritual eyes had been opened, but now, his physical eyes were blind and he had to be led into Damascus.
For three days, Paul fasted completely without food or water.
So he went into Damascus a changed man.
He had intended to enter Damascus like an raging bull.
Instead, he was led by the hand, blind and helpless.
*Vs.
10-22.*
Ananias was a devout Jew who was a believer in Jesus Christ.
He knew what kind of reputation Saul had and that he was coming to Damascus to arrest believers.
God used visions to prepare both Ananias and Paul for their encounter with each other.
Jesus commanded Ananias to go minister to Paul and told him exactly where Paul was staying.
Ananias was reluctant because of Paul’s reputation for persecuting the church.
But, Jesus assured him that Paul would be expecting him and that Paul was now praying.
I bet he was.
I bet he was praying just like Jonah prayed when he was in the belly of the great fish.
And while Paul was praying, Jesus instructed him in a vision that a man named Ananias would come and lay hands on him to restore his sight.
Jesus told Ananias that Paul was a chosen vessel that would witness of Him to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the Jews.
Ananias then obediently went and layed hands on Saul who not only received his sight, he was also filled with the Holy Spirit.
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