As we continue forward in this blog series on The Impact of Calling, we have arrived to part eight. In this month’s blog we find ourselves exploring the impact of calling in the Apostle Paul’s life. Of all the blogs I have done in this series, I find Paul’s calling to be one that is quite unique and empowering when looking at his life. Especially for many of us as Christians we can look at the testimony of Paul’s life as a man who hated Christians so much that he was eager to kill followers of Jesus only to have Jesus himself intercede into Paul’s life changing him forever. As I share several verses, it is important to note that during this time Christianity was previously called the Way.
In writing this blog I want to focus on three elements. First I want us to explore Paul’s first appearance in the New Testament before he became a Christian, his conversion experience, and finally the great apostle he became to the Gentiles (non-Jews). We will be spending most of this blog in the first half of the book of Acts where Paul is regularly called Saul. It is not until Acts 13:9 where Saul’s name change to Paul becomes permanent for the remainder of Acts, except when he recounts his conversion.
As the church continued to greatly increase, opposition came among believers. One such believer was a man named Stephen who was “full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people” was to be persecuted and killed (Acts 6:8 NLT). The Jewish leaders did to Stephen as they had done to Jesus as they had someone lie about him, accused him of blasphemy and had him arrested. Stephen gave a powerful testimony before the high priest and infuriated them by his bold accusations, which led to him being dragged out and stoned. It is here that we are introduced to Saul where Stephen’s “accusers took of their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul” (Acts 7:58b NLT). Saul was a witness to Stephens killing and agreed with it completely. Following this a great wave of persecution takes place that swept over the church in Jerusalem and beyond that scattered the believers.
But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.
Acts 8:3-4 NLT
From this we see that Saul sought to persecute the early church in any way that he could and by any means necessary that would even include himself traveling far and wide to persecute believers. Starting at a young age we see that Saul was accustomed to violence who himself was a member of the Jewish Pharisees. Later in Acts 26 after his conversion, Saul testified of his persecution towards the Christian church and Jesus himself before king Agrippa.
I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very man of Jesus the Nazarene. Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
Acts 26:9-11 NLT
As I wrote those three verses, I began to wonder what would have it been like as a Christian to be alive then to find myself running from Saul? A man who sent my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to prison, a man who cast his vote against my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be killed, a man who punished my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to get them to curse the name of Jesus, and a man who would chase me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ too far away foreign cities. Imagine if this same man, Saul, was alive today and was persecuting the church, how would you feel towards him? Stephen’s prayer to the Lord as he was killed was that He would not charge them with the sin of his death and there Saul stood in the background agreeing with this man’s death. Now hang on to what I have just said as I am going to circle back to this in a few minutes.
At the beginning of Acts 9 we once again come face to face with Saul’s intentions to destroy the church. This is where Saul’s conversion happens and arguably one of the most radical conversion experiences. We read…
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them – both men and women – back to Jerusalem in chains.
As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 9:1-6 NLT
Following this Saul became blind and the companions that came with him led him by hand to Damascus where Saul does not eat or drink for three days. Jesus speaks in a vision to a believer named Ananias living in Damascus and gives him instructions to go to the house where Saul is (as Saul at that moment was praying to Jesus) to lay hands on him so that he may see again. Ananias knew who Saul was and objected to this as he knew the many terrible deeds Saul had done to believers. However, Jesus tells Ananias to go, but more importantly shares what Saul’s calling will be.
But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
Acts 9:15-16 NLT
Ananias obeys in going to Saul in welcoming him into the Christian family in calling him, “Brother Saul” and prays for him. To which his vision is restored so that he may be filled with the Holy Spirit as Ananias tells him. Immediately following this, Saul got up and was baptized. Saul stayed there with fellow believers, his new faith family, for several days and then began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” (Acts 9:20b NLT). People were amazed at this as they discussed amongst themselves that wasn’t this the same man who caused devastation among the followers of Jesus? Saul’s preaching became so powerful that the even the Jews themselves in Damascus could not disprove his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God! Wow talk about a life changing experience! Saul goes from being spiritually blind to spiritually aware.
During Saul’s stay in Damascus for a while, some of the Jews, once Saul’s fellow allies, plotted together to kill him at the city gate. This plot comes to light and now the believers Saul had originally come for to take back to Jerusalem in chains are now the ones saving his life in lowering him through an opening in the city wall. The spiritual and physical irony here is astounding as I wonder what must be going through Saul’s mind at this point. Those who he once called friends are now his enemies and those he once called his enemies are now his friends. So Saul leaves to return to Jerusalem, but not as his old self, now as a man who has been redeemed by Jesus.
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
Acts 9:26-28 NLT
Saul is met with a doubtful community of believers who do not believe that he himself had truly become a believer when he arrives in Jerusalem. The last time they encountered Saul in Jerusalem he was a man uttering threats with every breath and eager to kill the Lord’s followers, but now he was also himself a believer redeemed and called by Jesus. Now I want to circle back to my earlier reflection of what would it be like to be a believer during this time when Saul was persecuting the church. Imagine you were a believer in Jerusalem in the epicenter of this great wave of persecution and Saul who was one of the main leaders in this persecution, comes back to Jerusalem declaring he is a believer now what would you think? Would you think it is a lie, perhaps Saul is trying to trick you and fellow believers to find out where you are hiding in order to throw you into prison persecuting you and fellow believers? I am not sure about you, but I likely would have included myself among the believers who would have doubted his conversion and not welcomed him into the Christian community. Even Ananias himself was doubtful and objected to welcoming Saul into the Christian community at first, but he did obey in welcoming him as a brother in Christ.
However, at this crucial moment in Saul’s life, the believer Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”) steps forward and intercedes on Saul’s behalf to the apostles in convincing them that Saul’s radical conversion was indeed genuine. As such, Saul stays with the apostles and went throughout Jerusalem in boldly proclaiming the name of Jesus with them.
Paul has, “done more to shape Christianity than any other individual except Christ himself… He then dedicated the rest of his life to proclaiming Jesus as Savior and Lord throughout the Mediterranean world. His dedication and hard work, especially among Gentiles (to whom he was specifically called for), resulted in the founding of scores of churches during the first century… Paul, more than any other NT writer, shows us how and why Christians must always find their deepest roots and motivation in the grace of Christ.”
NLT Illustrated Study Bible
Saul’s conversion experience was his prophetic call and commission as an apostle and this conversion of Saul shows that no one is beyond the reach of the power of God to redeem them and be used for God’s holy purposes. As the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15 NLT). Jesus himself intercedes into Saul’s life to use him for the works he had laid out for him in his redemptive work among the peoples of earth.
Paul’s central message throughout his missionary journeys and the many New Testament letters that he wrote was Christ. He believed and preached that we gain a right relationship with God when we believe and put our faith in Jesus Christ who is the one that places us in a right standing before God. There is a great richness in Paul’s theology and writing of the Good News and how he came to understand it through his divine revelation of Jesus Christ appearing to him and it is by Jesus alone that we gain a right relationship with God.
As you have read this blog, I am not sure whether or not you consider yourself a believer or non-believer in Jesus Christ, but know that just like Saul, no one is beyond the reach of the power of God to redeem us, cleanse us, make us new, and fill our lives with a spiritual love and joy for those around them. Too many times we as humans count ourselves as unworthy of God’s love and find ourselves trapped in darkness and isolation. However, God’s love and grace is so incredible that He calls us worthy. So much so that He sent His one and only Son Jesus so that we would not perish, but have everlasting life by His redemptive work through Jesus on the cross.
In living by faith, believers are challenged to the daily adventure of the unknown, trusting in God’s guidance. Thankfully we have a God who seeks to meet us where we are at and this chord resonates strongly even in the life of Saul who formerly persecuted the early church severely. Just like Saul, God has a plan and calling for each and every person. Just as Ananias was, we are all called to go…
For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.
But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me – and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 NLT
Best Regards,
Derrick Shipley