Paul – 19 Sept 2008

I will finish the week with a look at Paul.  One ancient writer describes him as a short, bald, bow-legged and hook-nosed man with eyebrows that met in the middle.  However, descriptions of people are subjective so we can’t go with that 100%.  Whatever his appearance, he was an incredibly powerful person. The Bible bears that out.  In his early life Paul was a scholar.  He was taught the Jewish Scriptures and the traditions of his faith.  He later studied under a famous rabbi called Gamaliel and became more than “full-on”.

The Bible first mentions Paul when Stephen is getting stoned.  He was in the background.  His role was to hunt down Jews who had converted to Jesus and deal with them decisively.  He was known as a chief persecutor of Christians and a man to fear.

Then he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and everything changed.

From killer of Christians to missionary for Christ, all of his energy and drive went into love for people and a passion for the gospel.  He faced beatings, imprisonment, death threats, financial hardships and isolation.  Never did he let up and never did he quit.  Finally he was arrested in Rome and martyred.

A key to his character is in Colossians 1:29 where he says something astonishing.  He is talking about sharing Christ with as many people as possible and helping them grow as disciples.  He says:

“To this end I labour, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me”.

He simply overflowed with the presence of Jesus.  From the outset he was rigorous, zealous and obsessive.  God uses such people to break new ground and do extraordinary things.  Now he was driven by heavenly power.  He had been given a glimpse of something beyond this life and it changed him forever.

He was one of the great adventurers of that time and, as a result, the gospel spread like wildfire.

Have you ever experienced God’s energy working in you powerfully, as Paul describes?  If not, do you long for it?  Let us lay every day before God and ask to join in whatever He is working on in our part of the world – and be prepared to stick at it like Paul.

Jim Finch