Lessons from the Apostle Paul
Superheroes! We are struck by their abilities and wonder at their powers and the incredible feats they can accomplish—amazing! Among the pantheon we find the likes of Captain America, Iron Man, Superman, Batman, The Incredible Hulk, and The Mighty Thor. Do you have a favorite? Captain America is my favorite, for he fought against the Nazis and represents liberty, freedom and justice.
Yet, upon digging just below the surface, we will find that our superheroes have kinks in their armor so to speak. For example—Kryptonite blocked Superman’s powers; Captain America could be mortally wounded; and if Wonder Woman’s bracelets were tied together, she’d lose her powers, and if her bracelets were ever lost or broken, she’d go into an uncontrollable rage.
As we think of superhero figures in the Bible, such luminaries as Moses, David, Peter, and Paul come to mind. And though they accomplished great and mighty things for God, these human beings also had their own kinks—all of them due to the fallenness of man—the sin nature.
Moses failed to enter the promised land because of disobedience to God and was quite prone to complaining. David was an adulterer and a murderer, plus his family life was often filled with strife. Peter was tempestuous and even betrayed the Lord on one occasion. And the Apostle Paul? Well, in one instance he simply coined himself “the chief of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15)!
The Apostle Paul is a remarkable case study for us to embark on! For he is the greatest missionary found in the New Testament along with authoring 13 of its books. Yet, while the Lord used Paul in incredible ways to accomplish much for His Church, the apostle was a person like you and me—he had struggles, victories, defeats, fears, and insecurities—he had issues. But Paul also had great faith, which he exercised. And God is faithful. As we think of being a witness for Jesus Christ, there is much we can learn from Paul. And so, with this submission, we begin a series of devotionals from the life of Paul.
During this series we will briefly touch upon some of Paul’s writings and experiences from each of the 13 New Testament epistles. As we do, I trust we will be inspired, instructed, and compelled by the Lord through the life and testimony of Paul, a man who had a passion for God, a zeal for the gospel, compassion for the lost, and an unwavering commitment to the Great Commission.
Where to start?
How about Paul in his “BC” days—before Christ. He says this about himself in Philippians 3:5-6,
“circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.”
Just prior to Paul’s conversion, he was a staunch opponent of the gospel. For we find his introduction into the New Testament narrative both destructive and deadly. As Stephen, a man “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5), and a man “full of grace and power” (Acts 6:8), testifies and then is martyred in Acts 7, Saul makes his ignominious first appearance in the bible:
…and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison (Acts 7:58-59, Acts 8:1, 3).
Our first lesson from Paul comes not from his Christian witness, but from his fierce opposition to Christians!
Now we can only imagine those early believers’ response to Saul’s raging persecution. It seems to me there possibly were two camps of thinking regarding his rampaging.
First, there may have been a group of believers who viewed Saul as a “madman”, as “bad news”, and someone to avoid at all times in all situations. Is it possible there may have been some followers of Jesus who may have coined Saul “a lost cause?” For here was this learned religious Jewish man who certainly would have, to some degree, been exposed to Jesus’ teaching and would have known of His miracles and renown during HIs earthly ministry. Certainly he heard the testimony of Stephen, yet this man categorically rejected everyone and everything associated with Jesus.
On the other hand, there must have been those disciples who remembered Jesus’ words regarding human enemies:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:43-45).
Wow! This is not a natural response. Rather it’s a supernatural response, and one I believe would have been undertaken by some of Jesus’ faithful followers to Saul’s opposition and persecution.
And you say, “How?”
Through an attitude of love and compassion for Saul’s spiritual lostness along with prayer for his salvation.
Aside from Paul’s hearing Stephen’s testimony, there’s no biblical record of anyone actually “witnessing” directly to him. But in Acts 9, Jesus comes to seek and to save this one who is lost, bringing Saul out of the Kingdom of Darkness and into the Kingdom of Light:
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:1-6).
As we think about people in our lives, you most likely don’t know a Saul—like figure personally. But you definitely know people who are lost and difficult to love, serve, and pray for. You may even have someone you’re tempted to coin a lost cause.
Well, not so fast! Remember this first lesson from Paul—there are no lost causes, just lost people! For nothing is too difficult for our great God!
“…with God all things are possible.” – Jesus (Matthew 19:24)