Up to this point, our study has focused mainly on what the Apostle Paul did and how he was able to accomplish such significant things; however, the real key to why he was able to make such an impact is who he was. Although Paul was one of the most prolific writers and most eloquent spokesmen of the New Testament era, we can single out a handful of his statements that clearly define how he saw himself and the ministry to which he was called.
Servant of God
We first met Paul at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. In this introductory encounter, we saw that he was an activist and that he was dedicated to serving his cause. Even though the story leaves us with the impression that Saul never actually hurled any stones at poor Steven, he took an active role in the execution through encouraging the ones who actually took the martyr’s life. He did, however, follow up after this episode by gaining permission from the high priest to further the persecution of the infant church. The hostility that we see displayed in his actions might lead us to wonder exactly what kind of person this man was. Was he a criminal or a mobster of some sort? No! He was actually a noble citizen – an orthodox Jew of culture and religious pedigree. In his own words, we can that he was a most proper Jew.
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:4-6)
Since Paul was not a typical street ruffian, why did he do such horrible things against Stephen and other Christians prior to his conversion? Perhaps we can find the answer in the words of Jesus, “They that kill you think they do God service.” (John 16:2) Saul was a man of service, and he zealously served God (or so he thought) by trying to wipe out the new heresy – Christianity. Yet, at the height of this career of what he thought was a service to the Lord, something radical happened that made him discount all accomplishments and the credentials he had gained to this point. (Philippians 3:7) On the road to Damascus, he was apprehended – put under arrest – by the Lord. (Philippians 3:12) With this arrest, he was conscripted as a true servant of the Lord. (Romans 1:1, Galatians 1:10, Titus 1:1) As His servant, God used this apostle to author a dozen of the New Testament books – some of the greatest literature ever written. The Apostle Paul traveled at his own expense through the then-known world to preach and teach in every city where he could find an opening. (Acts 18:3, 28:30; I Corinthians 9:12) Additionally, he went through strenuous Jewish rituals to pacify the Jewish brethren and endure unimaginable hardships to further the cause (Acts 21:22-27, II Corinthians 11:23-33), but he adamantly proclaimed that he did not consider it a burden to give himself away like this (I Corinthians 9:19-23). In fact, to the very end of his life, he was continually hoping for more opportunities to serve God. This life of total sacrifice was in Paul’s mind simply his only “reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) He knew that life not in service to God would be a life in service to some other master.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. (Romans 6:16-18)
Man of Destiny
In Galatians 1:15, Paul said that God had separated him from his mother’s womb – suggesting that his life – like those of Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5), and David (Psalm 22:9) – was destined even before his birth. In fact, Paul even suggested that his destiny was preconceived even before Creation. (Ephesians 1:4) In I Corinthians 15:8, Paul described his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus as “of one born out of due time.” For centuries, theologians have debated the exact meaning of this unusual phrase, with some saying that it is a reference to the appearance of Jesus as if He were a premature baby and others insisting that the reference is to the fact that Paul encountered Him in an unlikely chronological timeframe – after His death and resurrection rather than during His physical lifetime. Jesus’ appearance to Saul was as a brilliant light, the first argument of the premature baby seems totally unsubstantiated. However, the idea that Paul is making reference to an unusual chronology seems to fit well since the two men were likely in Jerusalem at the same time but it seems that their paths never crossed. If we adopt the approach that the reference is to the timeframe of the encounter rather than to the appearance of Christ, there could be a connection to a statement from the testimony that Paul made when he presented his case before King Agrippa. In recounting the words that Jesus spoke to him on the road to Damascus, Paul said that Jesus had called him to be a witness of the things he had seen. (Acts 26:16) Notice that Jesus spoke of things – plural – that Paul had seen. This is obviously a reference to more than just the encounter on the Damascus road since that would have been one singular thing. So what were the other things? We know from Romans 16:7 that Paul had relatives (Andronicus and Junia) who were believers before his encounter with Christ. It is likely that they would have shared their faith with him and that he rejected their witness. Further, there is a possibility that Paul had had some mitigating influence from his master Gamaliel, who even though he was a member of the Sanhedrin had a surprising openness to the possibility that the Christian movement might genuinely be of God. (Acts 5:34-39) Perhaps Gamaliel had shared his feelings with his student who refused to listen. If this were the case, there is no question that he would later look back on the day when he refused the temperance of his teacher and declared that he had miscarried or even aborted the opportunity to open his heart to the new faith so many days, months, or even years earlier. Of course, standing in the crowd listening to Stephen’s impassioned speech and witnessing his confession of faith as he became the first Christian martyr would have certainly been an excellent opportunity for Saul to have “seen the light,” but instead he held the coats of those who threw the stones that paved the path for Stephen to make his way to Jesus and the Father. (Acts 6:8-7:60) If these encounters were the “things” that Jesus spoke of, then it is evident that Paul’s faith journey didn’t begin on the road to Damascus; rather, destiny was already at work when he held the coats for the lynch mob who took the life of the first Christian martyr, when he made the decision to study religion at the feet of Gamaliel, and more dramatically in Paul’s “prehistory” in his mother’s womb and even before. To Paul, being born out of time meant that even though he wasn’t born again until his adulthood, God was actually trying to make him into a minister from – and even before – his very birth. This was destiny at work, making Paul into a man who could deliver maximum impact.
Heavenly Vision
In his testimony before king Agrippa, Paul spoke of the “heavenly vision” that changed his life on the road to Damascus. (Acts 26:19) It has been said that a missionary is not made by crossing the sea but by seeing the cross – and in Paul’s life, it is true that the vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus is what gave him a mission, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:16-18) It is amazing that the Lord spoke to a man who was blinded by the light of Jesus that his mission would be open the eyes of the blind so that they could see that same light of the gospel.
But what did that encounter birth inside of Paul that made him the missionary that he became? In his letter to the Romans Paul made three simple, yet profound, confessions that summarize the results of what happened in him when he saw the cross and was transformed from Saul of Tarsus into Paul the apostle – a man who made maximum impact.
Debtor
In chapter one verse fourteen of Romans, he declared, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” His mission was one of obligation. It was impossible for him to remain silent in any situation because of the impact of that encounter with Jesus. Of course, we know that he was already a very zealous individual. By his own confession, he outdid everyone in his persecution of the church and in his keeping of the Jewish traditions and even considered himself totally blameless in terms of the impossible feat of keeping the total Law. (Galatians 1:13-14, Philippians 3:6) Yet the fervor of his previous life paled in comparison to the dynamic thrust of this new mission in which the apostle felt an obligation to preach this gospel to every individual everywhere. To Paul, the ministry was not a job. In fact, he explained to the Corinthians that even though he had every legitimate right to receive a salary from them, he had determined to cover his own expenses so that no one would ever misinterpret his motivation. (I Corinthians 4:12, 9:1-23) When he called the elders of the church at Ephesus to Miletus for his farewell message, he asked them to reaffirm that his ministry had been without any desire for personal gain. (Acts 20:33-34) We get the modern concept of self-supporting “tentmaking” ministries from Paul’s practice working at a secular job. (Acts 18:3) But this is not the extent of his commitment – he not only cared for his own needs, but he also expended his own monetary resources and physical and emotional strength to minister the gospel. (II Corinthians 12:15) To Paul, the ministry was not a position, promotion, or power. In the farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, Paul accentuated, “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house” (Acts 20:18-20) – stressing the fact that he did nothing to promote his own position or even to accept a position that others might want to elevate him to. His mission was not about personal gain or advancement – but about establishing others in the kingdom. In fact, he even described his ministry as becoming poor to make others rich. (II Corinthians 6:10)
Ready
Paul’s second declaration that defined his mission is in the following verse, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.” (Romans 1:15) Seeing the cross not only made him a debtor, it also made him ready to preach the gospel. Other than the self-imposed exile into Arabia to sort out the meaning of this new experience, there is not even the slightest hint that Paul ever took a vacation, a day off, or a leave of absence from his mission. From the moment he received his revelation, Saul was destined to be given the platform to stand on – even before kings – to expound that revelation. (Acts 9:15, 26:16-18) The fact that he may not have had the most coveted conditions under which to minister this revelation to these men did not hamper the effectiveness with which he delivered his gift to them. (Acts 13:12, 26:28) His assessment of his ministry as covering the territory from Jerusalem to Illyricum in central Greece confirms the principle that his gifting had caused him to flourish: the gospel had been so fully preached in that area that there was no more place in the region left where he needed to minister. (Romans 15:19, 23) Paul matched his gift – his unique ability to explain the gospel of salvation – to a worldwide audience. He explained to the church at Rome that he actually felt an obligation to serve both Jew and gentile. (Romans 1:14) His sense of mission was primarily to the Jews, for whom he said that he was even willing to be accursed if it would serve as a catalyst to bring them to the revelation of the gospel (Romans 9:3); however, he recognized that the gentiles – who actually became the most fertile ground of his ministry – were also an area in which he could serve with his gifting (Romans 1:16). In Paul’s zealous quest for areas of service, God actually had to step in and stop him from going into Asia with his revelation and give him a vision of the most fertile area for the service of his gift. (Acts 16:6, 9) In his seemingly non-ending determination to find a field of service where his gift could be applied, the apostle desired to eventually reach Rome, the very heart and soul of the current society, and then proceed to Spain, the furthest boundary of the then-civilized world. (Romans 1:15, 15:24) All this was the visible demonstration of the invisible impartation.
Although his whole life is a testimony of this fact, I’d like to point out just a few examples that poignantly illustrate the fact that Paul was constantly ready – no matter what the circumstances were – to preach the gospel. The very next day after he was stoned and left for dead at Lystra, Paul traveled sixty miles – possibly on foot – to Derbe and then stood up to preach and teach. (Acts 14:19-21) Even his imprisonments didn’t stop his outreach – with Onesimus as just one example of the fruit that he produced while in chains. (Philemon 10) Finally, as he languished on death row – not knowing whether the next steps he would hear coming down the corridor would be executioner to take his life or the parole officer to give it back to him – Paul vacillated between his desire to go heaven to eternal reward and his desire to go to the world to help them find that reward. His final conclusion was that – no matter how strong his desire to end all the troubles of this world might be – his readiness to help others out of this world’s troubles was even stronger! (Philippians 1:20-26)
Not Ashamed
Paul’s third declaration about his mission is found in the next verse, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16) To Paul, there was nothing about the message of the gospel that he found embarrassing or uncomfortable. We often use the expression “lightning fast” to symbolically speak of things that happen very quickly, but in Paul’s case there was nothing symbolic about it – his life took an instantaneous one-hundred-eighty-degree turn when the blinding light of Jesus struck him on the road to Damascus. With that split-second conversion from wanting to eradicate the very mention of the name of Jesus to calling on that name as his Lord, Paul had an absolutely unquestionable assurance that this gospel was the real thing. With that kind of unshakable experience, there was never any reason for him to doubt or compromise that it would be equally effective in anyone else’s life. That is why he boldly shared his testimony when he was put on trial. (Acts 22:1-21, 26:1-23) Paul knew that the gospel had changed his life and had no doubt that it would change the lives of anyone who would believe it; therefore, it became a non-negotiable that he should present it on every occasion possible so as to not deprive others of the same life-changing power he had experienced. For others who have not had such a to-the-core-of-your-being encounter with the cross, there might be some intimidation or trepidation concerning the gospel – but not so with the man who has become a missionary by seeing the cross!
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10:8-11)