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| Apostle Paul |
The title was a thought that occurred once as I was, I think, travelling to work. I have about an hour and a half of journey to work and the same back. Usually, I use this time, if not dozing off, to worship God in my heart. On this particular ride, the title popped in and kept in my thoughts. What is it that makes radical transformation in an individual once they truly come to experience Christ?
I for one, never thought I was going to give up smoking and drinking. I sort of enjoyed those activities, but once God showed mercy on me by allowing me to experience the power of his Holy Spirit
[on February 25, 2007] they no longer had the same attraction in my life. My idling time was taken up with scripture reading as a desire to know more about Christ got in me. Please, this is not an "I am now holier than thou" rant. I still have many, many things in my personality that needs change, some that I am ashamed of. But, this I know, as apostle Paul writes in
2 Corinthians 12:9 about the answer he received when he prayed for God to take away
"a thorn in my [his] flesh." Each time he [Christ] said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." Amen, his grace is sufficient for me. His power works best in my weakness.
Now about apostle Paul, he himself writes about what kind of person he was before meeting Christ. Paul writes to the Galatians,
"You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion--how I violently persecuted the Christians [the church of God]. I did my best to get rid of them. I was one of the most religious Jews of my own age, and I tried as hard as possible to follow all the old traditions of my religion." (Galatians 1:13-14). Acts 8:3 tells us "Saul [as Paul was called prior to his conversion] was going everywhere to devastate the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both [Christian] men and women to throw them into jail."
All of this changed once he met Christ as he writes,
"But then something happened! For it pleased God in his kindness to choose me and call me, even before I was born! What undeserved mercy! [Grace!] Then he revealed his Son to me so that I could proclaim the Good News, about Jesus to the Gentiles..." (Galatians 1:15-16)
Once he experienced Christ, he had a radical transformation in his life. From persecuting the church of Christ, he went on to suffer tremendously for the gospel of Christ. He mentions some of his hardships as he implores the Corinthian church not to be mislead by false preachers,
"...I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not. I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of how the churches are getting along. Who is weak without my feeling the weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows I tell the truth. When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me. But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall, and that's how I got away "
What did Paul give up in his life following his experience with Christ? Saul of Tarsus, as Paul was known prior to his conversion, had everything going for him. He writes in
Philippians 3, "Yet I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. [same tribe from where King Saul hailed.]
So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault." Not only was Saul a pure blooded Jew, a Hebrew of Hebrews, he was a Pharisee, a group of Jews who were considered to be above all Jews. He was educated at the feet of "one of the greatest teachers in all the annals of Judaism - Gamaliel." Aside from being a Pharisee, Saul was also a Roman citizen, a fact that afforded him a privileged legal status with respect to laws, property, and governance. He was from a wealthy and influential family to have all this going for him.
He gave up a life of privilege once he came to know and experience Christ. Paul's outlook on life and the world as he knew it changed radically - a paradigm shift occurred in his life! He writes in
Philippians 3:7-11, "I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!"
Similarly in
Luke, chapter 19, we read about a corrupt tax collector named Zacchaeus who following an encounter with Jesus does a 180 degree reversal in his life and promises complete restitution to those whom he had ripped off. What is it about this Christ that transforms lives? There are some things in life that can't just be explained away. You have to experience them.
Experience Christ, and you will fall in love with him! Give Jesus Christ a chance in your life, invite him in to your life. All it takes is a willing heart, he will do the rest. God bless you!
PS: 7/9/11 - An excerpt from Ravi Zacharias' book "Jesus among other Gods." He writes,
"I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn. I have remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn. I came to Him longing for something I did not have. I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade. I came to Him as a stranger. I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships. I came to Him unsure about the future. I remain with Him certain about my destiny. I came amid the thunderous cries of a culture that has three hundred and thirty million deities. I remain with Him knowing that truth cannot be all-inclusive. Truth by definition excludes."
