THE MAN OF GOD
It could be that the Apostle Paul wasn’t at all who we thought he was. Our general impression of Paul may be based more on what he accomplished than by who he was at his core. Many would perhaps think of him as a great orator, able to preach mighty sermons that would move his hearers to repentance and drive them to their knees. We could assume Paul to have been super self-confident in his own abilities, accomplishments, and talents that he possessed. Because of his ministry and the important call that God had on his life, we may think that the Lord would have kept Paul from trouble and from sickness, guarding and healing him just as he prayed for protection and healing over others.
These things are based on assumptions that
we have about Paul, and not on what the Apostle tells us about himself. If we take a deeper look into Paul’s life and
ministry, we will perhaps find some surprising facts about this mighty man of
God.
PAUL’S EDUCATION
Paul gives us some details about his
early life and training in the third chapter of his letter to the Philippian
Church. He begins by mentioning that he
was circumcised when he was eight days old in accordance with Jewish Law. He then establishes his pure lineage as a
Jew, coming from the sturdy stock of Israeli parents, and born into the
respected tribe of Benjamin. He refers
to himself as “…a Hebrew of the Hebrews” and
says that regarding the Jewish Law, he was part of the sect called the
Pharisees. As far as the keeping of the
Law was concerned, Paul considered himself blameless.
Speaking of his education, Paul tells
us, “I am verily a man which am a Jew,
born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught
according to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers, and was zealous
toward God, as ye all are this day.” (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel was a well-respected teacher of the
Law, and a prominent member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (the high court and
governing body in Israel).
Despite all of Paul’s excellent
credentials, the only thing that they motivated him to do before his conversion
was to persecute the Christian Church. “As for Saul [or Paul], he made havoc of the church, entering
every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”
(Acts 8:3 NKJV). It was Paul who held
the cloaks for those who stoned the Christian martyr Stephen to death. He did this to witness that he was in support
of this cruelty. As he testified to the
Jews, “…when the blood of Thy martyr
Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and
kept the raiment of them that slew him.” (Acts 22:20). Understandably, the Church was afraid of Paul
and the violence and upheaval that he was capable of bringing down on them.
NOT CONFIDENT IN HIS OWN NATURAL ABILITIES
“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…” (Philippians
3:4). Before knowing Christ, Paul placed
a lot of trust in his own natural abilities and advantages, but something
happened to him that changed him forever.
During a trip to Damascus to round up Christians for imprisonment, the
Lord revealed Himself to Paul in a bright light that blinded him and caused him
to fall to the ground. This encounter
with Christ on the road to Damascus revealed to Paul that it was possible to
feel completely right about a thing and be completely wrong. “…the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians
2:14). Lying in the dusty road
with the light of heaven shining down on him and the brilliance of the Son of
God blinding him, Paul could finally see the worthlessness of his life’s
work. His conclusion was this: “...what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ…and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him,
not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is
through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
(Philippians 3:7-9).
Writing to the Philippians, Paul wanted
these new believers to understand that they could not rely on their own works
for salvation. If anyone could, it would
have been Paul; but he renounced the things of the flesh in order to gain his
relationship with Christ the Savior. He
considered it all dung if it bred pride in the things of the flesh. Salvation was through Jesus Christ alone by
the Spirit. Like so many other Jews
during Paul’s time, he had trusted in his own works to save him and had rejected
the Messiah. Now, he realized that all
he had accomplished thus far in his life was worthless and that he needed,
above everything, to learn to trust in his Savior.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians and described
his ministry among them as “…in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling.” (1 Corinthians 2:3). Like all of God’s children discover sooner or
later, Paul had to learn to lean on the Holy Spirit to help him accomplish the
things that he was called to do rather than to trust in the flesh. He told the Philippians, “I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13).
NOT A GREAT ORATOR
Paul was NOT a dynamic
speaker. In fact, he was a much better
writer than he was a preacher. “For his letters, say they, are weighty and
powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” (2
Corinthians 10:10). He freely
acknowledged his weakness to the Corinthian believers when he wrote to them
saying, “And I, brethren, when I came to
you, came not with excellency of
speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God...and my speech and my preaching was not
with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power.” (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4).
He later told them, “But though I
be rude [unpolished] in speech, yet
not in knowledge...” (2 Corinthians 11:6).
The core of Paul’s message to the
Corinthians was “That your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:
5). He emphasized to them the fact that
God wasn’t about choosing the wisest or the mightiest of people to serve Him,
but He choses to use the foolish and the weak in order to confound the
sensibilities of those who trust in the flesh and glory in men (see 1
Corinthians 1:26-29). It was the power
of the Cross of Christ that Paul wanted to present and demonstrate to those who chose to follow the Lord. “For I
determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him
crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2: 2).
The power of that message is that it doesn’t end at Calvary: it ends
with an empty tomb and a mighty, resurrected Savior! It teaches us that we must die to self and to
the things that the world treasures and glorifies in order to obtain the
resurrection life that is in Christ. “For we which live are alway delivered unto
death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in
our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
The works of the flesh are dead works, but in Christ we find true Life!
We do not have to be the best preacher,
writer, singer, musician, etc. in order for God to use us in mighty ways. We merely need to be surrendered to the Lord
and mindful of His leading.
DID NOT AVOID SUFFERING
Paul’s ministry was not an easy
one. After the Lord called him to
service, Paul traveled between 10,000 and 15,000 miles during his four
missionary journeys. Most of that distance
was on foot, but much was also by water.
Over the course of fourteen years he planted at least fourteen churches
through Asia Minor and Europe.
Paul was not sheltered from adversity
during his ministry. In the eleventh
chapter of 2 Corinthians he catalogs a good many of the things that he suffered
in order to deliver the Gospel message to the Gentiles. He wrote, “…I
have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more
severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty
lashes minus one. Three times I was
beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night
and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger
from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in
danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger
from false brothers. I have labored and
toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and
have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the
pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly
burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:23-30 NIV).
Just like his Lord before him, Paul
discovered that the good news of the Gospel was not always good news to
all. Persecution always attends the
preaching of the Cross, and the man or woman of God will not be a stranger to
tribulation. Paul learned that the path
of the Cross is a path of suffering and that “…we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.”
(Acts 14:22). The “comfortable cross”
and the “painless path” are 21st century doctrines. The 1st century Church understood
that our outward man (our old, carnal nature) must perish bit by bit so that
our inward man (our new, spiritual nature) can be renewed day by day. We have been given a shield of faith, along
with other armor, in order to quench the fiery arrows of the evil one. The darts still come, though.
PLAGUED BY INFIRMITY
Paul was very transparent about a “thorn in the flesh” that he suffered
during the years of his ministry. From
what he wrote to the Corinthians, it’s evident that it wasn’t a temporary
thing, but something more prolonged that would afflict him from time to time,
working humility in him. “And lest I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations [which he had received from God], there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure. For this thing I besought the
Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.” (2 Corinthians 11:7, 8). Three separate times Paul prayed for
deliverance from this “messenger of
Satan”, and twice there was no answer, or deliverance, from the Lord. After asking the Father the third time for
relief, though, the Lord answered Paul and said, “My grace is sufficient for
thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:9).
Many believe that Paul’s “thorn” was an
affliction of the eyes and may have been associated with the three days of
blindness that he suffered after his encounter with Christ on the road to
Damascus (Acts 9:8, 9). Evidence that
Paul was dealing with some sort of eye disease can be found in his letter to
the Galatians. He wrote, “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto
you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor
rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ
Jesus. Where is then the blessedness ye
spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes,
and have given them to me.” (Galatians 4:13-15).
This may explain why Paul had others
actually write the things that he wanted to convey to the various churches (see
Romans 16:21). It also may explain why
he had Luke, the physician, accompanying him on his later missionary trips.
I can imagine Paul being tempted to
think, “How can I preach and pray for healing for others when I can’t find
healing for myself?” No wonder it was so
humbling for him to bear. As in every
other facet of his life, Paul was called to reflect the glory and power of the
Lord Jesus Christ in this area also. “My strength is made perfect IN WEAKNESS.”
What was Paul’s response to this “thorn in the flesh” that he received
from Satan? What view did he adopt
concerning this opportunity to work more of Christ’s character in him? He said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
(2 Corinthians 11:10).
OPPOSED BY OTHER APOSTLES AND CO-LABORERS
Contrary to what we might think about
the cordial relationship that existed among the early leaders of the Church,
there were times that even the Apostles had disagreements. Paul especially locked horns a few times with
some of the leaders in Jerusalem over Jewish ordinances and how they applied to
new Gentile Christians. In regards to
the Gentiles, Paul had a remarkably clear understanding of grace. We may attribute this to the three years that
he spent in Arabia after his conversion.
Undoubtedly, he spent this time learning the truth from the Holy
Spirit. His understanding of grace was
remarkable because of Paul’s rigid stand that he held earlier for the Law and for
the righteousness that comes by works.
His zeal was fanatic in its violence against the early believers in
Christ. His was certainly a miraculous
conversion to turn him around and transform his thinking so universally.
When the Apostle Peter was acting
hypocritically in his relationship with Gentile Christians, Paul called him out
on it. Of that encounter Paul wrote, “Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I
withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; for before certain men
came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he
withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also played the
hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their
hypocrisy.” (Galatians 2:11-13 NKJV).
Paul told Peter before all of the brethren that if he felt liberty to
live like the Gentiles and not the Jews, why would he require the Gentiles to
live like the Jews? The faith that Peter
had in Christ, Paul said, was what should teach him that a man is not justified
by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Christ. Paul said, “...we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law: for by the works of the Law
shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16).
Paul suffered many things at the hands
of his own countrymen who had rejected Christ.
Several times they tried to take his life, but God delivered him
repeatedly. He did not fear to speak the
truth, even when he knew that it would not be favorably received. It often led to violence from those who heard
it.
There was a controversy that erupted
between Paul and his co-laborer in the mission work, Barnabas. The disagreement became so sharp between them that
the two of them had to part and go their separate ways (see Acts
15:36-40).
LIKE YOU AND ME
At the end of the day, Paul was really
more like you and me than like the supernatural hero of faith that we have made
him to be. Paul had natural strengths
and natural weaknesses just like we do, but he learned that God could use his
weaknesses in more powerful ways than He could any natural strengths that he
had. He suffered hardships – perhaps
more than we ever will – and overcame them one after the other. He trusted his Savior to bring him through
each one and to work them all together for good according to God’s divine
purpose. Paul endured affliction in the
flesh that made it more difficult to fulfill his ministry; but, again, he
trusted in his Lord and learned obedience and dependence on Him. The things that lesser men boasted in and
trusted in, Paul rejected as base, counting them all as dung for the excellence
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord.
More than any of the other Apostles of
Christ, Paul invites us into his life, to know him and to knowhow he applied
the message of the Gospel and of the grace of God to his own life. The things that he reveals to us about
himself are honest, deeply intimate, and transparent. There is a wealth of down-to-earth advice in
Paul’s writings that fleshes out the Christian walk in very practical ways.
Do not be alarmed if you feel your natural
talents and abilities do not match those of others who you look up to. Remember that God uses our weaknesses to
glorify His strength. It is not by might, nor by natural power, nor
by fleshly talent that God is glorified, but it is “…by My Spirit, saith the LORD.”
Allow Him to speak His Word to you, and then trust Him to make room
to share what He has laid on your heart.
God will always make room for our ministries.
Do not be alarmed if God has not chosen
to heal you as you would wish. Be
assured that His plan for you is much better than what you can imagine for
yourself, even if it comes through adversity.
God is indeed a God Who heals, and we should always place our faith in
Him for healing; but we should also be able to accept His will when He chooses
not to heal us miraculously. We must
learn to embrace what God has allowed in our path. Jesus set the example for us to follow when
He prayed in Gethsemane for the Father to take the cup of suffering away from
Him. He said, “If it be possible…” (Matthew 26:39). In the end, however, He resigned Himself to
God’s plan and said, “Nevertheless not My
will, but Thine, be done.” (Luke 22:42).
Do not be alarmed if you encounter
trouble and persecution as you spread the Gospel to those around you. If the world hates us, we must understand
that it hated Jesus first. If they
opposed our Master, they will also oppose His servants. Remember that it is often the storms of life
that give us the opportunity to learn to walk on the water, and it is often the
earthquakes of life that loose, not only our fetters, but those of the
prisoners around us.
Do not be alarmed if you sometimes
encounter difficulties with brothers and sisters in Christ. Learn to be a peacemaker. Learn to strive for the unity of the Spirit. Learn to champion harmony and
brotherhood. Remember Paul’s words to
Timothy, “…the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.”
(2 Timothy 2:24, 25).
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