Sunday May 28 2017

Lesson’s from Paul’s Life Part 2

Pastor Kim Wenzel

Story: Saul, Jesus, & the Torah

How Saul Became the Apostle Paul  

Saul of Tarsus; a child of the best upbringing; a student of the vaunted teacher, Gamaliel; a Roman citizen; trained in the best Jewish schools; groomed, perhaps, to even become chief priest.And this man was bent on the destruction of the believers in Jesus. In order to understand Saul of Tarsus it is important that we put him into historical context. Only a few short years had passed from the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus when a self-righteous religious zealot assisted in the systematic murder of one of Christianity’s earliest messengers, a godly man named Stephen.  Luke punctuates Saul’s involvement in this murder with the chilling comment:

“Now Saul was consenting to his death.”  

 Acts 8:1-3 (NASB)
¹  Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
²  Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.
³  But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. 

But even before that fateful day when young Saul the Pharisee gloated over the brutal death of the innocent disciple Stephen, the Spirit of Jesus Christ was working on his heart. God had designs for this bright young man. We don’t know how long the Lord was at work on the heart of Saul, but we know the Holy Spirit was working on him, and Saul was pushing back hard, primarily against the disciples of Jesus. After the death of Stephen, Saul was fanatical about destroying this new sect. Saul launched a holy war against the Church, scattering the believers. He made havoc, entering homes, sending many to prison and even putting some to death. When word came that these followers of Jesus had spread into Syria, Saul requested permission to go to Damascus. With great delight the High Priest granted him letters to take to the synagogues of Syria. 

  Acts 9:1-19 (NASB

¹  Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
²  and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
³  As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
⁴  and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"
⁵  And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,
⁶  but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do."
⁷  The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
⁸  Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
⁹  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
¹⁰  Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."
¹¹  And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,
¹²  and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight."
¹³  But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;
¹⁴  and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."
¹⁵  But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
¹⁶  for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."
¹⁷  So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
¹⁸  And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;
¹⁹  and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus.

Verse
Proverbs 15:4
“The soothing
tongue is a tree
of life, but a perverse
tongue
crushes the
spirit.”