It should have come as no surprise to Peter that the message of salvation was to be spread to all the world; but, it did at first.  The earliest church was in Jerusalem and was made up of Jewish believers.  After all, steeped in tradition, no Jew was to commune with the gentiles.  They were unclean; by Jewish law and tradition.  True God had called out His people to be separate from the world, so as not to participate in idolatrous or lascivious lifestyles.  However, the sad reality was that the Jewish nation often in the Old Testament took on the idolatrous and lascivious lifestyles; while at the same time rejecting the people.  Or, as was the case of King Solomon, he married Gentile women for political reasons; but, allowed them to continue in their idolatrous rituals, never witnessing to them of the truth of Jehovah God.

That had never been God’s plan.  He had called them to Himself to be separate from the sin filled lifestyles while becoming the light of hope to all the world.  In Isaiah 60, God speaking to His people commanded them to rise and shine.

            Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:1-4)

The Message

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As soon as Paul knew the truth of the gospel message, he felt an urgency to spread the truth.  It was with an even greater urgency than he had felt when persecuting the Christian church.  There was an immediacy about all that he did. However, with all the immediacy, he also listened very closely to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all that he did.  As we noted last time, he did spend 3 years of intense training by God in Nabatean Arabia, further preparing him to be the missionary to the gentile nation that he became.  Yet, from the moment he first believed, he felt the urgency to spread the truth of the gospel wherever he went.  Paul taught told everyone about Jesus Christ.

He never minced words, rather declaring that Jesus was the true Messiah, the Son of God, who came, died on a cross to pay the sin debt for all, and rose again on the third day. Then, he would proclaim the truth that no one could come to the Father apart from believing in Jesus Christ.  Only those who would believe in Jesus, accepting Him as Lord and Savior could be saved.  This truth caused Paul to feel an urgency because all who did not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior would never enter heaven.  All who died without Christ would face an eternity in hell, separated from God.  No matter how pious a life they had lived.  Boldly, Paul went about teaching this truth and for that many wanted him dead.  The persecutor of Christians became the persecuted Christian.

So, they  lowered him in a basket outside the wall of Damascus so he could go to Jerusalem where he longed to meet the apostles.

THE URGENCY TO SPREAD THE TRUTH

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Certainly, the conversion of Saul to Paul presented one transformed life that changed the world.  So, dramatic was his transformation!  But shouldn’t knowing Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord be just as dramatic a transformation in my life as well?  A transformed life should be displayed in all that I do or say! Yet, does it.  Do I allow selfish or prideful ideas to squelch the power of the Holy Spirit?  Allowing the worries, fears or cares of this world to push aside the flaming fires of faith that are truly mine because of all that Jesus did for me?  He died on the cross that I might be freed from the powers off sin in my life.  Then, He sent the Holy Spirit to reside in me to guide me and to comfort me, reminding me of all His promises to me.

Yet, how quickly do I or we allow our hearts to be pulled aside and our minds to be distracted.  Immediately, Saul bowed to the Lordship of Christ there on the road to Damascus saying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6).  The number one persecutor of the early church would embrace Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, preaching fervently the gospel message he had intended to eradicate!

One Transformed Life

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Will you do whatever God says? No matter what?  That was the question that lay before Ananias and it is the question that lays before each of us, every day.  Acts 9 tells us of a time when God asked Ananias to be an instrument in the salvation of Saul.

¹⁰ There was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias. To him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. Ananias said, “Behold, I am here, Lord.”

¹¹ And the Lord said unto him, “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight.  Enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.

¹² And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

¹³ Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

¹⁴ And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.

¹⁶ For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

¹⁷ Ananias went his way, entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales. He received sight forthwith, arose, and was baptized.

Will You Do Whatever God Says, No Matter What?

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In our current social climate, many seem to proclaim that it is enough to be passionately sincere in one’s faith and/or belief.  No longer does truth matter.  Most would say all roads lead to God, regardless of one’s belief system. That is if one is passionately sincere concerning their faith.  Although in that camp of thought, many don’t even require passionate sincerity.  But if one considers those throughout history who have been passionately sincere concerning their beliefs you would see Hitler, Stalin, and even those who flew planes into the world trade center.  Hitler and Stalin firmly held to the beliefs of the secular humanists, who later determined the need to rewrite their manifesto after the atrocities of both regimes.  Their core belief is that men and women can rise to a higher moral status without belief in God and

Indeed, the secular humanist movement rewrote their manifesto three times, despite which they successfully transformed the United States by changing how we raise our children and how the schools teach our children.  They became instrumental in eradicating God from our schools, attempting to remove a child’s ability to even pray or read their Bible individually within the schools.  They are passionately sincere in their faith; however, preaching tolerance while demanding intolerance to any who believe other than they.  On the contrary, Christianity truly demands tolerance in how we treat others while remaining uncompromising on what we believe.  To be passionately sincere in our faith does not mean violence to those who disagree. Rather, we are to lovingly live our lives exemplifying Christ so that others see Him through us. Thereby displaying the truth of the gospel, while never wavering in speaking truth, speaking light into the darkness around us.

Passionately Sincere Saul Of Tarsus

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