Paul’s testimony might be one of the most powerful transformation stories recorded in history! This man was a formidable Bible villain—one who literally hated Christians so much that he sought permission from the high priest to go around arresting and imprisoning anyone who followed Jesus. The very thought of these people made his blood boil. He led the charge in the persecution of the early church.
But then one day he encountered Jesus. In a blinding flash of light, the course of his life was forever altered. In that moment, Jesus called him by name and gave him a new mission to pursue. For the rest of Paul’s life, he had only one objective: preach the gospel. It didn’t matter what circumstances he found himself in. It didn’t matter how badly his efforts were rejected. It didn’t matter if he was arrested, imprisoned, or even beaten like mad and left for dead. His objective was to preach the gospel. And that’s what He did.
This week’s GRIP reading through Acts continues to take us alongside Paul on his missionary journeys throughout the ancient world. Here we see some of the greatest highs and lows of his evangelistic career. Take his time in Philippi, recorded in Acts 16, for example. While Paul and Silas do have some great success here, such as the conversion of an influential woman like Lydia (Acts 16:14-15), they also experience great hardship. After making a few shady businessmen angry, Paul and Silas are seized, stripped, “severely flogged”, and thrown into prison (Acts 16:22-23).
But even after all this—even in the midst of such great hardship and persecution—Paul and Silas respond in a way that almost makes your heart skip a beat. Immediately following this brutal attack and unjustified arrest, the Bible records the two prisoners as sitting up in their cell at midnight, “praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25). I don’t know about you, but I find it a stretch to imagine myself responding like this after a severe flogging and an unwarranted incarceration. But that’s just who Paul was. He did nothing half-heartedly. He was on a mission, and he was not going to let anything stop him from accomplishing it.
Another great case in point is Paul’s experience in Ephesus. Acts 19:11 tells us that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul” in this community, yet later on in the chapter we read about a massive riot that began here because of the influence Christianity was having on commerce and culture in the area. In this case, Paul’s companions were seized in the riot, while his disciples and some of the city officials restrained him from rushing to their aid. I can only imagine Paul’s great distress in these moments… knowing the danger his friends were in, wanting to take their burden upon himself, but not being able to help. My guess is that this was torture for a guy like Paul.
Throughout all of his adventures, Paul’s tenacity, determination, and absolute commitment to the cause is inspiring, challenging, and motivating. If this one man—this terrorist-turned-travelling missionary—could experience such powerful life-change, there is hope for all of us! His story can challenge us to rise above our fears and doubts and recognize that it is also OUR mission to preach the gospel to the world around us.
May we take the attitude of Paul, embracing our mission as followers of Christ and committing to do whatever it takes to make His Name known. May we be able to say, as Paul said in Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying the good news of God’s grace.”
-Talasi Guerra
(Director of Children and Family Ministries)