Setting – Paul gives an account of his conversion.
Content – Paul tells how he was advanced in Judaism (v. 14), “…I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions”. He persecuted the church of God, “beyond measure”, trying to destroy it.
But God had set Paul apart to minister to the Gentiles (v. 15, 16), “But when God, who had set me apart {even} from my mother's womb…that I might preach Him among the Gentiles”. Once he received the Damascus encounter he went to Arabia, instead of directly going to the apostles at Jerusalem. It was in Arabia that he probably received revelations and instructions from God, after this returned to Jerusalem.
Because Paul didn’t stay in Judea (Jerusalem) long, people heard about him (v. 22 & 23 – “I was {still} unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing…”) and his conversion and missionary work (v. 24), “And they were glorifying God because of me.”
Application – This conversion always reminds me that anyone can be converted to Christ. Here we have one of the greatest persecutors of the early church, who later becomes one of the greatest missionaries of all time. We’ve heard of great conversions like this, not with a bright light, but with Atheist, leaders from non-Christian religions, etc. The thing for us to remember (Matt. 19:26), “…Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Content – Paul tells how he was advanced in Judaism (v. 14), “…I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions”. He persecuted the church of God, “beyond measure”, trying to destroy it.
But God had set Paul apart to minister to the Gentiles (v. 15, 16), “But when God, who had set me apart {even} from my mother's womb…that I might preach Him among the Gentiles”. Once he received the Damascus encounter he went to Arabia, instead of directly going to the apostles at Jerusalem. It was in Arabia that he probably received revelations and instructions from God, after this returned to Jerusalem.
Because Paul didn’t stay in Judea (Jerusalem) long, people heard about him (v. 22 & 23 – “I was {still} unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; but only, they kept hearing…”) and his conversion and missionary work (v. 24), “And they were glorifying God because of me.”
Application – This conversion always reminds me that anyone can be converted to Christ. Here we have one of the greatest persecutors of the early church, who later becomes one of the greatest missionaries of all time. We’ve heard of great conversions like this, not with a bright light, but with Atheist, leaders from non-Christian religions, etc. The thing for us to remember (Matt. 19:26), “…Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
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