PAUL – THE APOSTLE
Phase four of Paul’s journey had begun. Called, equipped, sent…were behind him. Now it was time for real learning in “the school of hard knocks”. God told Ananias, in Damascus, at the commencement of Paul’s new life,
Acts of the Apostles 9:15-16 NLT
[15] “But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. [16] And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
But, did Paul know that a big part of his journey would be suffering?
Not likely, since the Holy Spirit told Ananias, “I will show him…”, not “tell him.” Paul would encounter suffering and learn about overcoming, one day at a time. In school, learning comes first, then testing. In the school of life, testing first, then the lesson follows.
There is a recurring theme running through Paul’s letters, sometimes not stated but still evident in the things he wrote. “We know…”, or “I have learned…” revealing how autobiogahical his letters were. Woven into his theology is a treasure trove of personal experience which made his teaching and counsel authentic.
It was Paul’s theology, hammered out in his daily life, that made him the man he was. In Arabia, he was given the gospel, a precious deposit, like the deposit of valuables entrusted to the vault of a bank, to guard against corruption, to live out in his daily life, and to pass on to the world. It was a commitment he took seriously until the end of his days.
Paul learned much through his unfolding understanding of the gospel, too much to include here. Let’s examine a few of the most valuable lessons he passed on to us.
Paul learned to be a son.
Why do I mention this lesson first in order of priority?
Before Paul could pass on anything about the gospel, he had to know who he was in Christ. He had to be absolutely secure in his own identity to live it out and to teach it to others.
To understand sonship, Paul had to study Jesus to discover sonship’s meaning from Him, the one true son of God. Jesus is the blueprint of sonship for all who believe in Him because the Father’s goal is to create a family of sons and daughters who perfectly replicate the blueprint.
Romans 8:29 NLT
[29] “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn (Greek “prototokos”, meaning prototype) among many brothers and sisters.”
The learning process became increasingly clear to him through…guess what! The “all things” of his daily life, including what he suffered!
So, Paul could write, with conviction,
Romans 8:28 NLT
[28] “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
How did Paul learn this precious truth? By looking back! “Life is lived forwards but understood backwards,” so I read once on a fridge magnet. How true this is! It’s only when we look back and honestly process the tough times we encounter, that we begin to see the good that has come out of each experience. It’s this realisation that hones our trust in God.
I don’t know when this truth dawned on Paul’s mind, perhaps months, even years into his Christian experience. However, for Paul, and for us, this is the foundation lesson for life, our faith in God that sets us on the path to knowing God as our Father. All of life is about destination and the way. We either don’t know where we are going, i.e., the purpose of life… and how we will get there, i.e., trust in ourselves… or we know and believe what God has told us in His Word…our destination to become true sons in God’s forever family, and the way to get there… Jesus.
It was Jesus’s implicit trust in God as His Father that set Him on course and steadied Him throughout His journey to the cross. Even with His final breath, His faith never wavered.
Luke 23:46 NLT
[46] “Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.”
Who better, then, to follow if we are to reach “Father’s house”?
John 14:6 NIV
[6] “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
When we learn what trust is…taking our hands off and leaning our full weight on Jesus, all other lessons are thrown in for good measure and worth learning. Trusting God as His sons and daughters requires two important steps and takes suffering to teach us. You see, suffering keeps our feet on the ground and our eyes on Jesus.
Again we look at Jesus, our blueprint.
Hebrews 5:7-9 NIV
[7] “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent SUBMISSION. [8] SON though he was, he learned OBEDIENCE from what he suffered [9] and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him… “
Did you get the sequence? Submission and obedience, the hallmarks of every true son of God, are the lessons of suffering. Get these and your security as a son is established.
Paul learned this lesson the hard way too.
2 Corinthians 12:7b -10 NIV
[7]”… Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. [9] But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [10] That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul learned to lean his weight on God! He learned, through suffering, how inadequate he was for the task.
This first and most significant lesson, is the foundation of our fellowship and interaction with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our faith will wobble until we are secure in our indentity and in our attitude… submission and obedience as sons and daughters of God…