Somewhat funny series of commercials that ask the same familiar question: ‘Do you wanna get away’. People find themselves in awkward or embarrassing situations and need to exit them as quickly as possible. Saul, soon to be Paul, was in just such a moment in his own life.
One of the unique things about the life of Paul is that right after his dramatic conversion that he went to spend 3 years in Arabia. Why?
a) FEAR of him that was felt by man which was still there when he eventually returned
b) SAFETY for him from those who would now want to kill him because of his new zeal for the gospel.
c) TIME to fully understand the complete message and to become able to truly communicate it.
Paul conversion experience had left him initially blind. After three days he was healed and immediately began to try to witness. It ended up that he had to be let out of the city by a basket from the wall in order to protect his safety. Paul had an amazing zeal but God’s timing and his were not the same.
1970’s: Three famous singers came to faith in Christ but eventually disappeared from the Christian scene: B.J. Thomas, Bob Dylan and Dion Diamucci. Each of them wanted to immediately sing and tour for Jesus. As a new Christian I went to a concert Oral Roberts Univ. in Tulsa to see B.J. Thomas headline with the Imperials and a new singer named Amy Grant as opening acts. The Imperials did an amazing job setting a spiritual tone before B.J. Thomas came out. When he did come out it was not a very good situation. B.J. Thomas came out to do a show that started with his more famous secular stuff and then move through testimony and singing to a more Christian message. That was never given time to develop as you would have thought that crowd was yelling, ‘Crucify him, crucify him’. The audience at Oral Roberts University began shouting over B.J. Thomas singing, ‘You better take care of business Mr. Businessman’, ‘SING CHRISTIAN SONGS….SING CHRISTIAN SONGS!!!’ As a new believer I did not understand it all but knew it was a horrible spirit of self righteousness and was very wrong. Thomas put out a couple of albums and after awhile I never noticed him doing any more Christian concerts.
Dylan and Dimucci went through similar things and eventually stopped putting out albums and touring. Dimucci(also saw and loved his albums) eventually went back to Catholicism. I saw him interviewed on a Catholic TV show and he was asked why. ‘Because of all the divisions in the church and with Catholicism you have one guy in charge’.
As an older, more mature believer I now look at their situations and believe that because of their earlier popularity they were rushed into the forefront before they were ready for the ugliness they would encounter in the lives of some who live a pretty carnal Christian faith.
My own ARABIA experience was that the first two churches I served in over a 71/2 year period were almost conflict free. Nobody complained or murmured about anything that I can remember. But I can remember hearing my seminary friends describing the headaches they constantly had with members and thinking there must be something wrong with them because our first two churches had nurtured us in an amazingly loving way. I would eventually find out I was not the norm but also felt God had given us an environment to grow and develop before we would encounter the more ugly stuff.
During my last semester of seminary I met with a pastor of a larger church to go thru ministry evaluations. His church ran around 400-500. When I drove up and saw the large building I felt somewhat jealous as my seminary church only ran around 100 and was in a much smaller setting. Lynne and I drove 50 miles each way every Sunday and Wednesday to get there each week. He asked me about my ministry and I described the church as a ‘little white building at the top of the hill in the center of town’. I was surprised to see his reaction and realized he had some jealously of me and said, ‘I sometimes would love to be back at a church like that’. It is not about the size but about the heart for God that I think makes the difference.
•I think God knew what Paul needed more than he did so that Paul would not become a casualty in the faith but be used to his fullest potential.
I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy." 24 And they were glorifying God because of me
• Paul did not head off to seminary. Here was a man who probably had more knowledge of Scripture than any living person but with brand new eyes he needed time to take a long look at things.
• God swept Paul away to begin to teach him some amazing truths based upon much of what Paul already knew but had misinterpreted.
When I was new in the faith I did not head off to seminary the following week but I also spent about 3 years reading and studying the Bible probably more than I could imagine anyone possibly doing. Hours a day I spend in reading and study and memorization. Also three years under a great teaching ministry at the church as well as a constant exposure to radio teachers. Even with all that Seminary teachings shocked me.
Every time I have been a part of an ordination council for either a pastor or a deacon I am almost jealous of their experience because I was ordained at a church where the deacons studied their Bibles vigorously and took great pleasure in discussing the most controversial issues of theology. I got grilled with questions I have never heard repeated at any other ordination setting. But God had gotten me ready in my own ARABIA. The Associational Missionary who headed the council even said that he had never seen someone so prepared to be ordained. My Arabia did that for me.
Arabia – this is a very vague description of where he went. It could include the area outside of Damascus in Syria, all the way down into the Arabian peninsula. The point was that he didn’t go to Jerusalem first. He didn’t go to where there was an apostle first. He went to be alone first.
• First thing we learn is that our calling is primarily of God and not of man. We are also accountable to God first and not to man.
(1 Pet 5:6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, God holds the authority over our lives and not a church or group of people.
The fallacies of the Catholic, and even the Mormon churches is that they both feel they have some kind of “authority” that was passed down from one apostle to the next. Catholic church claims to be the only church with its authority back to Peter, the first pope. Mormon church assumes that authority is passed on from man and claims that there was a break in the line which was restored by Joseph Smith, after God gave him back this authority.
• So Paul went away into the wilderness for a while to be by himself and think over what had happened to him.
• Reminds me very much of MOSES and his 40 YEARS. Paul got off easy.
18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother.
• Imagine if Asama Bin Laden was still alive and said he had become a Christian and now wanted to meet with Billy Graham. Would you trust him? Saul/Paul showed up wanting to meet with Peter/Simon/Cephas.
• They spent about two weeks together and I would have loved to know what they talked about.
(Acts 9:26-30) And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
Even after 3 years Paul is still feared among the disciples to the point that they refused to believe he could have changed that much. Same group that did not believe Jesus could have been resurrected?
{27} But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
This is JOSEPH who is nicked named ‘son of encouragement’ or Barnabas.
Rod Cooper writes, “A modern-day Paul is Chuck Colson. I had the opportunity to travel and speak on behalf of Prison Fellowship. I learned that Colson had the experience of not being accepted into the Christian community. Can you believe that? This is the man who wrote Loving God and The Body. “Colson had been Richard Nixon’s close assistant during his presidential campaign and his years in office. Colson was so ruthless in his dealings with people, he was frequently referred to as Nixon’s “hatchet man”—the one who handled the president’s dirty work. One person described Colson by saying he’d walk over his own grandmother. It’s not surprising when Chuck Colson became a Christian and confessed his wrongdoings that many people doubted his sincerity. “After he served his jail term and began his ministry, many Christians were skeptical. If it were not for those who knew the reality of Colson’s Christian experience and were willing to play a Barnabas role, Colson would have had a difficult time convincing people he was indeed a different man—a converted man. “Thousands of people might never have been blessed by Prison Fellowship. We might not have Colson’s books. We might not have had half the New Testament if Barnabas hadn’t been there for Paul.”
{28} So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. {29} And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. {30} When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.
Paul’s boldness causes him to quickly be in danger and a decision is made to send him away and he soon ends up in his very home town.
20 (Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in Christ; 23 but only, they kept hearing, "He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy." 24 And they were glorifying God because of me
First thing we learn is that our calling is primarily of God and not of man.
SECOND THING IS GOD IS ALWAYS SAVING THOSE WE LEAST EXPECT (Nobody in Tarsus expected Saul/Paul to return home like this) Sometimes those who change the most are most used after they are changed.
In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote of what he called the Great Divide: ‘The first step which follows Christ’s call cuts the disciple off from his previous existence. The call to follow at once produces a new situation. To stay in the old situation makes discipleship impossible.’
First thing we learn is that our calling is primarily of God and not of man. SECOND – God is always saving those we least expect.
THIRD – WE NEED TO LEARN TO ACCEPT THOSE IN CHRIST WHO MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN US.
Sometimes we Christians get to thinking that saved people must all learn to dress alike, talk alike, walk alike. The person you reject, just may be the next apostle Paul!
(Rom 15:7) Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. Received us with our failures, weaknesses and ungodly pasts.
History is full of stories of gifted persons whose talents were overlooked by people until someone believed in them. Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. Issac Newton did poorly in grade school. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had “no good ideas”.
Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college, and Werner von Braun failed ninth grade algebra. Haydn gave up ever making a musician of Beethoven, who seemed a slow and plodding young man with no apparent talent.
Even if they become nothing greater in life, they are still incredibly precious to the Lord. Learn to treasure the people around you!
FOURTH – THE WORST SINNERS OFTEN MAKE THE BEST SAINTS
• God does not recruit heroes. Not many mighty are called, not many noble, not many powerful, not many great as the world counts greatness. God doesn’t go for the big names to populate heaven but He takes ordinary folks and then does extraordinary things through them.
• Sometimes when God wants to recruit some frontline soldiers for his army, he goes into the enemy camp and rounds up a handful of the orneriest, meanest, toughest, roughest, wildest looking sinners he can find. Then he draws them to Christ, saves them, justifies them, converts them, sanctifies them, cleans them up, fixes them up, dresses them up, and then he sends them out to do battle in the service of the Savior they love with a passion..
If God can save a man like Paul, He can save anyone. No one would ever have predicted Paul’s conversion. Ten minutes before it happened, it seemed impossible.
It is an irony of God’s plan of salvation that the worse their rebellion, the greater will be the glory when they are saved.
A young man in his 20s came to faith in Christ after many years of bad choices and consequences and of breaking the heart of his mother and others around him. The reality of his genuine conversion was proven over the dramatic change in his life that continued through his life. In the midst of his greatest times of rebellion before coming to Christ his godly mother would often tell him, ‘God is building a testimony in your life’. She constantly prayed and waited for God to work His miracle.
