The apostle Paul is a character in the Bible who is probably (aside from Christ Himself) the most quoted, most referred to, and the most generally discussed figure on the pages of scripture.

We will be steering clear of Paul’s letters and considering Paul’s events as seen in the book of Acts.

We need to see him as a human being seeking to serve God with his life.

A sinner saved by grace who called himself:

• “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim.1:15)

• “less than the least of all the saints” (Eph.3:8)

• “the least of the apostles” (1 Cor.15:9)

I. A Proud Heritage (Phil.3:4-6)

His personal heritage (his “confidence in the flesh”) reached deeply into Jewish roots to declare the value of what had been invested in him.

•Circumcised the eighth day - Circumcision was named first probably because it was a big issue with the Judaizers.

•Stock of Israel - He was a true member of the covenant people.

•Tribe of Benjamin - He was also a Benjamite, from which tribe came Israel’s first king (1 Sam. 9:1-2).

I. A Proud Heritage (Phil.3:4-6)

•Hebrew of the Hebrews - He knew both the language and customs of the people of God.

•Pharisee - In regard to the Law, Paul was of the Pharisees, the strictest sect among his people.

•Zealous in persecuting the church - Paul did this relentlessly before his conversion to Christ (Acts 9:1-2).

•Blameless in regards to the law - In “legalistic righteousness” Paul also excelled, and in his own eyes he was faultless.

II. A Passionate Heart (Acts 7-8)

To be passionate about something implies a level of devotion to, care for, and love for something.

As Paul describes his relationship to the law, he gives us 3 directions in which that passion was expressed:

• An Upward Direction. This is seen in the term Pharisee, who committed themselves to meticulous and unyielding adherence to the law.

II. A Passionate Heart (Acts 7-8)

•An Outward Direction. So great was his zeal that Paul viciously persecuted believers to safeguard the legacy, traditions, and priority of the law of Moses.

•An Inward Direction. Saul of Tarsus practiced what he preached. He not only practiced the law, he excelled at it!

II. A Passionate Heart (Acts 7-8)

Saul of Tarsus responded by passionately coming to the defense of his heritage.

A. Passive in Stephen’s Death - Acts 7:58; 8:1

B. Active in Saul’s Mission - Acts 8:3

C. Caution: Be Careful Of Passion’s Danger

III. A Person’s Values (Phil.3:7-8)

There is an enormous shift in values and priorities.

• Loss for Christ - All those things enumerated in verses 5-6 Paul considered loss for the sake of Christ (v. 7).

•Count as loss - Consider means to “think through or reflect on.” After reflection he considered them loss.

•Suffer the loss - In exchange for confidence in the flesh Paul gained the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus personally.

III. A Person’s Values (Phil.3:7-8)

Paul was willing to set aside all of that heritage, legacy, confidence, and family pride “that I may gain Christ…” (v.8).

Those who “gain Christ” (v.8) are those found in Him (v.9). Christ is in the believer and the believer is in Christ.

III. A Person’s Values (Phil.3:7-8)

Paul still has burning in his heart and profound and powerful passion. That passion, however, has been redirected.

This seismic shift of values is found in one key word: Excellence. The excellence of Christ had overwhelmed the significance of the law—changing Saul’s heart, mission, and life.

Conclusion:

•Paul’s own experience was at least in part why he would later write:

•Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Cor. 5:17).

“Coming To The Light”- Acts 9

•Before coming to Christ, Saul of Tarsus did terrible things to people for what he thought was noble purpose.

•His passion for that mission would result in his own heart being transformed—and that transformation happened on the Damascus Road in Acts 9.

I. A Terror-Filled Mission (Acts 9:1-2)

•As we saw in our first session, Saul’s passion for the law drove him to persecute followers of Christ.

•Saul went outside the boundaries of Jerusalem to pursue the followers of Jesus to Damascus and deal with them there. His passion was stoked by his sincere belief in what he was doing.

•The Christ Paul was opposing fully intended to deal with him, in a transformational and definitive way.

II. A Transforming Encounter (Acts 9:3-9)

Saul, on his way to protect God from Christians, met Christ in an encounter described in Acts 9.

Notice the ideas Luke uses to paint the scene for us:

•Light from Above: One of the great metaphors of contrast in the scriptures is that of light versus darkness.

•Voice of the Savior: This is the voice of the good, great, and chief Shepherd calling a wandering, wayward sheep home.

II. A Transforming Encounter (Acts 9:3-9)

• Identification of the Christ: Paul cannot deny what is happening to him. It is Jesus that is doing it—meaning that the resurrection Saul had so passionately fought against was real. Saul is accountable to this Jesus.

•Blinded by the Light: The sensory experience of the Damascus Road was more than Saul could handle. Saul’s physical blindness was a reflection of his self-imposed spiritual blindness.

II. A Transforming Encounter (Acts 9:3-9)

Saul’s heart was in the process of being taken from darkness to light—a shift that is at the very core of experiencing salvation in Christ.

In the middle of the dialogue between Christ and Saul, there is a bit of scrpture that is disputed—the last part of v.5 and the first part of v.6. The KJV and NKJV contain it but most newer translations don’t.

II. A Transforming Encounter (Acts 9:3-9)

It is a simple question, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”

•A New Authority. “Lord.” Now there is a new Master for his heart. All of that is wrapped up in the word for lord, kurios, which means “supreme authority.”

•A New Standard. “What do You want…?” Now, the standard of his activity would be the desires of Christ.

•A New Purpose. “What do You want me to do?” His reason for being has now been redirected by the Christ who has confronted him.

III. A True Change (vv.19-22)

The key word in v.20 is “immediately”. Paul immediately became a messenger of the very same Christ that he had once denied, hated, and resisted.

Saul openly, boldly, and powerfully laid out the evidence that the Teacher from Nazareth was in fact the Messiah of God.

Conclusion

We are surrounded by Sauls who may actually think they are doing good by resisting the work of Chris. See them as they are:

•Men and women for whom Christ died.

•Men and women who think they are in light, but are actually in darkness.

•Men and women who need the very light that has been entrusted to us by the Light of the world.

“Growing In The Work” - Acts 9, 11, 13

One of the trademarks of Paul’s ministry was that he was constantly investing in others and their spiritual development. Paul described his commitment to mentoring in 2 Timothy 2:2.

As a new follower of Christ, Saul needed to be taught, trained, and equipped for living out his new faith. And, in the process of being taught, he learned how to live out his faith—and how to help others live out theirs.

I. The Risk Of Mentoring (Acts 9:26-29)

Upon his arrival in Damascus, Ananias helped him and taught him, and the Damascus believers took him in. Unfortunately, when Saul made his way to Jerusalem, he did not receive such a warm reception.

The church at Jerusalem feared that this was merely a ruse to expose followers of Christ so that they could be dealt with by the law. But, Barnabas was the exception.

I. The Risk Of Mentoring (Acts 9:26-29)

Barnabas takes Saul, the new believer, under his wing and begins to mentor him.

At a time when no one trusted Saul of Tarsus, Barnabas stepped in and made a difference in this young man.

First, Barnabas took the risk and advocated for Saul. Then, in Acts 11:22-26, Barnabas was dispatched to the growing church at Antioch by the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

II. The Process Of Mentoring (Acts 11:22-26)

In the case of Barnabas, he not only was excited enough to embrace the opportunity before him, he saw what this opportunity mean for Saul’s spiritual development.

This opportunity included two of the keys to teaching:

A. Observation: What we saw in 2 Tim.2:2, we also find in Paul’s dealing with the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:18-21)

B. Participation: Paul not only modeled the life of faith and ministry, he engaged others to be involved in it.

III. The Result Of Mentoring (Acts 13:43)

We see the unintended consequence of Barnabas mentoring Saul as a surprise—series of dramatic shifts that are handled very subtly by Luke in the book of Acts.

Throughout their time together, we see their names listed as Barnabas and Saul. But in Acts 13 it changes to Paul and Barnabas. The student has now become the teacher. The follower has become the leader.

•Paul grew in boldness and in credibility as a messenger of the gospel.

•Paul gained a public ministry unparalleled in the early church.

•Paul wrote most of the New Testament.

•Paul learned to invest in others as Barnabas had invested in him.

Barnabas’ willingness to put the mission ahead of self raised up a Paul who would grow from being a student to the teacher.

Conclusion

Few places is this spirit of selflessness more clearly seen than in the change in the working partnership of Barnabas and his young protégé, Saul of Tarsus.

In this moment, we must ask—do I see the kingdom about me or about Christ?

“A New Direction”Acts 9, 13

•There may be no more profound expression of change than the change that happens in any individual who enters into relationship with Christ.

•Paul knew that his life, his purpose, and his eternal destiny had been changed by the work of Christ.

I. A Reasonable Expectation

Paul’s background, training, history, and experience outfitted him perfectly to serve the early church as an apostle to the Jewish people.

This was what made Paul who he was—and what perfectly suited him for becoming an apostolic force to reach his own people—the Jews.

However, unexpected changes often lead to new directions and previously unimagine opportunities. Paul is directed by God to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

II. A Shocking Change

Paul’s ministry direction and focus had to change because God’s stated purpose in Paul’s ministry was rooted in the instructions the Lord had given to Ananias (Acts 9:15).

While preaching in Antioch of Pisidia, that opposition became so intense that Paul embraced a change of ministry focus that would rock his world—and ours (Acts 13:46-47).

II. A Shocking Change

“We turn to the Gentiles” was a public declaration that the forgiveness accomplished in the sacrifice of God’s Son was to be available for all people in all times and all lands.

God uses opposition to redirect and refocus his servant’s heart. Throughout the book of Acts we are reminded how often our God uses opposition to the gospel to actually advance the gospel!

III. A Significant Goal

It was the special priority of Paul to take the gospel to the nations—and he did. This conviction that began at Antioch of Pisidia would take Paul beyond Asia Minor to Macedonia and Greece, and, finally, to Rome itself.

Paul had a calling that would take him through joy and loss, celebration and suffering, shipwreck and rescue, imprisonment, and, eventually, death.

But it was the only mission that was truly large enough to absorb Paul’s passion for God.

Conclusion:

How committed was he to the mission of bringing the world to the feet of the Savior? (2 Cor. 11:23-30)

Paul not only delivered that challenge to followers of Christ, he lived it out knowing what it had cost to have the life of Christ expressed in his life (Galatians 2:20).

Conclusion:

For followers of Christ, Paul’s life is a reminder that change does not need to be seen as a threat. Change is the process that fuels God’s work in our lives.

Let us embrace the wonderful ways in which God can use episodes of change to impact our hearts—and our world. Paul’s life displayed what the transforming work of God can accomplish in the heart and life of a man or woman yielded to Him.