Lent: Paul Apostle of Christ
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Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased
16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas[a] and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
21 Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me. -
I wonder, did you see the movie: ‘Paul an Apostle of Christ’ (released in March 2018)?
During Lent we will be looking at the book of Galatians and the first two chapters contain some of Paul’s life story.
In his letter to Timothy, Paul said “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
— 1 Timothy 1:15
That makes you want to find out more.
In fact, the Movie title itself is a prequel to Paul’s story – Apostle was one of the issues – was he or wasn’t he? The 2018 Film itself is more of a sequel of Paul’s life, focussing on Paul as an older man, under house arrest- with flashbacks to the real Main Story of his life. In this letter to the Galatians with snippets of Pauls's life story we get a prequel, we get the Main Story and the sequel (all in Galatians 1)!
The Prequel
Paul’s Apostleship and Gospel Revelation
The first thing to notice in the ‘Prequel’ is the similarity between Galatians 1:1 and Galatians 1:12. In verse 1 Paul defends his apostleship:
"Paul, an apostle, not from persons nor through people, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead."
In verse 12 Paul defends his gospel:
"I did not receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ."
This is huge in the Background to this part of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. The headline says it all ‘Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ.’ Paul's apostleship is not from persons, and his gospel is not from people. For Paul, his apostleship (1:1) and the truth of his message (1:12) stand or fall together.
The reason why this is so important is found in Galatians 1:7 “Some people” had come among the Galatians with their gospel and it veered from the Truth, the gospel message Paul received and taught.
They had ‘add-ons’ of rules and rituals to the message of Salvation by faith in Christ alone, the message of Christ’s all-sufficient Grace. Paul said the Gospel with add-ons is no Gospel at all. Anyone who messes with Grace is cursed. Strong language! It is the Prequel to the Main Story: The risen Christ commissioned Paul as an apostle on the road to Damascus, in the days following Christ also revealed the gospel to Paul. It was not a concoction of Theology from the church leaders in Jerusalem or any other religious thinkers.
The gospel truth is under attack here. There are two messages that are vying for our hearts: Paul's and the false teachers. Only one of these gospels is true. Believing the true Gospel is the most important thing for every one of us. Paul’s prequel makes us consider what is the truth. Friends, truth matters and minor changes amount to major errors. It’s vital but our culture seems to communicate the opposite. Everywhere you turn in the media or in your personal life people are expressing their own personal truth, their gospel from crystals, stars, tarot cards, mindfulness, gym, diets and a thousand blogs on social media. Self-defined truth based on what feels good in ‘my lived experience’ flies in the face of absolute truth even more so the one who said I am the Truth. Paul’s revealed Gospel was an absolute truth, one Saviour, one way to God, only by Grace not by works, nor deeds nor laws nor religious rituals – only by faith in Christ alone. The world finds it offensive or may even call it a hate crime. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Paul said he was the worst. It is offensive to some but it is the Gospel truth.
The Main Story
Paul’s Testimony
Paul says in Galatians 1:14 that he outshone his peers in his zeal for moral righteousness. BUT it had not made him right with God. This is very important even a most zealous adhering to rituals and cultural codes could not bridge that gap between God and Paul.
Paul also writes in this letter what the Galatians already knew, that he had done many terrible things
“Intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.” — 1:13
Filled with religious pride and hate, Paul had killed innocent people.
But ‘the vilest offender who truly believes, that moment a pardon from Jesus receives.’ Despite his record of evil, he was saved by Christ and commissioned as a pioneer of the faith. God does treat him as a second-class Christian but transforms him into a preacher of the gospel. What amazing Grace! Paul’s story is a Main Story and the finest case study of salvation by grace alone! On the one hand, he was moral and religious but not good enough to be right with God. On the other hand, he was evil, but not so bad that the gospel of grace could not reach him and redeem him. No one is so good that they don’t need the gospel of grace, nor so bad that they can’t receive the grace of the gospel – forgiveness, peace and new life in Christ. God’s favour is not based on Paul’s past but despite it! That is grace.
What a transformation – last weekend I met *Darren a drug dealer and crack addict who was brought into a church and prayed for and was transformed in an instant, no cold turkey no regrets – a new creation in Jesus – who or what can do this except a real encounter with the living Jesus? Or as Paul puts it the gospel of the Grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus broke through, won his heart and transformed his life and his life’s work. Look at your own life, see that God preparing you, shaping you even through our own failures and sins, to become witnesses of his grace in the world.
Your testimony of a life transformed by Christ in you is more convincing than a life that’s based on self. Pauls testimony is a case study in Grace, so is yours! Main Story. *Darren’s name has been changed
The Sequel
A life that Glorifies God
In Galatians 1:23-24, we read the sequel. Paul quoting the church in Judea says ‘the man who persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy and they praised God because of me.” Paul’s life led other people to see the glory of God (v.24). The use of an imperfect tense (preaching/praising) means that the preaching and the glorifying went on continually. The change in Paul’s life and his service to others did not lead people to make Paul a celebrity but to praise and glorify God.
How do we apply this to ourselves? How can we live our lives so that people glorify God more because of us? As individuals and as a church? In other words, what changes could we make so that others will see Christ in us – that’s a challenge!
I mentioned Darren earlier. He wouldn’t say he has done great things since – waited on tables, general labouring. In fact, his story isn’t about Darren at all. It’s about God. It’s about that unnamed woman who prayed for him, it’s about a community that accepted him. In his last three years at Lee Abbey community in Devon, he has glorified God in work and testimony. God rescues people. We can’t save ourselves. When we are saved, he unleashes the potential he saw in us all along. Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’
You have great potential that will glorify God. What glorifies God? A changed heart. A self-centred heart to a servant heart (Galatians 5:13), a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26 from darkness to light so that we can shine and glorify our heavenly Father Matthew 5:16 ‘let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
