Let’s take some time to
examine the apostle Paul. Doing this will give us a greater
understanding of the authority and understanding he had in writing about
spiritual matters for our purposes, and ‘life in the Spirit’ in particular.
Paul (still called Saul at this stage) before his conversion
· By his own admission (Php 3)
a Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee of Pharisees
- · The Persecutor-in-Chief of Christians
- · A highly rated scholar of the ‘Law’
- · Supremely confident in his own flesh
Philippians
3:4b-6 (NIV)
If someone else thinks they
have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the
eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a
Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting
the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
· A thoroughly nasty and extremely religious character. An instigator of, and an accomplice in murder:
Acts 7:57-60
(NLT)
57 Then they put their hands over their ears
and began shouting. They rushed at him 58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone
him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man
named Saul.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 He
fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with
that, he died.
Acts 8:1 (NLT)
Saul was one of the
witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. On that day a great
persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the
apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
· Saul’s sole purpose in life at this stage was to eradicate Christianity. Saul the persecutor of Christians – the destroyer of the Church
Acts 9:1-2 (NLT)
Meanwhile, Saul was uttering
threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he
went to the high priest. 2 He
requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation
in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring
them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
Paul’s dramatic conversion
Enlightenment on the Damascus
highway!
Acts 9:3-4 (NIV)
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and
heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
One-minute breathing out
murderous threats, the next slain under the power of the Holy Spirit, lying in
the dirt as blind as a bat with Jesus talking to him, asking him why he was
persecuting him – the Church!
God knows exactly where you
are, physically and spiritually and knows exactly what you are doing!
Let’s have a look at what
happened to Saul after this encounter:
Acts 9
- · Saul was blind and did not eat and drink for three days
- · God sent Ananias to pray for him
- · Ananias lays hands on Paul and prays for him
- · He receives his sight
- · He receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit
- · He is water baptised
This was the pinnacle turning
point in Paul’s life. After this all the zeal and enthusiasm that he had used
to persecute the Church was turned around and focused on preaching the gospel
with great power followed by signs, wonders and miracles – just as Jesus did.
The Holy Spirit wants to do the same with us!
Paul’s preparation for ministry
Paul tells us in Galatians that the gospel message he
preaches did not come out of any human reasoning, but it came by direct
revelation from Jesus himself.
Galatians
1:11-12 (NIV)
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.
Galatians
1:15-17 (NIV)
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.
In the above verses Paul tells
us as well that after his conversion he did not go Jerusalem to consult with
the other apostles but to immediately start his calling in Christ Jesus which
was to preach to the Gentiles. He did this in Damascus for a while and by going
into Arabia.
It was during this period,
whilst preaching to the Gentiles, that he received the true revelation of Jesus
through the power of the Holy Spirit! Divine revelation! This is how he was
able to write with such authority and with such deep conviction about living
life in the Spirit.
Let’s examine the below verses
from Philippians 3:
Philippians 3:3-9
(NLT)
3 For we who worship by the Spirit of
God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus
has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have
confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for
confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
5 I was circumcised when I was eight days
old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of
Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees,
who demand the strictest obedience to
7 I once thought these things were valuable,
but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is
worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage,
so that I could gain Christ 9 and
become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying
the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way
of making us right with himself depends on faith.
In the above verses from 3-6 Paul tells us about his academic
pedigree and self-ability before his encounter with Jesus. This is what he says
about himself in verses 5-6:
- I was
circumcised (in the flesh)
- I am a
pure-blooded Israelite
- I am a
Benjamite
- I am a
Hebrew
- I am a
Pharisee
- I was zealous
- I harshly persecuted
- I was
self-righteousness
- I
obeyed the law
He was definitely an “I” specialist!
Now, let’s see what he says about himself
after his encounter with Jesus when he is born-again, when his heart has been
circumcised! Verses 7-9:
·
I now
consider these things (the things bulleted above) worthless
·
For
Jesus I have discarded everything else
·
Everything
I knew before Jesus is garbage
·
I can
now become one with Jesus
·
I am
no longer self-righteous
·
My
righteousness comes from my faith in Jesus
·
Circumcision
of the heart through the Holy Spirit
·
God’s
way (through faith in Jesus) makes us right with Him
Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians a
number of years after his conversion, so he was able to write it with such
confidence and conviction because he had by then actual life experience of being led
and taught by the Holy Spirit who brings us divine revelation.
This is the very thing that
Jesus meant when he spoke these words:
John 16:12-15
(NIV)
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than
you can now bear. 13 But
when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the
truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and
he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he
will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is
why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
It is the Holy Spirit that prepares us for
the life that God intends us to live in Christ Jesus! Without him and our faith
in Jesus we will not be overcomers.
John 16:33 (NLT)
I have told you all this so
that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and
sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NLT)
16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the
veil is taken away. 17 For
the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
freedom. 18 So
all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the
Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are
changed into his glorious image.
Life in the Spirit is a must for all
believers of every generation as Jesus and the Word are one and they never
change. What applies to one of us applies to all.
Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)
Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever.
Without living life in the Spirit, we will
not become like Jesus – we will not be changed into his glorious image. The
more we eagerly desire the things of the Spirit and use them for the benefit of
others to glorify the name of Jesus, the more we will be conformed to His
image!
It is clearly evidenced through his
ministry that Paul, after his conversion, eagerly desired the things of the
Spirit and was faithful in using them to the benefit of others, and by this he brought
glory, honour and praise, to his Saviour – our Lord Jesus!
Let's imitate Paul as he imitated Christ! The born again Paul!
1 Cor 11:1
And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
May the name of Jesus be lifted up and glorified!
May the name of Jesus be lifted up and glorified!
An extract from my book: Fan Into Flame: Life in the Spirit available on Paperback:
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