Help them See
“For
this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the
Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." – Acts
13:47
Who are you when you are amongst strangers? Who is it that you are representing and what
impression are you trying to leave behind?
As dignitaries and professionals travel the globe one of the things that
they are constantly aware of is their position as an ambassador for the company
or country from which they come. They
must carry themselves in a manner that is representative of the values, the
integrity and the honor of who it is that sent them.
Here, we find Paul the Apostle echoing the scriptures from Isaiah 42:6. Paul was steep in knowledge of the scriptures. We read that he had been a student of Pharisaism, under Galmaliel, considered the most profound rabbinical teacher of the time. Saul (later known as Paul) would have been a strict follower of the Torah (first four books of the Old Testament) and the writings of the prophets. He was an Israelite by his ancestry, from the tribe of Benjamin, but had Roman citizenship by the location of his birth in Tarsus. Saul persecuted the followers of Jesus Christ, as am ambassador of the Sanhedrin and Jewish leaders. With compassion and loyalty he represented their interests and everything he knew and had learned up to that point in his life.
After Jesus Christ, himself, confronted him on the road to Damascus, his life and mission was forever changed. With the depth of knowledge he had prior to that event, the unveiling of the true Messiah set a course for the rest of his life that would lead him to prison, torture, near death experiences and evangelism beyond comprehension in today’s world. A personal experience with Jesus Christ coupled with a passion and commitment to spreading the truth created what we have come to know as the single greatest missionary of all time.
Educated beyond most and seen as a man with great potential among the Jewish leaders. He was confident in his knowledge, his faith and his purpose to destroy the early Christian church and prove that it was simply another uprising against the Jewish beliefs in God. After that day on the road to Damascus, he dedicated his entire life to promoting Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah and the only way to salvation. Either he completely lost his senses and became a crazed man on that road, or he truly came face to face with God’s only Son and forever changed the Christian church. If the former is true and Paul did became crazed that day, than our Christian belief structure is filled with lies and false doctrine. We have been mislead by Paul, having spent his entire life suffering to the point of death, being imprisoned and banished from certain lands all to propagate his lie, to strangers he did not know or care about. As we know it though, the later was the truth and Paul became the spokesman and preacher for the early Christian church.
Here, we find Paul the Apostle echoing the scriptures from Isaiah 42:6. Paul was steep in knowledge of the scriptures. We read that he had been a student of Pharisaism, under Galmaliel, considered the most profound rabbinical teacher of the time. Saul (later known as Paul) would have been a strict follower of the Torah (first four books of the Old Testament) and the writings of the prophets. He was an Israelite by his ancestry, from the tribe of Benjamin, but had Roman citizenship by the location of his birth in Tarsus. Saul persecuted the followers of Jesus Christ, as am ambassador of the Sanhedrin and Jewish leaders. With compassion and loyalty he represented their interests and everything he knew and had learned up to that point in his life.
After Jesus Christ, himself, confronted him on the road to Damascus, his life and mission was forever changed. With the depth of knowledge he had prior to that event, the unveiling of the true Messiah set a course for the rest of his life that would lead him to prison, torture, near death experiences and evangelism beyond comprehension in today’s world. A personal experience with Jesus Christ coupled with a passion and commitment to spreading the truth created what we have come to know as the single greatest missionary of all time.
Educated beyond most and seen as a man with great potential among the Jewish leaders. He was confident in his knowledge, his faith and his purpose to destroy the early Christian church and prove that it was simply another uprising against the Jewish beliefs in God. After that day on the road to Damascus, he dedicated his entire life to promoting Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah and the only way to salvation. Either he completely lost his senses and became a crazed man on that road, or he truly came face to face with God’s only Son and forever changed the Christian church. If the former is true and Paul did became crazed that day, than our Christian belief structure is filled with lies and false doctrine. We have been mislead by Paul, having spent his entire life suffering to the point of death, being imprisoned and banished from certain lands all to propagate his lie, to strangers he did not know or care about. As we know it though, the later was the truth and Paul became the spokesman and preacher for the early Christian church.
Paul became an
ambassador for Christ. He carried the
message as far as his feet would take him.
He was not wealthy by monetary standards, but unbelievable rich in love
for the Lord. He took this scripture
from Isaiah 42:6 literally and carried the word of the Lord to every person he
could in order to share the “light of salvation” with them. He was capable of recognizing his weakness’,
his sinful life and the grace by which he was saved. His personal story, after experiencing Jesus
Christ, is captured in 13 books in the New Testament and has become the
cornerstone for many outreaches and missionaries around the globe. The question we should be asking ourselves
today is, ”If this educated man and
ambassador of the Jewish leadership dedicated his life, livelihood and passion
to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ as far as possible, why aren’t we?”
© Sondove
Enterprises, 2012
For additional Daily Thoughts, please visit: http://www.10minutereader.com
For additional Daily Thoughts, please visit: http://www.10minutereader.com
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