SCRIPTURE:
You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it.”
“But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.
Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.”
Galatians 1:13, 15-18
OBSERVATION:
By now we all know Paul, who wrote half of the New Testament, apostle, church planter, disciple maker.
But as he chastises the Galatian church for believing a “different gospel”, he refreshes their memory of his own transformation story.
Before Jesus, Paul (Saul as he was known before) was a terror to the believers of Jesus. A devout Jew, Saul hunted and arrested followers of Jesus; he actually thought he was helping God out.
Until Jesus. The encounter on the Damascus road was to transform him forever, turning the terrorist into the defender and evangelist of the Good News, and ofJesus! Crazy!
Now, did Saul immediately, after Jesus encountered him and commissioned him, head to the nearest church looking to share his transformation story? No! He says he went to Arabia—likely South of Damascus, and not deep into Saudi Arabia as we know today.
It says he was in Arabia THREE YEARS; speculations are that he continued to seek the LORD in the Scriptures besides the Jewish Torah, or sought solitude and seeking His voice, or even serving in menial areas to establish his reputation.
Either way, it wasn’t instant. Paul let time and the Spirit develop his ministry.
APPLICATION:
One of our Core Values at New Hope promotes training emerging leaders, and deploying them into the world to reach others for Christ. Whether fresh out of high school, or seasoned people “leaving their nets” to follow Jesus, our programs and mentorships are the next step after believing one is committed to serve Jesus.
But completing a program is only part of the deal. There’s a process that happens in the life of anyone believing they are called into ministry.
Some young trainees are disappointed that they haven’t made a huge kingdom impact for Jesus. But they’ve only been serving for 2-3 months! The process has barely begun!
Fast-tracking anything, to get a desired result in less than the ideal time, produces neither lasting nor life-changing results. Serving Jesus is no exception.
We allow the Holy Spirit to determine when and how we make a difference in people’s lives. Three years away, and Paul’s reputation had people “praising God because of me”(verse 24). Three years brought transformation that the people around Paul saw, that was genuine and proven. And that’s how we change the world.
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, in a hurried society combined with the urgency of the gospel, help us to embrace the process that builds leaders for the long haul.
Thank You for Paul’s story which included a “time between”, which You used to refine him and become as effective as he was. May we all embrace the process. Amen.
