A BRUTAL BEGINNING

Acts 5:29-32 (New American Standard)

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men. 30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 

31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

32 "And we are witnesses of these things ; and so is the Holy Spirit, whomGod has given to those who obey Him."

Acts 8:1-3 (New American Standard)

1 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions ofJudea and Samaria, except the apostles.   2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loudlamentation over him.      3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, anddragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.

   We must not forget that the man called Paul, was a vicious christian persecutor.  We must also brace ourselves for some gruesome surprises.  The first portrait of Paul (whom we first meet as Saul of Tarsus) is both brutal and bloody.  If an artist were paint a picture of him, not one of us would want it hung in our living room.  The man looks more like a terrorist than a follower of Judaism.  To our horror, the blood of the first martyr splattered across Saul's clothes while he stood nodding in agreement, an accomplice to a vicious crime.

Throughout our lives we've naturally adopted an Godly mental image of the apostle Paul.  After all, he's the one who gave us both letters to the Corinthians.  He wrote Romans, one of the most important books, of the Christian life.  He wrote that letter to the Galatians telling them, and us about God's grace.  And he wrote many letters to churches from inside prison, full of wisdom, so rich with relevance.  Based on all that, you would think that Paul loved God from birth.  Not even close.

   He hated the name of Jesus. So much so, he became a self-proclaimed,  violent aggressor, persecuting and killing Christians in allegiance to the God of heaven.  Shocking though it may seem, we should never forget the pit from where he came.  The better we understand the darkness of his past, the more you understand his deep gratitude for grace.

   The first portrait of Paul's life found in Holy Scripture is not of a little baby being lovingly cradled in his mother's arms.  Nor does it describe a Jewish boy jumping and running with neighborhood friends through the streets of Tarsus. The original portrait is not even of a young man, aspiring to be a Godly follower.  Those images would only mislead us into thinking he enjoyed a storybook past.  Instead, we first meet him as simply a "young man named Saul," party to Stephen's brutal murder, standing "in hearty agreement with putting him to death".

Acts 7:58

New International Version (NIV)

⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 8:1

New International Version (NIV)

 1 And Saul approved of their killing him.The Church Persecuted and Scattered.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

   That's the realistic Saul we need to see in order to truly appreciate the glorious truths of the New Testament letters he wrote. No wonder he later came to be known as the "apostle of grace."  The life of Paul can be a great example of God's grace to us. If God can use someone like this in such a mighty way, why wouldn't God use you?  He has called us all to a grand, Godly purpose.  Will it take a "blinding" act of God to get you to see your purpose in life, or our you a portrait of God's grace working in our lives everyday?  Will you join me in being salt and light to this dark world, or our you betraying the God you claim to love?  God's grace is waiting for you