Acceptance and Restoration
Paul is a guy in scripture that I just love. He always knew how to deal with the leaders of his day to throw them off balance and to get his point across. He even managed to get himself into some hard to reach places to preach the gospel. He didn't take any nonsense off of anyone and always had an answer. At the same time, he was a true devoted follower of Christ. He loved people and wanted to see them come to know Jesus. Paul is seen by us today as one of the greatest teachers of the Word in all of history. We teach his writings all the time. In fact, he wrote most of the New Testament!
One of the things that I like most about him, though, is that he was much like me. He was a man afflicted with sin. He often spoke of his struggles. In 2 Corinthians 12:7 he mentions a "thorn in the flesh" that he dealt with. (Some suggest it may have been a woman!) He says it tormented him and kept him humble. He also says God had given him the ability to endure it. In Galatians 1:11-24, Paul tells the story of his conversion. Here is a man who actually KILLED to try and stop the spread of the gospel. He was passionate about it, in fact! After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus he developed a new passion. A passion for Jesus Christ. Notice how he went about his transformation: He took time to let God deal directly with him. Afterward, he sought counsel from those who knew the most about Jesus (Peter and James). He chose to stay away from Jerusalem for a long time because he knew that his presence would cause a distraction. He went and began preaching to other areas of the world. Once he had done this, with the power of God behind him and with great success, he was accepted............BY THOSE HE HAD FORMERLY SWORN TO DESTROY! Now THAT is restoration!
God used this man, a man who, today, we would likely say had forfeited his ministry or who was a broken vessel. God can use us no matter how bad we have been in the past! Even those who have "fallen" in their ministries are still God's children and still viable vessels for Him to use. All it takes is a personal meeting with Jesus! Once He calls you and you allow Him to clean you anything is possible. The next time you hear of someone that you respect "falling" into sin consider Paul. Pray for them instead of condemning them. Lift them up instead of kicking them down. Let God be the judge of their behavior and their lives and, if they are wise and truly repent, serve along side of them and rejoice that the one who once was lost, now is found!
Created about 3 years ago
