Paul, a person of interest, a gospel pattern-setter.
Let's meet him.
His name is first mentioned in Acts 13.
“Then Saul, who is called Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on him.”
First mention.
Paul was a pattern.
What did he help us understand?
This is how we carry the ball.
This is how we move the gospel forward.
Paul the Pattern.
Acts 13:45 “But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.” Strong opposition.
They did not like the truth, as presented by Paul.
Those who present the truth will find people who resent the truth.
Five verses later, “But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their coast.”
They'll kick you out.
They'll ban you.
They'll shut you down.
They'll cancel you.
Get out of here.
Next chapter acts 14:19 “And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium who persuaded the people and having stoned Paul” Physical rock violence; they stoned him, drew him out of the city supposing he had been dead.
Kill this guy with rocks, drag him through the city, toss him out on the dump.
Why?
Persuade the people that Paul is worthy of death.
Why?
He carries a precious message from God.
He's just the delivery boy.
He simply is asking you to sign for the package.
“I'm here to deliver the goods.
It's the gospel of God, the good news from heaven, it's God's news from God's Book … oh you're going to kill me instead? okay well here's the package anyway I hope you enjoy it!”
Acts 15:2 “When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them” He was not afraid
to bring the facts to the conversation.
No small dissension and disputation.
“They determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.”
We have a question.
We're going to send Paul and Barnabas because there's great dissension and disputation and this guy …
can clarify the facts we're going to send him like an ambassador to go get with the wisest people we know to solve the problem. That was the spirit of Paul. Here we're going to meet him again Acts 16 verse 9 “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night there stood
a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.”
Now what's interesting about this verse? A vision is a spiritual event that happened to Paul in the night by permission and purpose of God; he was called, he saw the need, he was a visionary, he was the one who was delivered the message.
Now sometimes the person who catches the vision from Heaven has difficulty communicating that vision to action in others and that's a burden.
We see the need in Macedonia.
We will go do something about it.
Why?
God gave the vision to one person.
Acts 16 and 17
“The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men of the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation.”
Now that's true, but it must have been irritating or sarcastic or repetitive or distracting because verse next says, And this did she many days, this demonic woman, chasing them down.
“but Paul being grieved.”
Now I want you to notice many days.
Many is more than two.
Many is likely more than three.
He put up with this screaming, hollering, sarcastic, demonic spirit chasing him around taunting and distracting people from his message for multiple …
many days. Finally he's grieved; turned and said to the spirit … not to the person, to the spirit “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her and and he [the spirit] came out the same hour.”
84% of people surveyed asked this question.
“Why didn't you do that sooner?”
Why he was sensitive to obey what God wanted him to accomplish, and when it was time, or when he couldn't tolerate it anymore …
Anyway, there was a spiritual target on this guy, Paul.
If you're going to aspire to participate in this great gospel-giving adventure, something about the spiritual world is going to be attracted to you as a target.
You might even be grieved in your spirit, but it'll be fine.
It'll balance out.
What's the result?
Verse next.
“And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them.”
These guys are getting drawn a lot.
Dragged “and drew them into the marketplace,” unto the rulers.
You're going to go face the council.
OK.
What happens six verses later?
“And that midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them.” They're in cuffs.
They're in the low dungeon.
It's midnight and it's time to break out in song.
Here's a just a couple things we can observe from the life of Paul.
First observation of which there are a lot Life is not about Paul first
He was not a Paul-first promoter. He stopped thinking about himself long ago. He wasn't complaining about the food; you can't find a mention of complaint. He wasn't complaining about his accommodations and his
hotel arrangements. He wasn't negative about enduring the rigors of travel. One time He spoke as a fool and said “You guys think you're whining you you got you got it tough?”
Oh Yeah, let's compare life notes. This guy went on foot and boat and donkey to the known world multiple thousands of miles.
An arduous journey, energy-draining journey.
Number next, most likely according to all the data on the biography of Paul in Scripture … he was most likely not a pansy. He's not a weak-wristed lily-liver boy, just kind of flipping and floundering and can't find out how to move.
You want to beat me to a pulp?
Well, my mission will carry me forward with a mangled body and a smile and I'll pray for you, brother! :)
Oh, you got baseball bats this time and rods?
Well, I've been through this before, so let's get started.
I'll sing a song while you smash me to pieces.
The bones will heal, but the gospel will go forward.
Paul walks into town,
and he does glance in the direction of the prison; he gives a head nod. He knows that's likely his eventual destination, but he meanwhile has a short space to proclaim the truth against the forces of evil and against the absolutely stubborn, self-centered, self-righteous, religious crowd of his day. They were the main target of his truth. “You think you have God figured out?
Let me ‘splain Him to you better!”
Now he didn't know exactly when the riot would start, but he knew he had a short time until that happened, because that was the pattern. I come into town, I bring the gospel, and eventually the spirits of prideful people or demons will not put up with it and I'm going to the clinker. :)
Historically, wherever Paul went with the gospel, it was revival, then riot.
That was the response from the crowd.
Some would love the truth, others would seek to destroy the truth.
Acts 17:2, “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,” Pleading, explaining …
opening, presenting urgently, explain … just you got to get this message; for a long time that was his pattern. He you'll notice from life of Paul, this is one of the lessons you can pull from the Bible it says here:
Gospel-giving is not a life of ease.
You want to sign up?
God guides me [Paul] to the synagogue … and then I end up in the slammer. Still I have the Scripture and I preach salvation, persuading almost everyone everywhere that Christ indeed is the Savior!
If you're going to sign up for this gospel-going business you'll notice, you're going to work overtime!
Still want to sign up?
I work first shift for my family needs and I work second shift for my Savior.
Because He's worthy and the message must be multiplied, magnified and broadcasted boldly.
Paul paid his own way.
With his own blistered, beaten hands, he crafted mobile homes of fabric and sticks.
He was not lazy.
He was industrious.
He took on two jobs and you barely hear a peep about his tent business.
Paul was also a bondservant.
He signed his life away.
He was bound to serve …
the King.
Acts 17:13 “But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul in Berea,” What should we do?
“They came hither also and stirred up the people.”
Were they mad at Paul?
No, they're mad at the message that he was preaching from the word of God.
“We got to go shut that mess down!”
Okay.
All right.
Well, seems like Paul was a magnet for conflict and spiritual oppression.
The people who love to argue and stir up chaos, they followed Paul around.
Doesn't sound like a very pleasant, peaceful life.
“Say, Paul, how many days since your last broken bone?”
These people came to suppress the truth.
They were boycotting, cranking up the people, handing out signs, “Get this guy out of here!”
Acts 17:16 [three verses later] “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him
when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
There was a pressure on the inside.
Paul was driven by the Spirit.
He was the captain of action right there in the face of evil.
All right team, we're going to go for it.
We're going to present the gospel.
This whole city is worshiping idols.
God is not happy.
God is pressing on my spirit.
My spirit is moved to motion.
Acts 18:5 “And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.”
What happened?
Two of his buddies showed up.
There's pressure on Paul's spirit and he speaks with power and presence and clarity declaring the truth of the gospel.
Do you have that pressure?
Do you have the Spirit pressing from within?
Do you feel it?
That squeeze?
Is there some external pressing that makes the gospel burst forth from within you?
Have you noticed some evil in the world such as worshiping … stupidity?
Have you seen something that makes you say, “No, there's a better alternative!”
Is there anything squeezing the gospel out of you?
Maybe we need to be baptized in filth so that we can come up bursting for oxygen and tell the world Jesus saves!
There's a truth that needs to go out.
Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, Ye men of Athens I perceive that all things ye are too superstitious.” What happened? Paul found the nearest microphone.
Wherever Paul went, he made a platform and he stepped up to speak, and he would broadcast courageously the truth. Here the whole city was gathered in an uproar in this next chapter desiring to kill one guy; kind of a short fella … because of Who he represented. He was the chief broadcaster of this gospel message; kind of interesting.
If you're gonna be a gospel-giver, you will be a target.
Acts 21:40 “And when he had given him license” This is his escort, his soldiers who were arresting him gave him license to speak. “Paul stood on the stairs [they had carried him up] and beckoned with the hand unto the people” it was the whole city there was just thousands upon thousands of people in an uproar wanting to kill him so now he's up on the stairs guarded by the soldiers “and when there was made a great silence …
He spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,” [Next chapter.]
Here he is, arrested, lifted up, carried by the soldiers, put up on the stairs, given permission to speak.
Everywhere Paul went, the crowds seemed to tune in.
Was it his personality?
No.
Was it his face?
No.
What was it about Paul?
It was the glow of the gospel that had to go through him!
It was no attraction to the messenger, but the message flowed through this willing vessel.
Acts 18 verse 9, “Then spake the Lord to Paul in a vision by night, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace.”
Wow. That's his purpose, and God came to him to encourage him. I'd be a little discouraged too: beat, crushed, smashed, destroyed, cursed, kicked, nobody likes me. God's like “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace!” Good message.
Acts 20 verse 7 “And upon the first day
of the week when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow” I'm out of here tomorrow guys so just listen up “and continued his speech until midnight” Whole lot of content flowing out of this guy; he was kind of a fire hydrant connected directly to the ocean of the gospel of God's love. He just couldn't stop telling people the good news.
Kind of ran the microphones out of batteries.
He just kept on preaching.
Let's go another hour! I want you to notice the verse above says “upon the first day” First day … Maybe it was daytime, when he started; they got together to break bread.
When did that happen?
Maybe people eat … around lunchtime. Possibly, I don't know the culture, possibly lunchtime right? And then this guy gets up to speak and
when they came together for just food and banter, and he's so filled with the truth in the message and the Scripture and the passion and the Spirit and the gospel and power: he just keeps on fireball-flowing leather-lung launching Scripture-quoting and persuading people with passion to believe and act on their faith in Christ for one hour …
plus two hours … plus three hours, and then here comes midnight and a guy falls out of the window.
Acts 23:11 “And the night following the Lord stood by him” Seems like this guy needed a lot of encouragement from God directly. “and said, Be of good cheer Paul:
for as thou hast testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.” Now most people wouldn't be super excited about this message, but you gotta understand God and Paul knew each other pretty well. This is a very short sentence. God sometimes gets to the point. Maybe His voice has strong resonance. Here's the message again “And the night following the Lord stood by Paul and said,
Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of Me in Jerusalem [as thou hast testified] so must thou bear also witness at Rome.”
Do you get it? Here's what He meant … Paul found good cheer …
great joy! Why? There was purpose and meaning and total life fulfillment KNOWING assuredly that he was accomplishing that for which he was created by his Designer the LORD stood by him: his Maker, his Master! He felt excellent cheer being transferred into his being, the best level of cheer Paul could experience because “You know how you and I work together …
Remember Paul?
You and I worked together in Jerusalem to testify the truth.
Now I'm commissioning you to do the same thing but a new adventure in a land far away called Rome.”
And why such cheer?
Why not shake and shudder and fear because in Rome he was going to be killed?
No, Paul was the proclaimer.
Paul was the gospel-giver.
Paul was the partner with Christ, the main partner.
“Hey Paul, cheer up!” says Jesus.
We, together, get to go give the gospel in Rome!
And Paul's like, “That's what I'm about!
That's what I do.
That's the thing.
Let's do it.
That's great Cheer!”
The highest point of living; he felt fully alive when he was delivering truth.
A couple verses later the devil overhears God's plan to use Paul, and what does the devil plan? Death. Yeah, this is one verse later “And when it was day”
the night after … the very night God tells him be of good cheer “and when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.” hmm hmm
He was tired; Paul was tired …
yet fired up, ready to go.
He was running on fumes.
YET obviously filled with the Holy Ghost for a specific purpose.
Maybe in all of Paul's travel he felt like he had spent long hours in the airports.
I mean the water ports.
Boat-to-boat transfer.
Maybe he lost his luggage in the journey.
What did Paul, what did Paul do along life's way?
while he was out there journeying?
Notice something.
He kept pen to paper.
He carried the parchments with him.
He was a constant flow of ink.
Steadily writing epistles and letters of commendation, giving out encouragement, providing clarity, evaporating bad teaching, contending with demonic teachers. He was then extracting gems from the established known Testament to shed bright light on the New Covenant.
He was helping people make sense more of God.
100% Paul the podcaster
100% Paul the author
100% Paul the content-producer
100% Paul on the radio live streaming several hours per day
100% Paul the producer of documentaries on key doctrine topics such as, here it is in Scripture: “Opening [let's open] and alleging” Here's the position. “Opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ!” Do you get it now?
Acts 17 verse 3
Paul also, … if you want to sign up to be a gospel giver, you're going to experience something similar.
Paul also captured the attention of Satan specifically, singled him out.
[Satan says] “God's going, flowing through that guy?
I think I'll give him some attention.”
Here it is,
the verse says: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations … [God revealed a lot directly to Paul: abundant revelations. He had the truth [comma] “, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan” the messenger of Satan … the messenger of Satan to buffet me …
lest I should be exalted above measure.” So he repeats twice the purpose: “lest he should be exalted above measure” which means pride for his position, because it's easy to flex when you have a little name, a little title as somebody special. But notice “the messenger of Satan” Did you want to sign up for that level of spiritual oppression? I don't want to be on meds. I don't want to face the demons.
I especially don't want the messenger of Satan himself to be piping a tunnel of lies into my face.
Let's look at the verse a little more.
This is a special companion, right by Paul's side, a thorn at his side, a constant agitation, a burr in his saddle, bothering him, buffeting him.
(We'll define that.)
Why? The abundance of revelations directly from Christ in one ear, and a steady bombardment of deception and discouragement blaring in his other ear, straight from Hell.
A thorn [We looked up the word thorn.] it means a pointed piece of wood, a sharp stake, a splinter designed to gouge and irritate. You want to sign up?
A thorn assigned. Here it is. We looked at the word “messenger”
A messenger means an envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a direct delivery service … in this case delivering the service on behalf of Sir Satan: carrying the message of Hell to the messenger of the gospel.
Now we look up the word Buffet.
It's not food.
Buffet means to strike with the fist, to give one a punch, to maltreat with violence and contempt.
We would say today “to give the smackdown”.
So here Paul had a spiritual, continuous MMA, slaps, punches, gouges in his side, body blows, boom, crush to the ribs, attack the core.
He had a boxing pro smacking him out, just grinding his face; similar to how they treated Christ Jesus the Lord.
Under strong spiritual influence, people did the same thing to Jesus.
Here's the verse, Matthew 26, “Then did they spit in His face and buffeted Him.”
Same demons probably.
If no one is opposing you are you doing anything?
Paul carried massive responsibility with supernatural joy, unexplainable.
2 Corinthians 11:28 “Beside those things [this is Paul speaking[ beside those things that are without,
that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”
That's responsibility.
Most pastors need deliverance and time off from pastoring one average church of humans. :)
Cannot imagine the spiritual pressure daily upon Paul for the care of all the churches.
Pause to ponder that level of pressure.
God help him.
Let's meet Paul, the action-packed adventure guy.
Going wherever the gospel is needed.
Paul acted on purpose.
Paul had magnificent and momentous purpose.
Paul absorbed the gospel into every fiber of his body and his brain and then he begged everyone to believe and he blasted their traditions and their false idols and their substitutes which was blocking them from seeing the truth of salvation through One true God and His Christ Who was sent as the suffering Savior!
Here's Paul persuading and proclaiming everywhere that indeed this is very Christ!
Let me introduce you.
Paul's very person, his deepest DNA, his identity through-and-through was tied so interwovenly with the gospel of God.
The name Paul means small and humble …
but greatly infused with vigor and vitality to voraciously lift up the volume of the gospel loud and clear with nearly an irresistible spirit!
God likes to flow through the weak and beggarly elements of this world so that He gets the maximum glory.
God likes small people, not much to look at, common, worn out.
No other explanation for why Paul kept on going other than no one and nothing could stop God from going with the gospel through Paul.
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