This morning I felt led to read from Paul's letter to the Galatians. While I am quite familiar with this letter, I felt led to reflect on several verses from the first chapter, that described a radical shift in strategy by the Lord. Here are the verses - Galatians 1:11-24 NIV:
[11] "I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. [12] I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
[13] For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. [14] I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased [16] to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. [17] I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
[18] Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. [19] I saw none of the other apostles---only James, the Lord's brother. [20] I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie.
[21] Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. [22] I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. [23] They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” [24] And they praised God because of me."
This morning I was captured by the enormity of what the Lord did in calling Paul as His apostle. Effectively, using football language, He called an audible and completely changed the plan as it was previously known. He called Paul, one of His main persecutors, revealed the Gospel to him and set him loose to preach this Gospel, without any transference of knowledge or teaching from His other Apostles. Wow! No one saw that coming, and to the credit of the other Apostles, they actually welcomed Paul as a fellow apostle (See Gal 2: 6-10).
My thinking this morning is focused on the radical steps the Lord is willing to take for the sake of His Church, and His extreme confidence in His ability to get it right! I mean, what individual would ever think, "I want to increase my reach and expand my territory, so I will grab my arch-enemy, give him no formal training and make him my main message bearer!"? Answer - No One! Except that is exactly what Jesus did! Paul has no personal history with Jesus, didn't walk through years of training and impartation, didn't hear His teachings, didn't see Him minister, wasn't one of the 12 or even 72 that were sent out, and yet Jesus entrusted the Gospel proclamation to the Gentiles to him! That is just amazing to me!
The point, if God is willing and able to do that with Paul, imagine what He can and will do through me or you!!!! We are much like Paul, except that we have a greater advantage, for we have the Gospel's and all the other foundational scriptures to help us and guide us! We have the same Holy Spirit that Paul had, the same lack of personal experience with Jesus in His earthly sojourn, and the same teacher available to us that taught Paul!
Oftentimes I am tempted to disqualify myself, thinking there is no way that the Lord can use me, and yet when I look at Paul's history I must say I am more qualified than He was to be chosen by the Lord. I really can't say that the Lord couldn't use me or choose me after reflecting on Paul's history. I guess I am going to have to deny those thoughts of disqualification from here on out! Thank You Lord for this encouragement!
On the other hand, there were probably hundreds of people who were followers of Jesus, some even among the 120 that were in the upper room and received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, who were not selected as Apostles. They had followed Jesus, had the personal experience, were Jews with real experience and history with Jesus and yet the Lord picked Paul. Clearly Jesus saw something in Paul that made Him risk entrusting His Gospel to him! Again, not to try and disqualify any of the others, I am just looking at the radical risk the Lord took! I am once again drawn to the supreme confidence the Lord showed when He called the audible and changed the revealed plan, it wasn't about Paul so much as it was about Jesus' confidence in His own plan! Paul understood that clearly, for several times he talks about the Gospel being proclaimed in spite of his weakness and inability. Paul recognized that his calling was a part of the Lord's grand plan, and He was the one who was going empower him to succeed! Paul's confidence was in the Lord! (He went on to say pretty much exactly that in his famous letter to the Philippians 3:1-14).
I am greatly encouraged this morning that I can share the same confidence of Paul, for the Lord is just as capable of empowering me, teaching me, training me, and sending as He was when He did this for Paul! Jesus is willing to risk it all on people like me, people like all of us! He is confident in His ability to work through us, in spite of our weaknesses, struggles and sin!
My prayer this day is that all of us who are called and chosen by the Lord would have the same encouragement as Paul! That we might know and understand that if the Lord called our name and has entrusted us with ministry to some group of people (big or small) then He is fully capable of raising us up, training us and empowering us for the task at hand, so that we will be successful! Let us believe in the Lord's ability, not our own! Let us not fear when the Lord seems to change His plans, He knows what He is doing, even if it includes us!
Amen and Amen!
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