Read Acts 9:1-5 NIV
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
Read 1 Timothy 1:12-14 NLT
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.
Read Ephesians 1:1 NLT
This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 1:1 lets us know that Paul is the author of the letter. Scholars believe that Paul wrote it toward the end of his life. But who was Paul?
Paul, formerly known as Saul was a Pharisee – one of the religious elite in Jerusalem. He was trained in Scripture by an esteemed Rabbi, and he was very religious. His actions were sincere, but the aim of his intentions was off. Paul believed that this new movement, those who believed in and followed Jesus, was dangerous to the Jewish faith, and so he pursued Christians and persecuted them relentlessly.
But God had other plans for Paul! While on his way to Damascus to root out Christians to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment…He encountered Jesus. And his life was never the same.
His encounter with Jesus changed his heart. Paul went from hunting down followers of Jesus to discipling followers of Jesus! God had a special mission for Paul – to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to others, specifically to Gentiles (those not of Jewish descent). This calling took him on three missionary journeys around the Mediterranean Sea. During his third journey, he spent over two years sharing the gospel and establishing the church in Ephesus.
Paul was arrested after that third journey and sent to Rome, where he would eventually be killed. Scholars believe that it was toward the end of his imprisonment, in approximately A.D. 62, when he wrote his letter to the church in Ephesus, while chained to a Roman soldier.
Paul surrendered all of who he was to God, and God used all of it to bring others to Christ. He wants to do the same with us. The question is… are you willing to let him have all of you?
