A Time For Acts VI

When the Church had first started, there was a man named Saul whose actions can be identified as antichrist in fashion. Saul, a devout religious man and strong supporter of the established religious order in Jerusalem, was known in the early church as an enemy. Saul actively persecuted believers of Jesus, and scholars believe he most likely was there at Jesus Christ’s illegal trial. Ironically, God reveals that in Himself all things are possible and He can turn the most wicked into something grand. Now this post is not about Saul’s conversion into Paul. But rather the actions taken after His recognition of Jesus as the Messiah of the Jews and Savior of the world. Like other posts in this series, we are examining the first accounts of the Church.

To bring context to the situation, we need to understand where Paul was at the time of the action we are going to discuss. Paul was in front of King Agrippa and is acting upon what Peter in 1 Peter 3:15 commands believers to be ready to do, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.” Saul was very active as an antichrist advocate. However, it can be stated rather firmly that after his recognition and acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, He was even more active in helping the cause of the Church for Christ. We can see his own examination of his actions in Acts chapter 26, with his discussion with King Agrippa.

Acts 26:19-23 states,  “19 So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 21 “For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. 22 “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

We can see that Paul at the very start does what the believers after the ascension did. Like the early church, Paul wanted to obey Jesus Christ. However, to obey you must be listening, no one can obey something that they have not heard. So what was he doing? He was immediately seeking the Lord and being in His word. Paul’s relationship with Christ is the foundation for everything that happens next. Only after Paul was listening does God tell him to declare the gospel, which we can tell in verse twenty, “but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.” Many believers today believe we need to wait before we can tell others about Christ. That we need to be more “mature.” I have found no area in scripture identifying that we should wait, but rather to quickly become ready.

Naturally, the world does not like believers, and when we declare God’s word we will naturally have opposition in the world. This is unfortunate, but a truth that Jesus has made perfectly clear in the gospels but also stated by the apostles. For Paul, telling people about the gospel caused him to become very unpopular with the very crowed that formerly supported him. “For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.” Yet, because Paul sought Jesus first, Paul’s source of energy, life purpose, and direction was Heavenly designed, sustained, and guided.

Paul gives us further details regarding how he proclaimed the gospel message. He used the scripture; specifically, he used the Old Testament, “22 “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; 23 that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

What does this mean for us? Paul’s first actions were to seek after God. It actually wasn’t to go help the poor, feed the sick, or even help the widow (all things that we are commanded to do) but he sought to listen to what God had to say. Ironically, this seems much like the church in the first hours after Christ ascended into heaven. Believers should recognize who is the source of their strength and act upon it. This means following with a laser focus of Jesus Christ’s actions, words, and intentions for our lives. Only after this does Paul start to preach the gospel. As believers in Jesus, we need to keep our first love, so that we are not uprooted by the trials and tribulations of this world. The devil can keep you from Christ by keeping you busy with church aid. I am always reminded of this truth when I am on an airplane. When they do the security checklist and they remind everyone on the flight that in case of emergency to place their own mask on before the people around them. This is to ensure you can continue to help those around you, while being sustained with life needing air. As believers if we are not first involved in Christ, how are we to help others accurately, effectively, and with the power of God behind us? The answer is, we can’t. This is why our actions first need to be centered on Christ. This is why this pattern in the early church is so important for us today. This is why Christ must be first above all things in our life. We cannot be the loving, supporting people we are commanded to be unless we have the root and source of this love and support in our lives. So take a note from the early church and recognize the importance of what we should always do first before we take any other action.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL