DAY 5: GOD CHOSE PAUL

 THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY

(A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM)

 

TOPIC: GOD CHOSE PAUL

DATE: 5 SEPTEMBER, 2020

BIBLE READING: GALATIANS 1:1-2:3

MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: ACTS 9:15 (ERV)

But the Lord Jesus said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. I want him to tell other nations, their rulers, and the people of Israel about me.

 

Yesterday, we discussed about why Christ chose the disciples and set them apart as apostles. We also establish that the 12 apostles whom Christ chose were the 12 apostles of the Lamb (Rev. 21:12-14) to redeem God’s divine government and authority here on earth. And so, the 12 apostles are not all the apostles Christ has ordained in the church (Eph. 4:11-16); from our Bible reading Paul made it cleared that he was an apostle (vs. 1) and Jesus’ brother, James (not Jesus’ disciple), was also an apostle (vs. 19).

Who are apostles? From the original Greek word, it is gotten from two Greek words; ‘apo’, which means ‘from’, and ‘stello’, which means ‘to send’. And when put together, means apostolos which literally means ‘one sent forth’. Just like the 12 apostles of the Lamb were sent forth by Christ as missionaries and early church planters.

So an apostle is one who is being sent forth by Christ himself, he is the one who does the ordination- not a leader of a church gathering. And for an apostle to be sent forth by Christ, it means he must have seen him face to face (1 Cor. 9:1). So the fact that you’ve encountered the Lord does not mean that you are an apostle, he must reveal himself to you and send you forth as missionaries and church planters.

The ministry of an apostle is different from an evangelist, even though both carry out missionary works. The ministry of an apostle is different from a pastor, even though both have the capability to plant churches. The ministry of an apostle is to reveal the mysteries of God; an apostle is a steward of God’s mysteries (1 Cor. 4:1). That was why the early apostle said that they gave themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).

The mysteries of God is still being revealed to the church, that’s why we still have apostles today in our churches (Eph. 4:11-16). And concerning the apostles giving themselves to prayer; that explains another fact that an apostle is also an intercessor.

Now that we understand who an apostle is- steward of God’s mysteries and an intercessor (one who has a big heart for the people), why then did God choose Paul to be his apostle?

From scriptures, we understand that Paul was fluent in the Greek language and culture and learned in Greek literature, which enabled him to relate to the Greeks (gentiles) on their level. So one reason why God chose him is because he needed a vessel to minister to the Gentiles (Gal. 1:16; 2:9).

Paul was highly intelligent, trained by one of the finest and highly respected rabbi and Jewish scholar who mentored him on the ‘strict manner of the law of our fathers’ (Acts 22:3). And God needed someone with such prowess to be his steward of his mysteries. Apostle Peter; a fisherman, recognised such prowess in him when he wrote to the church (2 Pet. 3:1, 16).

He was also a man with great zeal in keeping the ordinances of God; that was why he persecuted the Jews that followed The Way. But God channelled the zeal to the right path.

Finally, he was a man for his people. So, he was not only a man with great intellect, but also one with heartfelt emotions, especially for his fellow Jews. And we see that expressed in his epistles; his personal grief over some believers having been led astray by false teachers from the true Gospel and earnest appeal for them to return. What a heart of an intercessor?

Paul was chasing after the wrong dream until he found his purpose in God.

 

DECLARATION: I WILL NOT CHASE AFTER THE WRONG DREAM. OH LORD! WHAT IS MY PURPOSE HERE ON EARTH?

 

FURTHER STUDY: ACTS7:57-8:3; 9:1-31