You Can't Hide in the Shell Any Longer

Imagine a well known figure recognized by close to a million people in hiding! Politician—no. Terrorists--no. Movie Star—no. Dictator—no. Lottery winner—no. Would you believe this person would become even more famous than ever! This person had several identities. He was a well known religious figure, highly educated, politically connected, and feared for multiple reasons. He is known for having two different names, one for persecuting and one for evangelizing! Could it be—you don’t mean—not him—can’t be!

 

Originally known as “The” persecutor of Christians, he became known as “The” greatest evangelist! How can this be and how did it come to pass? Known far and wide as Saul of Tarsus, his name was later changed to Paul. Saul was traveling the road to Damascus searching for newly minted Christians with official orders to arrest them and have them brought back to Jerusalem for questioning and probably some remedial indoctrination.

People knew him and feared him. Saul’s Damascus road conversion was witnessed and documented. Blind for three days, Saul had plenty of time to change his way of thinking. The real practical problem was how the community of Christians would accept this earth shaking character change. God chose a man named Ananias to introduce Saul to his new community. His blindness was healed and Saul immediately began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Saul was determined to show the Jews they “missed” the coming of the messiah. God intended him to be the missionary to the Gentiles instead. Confusion and astonishment ruled.

It is widely believed that immediately after Saul’s conversion; he left Damascus and spent three years in Arabia, alone with God. (Please see Galatians 1:17) Returning back to Damascus, Saul then trained his sights on returning to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples but they were afraid of him and his reputation. When he finally came out of his shell, they accepted him and watched as he preached the gospel incessantly.

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