From Persecutor to Preacher – a Galatians 1 Story
Saul was a zealous Pharisee who dedicated his life to persecuting those who followed Jesus. He believed that Jesus was a false prophet and that his followers were a threat to Judaism. Saul’s mission was to stamp out this new movement at any cost.
One day, as Saul was traveling to Damascus to continue his persecution, he was suddenly blinded by a bright light. A voice spoke to him from heaven, asking him why he was persecuting Jesus. Saul was terrified and confused. He had never encountered anything like this before.
After three days of blindness, Saul was visited by a disciple named Ananias. Ananias healed Saul’s blindness and told him that he had been chosen by God to preach the good news of Jesus to the Gentiles. Saul was reluctant at first, but he eventually accepted his new mission.
Saul, who would later change his name to Paul, became one of the greatest apostles of Jesus Christ. He traveled extensively throughout the Roman Empire, preaching the gospel and establishing churches. He faced many challenges and hardships, including imprisonment, beatings, and shipwrecks, but he never wavered in his faith.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes about the importance of preaching the true gospel, rather than a distorted version. He stresses that the gospel he preaches is not from human sources, but from God himself. He warns the Galatians about false teachers who were trying to pervert the gospel and lead them astray.
Paul’s transformation from persecutor to preacher is a powerful testimony to the transformative power of God’s grace. He was once a violent and hateful man, but he became a loving and compassionate servant of God. His life is a reminder that no one is beyond redemption, and that God can use anyone to do his work.
As Paul himself writes in Galatians 1:10: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." This verse reminds us that we should always seek to please God, rather than seeking the approval of others. We should strive to live a life that is pleasing to God, just as Paul did.