Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Wise Servants of God: Paula character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionThe early years of the church of Christ were troubled ones due to the intense persecution by Jews like oneSaul of Tarsus. Some of these Jews who rejected Jesus did so because their power was threatened by theMessiah while others did so out of a misguided, wrong conscience. Saul of Tarsus fell into this lattercategory, but he was just as lost as anyone in the former. No doubt some among us are not members of thebody of Christ; some may be members of various denominations and others may have never establishedany religious affiliation of their own beyond what their families might have had years ago. Saul of Tarsuswas a member of a religious denomination himself, Pharisaism and might have been tempted to retain hisreligious affiliation but for the fact that he learned it was wrong and that to be right with God, he wouldhave to make a change. True godly wisdom will mandate that we seek the kingdom of God first, even ifthat pursuit happens to disappoint or perplex friends and family who disagree or misunderstand. We findwisdom in Saul of Tarsus as he accepts correction, begins proclaiming the whole counsel of God and livesfaithfully unto death.DiscussionI. Wisdom in Accepting CorrectionA. Paul's Proud Heritage1. from a variety of Paul's writings, we learn that he was no ignorant backwater hick but a younglion of Judaism and a very studious and fervent rising star in the fight against Christianity (Philippians3:4-6)2. as is so often the case, this man purely thought that he was executing God's will when, in fact,he was the world's greatest enemy of God's will; he was so sincere–how could he have been so wrong?3. well, Saul of Tarsus was a man of conscience (Acts 23:1)a. understand that he had ordered the deaths of countless Christians because his consciencesaid they were blasphemers who deserved to dieb. I have been visited by countless members of the Mormon sect who always argue that theirreligion is right because it feels so rightc. even my Protestant friends would rather feel saved than know from the scriptures that theyare savedd. so many will defend their actions, not by scriptural authority, but by appealing to theirfeelings and opinions; while we hasten to dismiss the hedonistic mantra, "If it feels good, do it," wepractice the same thing in religion when there is no book, chapter and verse for our behaviore. what I want to prick your souls with tonight is the fact that consciences can feel pious andyet be misled; Saul's was4. many here have or have had very different religious heritages, often handed down from theirparents, and accepted without much personal examinationa. if your parents honored God's book in their home and set you on a path of spiritualdiscovery, it is no dishonor to them tonight to consider your religious affiliation against God's word to seeif it originated in scriptureb. those who have no religious heritage have a similar duty, then, to discover if they are trulycomfortable with having no relationship with God or his peopleB. The Damascus Road1. some may be wondering why the speaker is talking so much about a man named Saul in alesson that is supposed to be about Paul2. this misguided persecutor, Saul, changed his name to Paul after he left his denomination andbecame a disciple of Christ (Acts 22:6-16)a. here is a man who thought he was being a perfect servant of God who was accused on theopen road of resisting the Lord all alongb. lesser Pharisees would have pretended the miracle never happened and continued buildingtheir careers on the bones of Christians, but a man of conscience, when convinced of his error, will makecorrectionc. Saul of Tarsus recognized his lord and submitted to his willCharacter Studies! 69