SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN: THE APOSTLE PAUL

IF WE HAD BEEN ALIVE BACK IN THE DAYS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING JESUS' ASCENSION, SAUL OF TARSUS WOULD HAVE LIKELY BEEN THE LAST PERSON ON EARTH WE WOULD HAVE EXPECTED TO BE PICKED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY THROUGHOUT THE NORTHERN MEDITERRANEAN.  A HARD CORE PERSECUTOR OF JESUS' EARLY FOLLOWERS FOR THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE PRIESTHOOD, HE MERCILESS TRACKED DOWN THE BELIEVING JEWS TO BRING THEM BACK TO JERUSALEM FOR SEVERE PUNISHMENT.  THEY HAD FLED THE CITY FOLLOWING THE STONING OF STEPHEN AND HE WAS TASKED WITH NIPPING THE NEW MOVEMENT IN THE BUD.

BUT WHEN HE SAW THE LIGHT ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS, HE WAS CHANGED.  SAUL BECAME PAUL AND HE REALIZED THAT JESUS WAS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.  HE ACCEPTED HIS CHALLENGING TASK OF SERVING AS A PRINCIPAL MISSIONARY FOR THE EARLY CHURCH AND WAS A MAJOR PROPONENT OF ITS RAPID GROWTH TO GENTILES IN LANDS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF ISRAEL, FOR JESUS' OFFER OF FORGIVENESS WAS FOR ALL OF MANKIND, NOT JUST THE JEWS.  HE EXEMPLIFIES HOW JESUS FORGIVES ANY SINNER WHO REALIZES THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS AND COMES HOME TO THE MESSAGE OF REDEMPTION THROUGH BELIEF IN THE SAVIOR.

WE ALL HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND WE ARE ENTERING A TIME OF GREAT CHALLENGE FOR CHRISTIANITY. ARE YOU READY TO PUT ON THE FULL BODY ARMOR OF GOD FOR JESUS AND WALK IN HIS WAY?  WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT SUNDAY MORNING AT 7:30 AM ON THE WEEKLY SUNDAY MORNING COMING DOWN DEVOTIONAL. I HOPE YOU'LL JOIN ME ON NORTH FLORIDA WRITER LIVE.

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