I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.
Summary: God’s plan for his new church did not include leaving detailed instructions for people to follow. Instead, God chose people who would listen and obey.
God is amazing.
I have to begin with that truth because there is no other explanation for how the Bible and the Christian church came to be.
God is truly amazing!
If you were God, and you decided to become a man and live like a man for a period of time, and then you used that time to start a church, what would that look like?
Wouldn’t you expect God to leave people in charge who knew what they were doing?
Instead, Jesus leaves eleven frightened men behind whom he designated as apostles (Luke 6:13). These men, in the words of Luke, were “unschooled, ordinary men.” (Acts 4:13)
Yes, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and through them God started the early church. They started the church among God’s chosen people, the Jews. Through Peter, God introduced the idea that the strict dietary laws of Moses were not part of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20, Acts 10: 9-23). Then God introduced Peter to a Gentile named Cornelius (Acts 10: 23-48) and showed him that Gentiles, too, could receive the Holy Spirit.
If that is where it had stopped, Christ’s new church would have grown much more slowly than it did. Jewish traditions would have dominated the church, which would have been pushed on the Gentile believers.
But God didn’t leave it there.
Instead, he corralled the perfect man for establishing the New Covenant church, Paul.
Think about Paul’s qualifications. He was well-traveled and at home wherever he went. His zeal for the Lord was unmatched among the Pharisees. He was highly educated in many areas, able to read and write several languages, and was expert in the Laws of Moses and the Old Testament scriptures.
Once he discovered that he had been wrong about Jesus, Paul committed his life to making up for his past mistakes. He dedicated every day to serving the Lord Jesus and telling everyone who would listen about life in Jesus Christ.
During these first years, Paul stood apart from the other apostles. He learned about Jesus from Jesus himself. Jesus taught him well.
As we said at the beginning, God is amazing!
Application: Trust Jesus. He has everything under control.
Food for Thought: How would things have been different if, instead of going to Arabia, Paul had gone in search of the other apostles?
First, if the Lord told him to go to Arabia, he would be disobeying God not to do so. Similarly, he would have been seeking to learn from men and not from the Lord. He would not have been taught these truths directly from the Lord. This is a reminder that while we do learn from each other, God’s word should be sought as highest priority. We can listen to godly men, but nothing replaces listening to the Lord directly through personal study and meditation of His word.
Rich,
Thank you!
I completely agree. — “Nothing replaces listening to the Lord directly …”
Well said!
Good devotion and Rich’s response is very good.
Your question makes me think about new believers in particular, but really could be any believer: one that has a desire to serve and rush into what they think God would want them to do, instead of offering themselves and letting God prepare them, or direct them to His Will. It really comes down to that, we can only do Gods Will, or we do our will. To do Gods Will, we have to obey and trust even when, in our reasoning we dont know the whats, whens, and hows. If we start putting ourselves into the mix, its not His Will.
Looking in Genesis, the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar is a good example of what happens when people try and “help” God along instead of trusting God in Gods time and design.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Chris,
You make a great point! Sometimes what we need to do is —
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
Great question and comments from both R and CH!
01-06-2024, How would things have been different if, instead of going to Arabia, Paul had gone in search of the other apostles?
God’s plan was for Paul to receive His truths by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. He was to spend 3 years being taught by direct revelation from Jesus Christ, just as the other apostles had. Galatians 1:11-20
If Paul had sought and received the teachings of the other apostles, he would have been drinking milk, Hebrews 5:12. God called Paul to eat meat for three years before he entered His service. Today, we worship and seek to serve the same God as Paul. Jesus continues to be available through the Holy Spirit and will directly reveal God’s word to each of us as we choose.
Do we attend church and Sunday school relying on more mature individuals to teach us about Jesus Christ? Or do we, just as Paul, spend time each day seeking a growing relationship with Jesus as we quietly study and apply His teachings to our lives, seeking to grow into the believer He desires we become.
Thanks Ron!
Interesting comment. Milk or meat? “… as we choose.” God disciplines but doesn’t force us to grow. We get to choose.