Sabbath: Paul – Apostle to the Gentiles
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 6:9-15, Acts 9:1-9, 1 Sam. 16:7, Matt. 7:1, Acts 11:19-21, Acts 15:1-5.
Memory Text: “When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ‘Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life’” (Acts 11:18, NKJV).
It’s not that hard to understand Saul of Tarsus (also known as the apostle Paul after his conversion), and why he did what he did. As a devout Jew who was taught all his life about the importance of the law and about the soon-coming political redemption of Israel, the idea of the long-awaited Messiah being ignominiously executed like the worst of criminals was just too much for him to tolerate.
No wonder, then, he was convinced that the followers of Jesus were being disloyal to the Torah and, thus, hindering God’s plan for Israel. Their claims that the crucified Jesus was the Messiah and that He had risen from the dead were, he believed, rank apostasy. There could be no tolerance for such nonsense or for anyone who refused to give up those notions. Saul was determined to be God’s agent to rid Israel of these beliefs. Hence, he first appears in the pages of Scripture as a violent persecutor of his fellow Jews, those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.
God, however, had far different plans for Saul, plans that he never could have anticipated for himself: not only was this Jew going to preach Jesus as the Messiah, he was going to do it among the Gentiles!
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 1.
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Even though the title of this quarters lessons is "the Gospel in Galatians" the introduction begins in Acts which Paul was not part of the
of the scene yet. We think of the Damascus conversion, one of the most dramatic changes brought about through Jesus that we have record of. I am not disheartened by the previous quarter. Paul has always been the author of choice for me. The most number of new testament authors about 14, is certainly impressive. I pray that our hearts will be touched by each one during this quarter.
As with Saul, the Lord can and will work through us if we become the willing and obedient servant to His will. Saul gave up his own chosen path to follow the Lord. What can our Savior do with us if we are as willing and obedient to His will?
Nothing could have stopped Paul passion for the LORD before and after conversions.
We all should be as passionate about Jesus and finishing His command to us (Matthew 28:18-20) as Paul was!
It´s interesting: there are some who say that the name of that Jewish rabbi was Saul (hebrew: Shaul) and after his acceptance of Yeshua as the Messiah, was changed to Paul: in fact, he had the two names, before and after he had become an apostle.
Acts 13:9
It is unsafe to predict or judge any man's future by his life today. The miracle of conversion will go on resulting in unthinkable surprises in Heaven. Who could have believed that Saul of Tarsus would have become Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ? Only our Omniscient God knows the future from the beginning. We cannot know any more than He reveals to us. And so we cannot of our own wisdom know with safety what tomorrow will bring. Therefore it is only safe to follow the leading of the Lord by faith in His inspired Word. We dare not walk by sight but rather intercede on behalf of our fellow humans and have faith in God to make something beautiful in the future out of the chaos of today.
In fact this weeks lesson and even the whole lessons for this quarter is going to teach us a lot about salvation. Paulstwork here is remarkable one.
Despite the fulfillment of the Messianic prophesies clearly outlined in the Old Testament, from which Christ Himself quoted and read frequently in the temple services, many, including His own disciples that walked and talked and ate with the Messiah daily, refused to believe the predicted outcome. No way! No King, Messiah or Deliverer could suffer such a fate as suffering, mockery, and a shameful, cruel death on a cursed "tree", as that of a common criminal. They believed the part of the story they wanted to believe - the Messiah would come to deliver Israel from the oppression of their enemies and establish His rule as their King, here on earth, not to be crucified on a cross. Saul was not alone in his misinterpretation.
Likewise, in these last days some among us may be reluctant to accept the warnings of persecution and suffering that many of God's faithful servants will endure in the last hours of earth's history. Some of us will even be killed for our faith in Jesus, like Stephen, the first Martyr for Christ, Huss, Wycliffe, Tyndale and many of our pioneers who suffered during the "dark ages". Their legacy of faithfulness to God, for which they paid the ultimate price, is sure evidence of God's leading. On their shoulders we stand. 2 Tim. 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Jesus said in John 15:18 - If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before. The question is, are we ready to stand? If we stand with God He will stand for us.
I shy away from predictions of the end of time and for several reasons. Jesus said no man will know the day nor the hour Matthew 24:36. There have been some that sign watch, over the centuries because of their opinions and beliefs. We all make choices don't we? When we die the end is near
As we study this lesson we must remember that God created the entire human race. He lovez every single human being on earth. It has always been His intention and wish that everyone should know Him and be saved. The manssions He has built for us in heaven are meant for every single person born on earth since Adam. God went on to make with Abram. He said, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:3). God’s promise was not just to Jews but to “all of the families of the earth.”
There are just inumerable texts in the Bible that attest to this, viz Malachi 1:11; Isaiah 11: 9 - 10; Jeremiah 3: 17; Jeremiah 4:2; Isaiah 2: 2 - 4; 9: 1; Genesis 22:18; Psalm 22:27; 46:10; 65:2, 5; 72:11, 17, 19; 86:9; 102:15; Isaiah 11:9-10; 24:16; 40:5; 42:1, 6; 45:22-24; Zechariah 2:11; 8: 22, 23; Daniel 7:13-14; Joel 2:28-32; etc. Peter quoted the prophet Joel, in his sermon at Pentecost: “It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (2:17) as well a, “It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved” (2:21).
God, through the vision of animals in Acts 10 was intendec to show Peter God's intention to reach all His children and make them His chosen people, just as He had done with the Jews. In our preaching, teaching and conversation we, Seventh-day Adventist must always reflect God's unwavering and resolute determination. Let us resist the temptation of the Jews.
Dr Msengana, it seems that there will be millions of empty mansions in Heaven contrary to God's "plan". But God has assured us that whatever He has planned will be fulfilled completely (Isa 46:9,10; 14:24; 25:1; 37:26; 40:8; 55:8-11; Ps 33:10,11).