Paul’s Divine Calling – From Persecutor to Preacher

(Ephesians 3:7 – 9)

Introduction

In the 1700s, a man went to sea with his father on a merchant ship.
Soon after his father retired, he was pressed into service on a warship.
Facing intolerable conditions, he deserted and later requested a
transfer to a slave ship that was soon to set sail for Africa.
He hardened himself to the trafficking of human beings, and
eventually he became captain of his own slave ship. Slave ships were
not the most comfortable place. In fact it was an inhuman place.
Slaves were treated like animals and thrown overboard. The mortality
rate is high owing to the maltreatment and cruelty
On May 10, 1748, however, his life was changed forever. His ship
encountered a terrifying, violent storm. Just as it seemed that the
vessel would sink, this cried aloud, "Lord, have mercy upon us!"
That night in his cabin, he began to reflect upon God's mercy.
Through faith in Christ's sacrifice for him, he experienced God's
amazing grace in a personal way. In time, he left the slave trade and
entered Christian ministry. Although he became a preacher of the
gospel, he is most remembered for his much-loved hymn "Amazing
Grace." It's an amazing testimony of his own experience. It is the
amazing testimony of John Newton, slave ship captain to abolitionist
By no means, John Newton’s transformation is not unique. In fact, it is
the standard pattern expected in the life of a follower of Christ. From
a wretched and sinful life to a life of grace and mercy in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3:7 – 9 is Paul’s testimony. It is a testimony of God’s grace

which transformed him to become a preacher to the Gentiles. Paul, a
zealous Pharisee who once treated Gentiles like scum of the earth and
no better than dogs, is now winning them to Christ. Let us examine
these verses and study how Paul changed from a persecutor who hunts
down Christians to a Christian preacher to the Gentiles

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Unlikely Minister (v. 7 – 8a)

Paul’s testimony is an admission that he was the most unlikely

minister of the gospel and it is only by God’s grace that it happened.
We will explore these verses and examine why he considered himself
as the least likely preacher.
.
Grim Reaper
Why did Paul say that his becoming a servant of this gospel is a grace
of from God, meaning that it was a miracle. An event that was
impossible to happen considering his former pre-occupation as a
persecutor of Christians. He was a Christian’s grim reaper, an angel of
death by his own admission in 1 Cor 15:9 9For I am the least of
the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an
apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
In Acts 26:9 – 11, he admitted personal responsibility of putting into
prison and execution of the saints or believers. He also admitted that
he forced the believers to blaspheme and even travelled to foreign
cities to persecute them.
He was even a witness and some even say the instigator of Stephen’s
stoning . Acts 7:57 – 58 say that those who stoned Stephen laid their
clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. He was a terrorist, a
fanatical Jewish terrorist that ravaged the lives of the early believers.
In this day and age, Paul is comparable to Osama bin Laden, whose
reason for existence is to wipe out all the non-Islamic religious system
and replace all the world’s government with Shariah Law.
Paul was faithful but he was mislead by his fanaticism to preserve the
Mosaic Law which is only a mirror to show the world that it is full of
sin and needs a Saviour

This verse is a reproach to the Jews who still believe that as God’s
chosen people, they lay exclusive claim to salvation. What they have
not realized is the world has entered a new dispensation, a new age. It
is now the age of Grace where both Jews and Gentiles have equal
access to Christ through faith. The age of Grace ended the sacrificial
requirements to cover the sins because these sins are more than
covered up. They are now totally cleansed through the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ.

Paul was not a very nice person.

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 God’s Grace
Paul’s conversion was a miracle. His ministry was a gift from God that
worked through him, Let’s look at the account of Paul’s conversion in
Acts 9:3 – 6 3As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell
to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul,
why do you persecute me?"
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"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he

replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be
told what you must do."

The Lord showed as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute more

Christians. Acts 9:1 used the words “murderous threats”. Paul really
meant business, but the Lord had other plans. By His grace, He
miraculously revealed himself to Paul. By His grace, Paul realised his
ways were wrong. By His grace, Paul repented and had a change of heart

Even the events surrounding Paul’s conversion were orchestrated by God.

Paul’s travelling companions heard but did see anyone. God called
Ananias to minister to Paul who was then stricken blind. The whole
episode of Paul’s conversion is an act of miracle. Paul mentioned
repeatedly his conversion experience in the other epistles. (1 Cor 9:16 –
17, 15:10, Gal 1:15 – 17, 1 Tim 1:12 – 16). It was also mentioned twice
in the book of Acts apart from Luke’s historical account in chapter 9.
Without God’s grace, Paul would have continued with his murderous
ways . Without God’s grace he would not become the apostle to the
Gentiles. Without God’s grace, the gospel would not have spread through
Europe and brought to New Zealand

God’s People
In all humility, Paul considered himself the least among God’s people .
Why was Paul’s attitude so meek, so self-effacing? 1 Cor 15:9 gives us
an insight to Paul’s humility, 9For I am the least of the apostles
and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because
I persecuted the church of God.
Paul ‘s confession showed that he is still contrite about his past life. He
felt that he did not deserve to be called an apostle because he persecuted
Christ’s followers. He persecuted the person whose message of salvation
he is now preaching. He has swung from one extreme, persecutor, to

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another, preacher. He really feels sorry about his sinful ways that in spite
of his own sufferings and persecutions he felt that all of these are nothing
compared to what God has done for him.

Paul’s humility is a powerful statement. It expressed his passion for the

gospel that he is preaching. It is an expression of commitment to the
cause of reaching others for Christ. It is a tribute to the saints that he had
persecuted.

Paul’s humility is a contradiction in terms. His humility is an expression

of pride. He takes pride in serving the Lord Jesus Christ as a servant of
his gospel. He is proud to testify that the Lord saved him from his
wretched and murderous past.

Application
The power of God’s grace to transform a person, to change his heart,
is hard to understand. Yet we have apostle Paul who testified and
witnessed what it can do. The transformation that God expects from us
need not be dramatic like Paul or John Newton. There are little habits
in our lives that are not pleasing to the Lord, yet in today’s society, are
totally acceptable. In fact, today’s culture will find them commendable

Untiring Missionary (v 8b - 9)
Paul’s conversion and transformation from a murderous persecutor to
a servant of the gospel made him the greatest and most influential
apostle. His hard work in spreading the gospel led him to several
missionary journeys which were incredible feats in his day and age.
He travelled a total of 14,700 kilometres which is about 11 round trip
travels to Wellington. He was a relentless missionary whose goal in
life is to spread the gospel even to the point of death.
Gospel to the Gentiles
God’s grace was given to Paul so he can preach to the Gentiles. It’s not as
simple as it seems. In those days the Gentiles and Jews were so
segregated that Gentiles were not even allowed to go beyond the outer
wall of the temple in Jerusalem. Jews treated the Gentiles like dogs, an
inferior race of people. The practice was even encouraged by the
Pharisees of which Paul belongs. This enmity between Jews and Gentiles
is doubly hard for Paul because he is both. His work amongst the Gentiles
has caused him some trouble. In Acts 21:27 – 33, Paul was accused of
defiling the temple by bringing Greeks to the temple area. He was beaten
up and arrested.

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In Luke 4:22 – 27, even Jesus Christ got into trouble because He made it
clear that the Messiah also came for the Gentiles. The Jews at the
Nazareth synagogue were so furious. They believed that the Messiah is
exclusive to the Jews. They believed that the unfathomable riches of
Christ is theirs alone.
This division continues even to this day. The Final Solution, Hitler’s
attempt to exterminate the Jews, is a legacy to this rift between Jews and
Gentiles. It was really a bold and daring statement from Paul.
Great Mystery
Paul’s ministry to the gentiles is the revelation of a great ministry, church
as a body of Christ where Jew and Gentile will become one new man
under Christ. What makes this a mystery? The Old Testament revealed
the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the salvation of the
Gentiles, but there was no mention of the church or certain aspects of the
church age.
Paul’s commission was to organise the body of believers, whether Jew or
Gentile, under one head which is Christ. Earlier in chapter 1, Paul stated
the revelation of this mystery the all-encompassing unification of all
things in heaven and on earth under one head in Christ. He also
mentioned the timing of this mystery, it will only be known in due time.
The was the fulfilment of Jesus as the Saviour and Messiah.
This Great Mystery is totally unacceptable to the Jews for they cannot
and will not allow being one with the hated Gentiles.
This Great Mystery escaped the Jews. Orthodox Jews still do not accept
that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament. They did not
accept the Messiah came to save the souls of both Jews and Gentiles.
What they were expecting was a saviour who will liberate the Jews from
grip of the Roman empire. This liberation will be followed by the
establishment of the Jewish kingdom. But it did not happen. The mystery
has eluded them and this mystery was made known to the Gentiles
through Paul. Paul did well. By God’s grace, he travelled 14,700
kilometres spreading the word that salvation is now open to all. By God’s
grace, the message of the gospel reached us and brought us to the saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Great Mystery is no longer an enigma
because of Paul’s untiring labours.

God the Creator

God is always in control because He is the Creator
Paul sealed this verse with the phrase in God, who created all things. It
is a reminder that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who is also
now the God of the Gentiles is the very same God who made all things

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 happen. It becomes difficult to dispute that the grace and mystery are
all possible because they came from the sole Creator.
Isaiah 40:26 sums up the creator God is also in control

Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:

Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

Application
The very same God who transformed Paul from a conniving and
murderous fanatic moulded him to become an instrument of untiring
passion and preaching. Paul said that he suffered from a thorn in the
flesh, yet, it did not prevent him from pursuing relentlessly the task of
spreading the Gospel. God expects us to be relentless and untiring as
well. Being a follower of Christ is a totally consuming and passionate
pursuit. We are commanded to love Him with all our heart, with all our
soul and with all our might. Being a follower of Christ is not confined on
Sundays. It is a 24/7 avocation where every aspect of our life must reveal
His presence.

Conclusion –What has changed?

I like working on puzzles like this where you have to spot the difference.
It trains your eye and your mind to look for the subtle changes. If the
lives of the Apostle Paul and John Newton are like these puzzles then it is
easy to solve, a cakewalk where all the differences are glaringly obvious.
Slave trader to a minister of the Gospel. Persecutor to Preacher. These
lives displayed sharp contrasts, great differences. It is as plain as black
and white, day and night. Very different.
But what about life? Or they like Paul and John Newton where the
changes are great testimonies that speak for themselves. Or is your life
like this puzzle where you really have to strain hard to spot the
differences. What is your life testimony like? Did you experience the
great transformation, the great change? What makes you stand out from
this unbelieving world? What has changed? Can they tell the difference?