The Story of Apostle Paul

The Story of Apostle Paul

From Persecutor to Preacher

The church was growing in amazing ways, but there were some people who hated the Christians. Stephen, a great preacher, had been killed by angry people who did not want him to talk about Jesus. A man called Saul from Tarsus approved of killing Stephen. Saul hated all Christians.

Saul, breathing threats and murder against the Christians, went to the High Priest and got letters giving him the right to arrest men or women who followed Jesus.

Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house, and drug off both men and women and put them in prison. Poor Saul of Tarsus! He didn't know that when he hurt God's people, he was actually hurting the Lord Jesus Himself. God had to stop Saul. But how?

While Saul was on the road to the city of Damascus, God shone a great light from Heaven. Saul fell to the ground. Then he heard a Voice. "Who are you, Lord?" Saul cried out. "I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting." Trembling and astonished, Saul asked, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" And the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men with Saul also heard the Voice, but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground - and found he was blind! They led him into Damascus.  In the city, Saul was three days without sight and neither ate nor drank.

God had everything planned. At Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord sent him to help Saul. Ananias was scared. He had heard all about Saul and how he was sent to arrest anybody who called on the name of the Lord. But he obeyed God. God told Ananias, “This man is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel.”

When Ananias went and entered the house Saul was staying, he laid his hands on Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, that appeared to you on your way here, has sent me that you might receive your sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” And immediately the blindness left – Saul was filled with the Holy Ghost, and baptized. Then he ate. And when he had received food, he was strengthened. Saul needed strength. He had something very important to do.

Immediately Saul preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed the Christians?" But Saul increased more in strength and confused all the Jews, because he proved Christ to them. This made some angry and they plotted to kill Saul.

Saul's new enemies watched the city gates to kill Saul if he tried to leave the city. But his new friends, the Christians, took him by night and let him down over the wall in a large basket. And from then on, Saul the persecutor of Christians lived as a faithful follower of his new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The custom of dual names was common in those days. Saul chose to use his Hebrew name, Saul, until sometime after he began to believe in and preach Christ. After that time, as “the apostle to the Gentiles” he used his Roman name, Paul. Acts 13:9 describes the apostle as “Saul who was also called Paul.” From that verse on, Saul is always referred to in Scripture as “Paul.”

Once Paul and another preacher named Silas had been thrown in jail. No, they hadn't done anything wrong - they had cast a bad spirit out of a girl. This spirit in the girl had brought her owners a lot of money by telling the future. When Paul cast the spirit out it upset her owners because she was of no use to them afterwards. For that they were arrested, whipped, and locked up. At midnight they sat up praying and singing hymns of praise to God! All the other prisoners and the jailer heard them.

God sent an EARTHQUAKE to shake the prison. All the doors were opened. Everyone's chains were loosed. The jailer was sure all the prisoners had run away in the commotion. If even one escaped, the jailer would be punished by death. Sadly, the poor jailer pulled out his sword. He may as well kill himself and get it over with.

But Paul called out, "Do not hurt yourself, for we are all here." When the jailer saw that, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." Joyfully, the jailer believed and he and his whole family were baptized right away.

Paul and Silas had many adventures as they traveled in Europe. One of Paul's greatest adventures happened when he was on a ship in stormy weather. Paul was on the ship because he had been arrested again. Now he had to appear before the emperor in Rome, the capital city of the world. High winds slowed the ship down. It looked like stormy weather was ahead. It was a rough trip for Paul and the other prisoners, as well as the crew.

Paul had warned the captain that the trip could end in disaster but he did not listen. For three days the ship was tossed about and the captain and crew feared for their lives. During the night, an angel stood by Paul telling him things would work out all right. Paul told them, “Do not be afraid I believe it will be just as God has told me.”

A few days later, the boat crashed on an island and broke apart. The captain commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest also escaped safely, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship.

On the island, God showed His power. While they gathered wood for fire, a very poisonous snake bit Paul. The people thought he would die, but he was not harmed in any way. Then the people thought Paul was a god. Many sick people came, and God healed them after Paul prayed for them.

Finally, Paul arrived at Rome. It took over two years for his court case to be heard. During that time, Paul rented a house and received visitors. Do you know what Paul told his visitors about? The kingdom of God! The Lord Jesus Christ! Paul was God's servant in Rome, just as in all his other travels.

As a servant of Christ the apostle Paul labored greatly, was imprisoned many times, had countless beatings, and was often near death. Five times he received at the hands of the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned. Three times he was shipwrecked, and spent a night and a day adrift at sea. He went on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from his own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brethren. He was weary and in pain many a sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, fasted often, was at times cold and without clothes. And through all these things, he also faced daily, concern for all the churches.

In Damascus the governor had the city guarded in order to arrest him, but he was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.

Paul wrote from Rome, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” The Bible doesn't tell us how his life ended, but other records say Paul was beheaded at Rome by order of the Emperor, Nero. Paul died as he lived - a faithful servant of God, telling others about Jesus Christ.

About half of the book of Acts deals with Paul’s life and works, fourteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament were letters to the churches written by him.

What a great testimony! From persecutor to preacher!