Paul’s Extraordinary Courage
Paul was converted from a Christ-hating Jew to a Christ-loving Christian - and his new life was marked by an extraordinary courage.
Do you remember the old movie The Wizard of Oz? At one point the cowardly lion makes a speech saying "What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage!"
Maybe we would say: what makes the Christian face the sword? Courage! What makes the Christian share his faith with a godless, violent crowd? Courage!
Paul was forever doing courageous things, because he had been converted from a man who cared about his own status to a man who cared about the message of Jesus reaching the ears of the unsaved.
Paul's Courage in Action
Courage! Immediately after his conversion, Paul begins preaching about Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus - the very place he was going to persecute the Christians. Courage.
Soon there are death threats and assassination attempts - Paul is stoned and left for dead in Lystra, and yet the next day he is back in the same city where he was so badly treated. Courage.
Before long he's imprisoned for his new faith - beaten and thrown behind bars. Instead of complaining about this, Paul and Silas sing hymns and worship Jesus. Then when an earthquake flings the doors of their prison open, they stay put while the other prisoners flee, and lead the jailer to Christ. Courage!
Hostile crowds attack him. Famous leaders berate him. Paul tries to lead them all to Christ. Even when they put him on a ship and the ship almost goes down in a storm, Paul takes the lead and helps them to safety, all the while talking of Jesus and leading people to Him. Courage.
When he was self-assured and worried about his own stature and position, he had a different type of courage. But now he's humbled. He's so blown away by Jesus and His saving grace, that he boldly goes and shares the good news without any fear.
Just before he headed to Jerusalem, on the trip that essentially got him jailed for good, he said this: "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." (Acts 20:22-24)
The people who love Paul are very distressed to hear him say this, and so he says to them: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." (Acts 21:13)
Courage. Extraordinary courage. Willing to be bound, even to die, for the name of Jesus.
Spirit-Filled Courage
Is your faith marked by extraordinary courage? Or more by a timid self-doubt?
Come to God today, friends, and ask for this courage, would you? Ask for the infilling of the Spirit, to give you this courage. Courage to stand up for Christ. To witness. To be ethical. To be honest. To change.
I don't know what you need courage for today, but I do know that God is willing to give it, if you are willing to believe for it.
Paul's conversion produced a fearless courage that sent him back into the very places where people wanted him dead. Come to God today and ask Him to fill you with that same Spirit-given courage.