IQ #237 "Who is Your Paul?"

To God’s redeemed people and all who seek His truth: Joyful peace, grace, knowledge and wisdom to all from God our Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, who freed us from our curse and sin, and the Holy Spirit who lives inside all who call His name.

I am well aware of the challenges we face in our search for God’s truth and living a Christ centered life, when we hear about and witness the hypocrisy that is shown outside and inside the Christian church walls. This flawed type of behavior hiding behind the Christian moniker has been in the church since it began nearly 2,000 years ago, but it should not deter anyone from seeking out the truth on how and who God wants us to be.

Broken from birth, it is with hope in God’s loving grace and faith in Jesus Christ we can be made whole. Life can make sense and have meaningful purpose.

1 Corinthians 11:1

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

After Saul’s conversion the apostle Paul spent the remainder of his life witnessing and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone he saw and by way of his letters. Paul, now seen as a threat to the old Jewish laws and customs, was arrested and imprisoned, persecuted, beaten, stoned and shipwrecked during his evangelism and teachings of God’s Word by way of God’s risen son, Jesus Christ. Yet, through all this torment Paul kept his unshaken faith in Christ in order to seek out and witness to those who did not know Jesus. He also needed to remind those who earlier committed to Christ, but failed to keep their vows, that following Christ’s ways leads to life, any other way leads to certain death.

Paul knew that people are easily distracted and have trouble believing in something or someone without seeing any physical proof, so he told them to imitate him, to follow his example, because he followed the example of Christ, who gives him strength and God’s power.

1 Corinthians 4:14-17

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

¹⁴ I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.¹⁵ Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

¹⁸ Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

There are many people, social networks, and multitudes of media outlets in your life that cause conflict in you knowing the true God and building a strong lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

Who is your Paul?   Who is the person or people in your life where the presence of Jesus can be seen in them?

Even with a ‘Paul’ in your life, you need alone time with God, just you and God. Jesus created open access to God through his crucifixion and rising from the grave, to give you a direct line to the almighty Father. Connecting personally with God will bring clarity to his purpose and plans for you. He gives you his Word. 

Let your heart be filled with joy of knowing and having Christ in your life.

Papa John 8:7:15