Through All of Life's Agonies- We Can Still Belong to Christ.

1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. 

Paul was a man who actively hunted down Christ followers. Paul stood there holding the garments of murderers as they stoned Stephen to death. Now stop for a moment and picture it, really picture it and put yourself or those you love in the same situation as Stephen.

You profess your love for your Savior and a wild mob grab you up and are determined to do you nothing but harm. You give aloud your profession of faith and the first stone is hurled at you slamming into your body hard igniting it with instant pain. Before you can recover even a moment another rock and another, and another. Stoning is brutal. Most likely stoning doesn’t result in an instant kill unless the one being stoned is lucky. Rock after rock pelleting you, big ones, small ones, sharp, flat, painful rocks whipped at you until you die.

Paul stood there watching this happen and he was pleased! He was so pleased by this Christ follower being murdered that He ASKED to go round up more Christ followers.

Act 8:1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 

Act 8:2  And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 

Act 8:3  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 

Act 9:1  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 

Act 9:2  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 

Paul wreaked HAVOC on Christ followers. Paul was adamant in his pursuit of destroying ALL Christ followers. He wanted to round them up far and wide. Paul BREATHED out threatenings and slaughter against all Christ followers.

Paul was LIVING to hunt down Christians! Imagine it, he HATED those Christ loved! So what did Christ do?

Christ KNEW that inside Paul was a heart desiring TRUTH and only TRUTH. Finally confronted with the TRUTH, the real truth not the traditions of man, He relented to that truth and gave up ALL that hatred! When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus he was a changed man and it wasn't a forced change, it wasn't a coerced changed, it wasn't a change he was looking for- perhaps anything but. The thing is, PAUL WANTED TRUTH and he wanted to FOLLOW GOD with his whole heart! He was following Him in the wrong way, but when he was given the new light, he walked in that light!

Paul is a pattern for us. Christ suffered LONG with Paul's actions, and He suffers long with our actions as well. Christ will forgive the worst of sinners, Christ will be with us as we struggle once we are His and the evil of the world wars against us. We will have awful days, great hardships, sickness, pain, agonies… but we can have Christ through it all!

More tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST NOW and FOREVER!!!!!!! All in HIS LOVE!!!!!!!