Paul was a fierce persecutor of the early Christian Church. Imbued with an authority given to him by the chief priest, he was on the hunt for men and women of God to take them to prison.
His merciless hatred was not due to jealousy, a political position, financial or personal interests.
His determination to put an end to Christianity came from the extreme zeal he had towards the traditional faith of his ancestors.
He was spiritually blind and a religious fanatic.
On the other hand, his actions also revealed something sublime about his character: he had great zeal for his faith and was irreproachable when it came to complying with Jewish law.
In other words, he was sincere. He was definite about his belief.
Because of his sincerity, God appointed him as the chosen instrument to be sent as the apostle of the Gentiles.
His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus changed the story of his life and the Church.
Because he was an intelligent lawyer, studious and had a profound knowledge of the Scriptures, he initially faced a strong opposition from the first apostles, who did not believe in the transformation of the persecutor and novice in the faith to an "overnight" apostle.
However, because of the extraordinary revelations, prophecies, works, and especially the testimony of the Lord Jesus and Ananias (Acts 9:10-13), everyone accepted him as one of the early apostles.
During his ministry among the Gentiles (not the Jews), Paul quickly identified deceitful workers who transformed themselves into apostles of Christ.
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." 2 Corinthians 11.13-15
What do we learn from this?
The same spirit that passed itself off as an angel of light during the time of Paul, manifests itself today as well.
The same Spirit of God that revealed the deceitful workers to Paul has also revealed false apostles to us today.
The credentials of a true apostle are:
As patriarchs, the apostolate was the first of the ministries. They were the main tree trunk, the first fruits of God. From them come the prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The other ministries stem from them. I Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11, 2 Peter 3.2
As patriarchs, the apostolate was the first of the ministries. They were the main tree trunk, the first fruits of God. From them come the prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. The other ministries stem from them. I Corinthians 12.28, Ephesians 4.11, 2 Peter 3.2
We should and must definitely test the spirits.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." I John 4.1
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