Title Galatians 01:11-24 Paul's Transformation
Contents
Title: The Transformation of Paul
Text: Galatians 1:11-24
Can a person be changed by his own power? We know this is really difficult. We know that it is difficult to change a habit or a habit. But fundamental change is almost impossible.
Today's reading is Paul's testimony. You are talking about your own changes. He was a man who persecuted the Church of God and tried to destroy it (verse 13), but he says that I have changed and become an evangelist.1. Paul's transformation was the work of God.
Paul's own change was God-made. Paul was surprised by his own transformation.
I had no choice but to Because he was zealous for Judaism, he met Jesus and his work, which he thought was a hindrance to Judaism.
He, who persecuted and destroyed the party, rather became an evangelist. These changes are God's
It was what you did. The words of the Bible testify that God changes people.
Paul was a man who knew Jesus and became a new person. It was not his academic background, his background in a prestigious family, or his Roman citizenship that made him a new person. Such conditions, although good, did not change people. Paul's 180-degree change was God's work. After experiencing the change, Paul experienced a great change of values to the point where he thought things like family, education, and citizenship were like filth. All of these changes are changes by God. The Bible speaks of human transformation. “Put off the old man, but be renewed in the spirit” (Ephesians 4:22-23) to discern the good will of God and to “put off the old man and put on the new man” (Colossians 3:9).
God is like a potter, and He is the One who overcomes useless vessels and discarded vessels that are failures and turns them into useful vessels. God is like an almighty blacksmith, who makes useful tools out of iron balls.
2. Paul said he went to Arabia.
Arabia is a wilderness and desert area. In verse 17, Paul says that he went to Arabia. There he repented and prayed. He went to Arabia to quietly reflect on himself and meditate before God.
It was to pray. Conversations with people are through language, but conversations with God are through meditation. You have to shout and cry out to become a prayer, and when you do that, God doesn't hear you. There are silent prayers. You can also communicate with God through meditative prayer.
Moses also had 40 years of preparation in the wilderness of Midian before the Exodus. Elijah also had a period of quiet silence on Mount Horeb to confront Jezebel. Before Jesus began his public ministry, there was a 40-day period of fasting in the wilderness. Jesus often left the crowd to find a quiet place. It was to have a time of prayer, meditation, rest and recharging.
A ship is in the sea. The soul is in the still heart. Just as a ship can unleash its powers at sea, so the human mind can gain energy in a time of quiet silence and meditation. The time of conversation with God is the moment of prayer. That prayer can be done through meditation or meditation. In other words, the time of silence through meditation and meditation is the foundation for faith growth, the beginning of reflection and repentance, and the power of a new start.
3. Paul's change was to glorify God.
In verse 24, Paul said, “I gave glory to God through me.” The fact that the person who was persecuting and destroying the church was transformed into a preacher of the gospel was a great influence on many people to believe in Jesus, so it was a glory to God.
Our changes become the light of Jesus and become living evidence. Stephen is a living witness of the gospel. He was the first martyr of the early church. His martyrdom itself was evangelism and missionary work. That appearance brought about the revival of the early church, and it was a great glory to God. The Apostle Paul said, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The Christian life should be a work that brings glory to God. But without being changed, God cannot be glorified.