Wednesday, September 10, 2008

We Need to Be More Like Paul

This morning I was reading in the book of Romans, particularly the first chapter. I had read this passage several times before and I remembered something a Pastor that I know told me. He suggested to me to go through a passage and to put myself into the place of the characters present in the passage. So I read it again putting myself in the place of the Roman saints, and not a whole lot popped out at me. So I then read it from the viewpoint of Paul (the author of Romans) and as I reached verse 18 where he begins describing God's wrath on the unrighteous, my mind snapped to Sao Paulo, Brasil, where I spent 7 weeks this past summer on a Summer Project through Campus Crusade for Christ.

Sao Paulo matched every description that Paul describes in the second half of Romans chapter 1. Sao Paulo when translated actually means St. Paul. Sao Paulo is a city named after Paul. With my mind still focusing on Paul's point of view I imagined myself walking down the streets of Sao Paulo and seeing people making out on the street, and the sin stations (like a news stand) that sold pornography without shame, and the drunkenness of the people both those drunk on wine and with power, and to see the passivity of the people who called themselves Christians remaining unengaged in the battle and letting all the sins of the world corrupt the people they claim to love. My mind was overwhelmed. If Paul were to walk down the streets of Sao Paulo he would freak out!

I believe Paul would have been utterly and completely pissed off! He would be astounded that this city is named after him. The man who in my mind was one of the greatest instrument of the spread of the gospel and the building of the early church. I think he would have absolutely been fired up but instead of complaining I believe he would have called up Timothy and Barnabas and Silas and he would have said brothers, we got a lot of work to do.

As this little story was playing out in my head I realized what I know I would have wanted to do in Paul's
situation. I would have given up on the people in that city and I would have let them rot in their sin. But I think that is the problem with our mindset today. We, myself very much included, often see the big picture and give up and don't think we can make a difference. Which is true, we cannot do a thing to help the people of that city, but God can.

This doesn't just apply to
Sao Paulo, Brasil but to every town, every city, every state everywhere. And we need to step up for God starting with ourselves and making a stand for Him in our lives and realize that we too should be pissed off that our neighbors and classmates are living in defiance of the Lord. But I think we often are angry at the effect of the problem not the cause. We often look at the sinner but forget about their sin, their sin is the real problem. 

We need to realize that anything outside the will of God is the will of satan, the tormentor, the evil one. And all of our lost brothers are controlled by satan and are longing to be set free, but it essential that we be like Paul, loving and committed to going to the people, for they are the fruit of the kingdom here on earth waiting to be harvested. Paul was committed to bringing the Gospel of the truth to all nations, and all people at any cost. Paul was kingdom minded, he put the needs of the kingdom of Heaven above the needs of ourselves. That is where you and I need to focus, and be more like Paul, we need to put the needs of our lives, our jobs, and all of our other commitments in the background of our mind, and let the needs of the kingdom be the focus of our actions, and our attitudes.

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