Q: When did Paul become an apostle as he was not one of the original 12?
A: Paul became an apostle on his way to persecute Christians in Damascus. His plan was to take those Christians he found there as prisoners and deliver them to Jerusalem. However, in Acts 9 we learn that God had a different plan. "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me (Acts 9:3-4)?" Paul immediately recognized he was having an encounter with God as his response would indicate. ""Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked (Acts 9:5a)." Jesus responded, ""I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,"...."Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do (Acts 9:5b-6)." The conversion of Paul to Christianity and his installation as an apostle was a unique experience not shared by any other apostle.
Unlike the other apostles Paul may not have met the criteria that was set for one to become an apostle. After the death of Judas, the remaining apostles decided that to become one of them it was "necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection (Acts 1:21-22)." We see that in order to become an apostle you had to be with them from John’s baptism to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul may have been around during these events, but we know he was not even a believer in Jesus at that time much less a candidate to be an apostle. But, we do know that God found Paul worthy enough to become an apostle. So much so that He personally confronted Paul in order to make it happen. However, Paul was not readily accepted by the other apostles or other Christians after his conversion.
After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was left without his site. Therefore, the Lord ordered a man named Ananias to go to Paul and restore his site. But, Paul’s reputation preceded him and Ananias’ initial reaction was to question God about His instructions. "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name (Acts 9:13-14)." The fear displayed by Ananias is understandable given Paul’s reputation for persecuting the Church. Although, just as his exploits worried many of the saints, his conversion to the faith emboldened many as well. Paul writes in Galatians that the churches in Judea rejoiced at the news of his conversion. "They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." And they praised God because of me (Galatians 1:23-24)."While the conversion of Paul was met with mixed reaction from the existing Body of Christ, Paul was humbled by it for the remainder of his ministry.
Due to the circumstances surrounding Paul’s conversion and his elevation to the level of apostle, he often struggled with what the Lord had called him to do and what he had done to the Lord’s Church in the past. "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9)." We can learn a lot from the conversion of Paul. Paul did a complete 180 degree turnaround after coming to faith in Christ. He went from a persecutor of the Church of Jesus Christ to proclaiming His saving Gospel. We should realize that our past apart from Christ does not effect how God can use us in the future after we come to faith in Jesus. God used the apostle Paul to write the majority of the New Testament despite what Paul had previously done to the Church. I doubt many of us have a past similar to that of Paul. But, like Paul, God can use us mightily for the Kingdom because He doesn’t hold our past against us. Like Paul, let the memory of who we once were spur us as we allow God to use us to reach the lost with the Gospel.
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