You Don't Have to Change Before Coming to God: Paul's Lesson

Introduction

For the past two months, Church at Home has been working through a theme: Christian personal growth, or how faith in God can help us grow. Gary revisits the definition: personal growth is "the set of steps that allow a person to fulfill themselves." To fulfill yourself, to make something real, to succeed, to carry through on a project close to your heart. Basically, to be fulfilled is to become a better version of yourself, always moving forward.

Then he asks the congregation a question, without expecting an answer: do you think you're the best version of yourself today? Some will say yes, they've made choices, gone through situations, done what needed to be done. Others will say they can still be better. Gary himself thinks you can always keep growing: the person he was ten years ago was not as good as the person he is today, and the person he is today longs to become even better. But that takes effort, a desire to improve, and often a change of habits. And change is exactly what's scary.

We love our little routine, we love being in control. When things change, they stop depending on us. All it takes is for Instagram to change its logo or move the emoji icons around, and friends complain they can't figure anything out anymore. And it's even harder when it's our own lives that need to change. Yet these changes are sometimes necessary. So what does God offer in response to that? For Gary, the best way to become better is to turn to God: "When my Mac isn't working, I go to Apple, because they're the makers. God is my maker. If I need to improve, I turn to him." And to show this, he opens up the story of a man who went through a radical change: Saul, who became Paul.

Outline of the Message

1. Who Saul Was Before His Transformation

• First appearance: the stoning of Stephen. We first hear about Saul in Acts 7:58, during the stoning of Stephen, a believer who shared his faith in Jesus and his sacrifice, and who got caught. Saul was there. Acts 8:1 notes that he "was consenting" to this execution: so he was no small figure. He had a certain amount of power, enough authority to approve a killing.
• A mission: destroy the Church. Acts 8:3 tells us Saul was trying to destroy the Church, going house to house to drag out believers, men and women, and throw them into prison. A pattern emerges: his mission was to arrest believers.
• All the way to wanting to kill. Acts 9:1-2: Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the Lord's disciples, went to the high priest to ask for letters of recommendation for the synagogues in Damascus, so he could arrest those who followed the Way and bring them back to Jerusalem.
• The worst thing that could happen to the Church. Going by these accounts alone, this man was the worst threat facing Christians at the time. Jesus had just left, the Church was just getting started, wanting to spread the word, and Saul was there, ready to arrest and kill them. No one would have bet that this man would go on to write nearly half of the New Testament: 13 of the 27 books.
• The road to Damascus. Everything changed on the way to Damascus. Saul was surrounded by light, fell to the ground, and heard: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" and the answer came: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." From that moment on, a change began in his life. He met Jesus, and he changed completely.

2. The Paul at the End: 1 Timothy 1:12-16

• The context of the letter. 1 Timothy is a letter Paul writes to Timothy, his assistant, one of his right-hand men. Timothy had traveled with him for several years on missionary journeys and during his imprisonment in Rome. Paul thought of him as his son in the faith. Timothy is in Ephesus with a specific mission, and Paul writes to remind him of that mission and encourage him to hold on to the faith. Right in the middle, in verses 12 to 16, Paul speaks about himself, about what he has lived through.
• A personal passage. This is no longer theory, this is lived experience: "I used to be someone who offended God, who was against him, and today I am at his service." The man writing these lines toward the end of his life is quite different from the one in Acts 9.
• Verse 12: from being in control to being dependent. "I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service." In Acts 9, Paul went straight to the high priest, demanded authorizations, took charge, made the decisions. Here, he recognizes that everything he has done and everything he is able to do, his great ministry, his letters, his evangelism, his perseverance in prison, is thanks to God, thanks to this very Jesus he used to persecute. He is no longer his own master; he is in complete submission and complete dependence on God.
• Verse 13: he acknowledges his sins and his ignorance. "although I used to be a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." Paul was educated, trained by the best, he knew the law inside out. When he persecuted, he was sure he was working for God. His ignorance was that he hadn't yet understood the grace of Jesus that these Christians were living out and sharing. He persecuted them because he didn't yet know Jesus.
• Verse 14: God gives the faith that was missing. "The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." By deciding to follow Jesus, Paul is equipped by God, who gives him the faith he didn't have. Maybe you're telling yourself: "I don't have faith. Maybe there's a God, some higher power, but I just can't manage to believe." Do as Paul did: go to him, and he's the one who equips you, who gives you faith. He knows what you need. Paul acted without having faith, God knew it, and he didn't condemn him for it; instead, he used him and did great things through him.

3. What Jesus Announced, Paul Lived Out (Mark 2:17)

• A parallel. 1 Timothy 1:15 echoes Mark 2:17. "The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."
• The context of Mark 2:17. Jesus was eating with tax collectors, held in very low regard at the time, and with notorious sinners. The Pharisees question the disciples: how can he sit at the same table as them? Jesus, having heard them, answers: "Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
• Paul recognized it. That's exactly what Paul lived out: he recognized that he was a sinner, he understood that what he had been doing was against Jesus. These are the words of someone who has truly been forgiven, who has received Jesus into their life.
• And what about you, if you feel far away? Like Paul, because of what we've lived through or done, we can tell ourselves we can't be accepted by God, that we don't have what it takes to draw near to him. You may feel far away because you know your life doesn't please God. But God knows that too. Just as with Paul who was far from him, he draws near to you and comes to touch you. The struggles you carry, he knows them.
• The change happened after the encounter, not before. By the end of his life, Paul speaks like a man at peace, having gone from a violent person who persecuted the Church to someone who loved that Church. This change happened when he drew near to God, not before. He didn't need to change in order to have this contact with God. For us too: change comes through God, through this search for God.

4. Running Toward the Goal: The Best Version of Yourself

• At the time of this letter, was Paul the best version of himself? Gary thinks so. He had found meaning in his life; this is the message of someone at peace, who knows the purpose of their life and knows which direction it's headed.
• Philippians 3:13-14. "Brothers, I don't regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Paul has grown; he no longer acts on his own, he forgets what is behind. His vision is clear and simple: share God's word, draw near to God, fulfill the calling God gave him.
• Personal growth according to society, or according to God. When we look for meaning in our lives, we often follow society's ideas: you should look a certain way, dress a certain way, have a certain job. Paul gave up all of that. He gave up the respected position he held to become a servant of the Lord, and that's where he felt most at home: putting into practice the calling God had placed on his heart.
• You are not too far for grace. Paul was a sinner, a persecutor, one of the greatest threats the Church ever faced, and God showed him grace. You are not at some huge distance from God, so far that his grace couldn't reach you. God is there. All you have left to do is take one step: accept that he is there, and receive this undeserved forgiveness, this reconciliation with God, offered to everyone through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• Put God into the equation. It's not our own efforts that make God accept us; it's through him that we can be transformed and become better. Gary offers a challenge: if you're carrying burdens all on your own, if you tell yourself "I need to fix this before I can go to God" or "I need to do this alone," put God into the equation. See how things go with him. You might be surprised. Grace is a gift, and it's through it that we come to say: I no longer want to do what I feel like doing, I want to do what's best for Jesus.
• God can use your past. Maybe you think your past is too heavy for God to accept you. Look at Paul's: full of small details that God used, like his Roman citizenship, which at one point kept him from being killed. Each of us has gifts, and above all, experiences that God has placed in us and that can serve for his glory.
• A final word of encouragement. Turn to God, go to him, seek out what God had in mind when he created you. See where you stand compared to that person he wanted to create, and no matter how far you are from it, look for the steps to draw closer. As Paul said, he had not yet reached the goal; many of us haven't either. And it's only with God that we can get there. Discover God's grace and forgiveness, let yourself be touched and transformed by it.

Key Takeaways

• You can always become better, but it takes effort and a change of habits, and change is scary because it slips out of our control.
• The best way to improve is to turn to God, your maker: like going back to the manufacturer when the machine stops working.
• Saul, a violent persecutor who approved Stephen's execution and wanted to kill the disciples, became the author of 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament. It all started with an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.
• By the end of his life, Paul no longer presents himself as someone who takes charge, but as someone who depends entirely on Jesus Christ for everything he has accomplished (1 Timothy 1:12).
• Paul didn't change in order to reach God: he was transformed by drawing near to God. It's not our efforts that get us accepted by God.
• If you don't have faith, go to God anyway: he's the one who brought it forth in Paul (1 Timothy 1:14), and he knows what you need.
• You are never too far for grace to reach you. Only one step remains: accept that he is there, and receive his forgiveness.

Personal Application

1. What's your attitude toward change? Is it something that scares you, that you don't want to do, that you refuse, or are you completely open to changing in order to become better?
2. Do you think you're giving it your all to become better? Often we want to, but we don't want to put in the effort. As we saw with Paul, becoming the person he was cost him something.
3. Do you believe you can change on your own, or do you need other people and God's help?
4. Are there things in your life that you know you need to change or improve, but that you're not doing? If so, why? Is it because it takes effort you'd rather not make, or because you're missing the humility it requires?
5. What burden are you carrying alone today, telling yourself you need to fix it first before going to God? What happens if you put God into the equation right now?

Verses Cited

• Acts 7:58 - 8:3
• Acts 9:1-6
• 1 Timothy 1:12-16
• Mark 2:15-17
• Philippians 3:13-14

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to change your life before you can draw near to God?

No. That's the heart of the message: Paul didn't change in order to reach God, he was transformed when he drew near to God. It's not our efforts that make God accept us. Grace is offered to everyone through the sacrifice of Jesus, and the change comes afterward, through this contact with God.

What does Paul mean when he says he acted "in ignorance" in 1 Timothy 1:13?

Paul was educated, trained by the best, and knew the law inside out. When he persecuted Christians, he thought he was working for God. His ignorance was that he hadn't yet understood the grace of Jesus that these Christians were living out and sharing. He persecuted them because he didn't yet know Jesus. The encounter on the road to Damascus put an end to that ignorance.

What if I don't have faith, what should I do?

Paul himself says he acted "without having faith" (1 Timothy 1:13), and yet God didn't condemn him for it: in the overflowing abundance of his grace, he brought forth faith and love in him (1 Timothy 1:14). Gary's encouragement: do as Paul did, go to God, and he's the one who equips you and gives you the faith you're missing. He knows what you need.