Paul, The Apostle to the Gentiles
Foremost among those called to preach the gospel of Christ stands
the apostle Paul, to every minister an example of loyalty, devotion,
and untiring effort. His experiences and his instruction regarding the
sacredness of the minister’s work, are a source of help and inspiration
to those engaged in the gospel ministry.
Before his conversion, Paul was a bitter persecutor of the followers
of Christ. But at the gate of Damascus a voice spoke to him, light from
heaven shone into his soul, and in the revelation that there came to him,
of the Crucified One, he beheld that which changed the whole current
of his life. Henceforth love for the Lord of glory, whom he had so
relentlessly persecuted in the person of His saints, came before all else.
To him had been given the ministry of making known “the mystery”
which had been “kept secret since the world began.” [
Romans 16:25
.]
“He is a chosen vessel unto Me,” declared the Angel who appeared to
Ananias, “to bear My name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the
children of Israel.” [
Acts 9:15
.]
And throughout his long term of service, Paul never faltered in his
allegiance to his Saviour. “I count not myself to have apprehended,”
he wrote to the Philippians; “but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ. [
Philippians 3:13, 14
.]
Paul’s was a life of intense and varied activities. From city to
city, from country to country, he journeyed, telling the story of the
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cross, winning converts to the gospel, and establishing churches. For
these churches he had a constant care, and he wrote many letters of
instruction to them. At times he worked at his trade to earn his daily
bread. But in all the busy activity of his life, he never lost sight of the
one great purpose,—to press toward the mark of his high calling.
Paul carried with him the atmosphere of heaven. All who asso-
ciated with him felt the influence of his union with Christ. The fact
that his own life exemplified the truth he proclaimed, gave convincing
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