Sauls & Pauls

There is a divine strategy God has put in place for winning souls and for the conversion of men from darkness to light.

I’m talking about lesbians, homosexuals, muslims, alcoholics, prostitutes, agnostics, atheists, etc.

Some videos I have watched of them being witnessed to — to repent, show them always saying, ‘You do not understand…’ or ‘This is my nature…’

Why should I go far? A gentleman of Italian descent staying in Canada — according to his narrative — once approached me on Instagram. After several beats about the bush, he cut to the chase. I had sensed it coming though!

He asked if I had a boyfriend?

He talked about his failed relationships with many other men. I immediately retaliated — that I had a girlfriend and yada yada yada. Of course I began with the preaching. Shockingly, he knew the Bible — to a certain degree. He misapplied scriptures too. He typed;

“But God shows and clearly proves His own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.” Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭— If God loved me even in my sinful way and put up with me in everything, I’m sure even now am still loved by him”

Yes God still loves him; but there was this comfort to wallow in unholiness and sin; thinking God will overlook it and get comfortable with it. The scripture itself emphasized an era and a progressive evolvement — an era when we were still sinners. The ‘were’ means there’s an ‘is.’ The ‘were’ means there was a yesterday, a past —and now there is a future, a difference.

My subject didn’t understand that at some point, even if we struggle with sin, we must crossover to saint-ship. There should be an effort to turn from wickedness at the least.

There must be a past to us. There must be a Saul … and a Paul. There must be a caterpillar and a butterfly. There must be a pupa as well — when the flesh is put to death; when self must be denied; when transfiguration happens.

My subject was somehow insisting to remain a caterpillar!

The conversation somehow ended in suspense, but I continued praying for him. That God floods him with light and opens his eyes to the understanding of Him and the scriptures.

Amidst the exchanges, I remember his maxim within the conversations. He always typed, ‘You do not understand’ ‘This is my nature.’ God clearly told me, that for this kind of bracket, they need Pauls.

Paul is a representative of a group of transformed beings. He used to be Saul; and he persecuted christians. He referred to himself as a chief sinner (1 Tim 1:15). Though his sin (of murder) was different to my Instagram example, someone else could have identified with it. Thus, God needs to send someone who used to be like the victim, but transformed.

That would get rid of the ‘you do not understand’ excuse!

I may not have understood the plight of our opening character, but Jackie Hill Perry would. And so when she preaches to him, he can’t use the line ‘you’d never understand.’ She was a lesbian, and a victim of same sex attraction; but by Jesus’ power, and the saving knowledge of the truth, her mind was renewed and her self transformed — such that she even got married to a man, and had four children.

Witnessing to muslims may be hard (And by ‘hard’ I do not mean impossible). They could use the ‘you do not understand’ card as well. But if an ex-muslim was sent to them, their mutual understanding of the sharia law could be a great conversation starter; and the person converted will appear as a future possibility of the central character. Someone like Shahriq Khan has been there, and he says he was suicidal and felt distant from Allah, and that’s when Jesus revealed Himself to him on that fateful night, and filled his void!

Now Khan’s heart beats for muslims everywhere. He knows the fear many of them live through: afraid to confess an empty relationship lest they be persecuted; but the boldness Jesus has granted him enables his Paul version to enforce and win over, and edify!

C.S Lewis — though dead — had a mandate to convert atheists! Many of his fellows: lecturers of highest degrees and IQs at Oxford and Cambridge boasted about their theories of the no existence of God. Having been once on the seesaw end of extreme atheism, and rolling to the other side of extreme christianity, he was the perfect candidate and weapon for God to use to a people who were still where he previously once!

Steve Weatherford is an athlete who attained all success, reached the top and still felt nothing. There was a void unfilled. And at some point (if I recall in an interview) he speculated suicide as well. Counseling a suicidal victim is one thing. It’s another when you went through the same and overcame …

The victims trust that the fact that you overcame, you’d help them therefore or … that they too can overcome; if they really desire to overcome.

C.S. Lewis said friends are made when one says ‘What?! You too!?’

This is ground for trust to be stablished between two parties, and hence a listening ear.

There’d be a person going through a Saul season (not necessarily doing what he did: persecuting christians) but doing something that hurts God. And sadly, the person could even think it is right; but encounters that cause transformation not only happen by Jesus appearing to men on their ways to Damascus. He also sends Pauls to them! Pauls that were Sauls

He sends Gomers and Rahabs who were previously prostitutes. He sends ex-conficts, ex-murderers, ex-drug abusers, ex-polygamists, ex-drinkers, ex-masturbators, ex-porn-addicts and many others.

I’m not saying those that have lived a pure life have no place in this. I’m saying; God will not waste a testimony, let alone a transformation. When the Spirit begins convicting those that have crossed over of their sin, and it feels too hard to bear, the new saints — the new converts and spiritual babes will look up to the examples I gave, and be strengthened and encouraged. They’ll believe that it is possible to turn away! Not by one’s own power alone, but by His Spirit!

This is one of God’s wisdoms: a strategy to reach the unreachable, or those that pull up excuses.

In His efforts, the so loving of the world He has, that none may perish but have everlasting life … is accompanied by such strategies to cause men not only to walk away from darkness to light; (which some could have already done) but to have all darkness completely omitted out of the believer that has come to light.

David wrote, ‘I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, And will not be ashamed.’ (Psalms‬ ‭119‬:‭46‬)

It was easy for him to say ‘kings’ for he too was a king. There is a confidence that comes by mutual rank or experiences. Fishers of men gained experience from being fishers of fish!

One of my pastors always advises us to know a little bit of everything, for that may not open the necessary door at first, but could lead around to the back door of the necessary door.

A Cedric told me, he picked interest in a topic his uncle loved. It forced his uncle to entreat him, and after a long struggle to make him listen to the gospel, his uncle one day asked him to tell him more about this gospel. Simply because he firstly became interested in a topic his uncle loved.

I’m not saying we stoop low into sin just to win souls. No. I’m saying, we need to be as humble as doves but cunning as serpents at the same time. (Matt 10:16)

The Saul-Paul soldiers on the line is God putting into practice His advice to us: being cunning (or wise) as serpents — for the fact that it made Eve doubt that she was not like God already — forcing her to eat the fruit, makes us pick a leaf.

For if a serpent tricked her into sheer action, the Saul-Pauls’ scars showcased … can trick many into sheer transformation.

Allow me call it righteous trickery!

And so I close this up, by reminding many of us that our past experiences (or present) are tools for God to use to encourage many others in their personal journeys.

It may not be ‘sinful’ experiences, but temptations, trials and hard times as well. Losing a spouse or a child for example positions one to lift up another widow, widower, or parent that loses a child. This is of course, after God comforting & healing the victim He’s going to use to minister…

In the end, if you are a believer with a dirty past, your story still matters to God. Obviously many failed to embrace Paul as Paul. Many still grieved over his old self. And many may not forgive Saul, but if God did, then we must find a way to. Pardon me, not a way to — we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us forgive … For if God has thrown Paul’s old version — Saul — and his sin into the sea of forgetfulness, and has bestowed a mandate on him to write three quarters of the New Testament . . . it would be folly to be against him.

Transformation is real! God can use your mess for a glorious message.

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II Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‬‬Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.
‭‭‭(AMP‬‬)

John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.