Paul

Foreword: It’s never too late!

Have you ever been in a dilemma where you think that you are the worst person in the world and God will never
forgive you for what you have done?

Have you ever think that doing what is right will never change what you are now?

And because you did something wrong means that you are not qualified to be someone in the eyes of God?

*Paul didn’t think in that way. But he does so much troubles to Christians that gave him a negative past.

*A past that some will think that is too bad to be corrected

*But Paul, though he may be the worst man alive in the eyes of the Christians that time, was given a chance by
God.

*As we go along with this message, we will see how Saul was transformed by God to be a Paul.

*And how God’s love never ended to Paul but passed on to the Gentiles (us)

*And what are his traits that we should adapt

Background:
Original Name: Saul

Post-conversion Name: Paul

Born in Tarsus (now known as Turkey)

He persecuted Jewish followers of Jesus

Until he encountered Jesus in his way to Damascus

He never saw Jesus unlike the other disciples

-but his conversion is so important that it is through him that the first major missionary to preach the gospel to
non-Jewish people was done.

He was not part of the 12 disciples

-but he interacted with some of the original disciples, especially in Jerusalem

He wrote 13 letters, but only 7 were definitely written by paul (1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians,
Philemon, and Romans) (1 & 2 Timothy, Ephesians, Titus, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians)

His greatest contribution: justification (cleansed) by faith – a concept by which we are saved by believing in Jesus

-because jewish tradition focuses on rituals and and the jewish law

-but he created a theological framework that Jesus’ death and

resurrection triggered a fundamental change in humanity’s relationship with God.

-a relationship which faith, rather than behavior, was the central

element.
 Summary: Seven characteristics of real transformation in
a man who comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. Transformation of
Apostle Paul.
Everybody in this world is looking for a need to change. We believe that men must be transformed
for a better future. The fact is, the world cannot really bring about real transformation. Anything the
world does in terms of change is superficial. The only way real transformation can happen is through
Jesus Christ.

When Jesus was on the earth, He was committed to the ministry of real transformation. He was not
interested in starting outside reformations. For all of the things that He saw, there may have been
political solutions, there may have been economic solutions, there may have been some very just
revolutions, but He led none and yet Jesus Himself did more to change the world and men than any
man who ever lived. He did more to bring love, peace, joy, justice and equity into a world than
anybody who ever lived. And He did it by never doing anything to society structurally, but by only
changing the hearts of individual men. (ex: pagbabawas/pagtapon ng basura)

Now Paul spoke about his transformation in Ephesians 2:1-3 1As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of
the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of
us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires
and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. That's a pretty bleak picture. (eto
ung gustong baguhin ni Jesus)

Ephesians 2:4-5 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

And the transformation is complete in Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

That's the real transformation that the Bible offers to men. Now this transformation occurred in the
life of the man Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. Incidentally, we know only very little about him before his
real transformation, but from the little know about him before his real transformation, he was a
horrible character. He was cruel, he was hostile, he was strong-willed, he was zealous for his own
opinion and if you didn't agree with his opinion, he would just kill people. He was self-sufficient,
independent, inflexible, angry, persistent, crusading, unloving, etc., etc. He was everything that a
very bad individual would be. But on the Damascus Road something drastic, something divine
happened to this man.

Real transformation occurred when he met Jesus Christ face-to-face. In a split second on the
Damascus Road, he became exact opposite of what he was. (ex: yung mga inaapi sa teleserye) It is
absolutely beyond our imagination apart from an understanding of the divine miracle of salvation.
Everything completely changed. That's how real transformation operates.

Christianity is a transformation of your life. Once heard a man say, you know, being a Christian is
like putting a new suit of clothes on a man. That is not right. It's like putting a new man in a suit of
clothes. It's not superficial. Christianity is not a repair job. It's a real transformation. And that's what
happened to Saul. (Prodigal son, yung anak sinuotan ng bagong damit)

Now this chapter records the real transformation and it gives to us the pattern for the transformed
life.

Seven features of real transformation

1. Faith in the Savior. (Starting point pa lang ito)

When a man puts his faith in Christ at that moment he is totally transformed. He is a new creation.
However, that is his positional transformation before God. From there you have six other things that
take place in the practice of real transformation that follows the positional one.

It's like a child who's born in an instant and when you look at a baby, you don't say well the baby will
be all right in a few years because he'll grow an arm and he'll grow a leg and he'll grow an ear. No.
When the baby's born, all the parts are there. It's a total creation. It's only a matter of growth within
the framework of what it already is.

And so you see, the first one was the creation. It is a perfect creation: Colossians 2:10 Ye are
complete in him. Saul was created a new, whole creation. But then there was a process of growing
and developing from the moment of salvation and yet salvation is complete. (James 2: 17 faith
without work is dead)

2. Fervor in supplication.

The real transformation was apparent in the life of Saul because he began immediately to pray
fervently. (1 timothy 2:1 I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made
for all people.) (Romans 15:30 when we pray for someone in ministry, we join them in ministry)

3. Faithful in Service.

The third thing we saw about the transformed life was faithfulness in service. Like Saul every
Christian is saved to serve God. No Christian is ever saved to go to a monastery and lock himself in.
We are called to serve. (After his encounter, he go to preach the gospel to almost all Jerusalem and
Judea then going to other countries) (1 Corithian 4:1-2) (Si paul at barnabas, yung crowd na
gustong sumamba sa kanila ay sila ring gustong bumato sa kanila) *as faithful servant, we point
people to the living God, not to ourselves)

4. Filling of the Spirit.

Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said,
“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent
me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Ananias was God's messenger, and he came to tell Saul that he would not only receive his sight, but
that he would receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. This then is the next step in the transformed life,
the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

The filling of the Holy Spirit is a part of the transformed life. To be filled in the Spirit is to have the
experience of the Holy Spirit where you are anointed with the gift to speak in tongues, to be
controlled by the Spirit, have the power of the Spirit, and to produce the fruit of the Spirit. It is a
complete package.

The filling of the Spirit always empowers for some kind of activity. And in every case where
individuals were filled with the Spirit they'd begun to do something.

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit
enabled them. This is receive the gift of tongues.

Acts 10:44-46 44While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard
the message. 45The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of
the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46For they heard them speaking in tongues
and praising God.

Acts 19:6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in
tongues and prophesied.

See the change that happens since:

Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 6:8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs
among the people.

Acts 7:55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and
Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

So the filling of the Spirit always results in power for service. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

So another sign of real transformation is the filling of the Holy Spirit.

5. Formation of behavior.

When a person is transformed by the power of God, there is a formation of Christian behavior. 2
Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the
new is here! There are some things the Holy Spirit sorts out to be retained. There are some things
about you that are good enough to retain. There are other things that are worthless and He just
removes them altogether. So the process real transformation is the process first of refining what's
useful and eliminating what isn't. (Akala ko ba bagong nilalang, bakit may nirefine? Ex: kotse)(Saka
hindi literal na bago lahat)

I. God refined Saul’s behavior.

To begin with, let's look at Saul. God refined certain things that he already had.

a. Paul was a leader. Some people are leaders. People followed him. He led people everywhere he
went. He had a whole bunch of people trailing him around on this crusade. He had a natural instinct,
a natural active motivation that made people follow him. He was a leader. He would have been a
great leader if he'd have never been a Christian.

When God transformed him, God realized that's something to hang on to. So the Holy Spirit had the
work of not eliminating leadership, but of refining it. You see the Spirit is in the business of
redirecting the strengths that are already there within us as well as adding new things. (He built
churches)

b. Paul had strong will power.

Paul could discipline himself to do something and his will couldn't be changed (may isang salita) .
God looked at him and saw his will power and said that's to be retained. And it was turned toward
Jesus Christ and there was never anybody who pursued God and God's will any more than that man
either, because he had that kind of drive and discipline. Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ
and to die is gain.

c. Persistence.

Nothing stopped him when he set his mind to do something. He chased it down no matter what it
cost him. I always think of the time when he was going to Jerusalem and everybody along the trail
kept saying don't go to Jerusalem, don't go to Jerusalem, don't go to Jerusalem. Where did he go?
Jerusalem. It never slowed him down. He took off for Jerusalem. (pupunta na dapat syang Damascus
para mang usig ng mga Kristiyano)

And God turned that around and what did he say? Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Nothing stopped him, he was
persistent.

d. Self-sufficiency and independent.

He was a terrifically independent guy. He would just march off and evangelize in unknown territory
all alone and just have a great time doing it, very independent. In Acts 17, when he arrives in
Athens. He busts out in the middle of town and he starts having public debates on the street.

When the Jews wanted to kill him in Jerusalem, the disciples packed him up and hauled him off to
Caesarea just to get him out of there. But they dumped him off there and they put him on a boat and
sent him to Tarsus. You know what he did? He founded churches all over Tarsus, Cilicia. He went
everywhere founding churches all by himself, just took off. Completely independent. Completely self-
sufficient. Had a little hassle with the guy who came along with him. John Mark, didn't like him, sent
him home. Very independent. And so God simply refined and polished that characteristic.

e. Boldness.

He would just say anything to anybody. In the face of the Christ-hating Jews, God used that ability.
God polished off his boldness in Acts 22. He went into the face of those Christ-hating Jews and he
started preaching at them right in Jerusalem and it got so hot that they started a riot. He was so
bold. He defended himself boldly before Tertullus, Agrippa, and Felix and probably before Nero.

f. Self-Motivated. God wants motivated people. You want to read what motivated him? Earlier before
his transformation, the law motivated him. After his transformation, In 2 Corinthians Chapter 5 we
see it was the love of Christ motivated him. The second-coming of Christ motivated. The rewards of
souls motivated him. The love of the cross motivated him. He was self-motivated.

g. Talkative.

Before transformation, Paul was involved in debate after debate as a Pharisee. I am glad God did not
stop this gift, the Spirit just refined it a little bit. In Ephesus, he preached all the time.

Acts 20:7-11 7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the
people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were
many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man
named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. (But listen do you
think this is going to deter Paul? He's only on point two and there's four.) When he was sound
asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw
himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”
11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.

II. God eliminated some behavior.

You know, there are some things in our lives that are absolutely worthless and God eliminates them.
God eliminated some bad things from Paul’s character.

a. God replaced his cruel hatred with love.

He had been a hostile, angry, bitter persecutor and his whole temperament put together doesn't spell
love. He seemed indifferent and cold. But all of a sudden you find that there's warmth in the man,
there is a lot of love in the man. You find him saying how much I love you to all these people that he
writes to in all of his Epistles. God completely took away the hate that was in his heart and replaces
it with love. (kaparehas natin)

b. God replaced his restless aggressive spirit with peace.

Paul became a calm man. Look what he said to the Philippians. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Paul found
peace.

c. God replaced his roughness with gentleness. Paul was rash and rough but look what he said to the
Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 7Instead, we were like young children among you. Just as a
nursing mother cares for her children, 8so we cared for you.

To the Philippians he said: Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.

d. God replaced his pride with the grace of humility.

He became the humblest man. When Paul went into Lystra and they started proclaiming that he and
Barnabas were gods. So they started tearing their clothes in revulsion. No, we're not. We are just
men. 2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the
revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh.

When a person is transformed, not only is there refining, but there's some elimination.

6. Fellowship with the saints.

Salvation means a new fellowship. It means you no longer walk in the council of the ungodly. It
means you no longer are unequally yoked with unbelievers. It means that you move in the fellowship
of light. 1 John 1:3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have
fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And you see
when God saved you; He saved you to create a fellowship, fellowship with God and his church.

Somebody said to me that they are a Christian, but had no desire to come to church. (walang desire
mag ministry) It is very hard for me to believe that somebody can really know Jesus Christ and not
long with all his heart to be in the fellowship of others who love Him. 1 John 3:14 We know that we
have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.

As the writer of Hebrews said: Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as
the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching. Saul had to turn in his contacts and friends. The people that he formerly hated became
his buddies and the people he formerly worked for became the enemies. Everything switched.
What a sweet fellowship it is to come to Christ and enter into this new relationship. David said in
Psalm 119:63 I am a friend to all who fear you, to all who follow your precepts.

Acts 9:23 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him. These are the
same Jews that used to take council to give Saul papers to go kill Christians. All of a sudden
everything's changed. He's in a new fellowship.

And you know something, he lived in that fellowship and yet he moved in the world of unbelief. And
he proclaimed his message and fearlessly preached Jesus Christ in the face of those Jews in Chapter
13, 14, 17, 21, but he always retreated back to the fellowship of the believers because that was his
love. You see if you've really come to Jesus Christ, it demands a new fellowship.

7. Forgiveness Rendered.

Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said,
“Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent
me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Brother Saul. This guy's got papers
here to kill the church in Damascus but the leader is calling Saul brother. But that's the real
transformation. (papatayin nya dapat yung mga kristiyano)

This is a classic illustration of Christian forgiveness. I don't care what you've done to Christ or
Christians before you come to Christ, the moment you come to Christ you belong with us and we'll
love you as fully as we love any other believer. What you've done in your past is immaterial and
irrelevant. Forget the things that are behind. Now you're on a new team. It's a new world. You've
been born into a new family. We forgive you unconditionally. So forgiveness is a true mark of real
transformation.

Conclusion: Acts 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see
again. He got up and was baptized. He all of a sudden could see. He received his sight. He arose and
was," what, "baptized." And what is baptism? It's a public confession of your faith in Christ. It's
saying to the whole world I'm uniting visibly with the believers. Baptism is so important people.
Baptism it's a public confession of your identification with the body of believers. He entered a new
fellowship and he wasn't afraid to stand up and take notice and give notice to the world that I belong
to this group.

Acts 9:19 And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with
the disciples which were at Damascus. Do you know one quality of the Christians, they feed you.
They give you meat. (may gulay, gulaman, at buko pandan)

See the real transformation that happened:

1. Faith in the Savior.

2. Fervor in supplication.

3. Faithful in Service.

4. Filling of the Spirit.

5. Formation of behavior.

6. Fellowship with the saints.

7. Forgiveness Rendered.
Everything is new. The new creation has come. Paul has a new life. Paul has a new master. Paul has
a new family. Paul has new mission. Paul has new message. Paul has a new power. Paul has a new
enemy.

Well, I hope the Spirit of God has given you some insights into the transformed life this morning. Two
things to remember as we close. To begin with the transformed life is a question of coming to Christ
in faith. That's the positional transformation. The key to the practical transformation is to let
the Spirit of God and give yourself to Christ daily every day.