Called to Follow Christ

Paul's Background, Conversion, and Early Ministry

Then [Paul] said: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I persecuted this Way up to the point of death."

—Acts 22:2-4

Point of Departure

Choose two pieces at random from a jigsaw puzzle. On a blank sheet of paper, trace the puzzle pieces. Draw and doodle around the traced shapes to turn them into one of the following—or something entirely different!

• A remarkable new mode of mass transportation

• The first confirmed sighting of extraterrestrial life

• A caricature of a movie, TV, or music star

• A map of your hometown

• The prototype for a fantastic new piece of manufacturing machinery (be sure to describe what your contraption will make!)

Scripture

• Acts 9:1-29

Video (Optional)

• Watch the video for The Call, Session 1.

Getting Our Bearings

My grandmother Mimi loved solving jigsaw puzzles. She'd sit at her table for hours, sipping tea as she surveyed the brightly colored, weirdly shaped fragments of some unrecognizable image spread out in front of her. She'd sift this kaleidoscopic mess, looking back and forth between it and the picture printed on the puzzle's box. Every now and then she'd let loose a little cry of discovery—"Aha!" She'd snap a few pieces into place, nod her head in satisfaction, then lean back and look for more connections. Some she solved quicker than others, but she never met a jigsaw puzzle she couldn't master.

In The Call, Adam Hamilton says God used the "puzzle pieces" of the apostle Paul's life to "do something beautiful." Paul thought he knew how everything about him fit together. But like Mimi working those jigsaw puzzles, God patiently, persistently snapped Paul's "pieces" into place to reveal the picture they'd always been meant to show.

Bridging Two Worlds

Two important "puzzle pieces" framing Paul's life and work were his religious upbringing and social status.

Paul was a Jew. He was born into the tribe of Benjamin and was circumcised when eight days old, just as God's Law, the Torah, prescribes (Philippians 3:5). He learned to speak not only Greek, the common language of the Roman Empire, but also Hebrew, the language of Torah and one not every Jew in Paul's day still knew. From an early age Paul studied Torah in Jerusalem, the Holy City itself, under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3), a rabbi (teacher) who was a high-ranking member of the Sanhedrin, the most important Jewish court. By birth and belief, Paul belonged to God's chosen people.

Paul was also a Roman citizen. In the mid- to late first century A.D., the Roman Empire was reaching the height of its power. Emperor Augustus (ruled 31 B.C.–A.D. 14) established a time of peace and prosperity called the Pax Romana, or "Roman peace," that would last over two centuries. The empire's network of roads—some fifty thousand miles of them, cutting straight, secure, water-repellent paths across varied terrain—ensured relatively easy movement of soldiers, commerce, and culture.

Most people who lived under Rome's authority were not imperial citizens, but Paul was privileged to be a citizen not only of his birthplace, Tarsus (Acts 21:39), but also of the empire. As a citizen, Paul enjoyed more rights and fuller legal protection than noncitizens, including the right to vote, make contracts, avoid flogging, and appeal a case to the emperor.

Paul's background prepared him to bridge two worlds. Even his name points to his position: Hebrew speakers called him Saul, Greek speakers called him Paul, and he answered to either. He was always a Jew, as were Jesus and his disciples, and he used his Roman citizenship to gain the gospel a wider hearing.

Passion Repurposed

If Paul's life really were a jigsaw puzzle, it would be an exciting action scene—maybe even a 3-D image that "pops" when you view it through special glasses. Paul's life was full of excitement because Paul was passionate about faith.

Like his teacher Gamaliel, Paul was a Pharisee. Modern Christians tend to think poorly of Pharisees. We often assume they were mustache-twirling bad guys, because most Pharisees we read about in the Gospels are arguing with Jesus about how to understand Torah and plotting about putting him to death for his supposed blasphemy.

We forget those Pharisees didn't represent all Pharisees. In general, Pharisees were motivated by a desire to see all God's people, not just priests, living holy lives. Keeping the Law meant keeping the community's identity alive. In fact, when Rome destroyed the Jerusalem Temple in A.D. 70, the Pharisees' emphasis on every Jew's obligation to keep Torah helped Judaism survive.

Gamaliel was a reasonable, tolerant man (see his attitude toward Christians in Acts 5:33-39). Paul somehow missed that lesson! In his passion to protect Jewish faith from what he saw as misguided, dangerous ideas, he "persecuted this Way"—the Christian church's earliest name was the Way—"up to the point of death" (Acts 22:4). Luke, the Gospel writer who also wrote Acts, says Paul set out for the city of Damascus "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1). Whenever I read that verse, I can't help picturing Paul as Darth Vader, breathing heavily as he sets out to crush a religious rebellion once and for all.

Had Hollywood dreamed up Paul's story, it might end with God smiting Paul dead—surely a fitting end for an enemy of the divine. The true story, however, is more unexpected and more wonderful. God smote him, all right, but with grace and a new beginning. The risen Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus and told him that Paul, who had spent so much energy and passion persecuting the Way, had been chosen to join it and had been given a key part to play in its growth.

Paul's conversion story is undeniably dramatic. It's so impressive, some Christians feel guilty if their own stories of coming to faith in Jesus don't pack the same spectacular punch. Paul, however, would be the last person to expect or demand that other Christians' "puzzles" look like his. As far as he was concerned, the real drama of his story was the joyful truth that God had given him new life, filled with new purpose—or, more accurately, a purpose new to Paul, but planned for him before he was born (Galatians 1:15).

The Son of Encouragement

Paul would also point out that the "puzzle" of his life doesn't picture him alone. His story is a story of people working together to do God's will—or of God working through them all.

One of Paul's earliest boosters was a man named Barnabas. His parents hadn't named him that; they called him Joseph. But he proved so generous in supporting the early church, the apostles gave him the name, which means "Son of Encouragement" (Acts 4:36-37).

Barnabas's encouragement made a big difference to Paul. When Paul, early persecutor of the Way, tried to join Jesus' disciples in Jerusalem, he didn't find any red carpet rolled out for him. Only when Barnabas vouched for Paul did church leaders give him their "thumbs up" (see Acts 9:26-28).

Even then, Paul's missionary career didn't take off. His preaching led to some heated arguments; his opponents got so angry they tried to kill him! The Jerusalem church helped Paul make a getaway back to Tarsus. Paul might have wondered when God's big plans for his future would kick in.

When they did, Barnabas was involved. News reached Jerusalem that many Jews and non-Jews were joining the Way in Antioch in Syria, the third biggest city in the Roman Empire. Church leaders sent Barnabas to investigate this development. He checked out the situation and reached the only possible conclusion: God's grace was at work! And he concluded something else: Paul would be a perfect fit for it. Barnabas brought Paul back from Tarsus, and for the next year "they met with the church and taught a great many people"—so many that the Way started to become recognized as something distinct from Judaism: in Antioch, "the disciples were first called 'Christians' " (Acts 11:26).

Who has encouraged you? Who has glimpsed ways you might use your experience, education, skills and talents, and unique perspective to answer God's call? When I was a teenager, I spent hours scribbling stories and plays. The stuff wasn't Shakespeare, but my Aunt Cora took an interest in it. She would ask about my plots and characters; she encouraged me to keep thinking and writing; she gave me a personalized three-ring binder in which to file my literary creations. Today, writing is an important part of how I serve the church. I'm sure Cora's encouragement is a big reason why.

God might be calling you to encourage someone. We're not always the best judge of what we can do, or what we have to offer. We often need others to point out possibilities we haven't considered, directions we haven't explored. Do you see ways your friends, classmates, or people in your congregation and community might be a perfect fit for something "the hand of the Lord" (Acts 11:21) is doing?

Many Solutions—One Solver

Jigsaw puzzles have a single solution. But God can fit the pieces of our lives together into more than one beautiful picture. Even Paul's response to God took a number of shapes and contained several surprising twists. Maybe a life pieced together by God is most like a puzzle printed with a lenticular image—the finished picture moves and shifts depending on the angle and the light.

We can respond to God's claim and call in many different faithful ways. What does stay the same is God's presence with and love for us. Paul believed nothing can separate us from God's love in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:38-39). He'd experienced that truth in his own story. If this ever-faithful God pieced together the life of Paul, who'd persecuted the church, into a beautiful picture, then God can master the pieces that make up your life and mine.

Ports of Call

Pauline Play

The story of Paul's conversion practically demands to be dramatized! Recruit someone to read aloud Acts 9:1-22 and people to pantomime the roles of Paul (Saul), his companions, Ananias, the disciples in Damascus, and worshipers in the synagogues. Be certain to record your performance so others in your congregation can watch it. (If your congregation or youth ministry has a website, see if the performance can be posted there, too.) After the show, respond to these questions:

• How does this dramatization affect the way I think about Paul's conversion?

• With which character—Paul, Ananias, or an amazed onlooker—do I most identify, and why?

• What specific response to God do I hope audiences of this performance will make?

Internet Option: Search for others' dramatizations of Paul's conversions on YouTube or other video site, and reflect on several of those dramatizations using the same questions.

Tell Your Story

Read Acts 22:1-16. Whether or not the story of your faith in Jesus is as dramatic as Paul's, it's a story worth telling! So practice telling your story—your testimony to how God brought you to believe in Jesus Christ. Your testimony won't be exactly like Paul's, but you can think about some elements in his story to help you tell yours. Prayerfully consider these questions:

• How have the places you've lived helped shape who you are or prepared you for faith, as Tarsus helped shape Paul?

• What individuals have taught you about God and Scripture, as Gamaliel and Ananias taught Paul?

• When have you "seen the light"—not necessarily a blinding flash, as Paul did, but some sign, small or large, of God's presence with and care for you?

• In what ways have you changed for the better over your life, as Paul changed? Were these gradual or sudden changes? How might God have been guiding you in these changes?

• What skills and gifts do you possess that you use in serving Jesus, as Paul used his skills and gifts?

You may not have answers to all these questions right now. That's okay. Paul had a lifetime to refine his testimony. If you have even a sentence or two about the difference Jesus makes in your life, you already have a testimony to tell. Practice telling it to another Christian, and let that person practice as you listen. The more comfortable you are in telling your story inside the community of faith, the more prepared you'll be to tell it outside, where your story may be just the story through which someone hears God's call to them too.

Puzzle Pieces

On a blank sheet of white cardstock or posterboard, draw pictures (or paste images from magazines and newspapers) to represent at least two of the following: your family background; your skills and abilities; at least one past experience you consider personally significant; someone else who is important to you. Cut this collage into several small, jigsaw-like puzzle pieces. Trade puzzles with someone else. When you and your partner have solved both puzzles, take turns interviewing each other about the images in them. Be sure to ask each other:

• What purposes do you think God might see in the "pieces" of your life?

Tarsus Treat

Remember Paul's home of Tarsus by making and enjoying lahmacun (la-ma-ZHUN), a popular food from southern Turkey. You can find easy-to-follow recipes online. As you prepare the food, discuss:

• How did God prepare Paul for his service as an apostle?

• For what service might God be preparing you today?

Be Like Barnabas

Barnabas demonstrated two important qualities of Christians: encouragement and generosity. Follow his example by doing one or both of the following:

• Write a note or make a card of encouragement and send it to someone you think would appreciate an encouraging word. Consider not only people who might be feeling down but also people in whom you see experience or talents that God could use for good, as Barnabas saw such qualities in Paul.

• With others in your youth ministry or congregation, sell some of your possessions and donate the money you raise to your church, as Barnabas sold a field to help fund the apostles' ministry.

Puzzle Picture Frame

If you have an old jigsaw puzzle that's missing pieces, recycle it by turning it into a picture frame. Take a picture of yourself that you like and glue it to a backing of corrugated cardboard. Glue jigsaw puzzle pieces around the picture's edge, building up two or three layers. Glue a length of yarn to the picture backing to hang it on a wall.

Postcard Prayer

[Leader: Have participants write responses in the "postcard" printed below, or provide actual postcards they can present in worship as an offering to God.]

Called to Go

Paul's First Missionary Journey

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

—Acts 13:2

Point of Departure

Option A. On a United States or world map, mark the states or countries where you've been with your initials. Compare your travels to others in your group. Who's been the farthest? Who's been to the most unusual destination? Among all of you, how many miles has your group traveled?

Option B. On a separate sheet of paper, design a brochure that describes and pictures the "trip of a lifetime" that you'd love to take. Where would you go? What would you see? Who would go with you? Money and time are no object, so dream big!

Scriptures

• Acts 13:13-52

• Romans 10:5-17

Video (Optional)

• Watch the video for The Call, Session 2.

Getting Our Bearings

Everybody's had times when they've embarrassed themselves so badly, they want nothing more than to curl up in a tiny ball and hide. One of those moments hit me when I was in an interfaith student group in college. I was asked to begin a meeting with a prayer. I thanked God for bringing us together from different backgrounds to serve our campus and community and asked God to bless our discussion and our planning. And when it was time to end my prayer, I said—without a moment's thought—"In Jesus' name. Amen."

It felt like the air in the room turned to ice. I had to stop myself from reaching out to try and pull back the words as they dropped from my lips like a lead weight. I was mortified, and hurriedly said, "Oh, I'm so sorry." But it was too late. Our group's leader, a young Jewish woman, had visibly tensed—her back stiff, her hands gripping her chair's arms. "That's all right," she muttered, not very convincingly, avoiding my eyes.

It wasn't that I was ashamed to be Christian. What upset me was knowing I'd caused offense by unthinkingly invoking Jesus. Had I been praying as attentively as I should have, I could have spoken words that were both true to my own faith and inclusive of others, especially our group's Jewish members. In that instant, I'd been insensitive and ungracious literally in Jesus' name.

Jesus of Nazareth was a devout Jew. So were all his first followers. So how and why did the Way—the movement of Jews who believed Jesus was the Messiah who had been promised to God's chosen people, Israel—end up parting ways with Judaism? How did Jesus' name, praised by some Jews, come to be hurtful, even hateful, to others?

The First Missionary Journey

We can spot the split between Judaism and Christianity taking shape in what Bible readers have long called Paul's "first missionary journey." Paul had already taken more than one trip to preach about Jesus, but was now taking the gospel into unfamiliar territory.

And so the Spirit led Paul and Barnabas to the island of Cyprus, about 250 miles northwest of Jerusalem (Acts 13:4). They then went to the mainland of what is today Turkey: first to the city of Perga (13:13), and then to Antioch of Pisidia (13:14—not Antioch in Syria, where Jesus' followers were first called Christians). Their itinerary included stops in Iconium (14:1) and the region in and around Lystra and Derbe (14:6). Finally, the apostles backtracked their route (14:21-25) and sailed to Antioch (of Syria, this time), where they reported back to the church. In The Call, Adam Hamilton estimates this first missionary journey covered some 1,580 miles and lasted between six months and a year.