52 Men of the Bible - The StudiesSample

# 50\. Paul ## Explore Paul in the Net Testament is a prolific character travelling around talking about Jesus in a big way. But of course, it wasn’t always like that for Paul, his life was complex and messy and God did an amazing job in sorting him out. Ideas 1: impossible Impossible. Now be honest, have you ever thought about a situation, moment in your life, event or even about the life of another person ever changing and you think ‘impossible?’ I have, lots of times and in lots of situations and shamefully over the lives of loads of people. It is so easy to look at this stuff, whether it is our life or that of others and think ‘there is no way God can change, sort, mend or heal this mess.’ Paul, who was Saul was that messed up bloke. A man who set fear through the Jewish communities, his heart and mind was fixed on persecuting them and driving them out, and he was good at it. The disciples, when they heard of his transformation couldn’t take it in, don’t blame them really!  Have you thought ‘impossible’ to anything? Idea 2: grace Paul’s life was marked and shaped by grace, the grace God had lavished on him. Paul knew that he was a rotter that had found forgiveness and the newness of life because of the blood of Jesus. Paul stood firmly on this truth and refused to let it go. Did this mean that Paul, a man of grace sailed through life without any issues, problems, persecution and trail? Er…no. What has God’s grace looked like in your life? What about in the life of the men in the group? Call out what you have seen! Idea 3: endurance One of the things that has always amazed me about the life of Paul is his endurance. He even preached about it and wrote about it as a thing. Paul was man who really endured for the gospel, he faced hardships, misunderstanding, corruption, personal injury, false imprisonment, even a snake bite! C’mon!!! His endurance is an inspiration to me, that like Paul, many men have gone before me and faithfully held on to Jesus and the gospel without letting go. They paid dearly and it is on this history you and I know take our stand. ## Action What does it mean to you to follow this sort of legacy? Do you think things impossible for God? It is easy to say not but hard to really live with a heart and mind that trusts in God’s unlimited authority and power to work. Even harder when we just don’t see it! Has this been part of your experience and journey?