This passage outlines the early years of the making of the apostle Paul into a minister of the gospel.2In our previous text (Acts 9:1 – 19) we saw how God took a blood-thirsty terrorist and began turning him into a blood-bought evangelist when he encountered Jesus, the sovereign Savior of sinners, on the road to Damascus.
We must remember that last week, Saul was hell-bent on waging his self-righteous “holy war” against Christians when Jesus knocked him off his high horse, confronted him for his war against God, and then radically saved him as a “chosen instrument of [God] to carry [his] name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (9:15).
As I said last week, the story of Saul’s conversion is both shocking and encouraging. It is shocking because we do not naturally think about recruiting our worst enemies and then converting them into beloved family members. But this story is also encouraging because through it we learn that no one is too far gone for God to save and to use in advancing his kingdom to the ends of the earth.
When God saves sinners, he does not save them so that they can get comfortable sitting in church gatherings; he saves them so that he can transform them into ministers of the gospel who advance his kingdom to the ends of the earth through the proclamation of the gospel. When God saves a sinner, they usually go through a process of becoming a patient in the hospital, a member of the family, and then a soldier in an army.
New believers become a patient in the hospital of the Holy Spirit as God, the Master Surgeon, removes the old dead imprisoned heart and then transplants a brand new one that is free to love and serve God. In those moments, a new believer becomes a brand-new blood-bought family member and then they immediately get enlisted into the army of God where they undergo training as a minister who is called to advance the gospel to the ends of the earth in fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matt. 28; Acts 1:8).
I am sure the apostle Paul did not immediately think of his conversion in these terms, but then again most brand-new believers do not. In fact, there may be some of you here today who struggle with the idea that when you became a believer, you were then called to be a minister. It might sound a little shocking to hear that when God saved you, he not only called you to himself as a new son or daughter, but he also called you to enlist in his army as a minister.
You might be thinking that ministers are the ones who get paid to preach, or make hospital visits, or pray for the sick, or do counseling for marriages, or a whole other list of quote-un-quote “ministerial responsibilities”. But the reality (Biblically speaking) is that every believer is called to be a minister and the ones who are blessed to receive a paycheck for it are simply responsible for equipping “the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).
So, every church member is called to be a minister who does the work of ministry building up the body of Christ! Now, I imagine that not very many of you walked in here today wondering what process you should go through to become a minister of the gospel. Most believers wake up on Sunday mornings just hoping to make it to a church gathering with their family intact and looking presentable. Many of those same believers show up to Sunday gatherings looking for some kind of rejuvenation after a long week and being in a Sunday gathering can definitely be rejuvenating.
But the challenge for us this morning is to think about how the apostle Paul was made into a minister of the gospel as a member of God’s army and how that making of a minister should apply to us. Think about how radically transforming it could be for every member in a church to show up on Sunday mornings (and every other day for that matter) believing that they are part of an army and that they are called to be ministers of the gospel who advance the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.
What if every member of every church throughout the world began to ask: “how do I become a minister of the gospel” or “how do I enlist in God’s army” or “what do I need to do to be made into a minister”. As I look at our text for today, I see a description of the things that God put the apostle Paul through immediately following his conversion that made him into the minister that God had designed him to be. And as we look at what happens in our text, I think we can glean some basic principles for the making of every church member into ministers of the gospel.
19For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
23When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
#1: MINISTERS ARE MADE IN COMMUNITY (V. 19)
The first thing I notice in the text is that ministers are made in community. Lone Ranger Christians – those who say they have no need to be part of the church or refuse to commit to a church family – simply are not following the biblical pattern we observe throughout the Scriptures. When you follow the apostle Paul’s development as a believer and a minister of the gospel, you will find that he was constantly immersing himself in the church community.
Here in verse 19 Luke tells us that “For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus”, further down in verse 25 we see that the disciples in his community were the ones who rescued him from those who sought to kill him, and then when he arrived in Jerusalem in verse 26 he attempted to join the church community. All throughout Paul’s ministry, he surrounded himself in community with other disciples who were on the same mission to advance the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth.
I personally think that living in community with other humans can be a huge blessing, but it can also be very difficult. Living in community (regularly participating in the large and small group gatherings of the church) can be a huge blessing because you gain friendships, support, coaching, mentoring, shared experiences, and a whole list of other benefits.
It can also be difficult because you will not like everyone, and everyone will not like you; not to mention the fact that it is a sacrifice to live in community – you have to sacrifice time and treasure mostly. The problem I often see is that many of us resist community because of the difficulty. But in doing so, we reject the blessings that come from sacrifice. Can you imagine what kind of minister Paul would have been made into if he had resisted community? Members and ministers are made in community with other believers. If you are lacking in this area, I encourage you to make it a priority to get involved or start your own community ASAP!
#2: MINISTERS ARE MADE AS THEY PROCLAIM CHRIST (VV. 20 – 22)
The second thing I notice in the text is that ministers are made as they proclaim Christ. I do not think it is a hard pitch to say that ministers are made “to” proclaim Christ, but I also think that ministers are made “as” they proclaim Christ. This is what I would refer to as “on the job training”!
In verses 20 – 22 Luke tells us that Paul “immediately… proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ And all who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul [Paul] increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” The bottom line here is that Paul was being made into a minister as he proclaimed Christ and it was through the very act of proclaiming Christ that he “increased all the more in strength” (v. 22). In other words, Paul grew as a minister as he proclaimed Jesus!
I think we often believe that the best way to grow as ministers of the gospel is to go to seminary or to read a bunch of books. While seminary and reading are very good disciplines for growing as a believer (we might remember that Paul had the best seminary education according to Acts 22:3 and Gal. 1:14), it is vital for our growth as ministers of the gospel to put our knowledge into action. You and I could study the ins and outs of physical health all day but until we get into the gym and begin eating healthier, we will never grow.
The same Bible that instructs us to “study to show yourself approved as a worker [minister] who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15) also teaches us to “be ready in season and out of season… preach the word… reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching” (2 Tim. 4:2.) And we are also encouraged to always be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you… with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).
The moral of the story here is that ministers do not get made in the back hallways of biblical libraries only. Ministers get made as they proclaim Christ everywhere they go. Most of the time I think believers get stunted in their growth as ministers of the gospel because they obey fear and insecurity instead of obeying the God who promises to be with us and to give us his very own Spirit when we proclaim him wherever we go (Matt. 28; Acts 1:8).
Trusting God’s promises of provision will always produce growth in ministers of the gospel whereas obeying fear will always produce immaturity. Can you imagine if the apostle Paul had resisted the opportunity to proclaim Christ? What kind of believer or minister would Paul have been if he had obeyed fear instead of trusting in the promises of God? Ministers get made as they proclaim Christ!
#3: MINISTERS ARE MADE THROUGH PERSECUTION (VV. 23 – 25)
The third thing I notice in the text is that ministers are made through persecution and hardship. Luke tells us in verses 23 – 25 that “When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill [Paul], but their plot became known to [him]. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket”.
Most of us spend our lives working to preserve the quality of our lives while avoiding life threatening situations. But the pattern of making someone into a minister of the gospel will always include some danger and persecution. After all, we are waging a war against the forces of darkness in this world when we proclaim Christ crucified, risen, and returning (Eph. 6).
In this case with the apostle Paul, most scholars believe that the phrase “When many days had passed” (v. 23) refers to roughly three years later after Paul had withdrawn to the desert in Arabia to spend time with Jesus (Gal. 1:15 – 18) possibly under the shadow of Mount Sinai which was the precise place where Moses was made into a minister as well.3
So, there is something to this principle that God makes us into ministers as we experience persecution and suffering but it is also important to notice that our ability to endure that kind of ministerial development (training through the fire like Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego) will only be as effective as the time we spend alone with Jesus.4
The reality here is that Paul did eventually escape from the city with the help of his disciples who lowered him over the city wall in a basket (v. 25). This was not an act of cowardice but an act of wisdom. Cowards do not typically get death threats because they do not typically live courageously enough to make any enemies. Paul had made enemies who wanted to kill him, and it was an act of sheer humility in dependence upon his community of believers that he wisely escaped the city with his life intact.
Ultimately, we must think about what happens in our growth as ministers of the gospel when we experience persecution and suffering for preaching the gospel. Similar to how lifting weights tears the muscles and then as they repair themselves, they become stronger and more effective; the same is true of us when we experience persecution and suffering at the hands of enemies of the gospel. The very suffering you may be avoiding right now, might be the very tool the Lord wants to use to further your growth as a minister of the gospel.
#4: MINISTERS ARE MADE THROUGH COMMENDATION (VV. 26 – 30)
The fourth and final thing I notice in the text is that ministers are made through commendation. Commendation is what happens when someone commends you for a job, similar to what references on a job application do for you.
In verses 26 – 30 Luke tells us that Paul made his way to Jerusalem to hook up with the disciples there. But the disciples were afraid of him. So, Barnabas, the encourager from Acts 4:36 – 37, went and met with Paul and then commended him to the rest of the church in Jerusalem so that he could continue preaching Jesus boldly throughout the city which eventually results in him amassing even more enemies who wanted to kill him. So, the church whisked him out of town and sent him back to his hometown so that the church could have some peace and quiet.
The bottom line here is that Barnabas is the one who commended Paul as a minister of the gospel to the rest of the church. Once again, there is no such thing as “Lone Ranger Christianity”. What you know is not as important as being known and you cannot be known if you are not pursuing relationships in community with other believers. Just think about how intentional and risky it was not only for Paul to pursue relationship with the disciples in Jerusalem but also for how risky and intentional it was for Barnabas to pursue friendship with Paul.
Do you have people like Barnabas in your life that will commend you as a minister of the gospel? Who are you being a Barnabas to right now? Commendation is something that flows out of friendship, and it is something that is absolutely vital to your growth not only as a believer but also as a minister of the gospel.
CONCLUSION…
In conclusion, we have learned that God’s pathway for making ministers includes things like a radical commitment to biblical community, proclaiming Christ every chance you get, experiencing persecution and suffering, and having the commendation of other believers around you. When God chooses to make a minister of the gospel, he does it through a pattern of what we would call “on-the-job-training”. And through this development plan, God advances his Kingdom to the ends of the earth.
This “kingdom-advancing” plan is actually the only reason for God to make ministers out of sinners in the first place. The results of well-made ministers can be seen the final verse of our text in verses 31where Luke says that “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
The church advanced and multiplied because God made a minister out of a terrorist. If the church suffers inadequate growth today it is because not enough believers heed the call to be ministers. I do not know what part of this sermon you need to listen to and obey but I do know this, God has a plan for you. If you do not know him yet, you are not too far gone for him to save and to enlist in his army; Paul’s story is proof of this!
If you are a believer but you have been sitting on the bench, maybe it is time for you to get off the bench and pick up your cross and enter God’s ministerial training program. Get yourself in regular community, start proclaiming Christ everywhere you go, endure through the suffering that is certain to come your way, and take heart in the commendation you receive from other believers. Finally, be encouraged by the truth that on this journey you will be following in the footsteps of your crucified, risen, and returning Savior! – Amen!
1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).
2 Kent, Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1996), 133 – 140.
3 Ibid., 134.
4 Ibid., 135 – 138.