[Peter Eddington] Who was the famous Lone Ranger?  You've heard of him, no doubt.  As an Australian, when I first heard about him, I thought he was a real person and that they had made movies and written books about a real guy.  But I found out that the Lone Ranger is a fictional character, a former Texas Ranger wearing a mask and he fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend, Tonto.  The character has become quite an enduring icon of American culture.  The Lone Ranger was given his name because he was the lone survivor of a group of six Texas Rangers.  And when we use the term, Lone Ranger, we're most often referring to someone who tries to go it alone.  Have you ever tried to go it alone?  Are there times when you don't need anybody's help – when you don't even need God's help?  Can you make it through the day under your own steam? 

Let's switch thoughts here for a moment.  We're all quite familiar with three missionary journeys that the apostle Paul took throughout the Roman Empire.  And these three journeys are famously depicted on charts and maps.  They're probably in the back of your Bible – a map showing the three missionary journeys the apostle Paul took.  And, of course, they're studied in depth in Bible schools, right here at Ambassador Bible College, but there was an original journey that the apostle Paul took that I want us to take a look at and you don't see charts and maps necessarily for this one. 

I've titled today's sermon 'What You Need To Know About The Apostle Paul's Real First Journey'.  What you need to know about the apostle Paul's real first journey.  That's not the one you find listed in the back of your Bible as Paul's first journey.  There's a connection to the Lone Ranger here, too, as we go along.  The apostle Paul is credited with writing a huge portion of the New Testament and he collaborated with numerous scribes and other authors in bringing the gospel message to billions of people through the written word that we now hold dear and know as the Bible.  A great portion of this was authored by the apostle Paul.  But being part of a collaborative church community of believers around the Roman Empire, was not how it all started for the apostle Paul.  It didn't all start out that way for him.  It started out with him all alone – very alone – a Lone Ranger. 

I like to call this Paul's actual first journey.  So on this journey, what cities did Paul visit, because you don't find it commonly reported upon or maps created for distribution.  Let's turn to Acts chapter 9.  This journey includes some very important points for us to consider.  So let's get to the beginning of it at Jerusalem.  Let's find out what we need to know about the apostle Paul's real first journey. 

And at this point, his name is actually called Saul, not Paul.  Saul.  Look at Acts, chapter 9 and verses 1 and 2.

Acts 9:1 - Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest...  right there in Jerusalem

Verse 2 - and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus so that if he found any who were of the Way...  there  ...whether men or women, he might bring them back bound to Jerusalem.

And you will recall that in Acts chapter 7 after the deacon, Stephen, was murdered, witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.  And this is him.  And so here we see in verse 1 he is threatening murder against other disciples and brethren.  And he says, “I'm going to go up to Damascus now, too.”  So with official letters from the High Priest and the Sanhedrin in his hand, Saul was headed up the road to Damascus to threaten and imprison those of the Way.  So, they weren't call Christians yet at this point.  They were called 'those of the Way'.  Saul had heard that certain of the Way had escaped to Damascus to get out of Jerusalem.  And so he asked for letters, official documents that he might go up there and extradite the newly converted Jews.  It's about 170 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus.  Of course, that's in the area of Syria today, right, where we see so much strife and conflict.  So it's quite a trip to prepare for.  He'd need some cash in hand for food and accommodations along the way.  And if he walked at a steady pace of 3 miles an hour – every hour – it would take sixty hours of non-stop walking or well over a week walking at 8 hours a day.  So it's quite a journey and there was no Uber chariot service back then.  He was walking. 

And this leads us to the first of four main points I want us to consider here today.  What you need to know about the apostle Paul's first real journey – Point #1 – Seeing Christ Face To Face.  Seeing Christ face to face.  Go to Acts 9, now verse 3.

Acts 9:3 – As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Verse 4 - Then he fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

Verse 5 - And he...  Saul  ...said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  Now, of course, at this time Jesus has been resurrected and is now in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father.  And Jesus now speaks from there to Saul.

And so verse 6 – So he...  Saul  ...trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."   So in this passage we have the most famous conversion story perhaps in history.  First he persecuted Christians in Jerusalem and now he's heading up to Damascus to put a stop to them there.

And verse 7 - And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.   So Saul's only companions were probably the officers of the Sanhedrin, a kind of police force or security guard contingent that was walking or traveling with him.  But because Saul was a Pharisee, he would have kept his distance from the Sadducees and so he was probably walking alone there beside the group.

Verse 8 - Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

Verse 9 - And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.   So after losing his sight, Saul went into Damascus led by the hand, blind and helpless. 

Now up to this moment, Saul had been doing what he liked, what he thought best, and what he dictated and he had the power of the Jewish leadership behind him in threatening and even participating in murder of the Christians.  But now we're about to see him realize there's a much higher power than he was yet ready to admit.  He was a person now very alone, hungry as he entered the city of Damascus.  And the companions that were with him were speechless.  They heard God talking to him.  They didn't see anybody, it says in verse 7, but they heard this voice talking to Saul. 

Verse 10 here of Acts 9 – Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias." And he...  Ananias  ...said, "Here I am, Lord."

Verse 11 - So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas...  and look  ...for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.

Verse 12 - And in a vision he...  Saul  ...has seen a man named Ananias...   he's seen you in a vision, Ananias, ...coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."

Verse 13 - Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.

Verse 14 - And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."   Ananias is saying, 'I'm afraid of this guy.  I don't think I want to put my hand on his shoulder.'  But the Lord said to him...

In verse 15 – "Go...  and here's the amazing message here, ..."Go, for he...  Saul  ...is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.   So Saul here is to be converted and called now into the faith and become a huge part of God's work.

Verse 16 - For I will show him...  though  ...how many things he must suffer for My name's sake."   So Ananias was told that it's not going to be easy for us all, just so you know.  He's going to suffer a lot.

Verse 17 - And Ananias went his way and entered the house...  that would have been the house of Judas  ...and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Verse 18 - Immediately there fell from his...  Saul's  ...eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.  So he's filled with the Holy Spirit, now he's become baptized and he's converted.  Those three days without food and blind and alone led to his conversion and Jesus Christ talking with him.  So when he had received food, he was strengthened...

Verse 19 ...Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.

Verse 20 -   Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.   Of course, to this day the Jews do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they are still looking for the Messiah.  But Paul was converted and now preached Jesus as the Messiah.

Verse 21 - Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on...Jesus' ...name in Jerusalem, and has come here now for that purpose, so that he might bring...us ...bound to the chief priests?"  Isn't this the same guy?

Later in Acts chapter 22, Paul recounts his whole experience again – being struck down blind on the road to Damascus.  You may want to read it for yourself later perhaps to glean a few more details.  But it's mentioned in Acts 22 as well – this story. 

But here in Acts chapter 9, this is Luke's account of what happened to Saul after his conversion.  But if you want to have the chronology of the whole period in mind, we must also read Paul's own account of this - not Luke's account, but Paul's account of this in Galatians chapter 1.  Let's look over in Galatians chapter 1 because Saul adds another city that's not mentioned here in Acts 9.  He adds another city to his real first journey, as I've come to call it.  This city is not mentioned in Acts.  Galatians 1, verse 1.  He is writing to the Galatians and he said, 

Galatians 1:1 –  This is Paul, an apostle (…  he says, I'm an apostle  ...not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father...  He is saying “I've been given this assignment by Jesus and God the Father, not by any man.”)

Verse 2 - And he says this letter is to all  ...the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:

So that's how he begins his letter to the Galatians.  And to the people of Galatia, people came saying that Paul was not really an apostle, that they need not listen to what he has to say.  And based on Paul's earlier work under the same, Saul, they'd have good reason to doubt that he was really an apostle, wouldn't they?  They based their skepticism on the fact that he had not been one of the original twelve apostles to start with.  And he had also been the most brutal of all the persecutors of the church.  And on top of that, he carried letters of support from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.  How could he be an apostle?  But they hadn't yet seen his conversion.  So Paul makes a statement that he is an apostle and received that authority from Jesus Christ Himself, not from any man.  So how did that happen?  He said he owed his apostleship to no man, but to a day when he had met Jesus Christ. 

Look at verse 11 here in Galatians 1 - But I make known to you, brethren...  he's talking to the Galatian brethren  ...that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.   He said, I didn't make this stuff up, neither did any other man.

Verse 12 – For I neither received it from a man...  he said, “Nobody taught me this.  None of the other apostles taught me this.  None of the church members taught me this.  But I was taught through the  ...revelation of Jesus Christ...”  he says.

Verse 13 - For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.   And you bet they had all heard of his former conduct!  He had been the arch-persecutor of the church.  He had devastated the church and tried to destroy it.  And the word he uses here is the word for utterly sacking a city.  He had tried to eliminate the church like using Agent Orange on a forest – you know, stripping every bit of vegetation.  He tried to destroy the church.  He tried to eliminate it.  But now he's prepared to preach Christ to the entire earth, to spread and expand that church over the world.  And we see here that he's  not afraid to repeat the record of his sin.  He said, “I was the worst.”  This is in order to show God's power transforming him from the person he was to a new man now in Christ. 

Like I said, it's one of the most amazing conversion stories written down for us to look at.  Jesus Christ, Himself, chose Saul – here in Galatians, now called Paul – for this task and Paul thought of himself as chosen not for honor, not to be some bigwig, but he was chosen for service.  And not for a leisurely life now, but he was chosen for persecution.  And as you read his story later in Acts, you see how persecuted he was and how many times he was imprisoned and stoned and left for dead.  But as Jesus told Ananias, “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name sake.”  And Saul certainly suffered as he fought to preach the gospel now of God's kingdom. 

Look at verse 15 here in Galatians, chapter 1.  He's talking of his conversion and in trying to show why he's calling himself an apostle he says:

Galatians 1:15 – But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,

Verse 16 - to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood...  you know, I didn't receive this from any human.

It says, verse 17 - nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me...   I didn't go up and see James in Jerusalem to learn.  I didn't sit at his feet to hear the gospel or learn about Christ.  He says, no,   ...I went to Arabia, ... before I  ...returned again to Damascus.  And this is a city that is not mentioned in Acts, chapter 9.  He says, no, before all this, I went to Arabia.

Verse 18 – Then...  three years later  ...I went up to Jerusalem...   So Saul went to Arabia and then he was back in Damascus for three years after that.  He insisted that the gospel he preached was no secondhand tale.  He didn't hear it secondhand from the other apostles.  He said it had come directly to him from Jesus Christ back there in verse 12 and it appears that it was at this time, while he was in Arabia, that Saul met Christ and was directly taught.  And we're not told which part of the vast area of Arabia Saul went to.  It's not where Saudi Arabia is today, by the way.  But we can safely assume it was an area east of Damascus.  At that time, the area known as Arabia was where Syria is today and parts of Jordan.  It included Damascus and the region that was governed by Aretas.  Aretas governed Arabia, which included Damascus and parts east. 

Look at 1 Corinthians 9, verse 1.  Let's look at some supporting verses that also show Paul being taught directly by God and not by the other apostles and then which led to him being called an apostle. 

1 Corinthians 9:1 - Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?   He says, “Haven't I seen Jesus Christ?”  And he claimed that he had. 

1 Corinthians 15, if we go a few chapters further along, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 6 through 8.  Paul tells the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 15:6 - After that He...  Jesus, after the resurrection  ...was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom...  many remain to the present, but some have died   ...the greater part remain to the present, but some have...  died  ...fallen asleep.   He said many of those five hundred were alive when he was writing this to the Corinthians.

Verse 7 - After that He...  Jesus  ...was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

Verse 8 - Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.  So Paul says the apostles saw Jesus after His resurrection and he said, “Later on, I saw Him, too, but at a different time than everyone else.” 

And now look at 2 Corinthians, chapter 12.  Here's a really interesting discussion by Paul.  Here in 2 Corinthians 12 he's talking in the third person, but he's actually talking about himself.  He doesn't say 'me', he says, there was this guy.  Right?  Kind of like when, you know, someone's counseling about a problem, they say, “I have a friend and they have this problem...”  And you realize they are talking about themselves.  Right? 

2 Corinthians 12:1 - It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord:   The Weymouth translation says, but I will proceed to visions and revelations granted me by the Lord.  He say, I'm going to tell you now what the Lord told me.

Verse 2 - I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago...  so Paul's talking about himself here, right?  ...whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know...  he said,  ...God knows...  He is saying, I'm not sure if it was a vision or if this really happened to this person, he said,  ...such a one was caught up to the third heaven.  So he says, I don't know if I was really there or not or if this was a vision, but I went to the third heaven, I went to God's throne.

Verse 3 - And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, but God knows—

Verse 4 - how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.   He heard the words of God there in the third heaven when he was caught up into paradise.

And in verse 5 he says - Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities.   I will boast about my weakness, but not about this.

Verse 6 - For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

Verse 7 - And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations...  He is saying not many people go to the third heaven for direct training by the Lord, so I don't want to get the big head here.  He is saying, so there was this other guy that went.  And he's saying, I'm trying not to be a fool or boast about this, you know.  He says, I don't want you to think of me more than you should either, just because I said I went and saw Christ.  But he says here in verse 7 so that I don't get a big head - a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.   God kept me humble, made me remember that I am just a human being with weaknesses and failings and aches and pains – lest I get the big head.

And verse 8 - Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.   I asked Him to take away this thorn in the flesh three times.

The Lord said to me, no, Verse 9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in your weakness."   …  And Paul says, ...Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Verse 10 - Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

To the Corinthians here Paul is laying out his credentials, but wishes that he didn't have to do so.  He tells them an experience that seems to be miraculous – I know a man, he says – and the man is himself.  And yet Paul can look at the man who had this amazing experience with a kind of out-of-body experience.  He said, “I had a kind of out-of-body experience.  I went to paradise.  I went to the third heaven.”

And it's very difficult to guess exactly what happened to Paul.  This could very well have been happening at the time that he spent in Arabia when he said he was taught directly by Jesus Christ.  He speaks of the third heaven, which we do understand to be God's throne, or being in the very presence of God. 

William Barclay points out in his book simply called 'Second Corinthians', the book of Second Corinthians, in the chapter 12 section about this verse 7 and verse 4 here, Barclay says, “The word, paradise, comes from a Persian word which means a walled garden.”  That's why I think Eden is called the paradise of the garden of Eden.  It is a walled garden.  And Barclay says, “When a Persian king wished to confer a very special honor on someone especially dear to him, he made him a companion of the garden.  It gave him the right to walk in the royal gardens with the king in intimate companionship.  In this experience, as never before and never again, Paul has been the companion of God.”  That is from Barclay.

In this passage, Paul lays bare his heart to the Corinthians including his pain of a thorn in the flesh in verse 7.  What was it?  Many answers have been given, but non of them are certain.  Many of them focus on debilitating chronic health conditions.  Let me just quickly offer one possibility of many that people have come up with.  Look at Galatians, chapter 4, verses 13-15.  The apostle Paul may have suffered from eye trouble.  After being struck down by Jesus Christ on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, he was blind for three days, you remember.  It may be that his eyes never fully recovered after that.  Paul said of the Galatians that they would have plucked out their eyes and given them to him if they could. 

Galatians 4:13 - You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first.

Verse 14 - And my trial which was in my flesh...  the thorn that was in my flesh  ...you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.

Verse 15 - What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.  They would have done anything for him, even giving him their own eyes if they could.  So you wonder why they said that. 

Look at Galatians 6, verse 11.  At the end of Galatians Paul writes this in Galatians 6 and verse 11.  It's almost as if he was himself one who could hardly see.  

Galatians 6:11 - See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!   The Bible in Basic English says, See the size of my handwriting, which I have myself made use of in writing to you. 

You know what it's like when you get older and need bifocals – you kind of hold it back, on the computer screen you make the font 14 point and 16 point and 18 point.  You need a larger font size when you get older and Paul said, “I know I write big now.” 

So whatever happened when Saul spent time in Arabia, whatever the thorn in his flesh, after that he was deeply committed to the gospel message and preaching about his new Savior, Jesus Christ.  And it was a life-changing experience.  He became fully converted and was nothing like the original Saul who devastated the early Christian church.  He became a new man.  He put off the old self and later he even changed his name.  I think I would have, too. 

Look at Acts, chapter 9 now.  We'll go back to Acts chapter 9.  Let's continue in verse 22. 

Acts 9:22 - But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus...  he got them thinking, “What is this?”  ...proving that this Jesus is the Christ.   And it confounded them.  Saul preached boldly in Damascus after he returned from Arabia.  And in that city there were many Jews and many synagogues.  It was in these synagogues that Saul first preached about Christ.  And lest we minimize what it entailed for him to get up there in the synagogue and say these things, it took the greatest of courage.  You say, why?  What's the big deal about getting up and preaching a sermon in Damascus in a synagogue?  It was to these very synagogues that Saul had planned to carry the cease and desist letters from the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem.  It would have been much easier to start his preaching somewhere else.  It took great courage to begin his ministry right in the very city from which he had next planned to destroy the church members.  He was going to bind them, shackle them, carry them up to Jerusalem to be prosecuted.  The vernacular we would use today would be something like Paul had to go back to Damascus and face his demons.  Look at verse 23 because as we know, it didn't all go well.  While the Christians appreciated the message, the rest of the Jewish community did not.

Verse 23 -  Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him.

Verse 24 - But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.

Verse 25 - Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Paul refers to this happening in his second letter to the Corinthians, as well.  It's in 2 Corinthians, chapter 11, verse 32 if you want to turn over there.  Remember, Damascus was ruled and governed by Aretas and his rule extended from Damascus east of the Jordan River into the area that was called Arabia.  And Aretas' governed area extended south to even where Petra is.  Maybe Paul even spent time near Petra when he was taught directly by Christ.  We don't know.  But that was also in Arabia. 

2 Corinthians 11:32 – In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison...  so the Romans had a garrison there,   ...and they desired to arrest me;  Paul says.

Verse 33 - but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

So for three years Saul worked in and preached in Damascus and the Jews were so determined to kill him that they even set a guard on the gates to stop him from getting out of town, so they could keep track of him.  And the ancient cities were walled cities back then.  The walls were often even wide enough at the top for a chariot to ride around the top of the walls.  And on these walls there were houses whose windows often projected out over the wall.  And in the dead of night Paul was taken into one of these houses, let down with rope in a basket and smuggled out of Damascus and sent on his way to his next stop in his real first journey.  So Saul's – or Paul's – real first journey began in Jerusalem, took him up to Damascus, then out to Arabia and back to Damascus, and now he flees down the city wall and heads to – guess where – Jerusalem.  He's heading straight back into the lions den and he has more personal reconciliation to face.  Acts 9 verse 26 is where we'll pick up the story here. 

Acts 9:26 - And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples...  James and the others were there, Peter, in Jerusalem.  ...but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

Verse 27 – But...  good old  ...Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he...  Barnabas  ...declared to them how he...  Saul  ...had seen the Lord on the road...  to Damascus, ...and that He...  Jesus  ...had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.   So Barnabas said, “This guy is a changed man now.  I think we can trust him.”

Verse 28 - So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.   So Saul got accepted by the disciples there in Jerusalem by the rest of the apostles.

Verse 29 - And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.   The Hellenists were the Greek speaking Jews. 

So Saul knew that Stephen had been murdered right there for being a Christian.  In fact, he had helped do it.  He knew what he had intended to do to the Christians up in Damascus and he knew what would happen now to him that he was a Christian.  Clearly, just as Jesus promised, the way was not going to be easy for Saul and Ananias was told that by Jesus.  So when he arrived in Jerusalem he tried to make contact with the disciples and they are all afraid of him because they didn't believe he was truly a disciple.  It was in this very city that he had tried to destroy the church and drag men and women into prison.  He talked and debated with the Greek speaking Jews and they, then, wanted to murder him.

Verse 30 - When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

So when we put the two accounts together from here in Acts and from Galatians chapter 1, we find that the chain of events of Paul's first journey runs like this: 

1. He is converted on the road to Damascus.
2. He preaches in Damascus.
3. Then he goes away to Arabia.
4. He returns and preaches in Damascus for three years.
5. Then he goes to Jerusalem.
6. He escapes from Jerusalem now to Caesarea.
7. He returns to the region of Tarsus in the province of Cilicia.

Where was Saul from?  Tarsus.  That was his hometown.  So out of Jerusalem he is smuggled by the brethren to Caesarea and on to Tarsus.  It was there that he had been brought up.  There lived his friends from childhood – his high school buddies, his college classmates.  And now, though, they would regard him with deep suspicion – friends no longer.  They were wary of him.  But once again he followed his conscience and his need to redeem himself, to face his past head on.  He goes back to his native city to tell them that now he believes in Jesus, that he's a changed man.  He says, “I'm a Christian now.  I'm a follower of the Way.”  And he preaches that his transformation all came about by his new Savior, Jesus Christ.  And these would have been fighting words in Tarsus in the Jewish community.  They could get you killed. 

Back in Galatians chapter 1, we read a parallel account of this about the final part of Paul's first journey.  Galatians 1:18 now.

Galatians 1:18 he says, - Then after three years...  in Damascus, we read that earlier,  ...I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with...  Peter for  ...fifteen days.

Verse 19 - But I saw none of the other apostles except James, Jesus' brother.

Verse 21 - Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.   Cilicia is like the county where Tarsus is.  It's the region where Tarsus is.

He says, verse 22 - And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ.

Verse 23 - But they were hearing only, "He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy."   Saying this guy's had an amazing turnaround.

Verse 24 - And they glorified God in me.

Paul took his life in his hands.  His former friends, the Jews, would be out for blood here in his hometown, because to them he was a traitor.  His former victims, though, the Christians, might be wary of him, as well, and ostracize him unable to believe he was really a changed man.  But instead, what we see in verse 24, is the brethren glorifying God in him.  They saw the powerful work of Jesus Christ in this man's life.  He was a changed person.  He was a changed man.  And if you want to make a note of it, it's in Acts 13 and verse 9 that we first read that Saul was also called Paul.  Acts 13, verse 9 is where we read that Saul was also called Paul.  From that point forward, then, it's just Paul after that.  A total transformation from the person he once was has taken place and it's more than just a name change.  He had literally been with Christ.  Jesus spoke to him directly on the road to Damascus at the beginning of this journey.  And then later on, Paul was taught one-on-one during his trip to Arabia where he said he was caught up in paradise – caught up to the third heaven.

So this is the main point today – seeing Christ face to face – and it's a long point.  The next three are very short.  The next three relate to us.  But this is the main Point #1 – Seeing Christ Face To Face.

So here's Point #2 of what you need to know about the apostle Paul's real first journey.  And it's a question for you.  Have You Seen Christ?  Have you seen Christ?  Now, I don't mean to ask if you've been swept up into heaven, or been struck down, had Jesus speak with you directly.  In fact, these days if someone says, 'I hear voices in my head,' you should put them on lithium or something.  But have you come to see Jesus Christ and God, the Father, working in your life?  Is it real to you?  Do you live this way of life with the kind of passion that the apostle Paul did – completely foregoing your past, facing your personal shortcomings, as we'd say today, your demons? 

Look at Ephesians 3, verses 8 and 9.  Here Paul writes to the Ephesian brethren.  Of course, it's one of the churches mentioned in Revelation, one of the seven churches in Revelation, in those prophecies. 

Ephesians 3:8 - To me,...  Paul says,  ...who am less than the least of all the saints...  he really beat himself up over what he used to be.  ...who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

In verse 9 he says, here is what I was supposed to do. - to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;   He said, “My mission was to make everyone see what I saw.”  And in many respects, that is the mission of the church today when we preach the good news of the kingdom of God.  We want all to see the mystery of the gospel clearly.  We want all to come to see Jesus Christ living and working in their lives.  So I ask again, have you seen Christ?  Do you see the mystery that has been hidden in God and is now made plain through Jesus Christ?  I believe that yes, when converted we can truly say, “I've seen.  I know.  I understand.”  We see God working in us every day – hopefully not striking us down blind, but guiding our conscience, pointing out where we need to change as we are filled with the Holy Spirit. 

And now here is point #3 of what you need to know about the apostle Paul's real first journey.  And I'll title it Point #3 – Not In Vain, The Lesson Of This Journey.  Not in vain, the lesson of this journey.  We're going to turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15.  I believe that one of the greatest lessons from studying Paul's first journey that led him into the faith is that God can work with all of us, even the least of us.  Paul saw himself as the least of the saints, we read a moment ago in verse 8 of Ephesians 3.  The least worthy, he said, because of his sins against the church and his sins against Christ.  Now look at 1 Corinthians15, verses 9 and 10.  Once again, he says:

1 Corinthians 15:9 - For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy...  even  ...to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But look at verse 10 - But by the grace of God I am...  now  ...what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain...  he says, because  ...I labored...  even  ...more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 

You see, none of us are worthy and yet the grace of God and the blood of Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to reconcile our sins and shortcomings.  But what I really like in verse 10 is that Paul says God's grace toward him was not in vain.  He said, “I even labored then more abundantly as a result.  I even tried harder as a result of God's grace.”  And he says, “Actually it wasn't me, but it was God's grace working in me.”  He said, “It's nothing I did.  It was God working in me.”  He said it was God in him that made it possible.  It was not of himself, because of himself, there would have been a whole lot more dead Christians.  It was God that changed him. 

We need to insure that God's grace toward each of us is not in vain, that He's not wasting his effort on us, that we are laboring more abundantly.  We need to be diligent, steadfast and resolute in our faith, just as the apostle Paul was.  It's an amazing story.  God's grace toward you and me must not be in vain.  In fact, it should make us labor harder in our daily study, prayer and relationship with God.  It's God in us through the power of the Holy Spirit that makes it possible.  It's not under our own steam. 

This is perhaps the greatest lesson of Paul's journey on the road to Damascus and his resulting Christian life.  God calling him was not in vain.  And God calling us must not be in vain. 

Now, here's Point #4 in what you need to know about the apostle Paul's real first journey – Collaboration.  #4 I've called collaboration.  This gets us back to the story of the Lone Ranger.  Being part of the collaborative church community around the Roman Empire was not how it all began for Paul when he was called Saul.  It started out with him all alone.  Very alone.  Blind and hungry, as we have seen.  But that's not how it ended up.  I like reading the acknowledgments in a book or at the end of a movie – do you ever read the acknowledgments?  To my mom or to my kids or at the end of the movie they list all of the people who helped with the movie – the town, the mayor, the police department, city of New York or whatever it was, they have these acknowledgments at the end.  Right?  Paul did that with his letters, too.  He had acknowledgments.  There's a myth that authors are solitary geniuses who go off to a mountain cabin and concoct a masterpiece.  They often hide in a cave somewhere and come up with a best seller.  It's not how it is.  Good books, even today, are the product of collaboration.  Even famous people have ghost writers and coauthors.  There are a couple of really good history books written Bill O'Reilly, you know, from FOX News, that are being used in history classes in school now on Lincoln and Kennedy and others, right?  But he had a ghost writer.  It's another man's name on the cover with him.  It was a collaborative effort.  He didn't do it by himself. 

Well, we see this in the Bible, as well, especially at the end of Paul's letters.  I'm not going to turn there, but Romans 16 is a really good example of this - the end of the book of Romans.  Sometime read chapter 16.  Paul greets twenty-nine people by name, as well as many others included in general terms like 'the church', 'I greet the household', 'the other brothers and sisters and all the believers with them', he says.  And he describes the recipients as his co-workers and dear friends who work hard in the Lord.  I mean, like if I, you know, move back to Australia or something and I send a letter back and I said, 'Say hi to the Griffiths and the Kennebecks and the Phelps, and – you know.'  Paul did that at the end of his letter.  He also mentions his immediate companions and co-workers.  He mentions Tertius, who wrote the letter down.  Tertius had the pen.  Phoebe, who delivered the letter to the Romans.  Gaius, who hosted Paul while he was there.  You know, gave him accommodations.  And he mentions other co-workers like Timothy and Sosipater.  In other words, Paul was no Lone Ranger in his work.  He was not an isolated individual.  He became part of an important Christian community. 

In the first century, letters such as Paul's were often written in a communal setting.  Several people probably worked in the room together interacting with material as it was composed.  And because of the expense of writing supplies, you didn't want to make mistakes.  You couldn't just go down to Office Max or Office Depot and get another ream of paper.  You had to do it carefully and not make any mistakes.  Paul and his co-workers would have bounced ideas off of each other, honing and clarifying the concepts before carefully then setting these letters to paper that we now read.  While some epistles do give Paul authorship, others clearly show his teamwork.  Several epistles carry Timothy's name alongside Paul's.  The 1st and 2nd epistles to the Thessalonians were written jointly by Paul, Silas and Timothy.  1 Corinthians was coauthored with Sosthenes.  Galatians may reflect an even larger group since Paul says he wrote it 'with all the brothers and sisters with me'.  It was, you know, a group effort.  Even here at the Home Office when Mr. Kubik writes a letter from the President to us, several people copyedit it, proofread it, fix grammar, add some additional ideas he may not have thought of or delete something and say, “That's not going to sound right.”  And we lay it out in optimum fashion before we hit the send button on the email to everybody.  It's kind of like that with the apostle Paul, but it wasn't email, it was parchment and ink.  We're not isolated people merely doing our own thing.  We must remember that we are members of a larger body and we work best when we all work together on projects. 

Let's turn to Romans 12, verses 4 and 5 as we start to wrap things up here.  The apostle Paul says to the Romans in this letter that Phoebe delivered to them:

Romans 12:4 - For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function.

Verse 5 - so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.   Paul said we are a team.  We're all part of the body of Christ.  And so we ask, are you part of the team?  Is your work collaborative because we must not be a Lone Ranger, but be contributing members of the body of Christ. 

So, as we conclude, this was the apostle Paul's real first journey to me – not the three famous missionary ones that are on maps in the back of your Bible.  We ask, what did he learn from it all?  Here's one thing he learned.  Amazingly the apostle Paul was responsible for listing for us and categorizing for us the very heart and core of Christianity in the form of two verses in the Bible that we turn to almost every Sabbath – the fruits of the spirit.  And that listing is there now for all of humanity to read – for the billions of people on this earth to consider and meditate on ever since he wrote it -  Galatians 5, verses 22 and 23.  He says:

Galatians 5:22 - The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Verse 23 - gentleness, self-control...  He says,  ...against such there is no law. 

In those two verses, the apostle Paul categorizes and summarizes the very core of being a Christian – very, very inspired words.  Have you seen Christ?  Do you see God in these fruits in your life?  Does God see these fruits in you?  Because by their fruits you will know them.  Do you see the mystery that has been hidden in God and is now made plain through Jesus Christ?  I believe yes.  We can say we have seen and we do see Christ working in us, speaking to us, teaching us - especially through this word that we study each day. 

We, too, need to insure that God's grace toward each of us is not in vain, that He's not wasting His effort on us.  We do not want to be struck down before we get serious about what we believe.  We need to be diligent, steadfast and resolute in our faith no matter what got us to this point.  We put the old man behind us just like the apostle Paul did in a great way.  So this is what we all need to know about and consider when we look at the apostle Paul's first real journey in the faith.