Changed
Did it ever occur to you that the revelation that Paul recorded changed Paul and it is the same revelation that is capable of changing us, dearly beloved?
Paul not only recorded the Church Epistles, the books of Romans through II Thessalonians, he believed the revelation.
He was a human being, the same as you and I, and he had a lot of baggage in his life. He was steeped in religion, a zealot of his religious-political views to the end he was willing to persecute and even kill followers of Christ.
The revelation of God's Word was more than just words to him; it was his life! Those words completely changed his outlook on everything.
Instead of being committed to his works, he embraced God's grace.
Instead of the law, he preached the gospel of God concerning Christ.
Instead of walking by his senses and his fleshly ability, he was led by the spirit of God and walked by believing.
Instead of living as who he had been, he believed who he was in Christ. Believing the Word of God concerning Christ and his accomplishments changed his life.
After he realized his Lord's love for him, he began to love as he loved him.
He forgave himself after he saw his God's forgiveness in Christ. He buried his past and lived like a dead man raised to life.
He was no longer shaped by his religious and political party, or by his personal views, his associates opinions, or anything else in this world.
He hid God's Word in his heart until it transformed him from chief sinner to the Apostle Paul.
These are the same words that have turned the world upside down ever since the Lord revealed them to him. These are powerful words; words with the power to change lives.
Making known these words cost Paul his worldly status, his worldly freedom, even his life. He left his elite status and profession as a Pharisee of the Pharisees to work with his hands and become an itinerant preacher witnessing to one person at a time and going from one fellowship to another for the furtherance of the gospel. Wouldn't you agree this was quite a change?
The next time you read the books that the Lord revealed to Paul, think about how these words changed him.
They have the power to change us too if we will receive them with humility, retain them with conviction, and release them with boldness and love as he did.
Put your other reading materials aside for 6 months and read and study the Church Epistles. You won't recognize the man you used to be if you will renew your thinking to who you are in Christ, beloved.