We all start out in life on the wrong path, and sometimes that path by the grace of God, we have
a head-on collision that encounters the risen Savior. My life started out on the wrong path as
well, and I had an encounter with the risen savior. I was a 9-year-old living the life of a typical
youthful kid. Not knowing that there was a creator God who knew my name and would call that
name one day. My biggest concern was what was for dinner each day that I lived, and where I
could find my next monster to make up stories about. The main character in our story today
wasn’t looking for a meal or a monster, as a matter-of-fact scripture says in Acts 9:1-2
KJV “And Saul yet breathing out threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord,
went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he
found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem. Tony Evans in his commentary says “the book of Romans is the clearest and most
beautiful explanation of the gospel ever written. So, it is no surprise that Paul begins in the first
verse, my talking about it. Paul was called by God to bring about the obedience of faith for the
sake of his name among all the Gentiles. in other words, he was not to focus on taking the gospel
to his fellow Jew (though he began there), but to the Gentiles. [1.] Tony Evans Bible
Commentary PPg. 1116.
Step 1: What one theme, principle, or concept in the course is the most significant to you
personally? Why is it significant? Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus. It is significant,
because of how the Lord took one of Satan’s best weapons and made him into one of God’s best
preachers. Acts 9:4-6 KJV “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus
whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and
astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go
into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” William MacDonald in his
commentary says “in order to appreciate Saul’s emotion at this time, it is necessary to remember
that he was convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was dead and buried in a Judean grave. since the
leader of the sect had been destroyed, all that was now necessary was to destroy his followers
then the earth would be free of this scourge. [2.] Believers Bible Commentary William
MacDonald Copyright 2016 Thomas Nelson Nashville Tennessee, All Rights Reserved.
Step 2: What portion(s) of the course brought this theme/principle/concept to light?
Romans 1:9-11KJV Says “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of
his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will
of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be
established;” Tony Evans says in his commentary “Paul deeply desired to go to Rome, much so
that he was always asking in his prayers for God to allow it. Why what's Paul So insistent on
seeing the Roman believers? He wanted to impart to them some spiritual gifts to strengthen
them. He wanted to have a spiritual impact on them and bring them spiritual benefit so that their
ministry would be even stronger and their growth even deeper [2.] Tony Evans Bible
Commentary PPg. 1116. What intrigued me about the book of Romans 1is the apostle Paul and
how the Lord did not allow him to go to his own people the Jews at first but to the Gentiles
believers. I began my ministry in September 1986 in Radcliff Ky, while on active duty in the
U.S. Army. The Lord had spoken to my heart at a very young age about preaching the gospel. I
ran from my calling for years, and just as the apostle Paul was knocked down flat on his back
looking up at the risen savior. The Lord also knocked me down and I looked up at him and
answered the call I had run from for years.
However, I was not allowed to go back home and preach the gospel to the people I grew up with
for many of years, if after going back home I could not stay there, my ministry has been mostly
to the down trotted and drug addicted, homeless, and poverty stricken people of the east coast.
This letter is written by the apostle Paul who was an Israelite from Tarsus. At the commencement
of our learning of this great man of God, his name was Saul of Tarsus. He was a headhunter for
Gamaliel a high ranking official in Jerusalem according to (Acts 22:3 Phil 3:5). This Epistle to
the Romans Gentiles was written to the Christian living in that city. This city was the center of
everything, and it was mixed with all kinds of people. The ministry that the Lord has allowed me
to serve in is just like Rome.
Step 3: Think about your past. Why is it vital now for you to deal with and apply
this theme/principle/concept?
With that thought in mind, my past I was on the run from the Lord who call me into the ministry
at a young age, I thought that the God my father introduced me to didn’t care about how I was
living my life. Until I was flat on my back looking up at the ceiling and asking God what did He
want me to do? In my ministry I really drive home the principle 2 Corinthian 5:17ESV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come.” I believe that If you claim to be a Christian you cannot continue to do as you
have always done, there must be something new about you. “If you are what you have always
been then you are not a Christian According to this scripture.
Step 4: How should this affect your thoughts and actions, and what specific steps
should you take to concretely apply what you have learned?
Bibliography
[1.] Tony Evans Bible Commentary Copyright 2019 By Holman Bible Publishers Nashville
Tennessee, All Rights reserved.
[2 .] Tony Evans Bible Commentary Copyright 2019 By Holman Bible Publishers Nashville
Tennessee, All Rights reserved.
[2.] Believers Bible Commentary William MacDonald Copyright 2016 Thomas Nelson Nashville
Tennessee, All Rights Reserved.
2 Corinthian 5:17ESV
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