Have you ever read a story that was supposedly non-fiction, but you really doubted if it was true, heard someone say something just too remarkable to believe, or you, yourself, had a personal incident that occurred, but when you tell others, they think you just made it up?
It happens every day and has been since the beginning of history. Many of these can be disproved but some are very true. There are three ways people determine a story’s veracity; you trust the person, there were witnesses, all of them agree with the same story, or witnesses are willing to die in lieu of denying the truth.
That is the conversion story of a man known as Saul of Tarsus, found in Acts 9: 1-22. We are told that Saul, a devote Jew and a leader in the Sanhedrin, is described as seeking out “any belonging to the Way,”. This growing group of Jews were the followers of a rouge rabbi who was put to death for teaching publicly that he was the Messiah. Even years after his death, the follows were still preaching that he rose from the dead and he was the long-awaited Messiah of the Jewish people. Saul made it his life’s work to punish those who promulgated this lie. That is, until he was blinded by a light and heard the voice of the “dead” Messiah, telling him to stop persecuting my followers.
Early Christians were often referred to as followers of “the Way.” This term is rooted in the teachings of Jesus, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The phrase “the Way” symbolizes a path or journey that believers undertake, following Jesus’ teachings and example in their daily lives. The Way implied a new way of living and understanding one’s relationship with God, marked by faith in Jesus Christ and adherence to his commandments.
This title was used before the term “Christian” became more widespread. “Christian” was first used in Antioch, as described in Acts 11:26 thought to have been written around AD 70 – 100 and gradually became the more common term for Jesus’ followers.
The story of Paul doesn’t end with his personal conversion, it is only the beginning. He lived as a Christian for approximately 30 years after his conversion on the road to Damascus, which occurred around AD 33-36. During that time, he became one of the most influential figures in early Christianity, embarking on multiple missionary journeys, establishing churches, and writing many of the letters (epistles) in the New Testament.
Paul the Apostle was martyred in Rome around AD 64-67. While the exact details of his death are not recorded in the Bible, it is widely believed that he was beheaded rather than crucified, as he was a Roman citizen.
If this is my last post, I want all to know that there was only one purpose for all that I have written; to have made a positive difference in the lives of others.
Anthony “Tony” Boquet, author of “The Bloodline of Wisdom, The Awakening of a Modern Solutionary”