Example Continued

We conclude without delay, looking at Saul, the man with a MAP, which gives clear understanding to our week’s main text. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12: 9.

Saul is a man with: -

An ongoing mission and purpose. He is still breathing threats and murder. This is no one-off, one-time mission work. His love for this work is most obvious. There is absolutely no kind of hesitation, dissimulation or uncertainty about what he is doing. O how he abhors anything and anyone who is purporting, and living against the way of the Law and the Prophets. This is ongoing work, perpetual work, not zealous today and lukewarm tomorrow. There is no kind of falsity or hypocrisy in his MAP.   

A singular, ongoing mission and purpose. He is singular in his catchment or targeted groups. They are only, the disciples of the Lord. The MAP of Saul excludes every other person in the world, whether she or he believes in Sovereign God or not is not Saul’s immediate concern. His only target, his singular mission concern, is the believer in Jesus, the Way. He is Jesus, Crucified, Risen and Returned in Spirit. His MAP carries no deviation, for he hates all that is of the Way and passionately clings to what is of the Law, which he sees as altogether good.

A sanctioned, singular, ongoing mission and purpose. He has the authoritative approval, the blessing, if you like, of the highest religious authority. He went to the high priest and asked letters from him. What Saul is doing against the disciples of Jesus, is all legal and lawful, as he has the sanction of the holy man of God, the high priest in Jerusalem. Be clear about this. Saul is not doing a thing in his own name. As much as he is passionate about what he is doing, he does it under the power and authority of one who is higher by far, than he is. He is no fake or fraud. He is under authority. 

A spreading, sanctioned, singular, ongoing, mission and purpose. The MAP of Saul is no, ‘you in your small corner and I in mine,’ mission. Saul is global in his sights. He has the world as his mission field and is most resolute about it. He is on his way to the synagogues of Damascus. He has left Jerusalem, where he has his work under efficient and effective control, and proceeds to conquer and capture more disciples of Jesus. Note again, how specific he is. Saul does not go to the market place or any other secular public space. No! With his letters of authority, his plan is to head for the holy place, the synagogue. He is expanding his MAP to include Damascus. Can you see that he so hates this evil, called the Way, he has to stamp it out all around him? 

A fruit-bearing, spreading, sanctioned, singular, ongoing, mission and purpose. Fruit-bearing refers to the fruits of his labours, the disciples of Jesus whom he will put in chains. If he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women. Think of it! Isn’t it precisely because he has had good yields in Jerusalem, he is so zealous to go elsewhere? This kind of talk is not for Saul. ‘I have toiled and toiled, but have caught nothing’. O no! Not Saul. He bears fruit and plenty fruit at that. Love, passionately and genuinely pursued, bears much fruit.

An inclusive, fruit-bearing, spreading, sanctioned, singular, ongoing, mission and purpose. One of the things we need to note is that there is no gender-based discrimination in his MAP. There is no male or female with him, only, believers of the Way, so that whether men or women, he will catch them. Indeed, Paul is neither partial nor hypocritical when it comes to believers of the Way. All women were included as no person was omitted.

An unstoppable, inclusive, fruit-bearing, spreading, sanctioned, singular, ongoing mission and purpose. Who, which human had the power to stop him that he might bring them bound to Jerusalem? He carried the power in his hands, in those letters which he would have with him, everywhere he went. O yes! Saul was bold, big and unafraid in his MAP against all who believed in Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. 

We cannot deny that our main text was blown open wide through the man Saul. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Romans 12: 9.

I leave you with this. Having closely looked at Saul, the persecutor of Jesus, as a great example of the text, what would you say about Paul, the preacher of Jesus, in like regard?