Maverick for Christናሙና

Paul The Disrupter

Last but not least, another one of my favorites, is Paul. Where shall we begin? Let’s see, first, he was Saul when he was a devout Jew and persecuted the followers of Christ. Then, there was his conversion on the road to Damascus when he was blinded, led to Christ, and baptized. Paul often paired up with other believers and traveled to different places to preach the word of God and gain other believers. Paul has penned about a quarter of the writings in the New Testament. He is mostly known for his bold teachings to Jews and Gentiles alike. He was not afraid to say the hard things out loud. I would argue that Paul is the best example of what a maverick for Christ and a disrupter of society would be.

One particular writing of Paul in Galatians 4 explains his concern for the Galatian people. He tells them they worshiped “gods that do not even exist.” He accuses them of not having the faith they once did by asking, “Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then?” He apologizes for his tone in the letter, then says, “But at this distance, I don’t know how else to help.” This letter is just one example of the boldness of Paul’s teachings. Paul wasn’t ashamed of Christ, wasn’t afraid to suffer, and wasn’t too proud to accept ridicule because of his drastic character change for Jesus.

Our Father in Heaven, thank you for Paul and his bold teachings. Thank you for Paul’s great example of what it means to be a maverick for Christ. Because Paul had such a drastic change in his heart for God, he could speak to people on a level that resonated with their spirits. We pray that by Paul’s example, we can preach God’s word boldly and without reservation. Please help us to be disrupters with the intent of love and understanding, wishing for all to accept salvation and to come to know You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.