Endure: Building Faith for the Long RunExemplo

Seeing the grace to endure in the Apostle Paul

The apostle Paul was a man God used in massive ways in the founding, establishing, and forward movement of the church. God used him to pen more of the New Testament than any other person. God charged Paul with establishing the gentile church, sending him all across the Mediterranean region to lay the seeds of the gospel and plant churches in a number of major cities.

His influence remains to this day. Many pastors and theologians will say apart from Christ, Paul stands as the most influential figure in their ministry. All sorts of aspects of Paul’s life and ministry can encourage us: the boldness and clarity with which he preached and wrote; the centrality of Christ in everything that Paul said and did.

Many are encouraged by Paul’s theology, but I am encouraged and challenged by Paul’s pain. His pain at times was an extreme bother to him (his thorn in the flesh), but he continued to press on in view of God's grace and the call of God on his life. When others saw brokenness and woe, Paul saw the grace of God present in his life and ministry:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me

The grace, gospel, and glory of God were everything to Paul. He attributed nothing to his talent, abilities, or sheer will. God gave Paul every good thing he had ever known. Paul was not a casual fan of Jesus. The person and the work of Christ were everything to him. That is why he can boldly and unequivocally say in Philippians 1:20–21:

As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

As long as Paul was in the flesh, he was going to live every waking minute to bring Jesus glory. When he finished his earthly race, he was just as excited and passionate because he would get to see his Savior face to face. It did not matter whether he was before King Agrippa or King Jesus, Christ was Paul’s everything, and he wanted to be certain that everyone else knew it.

The suffering of this world leaves us with dual desires: pursuing Christ on this earth in the midst of pain and longing to be with Christ in eternity. Yet, even as we brace for what may come, we know we have a gracious God who is with us all the way—giving us the strength to stand and words to say.