👆Click and listen to this training as you get ready or drive somewhere.
When we think about the spread of Christianity beyond its Jewish roots, no figure stands out more than the apostle Paul. Though not one of the original twelve, he became one of the most influential leaders in the early church, carrying the gospel into Gentile lands, planting churches, and writing letters that still shape Christian faith today. But Paul’s story is not just about missionary strategy or theological brilliance. It is about God’s sovereign call on a man’s life, transforming him from persecutor to preacher.
Paul, originally known as Saul, was a Pharisee of Pharisees. In Philippians 3:5–6, he described himself as “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.”
Saul was deeply committed to Judaism and saw the early Christian movement as a dangerous threat. He approved of Stephen’s execution (Acts 8:1) and went from house to house in Jerusalem, dragging off men and women to prison (Acts 8:3). His zeal for the law turned into violent opposition against the followers of Jesus.
But everything changed on the road to Damascus. As Saul traveled with letters authorizing him to arrest Christians, a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). When he asked who was speaking, the answer came: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
In that moment, Saul’s world was turned upside down. The Jesus he thought was dead was alive. The people he was persecuting were not enemies of God but followers of the risen Lord. Blinded and humbled, Saul was led into Damascus, where Ananias, a disciple, was sent by the Lord to restore his sight and baptize him. From that point forward, Saul became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul’s conversion was dramatic, but it was also deeply purposeful. In Acts 9:15, the Lord told Ananias, “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.” From the start, Paul’s mission was clear: he was to carry the gospel beyond the boundaries of Judaism and into the wider world.
This was revolutionary. Up to this point, the gospel had primarily spread among Jews and God-fearing Gentiles who were already connected to the synagogue. Paul’s call meant crossing cultural boundaries, entering pagan cities, and proclaiming Christ in places saturated with idols.
Paul himself reflected on this call in Galatians 1:15–16: “But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.” Paul knew his mission was not self-chosen. It was God’s sovereign plan from the beginning.
The heart of Paul’s calling was the conviction that the gospel was for everyone. In Romans 1:16, he wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
This was a radical statement. For centuries, the Jews had seen themselves as God’s chosen people, and rightly so. But now, in Christ, the promises to Abraham — that all nations would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3) — were being fulfilled. The wall of separation between Jew and Gentile was broken down. Salvation was not through law, circumcision, or heritage but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul argued fiercely for this truth. In Galatians, he confronted those who wanted Gentile converts to adopt Jewish customs, insisting that justification comes by faith, not by works of the law. In Ephesians, he proclaimed that Christ had made Jew and Gentile one, creating one new humanity through the cross (Ephesians 2:14–16).
Paul’s call was not just about geography — taking the gospel to new places. It was about theology — declaring that the gospel belongs to all.