Romans 1:1-7 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ESV

Romans 1:1-7 1:1 I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. I write this letter to all the Christians in Rome, God's friends. 2 The sacred writings contain preliminary reports by the prophets 3 on God's Son. His descent from David roots him in history; 4 his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master. 5 Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. 6 You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! 7 And I greet you now with all the generosity of God our Father and our Master Jesus, the Messiah. (MsgB)

Romans 1:5 Through him [Jesus] we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. (MsgB)

Paul preaches the Gospel of a living Savior and expects to see a certain kind of obedience come to life in the people who hear his message just as it came to life in him when he met Jesus. The ESV translators have as— … the obedience of faith . In the Message Bible it reads as— … obedient trust

Paul before King Agrippa

Acts 26:1 So Agrippa said to Paul, "You have permission to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense: 2 "I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews,

3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 "My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known

5 for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day.

And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? 9 "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked many

of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus 15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord ?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus 15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord ?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,

Paul’s Damascus Road Experience On the road to Damascus 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles— to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'

Philippians 3:14 .. . The upward call of God in Christ Jesus On the road to Damascus

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises , so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ESV

Philippians 3:14 .. . The upward call of God in Christ Jesus On the road to Damascus Viewed from a distance, Paul’s life may seem like one of steady and smooth progress toward home. If you get closer you will find that what appears so smooth begins to look a bit more like this.

Philippians 3:14 .. . The upward call of God in Christ Jesus 20x Magnification On the road to Damascus There were very few “smooth” days for Paul. Anytime Jesus promises to “save” you from those among whom he is sending you to minister, that is a sign that things might be rough. And things were often very difficult for Paul.

Philippians 3:14 .. . The upward call of God in Christ Jesus 20x Magnification On the road to Damascus To the Corinthian believers Paul writes saying: 2 Corinthians 4:8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down , but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. NLT

Philippians 3:14 .. . The upward call of God in Christ Jesus 100x Magnification On the road to Damascus And if you magnify any part of Paul’s life you will find that his believing trust took him through all the ups-and-downs and the back-and-forths and hard trials of life, but always his life direction was one of obedient trust where by he followed the upward call of God in Christ Jesus … always! Until his last breath he served the Savior he met on the road to Damascus.