Fierce and Strong

Acts 9:22-31

　
Do you know any Christians that would be described as fierce and strong? Saul had a fierce intensity in everything that he did and had a very strong personality that drove him to extremes. It didn’t matter whether he was persecuting Christians or defending the Christian faith, these character traits were obvious.

Even in this short passage Saul was said to grow "more and more powerful", that he had "preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus" and that he spoke "boldly in the name of Lord". Saul had a polarizing effect on people. Either they loved him or hated him.

I have to confess that I don’t think I would really get along with Saul all that well. He was a type-A personality that drove himself and everyone around him. People either followed him, or they got out of his way. I probably would have avoided him.

But there is someone else that appears in this passage who I relate better with and that is Barnabas. By informing the apostles of Saul’s conversion he paves the way for him to be accepted. As a result, Saul is able to move about freely in Jerusalem to spread the Gospel.

Barnabas was known for his encouragement of others. Not only was he the only one to stand up for Saul in Jerusalem, but he also defended John when Saul didn’t want to take him on his next missionary trip. Barnabas was described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.

The fact is that it doesn’t matter whether you are fierce and strong or an encourager. God can use you to accomplish His will just like He did with Saul and Barnabas. He takes us where we are at and helps us to grow closer to Him, serving Him in all that we do.
Paul put it like this:

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do".
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%209%3A22-31&version=NIV;MSG
http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Acts.9.22-Acts.9.31