Paul came from a very religious family. They were committed Jews who took their religion very seriously. Paul’s father was an important leader in the Jewish world, called a Pharisee. He was almost like a judge. So, when Paul and his family spoke, people listened to them.

In 2 TIMOTHY 1:3, Paul writes to his friend Timothy about how much his heritage means to him. Even though Paul eventually became a Christian, he still had a connection to his ancestors.

Before he became a Christian, Paul used his influence for evil, approving of the stoning of Stephen, who was a follower of Christ. In ACTS 7:57-58 we see that those who were stoning Stephen laid their coats at the feet of Paul (Saul) He didn’t do anything to stop this crime from happening. Why do you think the people laid their coats at Paul’s feet? I think it’s because they knew he was an important person. It’s sort of like they were asking for his approval. And because he did nothing, they continued to stone him.

But, Paul soon found himself on the road to Damascus where his life would change drastically. In Acts 9, we see that Paul was on his way to gather up some of these unrighteous Jews who were preaching about Jesus, but as he traveled, he had an encounter with the Lord. He saw a flash of light from Heaven and fell to the ground. The voice asked why he was persecuting him? Paul was scared and asked who was speaking. The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting…Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” It was there that a man named Ananais (who was called by the Lord) healed him. Paul was changed by this experience and became baptized.

It was long before Paul became a well-known teacher and preacher of the Gospel. While Paul had his amazing experiences to share with people, he was specifically called to preach to the Gentiles. This meant the people who were not born Jewish. Being a Jewish man himself, he could have easily stuck with the people he knew, but that wasn’t what God had called him to do. Paul was INTENTIONAL about the people he preached to and what he preached about.

What does INTENTIONAL mean? INTENTIONAL means something you do on purpose. You can be intentional about saying kind words to your siblings. You can be intentional about cleaning up after yourself. Or you can be intentional about reading your Bible every day. Well, Paul was INTENTIONAL with all of his actions.

Paul was new to the Christian lifestyle, but he knew that God had called him to preach to the Gentiles and bring them to the Lord. He knew that God wanted all people to know and love Jesus. But some of the apostles that lived at the time—some who even served with Jesus—treated the Gentiles differently than the Jewish Christians. Paul could have just kept quiet and let them be treated differently, but he knew God didn’t want that.

Paul knew his purpose and he wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way of that. He was INTENTIONAL about treating the Gentiles with respect, and even confronted Peter about it in Galatians 2:11-16, saying, “’We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So, we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law…’”

Paul went on to do many amazing things and we look to him as an influential person. He was INTENTIONAL about his actions, and he didn’t let anyone get in the way of his God-given purpose. This week, remember that you are a child of God. Be INTENTIONAL with your actions and you just might become a real “influencer.”