You cannot become a Paul unless you were first a Saul
I grew up in a Christian home but had no relationship with Christ; youthful exuberance took me too far to the side of the devil. I ventured into all manner of things. I founded a cult called Barracks Green Barrett (BGB) when I was in the university. I went into so many religions in search of truth, and at a certain point, I even became an atheist and a Marxist.
One day I came across an article in Time magazine with the caption, “Is God Dead?" I was so excited about the argument that favored the “God is dead” opinion and pulled an excerpt that says, "how can an omnipotent God exist in a world with so much misery and injustice? — continues to press religious thinkers to grapple with how to sustain faith while living a mortal life." I photocopied this along with other excerpts and produce a tract that I handed out to Christians to let them know that their God had grown old and died of senility.
One night, I had a dream that changed my life. In that dream a demon wanted to kill me. I addressed these powers by saying, “By the authority given to me by my Lord Jesus, I command all of you to surrender.” To my greatest surprise, the demons that came to attack me surrendered and fled.
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When I woke up, I realized my follies. Scripture says that only a fool says that “there is no God” (Psalm 14:1). My eyes of understanding were enlightened and I knew that I seriously needed forgiveness for all the blasphemy and atrocities that I had committed against God. I wept bitterly asking Jesus to have mercy on my soul.
I soberly reflected on the dream. It was so real, and I wondered how I could used the name of Christ whom I did not believe in. It was then that I realized that I had a high calling and must give all for the sake of the Gospel.
The following morning, I went to my next-door neighbor, whom I had constantly harassed for playing Christian sermons and music. I had threatened to break his DVD player if I heard any sound of Christian sermon or music come out of his room. I knelt before him and apologized for my entire wicked act towards him, and he raised his hand and praised God and said to me, "I have been praying for you."
The following day I was invited to a program in Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry Abuja regional headquarters, and there I gave my life to Christ. From that day forward my life has never remained the same. No one preached to me before I gave my life to Christ because I never allowed anyone to talk to me about Him. I harassed, beat and threatened anyone who dared tell me about Jesus. But as soon as Christ revealed Himself to me, I immediately enrolled in Bible college.
I fashioned my ministry after the Apostle Paul. By the power of the Holy Spirit I have taken the Gospel to 15 communities where no one had preached Christ before and where not a single person had heard about Jesus. I have escaped assassins many times; I have been arrested for mentioning Christ where it is forbidden; I have been stranded, famished and dehydrated in the bush for days for the sake of the Gospel. I know no other Gospel than Jesus and Him crucified. My love for the Cross of Christ helped me embrace my suffering, and in it lies my Christian strength.
There are so many who are like Saul today and do not look anything like Paul. But our prayers can catalyze their spiritual metamorphosis that will eventually make them to become like Paul tomorrow. Let us keep on praying for those who have rejected the Gospel with the hope that one day Jesus will reveal Himself to them. Those who hate God today can be lovers of God tomorrow, for where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20). I am convinced that there shall come days when all those who are persecuting the church shall come to realize that Jesus is Lord.
Some of them will become missionaries of the Gospel, but they need the intercession and prayers of the saints. If my neighbor had not prayed for me, I would have perished in my sins and ignorance.
Take a look around your environment and pick one sinner and make a vow that you will never rest in your prayers until he or she bows to the saving power of Christ. Let us not despise them, because some of us were worse than them before Christ found us.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
