Paul: Worthy of Imitation?

There is no doubt that the apostle Paul is one of the most well-known and beloved men of the New Testament. We are all inspired by his radical transformation from persecutor to preacher, from assailant to apostle. And not only are his profound faith and deep-seeded devotion to Christ evident in all thirteen of the epistles which he wrote by inspiration, his praiseworthy characteristics are equally manifest by example in the book of Acts.

As a preacher, I perhaps take a special interest in Paul (as I do in Jesus and ALL of the evangelists of the first century). After all, Paul was an evangelist whose efforts and mannerisms were approved by God. By examining and imitating his style and approach, I believe that I can be a better evangelist...and that I can more likely be the preacher that God, not society, has called me to be. Right? 

Even if you're not an evangelist, wouldn't you consider Paul's example worthy of imitation?

With this question in mind, turn your attention to Acts 24:5. Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem not long before and was now standing before his accusers and before the Roman governor, Felix. Notice what Paul's accusers said of him in verse 5:

"For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."

It is apparent based on this verse that, despite our adoration of Paul, he was no Joel Osteen...at least not in the eyes of his contemporaries. Not only wasn't he popular, but he didn't have the greatest reputation in certain circles as the above text indicates.

Sure, there were unrighteous people in the first century who appreciated Paul even if they didn't embrace his message. I'm reminded of Julius the centurion and even King Agrippa in Acts 26. And obviously, there were churches and individual Christians who thought the world of Paul (Gal. 4:15). But the point still stands: the beloved apostle Paul, despite being a standout Christian and evangelist, was viewed by multitudes of people all over the Roman empire and even by some in the church as being nothing more than the problematic, troublesome, divisive, leader of a narrow-minded, annoying cult.

What is my point in all of this?

We spend way too much time trying to be "mainstream." We go out of our way to make God's word as palatable as possible so that we can draw more to Christ. We pursue "unity" (false unity) at all costs. And we  definitely resent being called a cult (a common charge against churches of Christ especially), doing all that we can "marketing" wise to change our image. We want society to esteem us. We yearn to be accepted and loved. Even in the church, we do all that we can to avoid conflict, oftentimes sacrificing our convictions to "keep the peace."

What would be your reaction if someone called you "a plague, a creator of dissension...and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes"? Would you be embarrassed? Are you even living and preaching in such a way that these accusations could be brought against you? I'm not saying that we ought to go out of our way to make people dislike us. What I am saying is that if we're really imitating Paul and serving Christ as we should, these accusations will eventually (and naturally) be leveled against us.

Is Paul worthy of imitation? Absolutely! However, following his example is far from easy or convenient. Are you willing to take a stand? Am I? The Lord is waiting for us to do just that!