Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…(Ephesians 1:1)

That’s not intimidating at all.

I mean, imagine getting a letter from someone claiming to be a direct representative of Jesus…because that’s what an apostle was. There were the 12, then there was Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, and then there was Paul.

Strictly speaking, Paul did not even meet the criteria for apostleship. In Acts 1:21-22, we are told that an apostle had to have been with Jesus for his entire earthly ministry, right up to his ascension to heaven. 

Paul doesn’t fit.

Then why does Paul call himself an apostle, and why do we go along with it? 

Paul did not meet all the criteria for apostleship, but he met the most important one: he was chosen by Jesus. 

You’ve read of how Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus–if you haven’t, go do that now! The Lord then appeared to a disciple named Ananias in a vision, calling Paul, “My chosen instrument to carry my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”

So I feel pretty confident in calling Paul an apostle.

And yes, I find the whole thing pretty intimidating.

And exciting

Happy Monday, Beloved.