Dr. Fred Eichelman: If It Was Possible For Paul…
One of the most terrible men in the New Testament was, in my opinion, Paul of Tarsus.
A brilliant man of letters, he hated the new Christian faith. He reveled in Christian deaths and was a murderer himself. He had the full support of religious and political leaders of the time. Then something remarkable happened, something hard to believe at the time: A dramatic change came to Paul.
The very dramatic happening occurred on the road to Damascus, as described in Acts, when Paul traveled with a warrant to wipe out Christians. Jesus appeared in bright glory that blinded Paul for a while and there was a magnificent redemption. He became a believer and a true warrior for Jesus Christ. Many Christians at the time did not believe he changed until they were around him for a while. Paul would later admit he had been a sinner of the worst sort and that we are all sinners, but advocated that our sins are forgiven by Jesus Christ if we repented and accept Him as God’s son. Our belief in Him would be our only road to salvation.
This came to me from an unusual direction. I am a Trekkie and for some reason got to thinking about Willian Shatner. He was a brilliant actor and writer who has recently been stating he does not have many years to live and nothing to look forward to after his death. No Heaven. Imagine what would happen if Shatner would receive the revelation of Jesus Christ–what a powerful voice for salvation he would be. I have to wonder if Paul, before his salvation, was prayed for directly by name. We often pray that our nation would have revival, as prayer is most powerful. It can bring about miracles.
I now feel strongly that we need to be more specific and found myself praying specifically for William Shatner. It could lead to him gaining a commission more powerful than only being remembered as Starship Captain James T. Kirk.
But why stop there? We see every day news about how our nation is spiraling out of control. Decisions about how our economy, immigration and the sexualizing of our schools are making our nation get close to the evil world that existed before the flood. The signs, as pointed out by Dr. David Jeremiah and other religious leaders, are there. Yes, we should pray for a national revival but we must be more specific than just fussing at out TV screens and moaning and groaning about where we are going. Christians need to be involved, not just voting, but speaking out openly, running for office, and praying specifically about all the leaders doing harm to our nation. That includes Joe Biden, his handlers, and everyone else.
What? Pray for a man as wrong in so many ways as Joe Biden and his ilk? It seem there is no way they can ever change; in fact, it seems impossible. But that was likely said of Paul and other great Christians through the ages who had a personal revival.
So if you believe in the great power of prayer and if millions of Christians were specific, imagine the changes it could bring. Hey, if it was possible for Paul, then why not?
