Wow, what a day today has been. This morning the library internet went down. The whole thing. Thankfully there weren’t many patrons here, but I got calls from almost everybody that works in an office. Some of the people I didn’t even know, until they needed something fixed. So, to take my mind off the fact that I’ve been up to my eyeballs in server problems, I’m going to talk a little bit about the writings of our old friend, the Apostle Paul.

From what we can gather, the Apostle Paul was born somewhere near the city of Tarsus, which is in modern day Turkey. While both his parents were presumably Jewish, his father performed some sort of service for the Roman Empire. No one knows exactly what this service consisted of, but it was enough to garner Roman Citizenship for himself and for his son. Even though his father was employed by Rome, the family tried to maintain their Jewish heritage. To this end, Saul (who would later become Paul) was sent to study with the most popular Jewish Rabbi of his day, Gamaliel. As Saul was studying, he became a member of a growing religious movement within Judaism. The Pharisees were a group of reiligous devotees who’s members were a cross section of society. Unlike the priests and others who made up the Sanhedrien, anyone could become a Pharisee. It was not limited to certain bloodlines or families. This group stressed a return to a literal interpretation of the Bible, particularly the first five books (The Torah, or Pentateuch). Joining with the Pharisaic movement at some point in his early adult life, Saul became an expert at the Levitical laws of the old testament and the strict interpretation of the Pharisees.

Paul’s ministry would be impacted by both his Roman and Jewish heritage. In Acts 22:25, for instance, he asks: “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” Taken aback, the soldier immediately stops the punishment. The Greco-Roman influence on Paul doesn’t stop at legalities. When he approaches the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17), he is able to discuss philosophy as if he is one of them. While the Holy Spirit did help Paul in his speech at the Areopagus , he was able to “witness” to these people because he had studied how they thought.

So, which was more important? Paul’s “religious” upbringing, or his “secular”? Was it better that he knew all of the books of the Bible, or that he knew the ins and outs of the latest philosophy? The truth is that each aspect of Paul is important. He was able to reach the religious crowd because of his religious background. He was also able to reach the “secular” world because of his “secular” background. What makes you who you are? Were you raised in church? Do you know a lot about sports? God doesn’t want us to forget our “secular” heritage in favor of our “religious” upbringing, or vise versa. He has equipped us to reach certain people, and if we ignore this combination of talents, experiences and desires, we won’t reach everyone God intends.

For those of us that aren’t Jewish, aren’t you glad that Paul had that “secular” understanding that let him minister to the gentiles?

Who has God equipped you to reach? And, more importantly: Who are you reaching?