The Drama of St. Paul

 

In these two messages Jesus and Paul comment on a sermon entitled “The Drama of St. Paul” and clarify what actually happened to Paul on the road to Damascus which was the turning point in his life. For related information, go to this page.

 

 

Jesus Reacts to a Speaker’s Discourse on: “The Drama of St. Paul.”
He States That Some Things That Were Said Were True, and Some Were False

 

I AM HERE. Jesus.

I was with you tonight and heard the speaker’s discourse on: “The Drama of St. Paul.”

Well, it was very interesting and, in some places, impressive; and it should produce a great effect upon the hearers.

Many things that the speaker recited were true and occurred substantially as he related them, but some were not matters of actual occurrence. Paul never had all the experiences that he spoke of, but these were of minor importance and did not affect the truth of the narrative as a whole.

Of course, the whole discourse was taken from the Bible; and, as I have told you before, there are many things in the Bible which are not true. His description of Paul’s experience on the way to Damascus is partly true and partly not.

(Can you tell me what actually occurred?)

Well, I spoke to him. And when he was felled to the ground by the brightness of the great light that shone about him, Paul heard what I said and answered me. He went into the town, but he was not blind nor did the prophet Ananias do anything to him in the way of curing any physical blindness. He only helped to open the spiritual blindness of Paul, and to show him the Way to the Father’s Love and Kingdom.

Paul, as you know, was a very learned man among the Jews, and was a strict believer and follower of the Pharisees’ doctrines. But, as to knowing anything about the Divine Love, he had never experienced It, nor did he even know what It was intellectually.

My summons to him was not only for the purpose of stopping the persecution of my people but also for the further purpose of enlisting him in my cause, as not many of my followers were educated or learned men. And I realized that my doctrines and Truths must be preached among not only the learned Jews but also among the Gentile philosophers. And as the first requisite in such cases is to hold and, in a way, convince the intellect, I saw that I must have a disciple who would have the mental qualifications to present my Truths to these learned men in a convincing way, and who would be able to withstand the logic and reasoning of these Gentile philosophers.

John was filled with Love. And wherever he could come in close communion with the common people, by the great power and influence of that Love, he could persuade these people to embrace and receive my Truths, and, as a consequence, feel the inflowing of the Holy Spirit.

But Paul had not this Love to that degree as to be enabled, by virtue of Its power or influence, to convince and compel his hearers to receive my Truths, and to embrace that faith in my teachings as would cause them to seek the Love of the Father. Hence, his mission was the more intended to be the teaching of my Truths to the intellect and mental perceptions of a large number of persons of greater intellectual development than those with whom John and the other disciples would come in contact.

Of course, Paul acquired this Love to a very large degree, but not sufficiently in his early ministry to prevent him from doubting my calling him to do this work at times. And, as he has told you, this doubt was the “besetting sin” or “thorn in the flesh” from which he suffered. Had he had the fullness of the Love that John and some of the others had, he would never have had the doubts of which he speaks.

But, nevertheless, he became a wonderful power in spreading my Truths, in convincing men that the Love of the Father was the one great possession to be obtained, and in causing them to believe in me as the son of the Father and His messenger to declare the great Plan of man’s salvation to the world.

Paul finally became a man filled with this Love, as far as his nature was capable of receiving It, and wonderful exhortations to his hearers to seek for It will be found in his gospel. But he was not the disciple of Love, but, rather, of the intellectual parts of my Truths. And, when he taught, his teachings were intended to appeal more to the mental perceptions than to the soul perceptions.

He never taught that I was God, nor did he believe that I was. And whenever it is set forth that what he did say, or what the Bible says, is to be interpreted to mean that I am God, that interpretation is erroneous.

I will not write more on Paul tonight, but will tell you of some things of more importance to mankind. I AM NOW WORKING AS I DID ON EARTH, THOUGH IN A LITTLE DIFFERENT WAY, TO SHOW MEN THE WAY TO GOD’S LOVE AND ETERNAL LIFE, AND TO ASSURE THEM THAT THE GREAT DIVINE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS WAITING FOR THEM TO HAVE IT FLOW INTO THEIR SOULS AND MAKE THEM AT-ONE WITH HIM.

MEN ARE NOW IN A CONDITION THAT CAUSES THEM TO LONG FOR THIS GREAT LOVE, AND THE PEACE AND HAPPINESS WHICH IT BRINGS, WITHOUT REALLY KNOWING WHAT IT IS THAT THEY DESIRE. AND WHEN MY TRUTHS ARE PLACED BEFORE THEM, AND THEY ARE TOLD OF THE WONDERFUL BLESSINGS THAT MAY BE THEIRS BY MERELY SEEKING FOR IT IN EARNEST AND HONEST PRAYER, THEY WILL TURN THEIR THOUGHTS AND LONGINGS TO GOD AND HIS LOVE, AND THEY WILL FIND THE HAPPINESS AND PEACE WHICH THEY SO MUCH REALIZE THE WANT OF.

I have many things to write to you, and I hope that we may soon have the rapport that will enable me to do so. (Yes, so do I. And I only hope you realize how much I too desire to establish the best rapport possible for your messages.)

Well, I see how you feel, and I am so glad that you do. And I must tell you that the Father’s Love is working in your soul, and will result in your becoming my true and earnest disciple. I will be with you in all my power and influence so that nothing will prevent the doing of the great work which I have selected you to do. You must pray to the Father for His Love, and for faith, and they will come to you. For the Father desires to answer and grant such prayers.

And, besides, as I pray to Him and all my followers pray, we will ask the Father to give you this Great Love and faith and power to do the work, and to sustain you through all the years that may be yours on earth; for the work must be done.

You have written long tonight and I think it best that I stop. But, before doing so, let me say again that you are the special object of my care and love. I will be with you in all your worries and conflicts, and will help you to overcome them all and to get in that position that will give you the freedom that is so desirous.

With all my love and blessings, and the Love and Blessings of the Father, I will say good night.

Your brother and friend, JESUS.

 

 

Paul Also Comments on the Preacher’s Sermon: “The Drama of St. Paul,”
and Describes Some of His Own Experiences When on Earth

 

I AM HERE. Paul.

Well, my brother, I was with you at the discourse on: “The Drama of St.Paul,” and was much interested in the subject matter, and also in the manner in which the speaker delivered his discourse. He was somewhat dramatic himself, and his elocution and intonation of the dialogues between several of the prominent personages in the drama and myself were very effective. But, really, they, the intonations, did not sound very familiar because they possessed too much artificiality to me to correctly represent the real tones of voice and the feeling that possessed these persons and myself on those occasions. But, nevertheless, they were very effective, and I have no doubt that they produced the intended effect on the hearers.

Some of the scenes depicted were very real and some of them were not, for they never occurred.

I well remember my experience on the way to Damascus, and the great change that it caused to my whole existence on earth. The brightness and the voice of Jesus were actualities, but the statement that I went blind is not true. For I was not blind but only affected for the time by the unusual light, and also by the shock that the voice of Jesus caused. As Jesus said, my only blindness was that which covered my spiritual eyes at the time. And, when I went into the town, the only blindness that I recovered from, in a way, was that which had kept my soul in darkness and caused me to persecute the followers of Jesus under the belief that I was doing the work which God had called me to do. So, you see, that while the description of my life after my call was very interesting as a whole, yet, it was not altogether correct.

Jesus has told you what my condition of soul development was, and how I lacked the Love which I possessed afterwards to some degree. And, as he says, I was more of an intellectual Christian in my early ministry than a Christian possessing the Great Divine Love of the Father. Yet, thanks to him, I continued to preach and believed as best I could until, finally, I became a redeemed child of God, filled with His Love.

I knew many things connected with, and taught in, the theology of the Jews, and especially of the Pharisees. I see now that, in my writings, my conceptions of the Truths of God were flavored to a considerable extent by this knowledge which is of the Jewish theology.

While many things that I taught are true, as I now see them, yet, many things that the Bible says I wrote are not true; and I am not surprised that men will not accept them at this time. How I wish that I could review and rewrite the epistles ascribed to me! How many seeming contradictions and unreasonable things would be made plain! But I cannot, except as I may declare the Truth through you as I now see it. And I hope that the opportunities may come that I may do so.

Well, I will not write more tonight, as you have written considerably and others wish to write. I will say good night.

Your brother in Christ, PAUL.

 

For related messages and PDF download of the whole book, click here.

An interesting reflection on how Paul’s conversion experience in some ways parallels the experiences of all those who God calls to salvation is here.

Photo credit: James Newcombe from Unsplash.com