7 Things - Paul's Powerful Persuasions

I checked out several translations to find these occasions where Paul persuaded people, or when he was persuaded by something about the Lord.

The Greek word for “persuade” in most of the following verses is peitheō. It means: to induce by one’s words to believe, to become a friend of, to win the favor of, to strive to please, to tranquilize, to believe, to have faith, to obey, to yield and comply with a thing, to trust and have confidence in a thing.

The King James Version uses this word, peitheō 55 times. The most common translation of the word is “persuade,” but it is also translated as: trust, obey, have confidence, believe, be confident.

This word also means to obey the truth (Gal 3:1; 5:7). Paul was speaking to the Galatians who had been fighting among themselves and turning from the things he had taught them – especially concerning true faith in Christ rather than receiving favor from God through the Law and circumcision. In Gal. 5:7, Paul says to the Galatians that they had been doing so well…but who is it that has held you back from following or obeying the truth? In other words, someone was keeping them from being persuaded to wholeheartedly follow the truth of God’s Word and His ways. Paul was encouraging them to turn their hearts ad minds to fully obey Christ – or, to persuade themselves again to have a living, true faith.

Paul uses this word several times when he is talking about having no confidence (persuasion, peitheō) in the flesh (Phil. 3:3-4). Don’t allow your flesh to persuade you – allow faith to be the loudest voice in your heart.

Somehow we need to speak strongly to ourselves and persuade our own hearts to believe what God says about Himself, life, our own destiny etc. rather than getting dragged down by what we see and feel around us.

This Greek word indicates that we have to “become a friend” of the truth – this is how our hearts gain faith – we yield to truth rather than believing a lie – or even becoming stuck in our own flesh, discouragement, negative thought patterns and false truths. We need to make God's truth our "friend," and allow it to walk alongside us through every situation. Just as a true friend counsels and encourages us, so too, this "faith friend" counsels us in the dark and encourages us when we are afraid.

Not only that, but many of these verses make reference to the fact that Paul was convinced (persuaded) that these things would continue in our lives until the return of Jesus

I pray that our own hearts will be equally persuaded by these powerful truths - that we will "wear" a renewed authority in our faith as become completely confident that the Lord said these things about us, and that He totally intends to bring them to pass:

• Paul persuaded Believers to continue living in, and by grace: Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.

Grace is such an important foundation and pillar of true faith. So many of these issues that Paul was fully persuaded about are issues that require grace, so it is interesting to me that this point be made first.

• Paul was speaking of Abraham’s faith – a faith that he also had. He was persuaded that God is able to do everything He has promised us He would do: Rom. 4:21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Paul uses a different Greek word in this passage (plērophoreō). This Greek word means: to bring to fullness, complete, carry through to the end. From plērēs: to fill (and not leave empty), the soul thoroughly permeated with something, complete, lacking nothing; and phoreō, to wear like a garment. The Lord expects us to so thoroughly believe this truth that we “wear” it like a coat and allow it to totally fill our hearts and minds. Whatever the Lord has promised, He will bring it to pass.

• Paul was persuaded that there was/is absolutely nothing that can separate any of us from God’s love: Rom. 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In this list, there are 10 things that cannot separate us from God’s love. These 10 things represent every power and influence from the past, present and future. God’s love is so powerful, that there is nothing from our past, nothing happening in this present time, and nothing coming in our future that outweigh God’s passionate love for us…and nothing that can dismiss His ultimate destiny for our lives.

Here is this verse in The Message Bible:

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

• Paul was persuaded that nothing is unclean in itself: Rom. 14:14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.

This is another work of grace that is so important to understand. We are always trying to place spiritual value on things: certain music, dress styles, food, and other personal preferences. It is the heart of man that is clean or unclean – spiritual or unspiritual. We get hung up on outward issues and make rules about these things, while failing to see that our hearts are so much more valuable to God. He wants to rule our hearts...while we want to make rules about outward appearances.

• Paul was persuaded that our God of Hope is able to fill us, and weave into our faith: joy, peace and hope. When this happens, goodness and the knowledge of Christ so completely dwell in us that we can build one another up: Rom. 15:13-14 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now I myself am confident (persuaded) concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

Sometimes the enemy lies to us and convinces us that the Lord is finished with us – either through age, circumstances, sin etc. We need to persuade our hearts that the Lord is never finished with His people. His grace is enough to cover every situation and give us hope and strength enough to serve Him to the end. If you have laid down your calling and given up on God's plan for your life, I encourage you to get back up and persuade your heart to run with God again - run into your destiny!

• Paul was persuaded that the Lord began a good work in the hearts of Believers…and that He was certainly able to continue and complete the work (this affects our past – He began the work in us; our present – He will continue to work in us; our future – He will complete His work in us! Phil. 1:6 And I am certain (persuaded, confident - peitheō) that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

So…there is nothing from our past, present or future that can keep us from God’s love (see several of the points above), and there is nothing from our past, present or future that can keep us from God’s great plan for our lives!

• Paul was persuaded that the Lord is able to be trusted with everything we have handed over to Him – He will guard these things until the day of His return: 2Tim. 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

What a great verse to conclude these 7 persuasions! Take note that Paul could be persuaded because he knew the One he believed in (I know whom I have believed). The more we worship the Lord and come to know Him – the more ability we will have to clothe ourselves with the confidence that believing brings. This, in turn, will give us the authority to walk into the things God has called us to, and to partner with our Father in His Kingdom business! Worship is such a vital key in our lives – it causes us to focus on someone who is so much bigger and more powerful than the power of our disappointments, shame, unbelief, and fear. If we are pre-occupied with Him, then these other things fade – they are forced to relinquish their hold on our hearts. We can step out in faith because we know Him who is faithful and able to do what he has promised.

I didn’t include these verses that describe how Paul persuaded Jews and Gentiles to follow Christ. (I wanted to stick to the truths that seemed to grip Paul to the core and frame his faith): Acts 17:4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.

Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

(Acts 18:4; 18:13; 19:8; 19:26; 26:28; 28:23-24; 2Cor. 5:11)

For Gwen...in response to something I read in her book, "This End Up - Structure for the Organic Church."