Paul of Tarsus

Paul was a most unusual character. Despised bytheauthorities, mistrusted by His Christian brethren. He was a loner. Yet he loved people wherever he went and accepted them as mothers, brothers and sister.

Born in the Hametic city of Tarsus, a city that was a part of the Roman Province Paul was to have been immune to flogging or punishment without a trial. Unfortunately for Paul however, his looks, a short dark African man with bow legs, was a problem. Paul was not readily identifiable as a Jew or Roman. His Hametic or African characteristics sometimes cause him to be flogged and abused without a trial.

Ever since Paul met Jesus, Paul was considered a dangerous man. His interest was not the interest of the State. His mission was no longer the mission of the state. His intent, was to tare up the devils Kingdom, and build up the Kingdom of God.

Paul marched to the beat of a different drummer. He feared no one but God, hated nothing but sin, loved nothing more than to see the souls of his fellow men saved. He was top ten on Lucifer’s extermination list because he was fearless, and out of necessity was forced to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul was soon cought up in a racial problem.

Acts 21:27-31 27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Acts 21:37-22:2
37 And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?
38 Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?
39 But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

CHAPTER 22
1 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

This uncounter ultimately led to Pauls death, because of racism, Here he was an man who looked like an African, killed because some asian had a problem with his behavior.

African American men must still live with this problem today, in fact he is on the endangered specy list, because he is considered dangerous.
His name was Gabries and he was a deeply religious man. Day and night Gabriel meditated on the Bible. The words of Jesus rung clear and burned deep within his breast, "if the son hath made you free, you shall be free indeed".

Gabriel was born a free man on hte continent of Africa, then captured and brought to America as a slave. Gabriel dreamed of freedom, but as Gabriel dreamed of freedom, his dream was not to return to Africa, but to build a little Africa in American. Gabriel dream of an Israel rising up from slavery and settling in the promised land of Virginia.

For four to five months Gabriel held meeting at fish fry and Barbecue. Every Sunday he sliped into Richmond and studied the town, making a mental note of strategis points and locationf of arms and ammunition. Gabriel's plan was simple, three colums would attack Richmond, the Right wing would grap the arsenal, the second the guns, then the lift wing would take the poderhouse. When Richomnd was secure, other cities would be attacked with lightnening speed. If successful, he would be declared King of Virginai, if unsuccessful the freedom fighters would flee to the mountains and fight a gurella war. Gabriel was a dangerous man, and thus he was placed on the endangered specy list. Gabriel was turned in by a fellow African-American who decided he did not want to see his slave master get hurt.

The names and voices of black men have been causeing fear and bringing anxiety to the hearts of others for centuries. Picture the sight of two men of Hametic descent running towards in the valley of Elah.For many days the voice of one rang over the hillside, "send me a man taht I may fight against him". Finally it eventually happened. A young descendant of Rahab and Ruth named David was visiting his brothers when he heard this uncircumsized Phillistine and declared "who is this that defy the God or Israel". Thus two fearless men of Hametic descent came charching towards each other, the real difference between them, is not their statue, true Goliah stands like a giant. But that was not the major difference, the major differnce was that David had Yaweh in his heart, and Golait did not. Both were dangerous men, because they were fearless men....

Think of Hannibal the Great, who left Cartage in North Africa, the last stronghold of the Phoencians and marched across the Alps with his massive elephant army. They said it was impossible the crossing of the Alps, but Hanibal was fearless, and that made him dangerous.

What of Pianki King of Ethiopia who marched into Egypt to reclaim the land of His ancestory.

Think of Imhotep, the father of Medicine, an African whose name stilll bring awe to the medical students of today.

What of Thusmoses 111 who in 1500 BC won the respect of the world as one of the mightest conquors to ever live, or Akehenaton, the first Messiahs who led Egypt inot the worship of one God and worte many Psalms whom David King of Israel another man of African descent was later to emulate in the writing of his Pslams.

What of Seostris, the Greatest of the African Pharoah, who according to the Greek Historians, sent his ships to every corner of the world, capturing Palestine, Afabia, Asia, and Europe and setting his stele for all to see.

Hear the Wrod of Shabaka, King of Ethiopia to the great Persis King Cambyses, "Until you can fire the arrow as far and as accurately as an African , you dear not set foot into Ethiopia, and untill then, thank the God’s that they have not placed it in the hearts of the Sons of Ethiopia to win another man's country".

What of Cetewayo Zuso, Son of Chaca, who sent word to the English General and declared, go tell the British, and let them hear me well, I give Him till sunset to leave my territory or the Sons of the African Soil will die throwing him out.

Then finally, the Old Jamaican Seer called Boukman in Hati, who declared "Lord, the white man do things we cannot do, give us justice, or give us vengenace", and fires raged all over Hatia, signalling the end ot slavery. These Black men were dangerous, because they were fearless.

Black men for their own survival, must be fearless in America. He is forced into gang activities for his very survival. Men and boys are gunned down in the streets, not because they are in a gang, but because the dont belong to a gang.

In School they are under pressure, at home they are under pressure, in the church they are under pressure. Everwhere they turn there are forces pulling and pushing , and to make matters worst, they have no jobs. So before long they explode, and wives and children are abused, and if we woudl stop the deterioration of the Africn American family in America, the African American male must be returned to the workplace. Deny a man the right to work, and you deny him his very reason for existing.

When the civil rights movement began the cry was, give us eguality. And white American realized what was going down. They realized they had no choice because two fearless men was on the sceen. Malcom and Martin. They feared Malcom, so the media made Martin bigger than life, hoping they could stall the movement. They soon discovered however they couldn't, because dispite his non-violence stance, Marting was a fearless man. White American was forced to the bargaing table, and they found a solution, minority rights. Only thing was, the largest portion of white American population was declared a minority, White Women. Thus the jobs created went not to the black male but to the white female. The womans movement began in full swing, white families thus had two bread winners and the black family still had none.

When accused of a crime, the black man got long prison terms, The death sentence appeared to have been reserved primarily for him. Welfare locked him out of his home, because his woman could get no help as long as he was in the home. The Black mand was on his way to becoming extinct. He was endangered.

How do we save our men?

The Jews once had a similar dilema. Troubled because of exploitation and racial bigotry Joel declared to them how to solve their problem.

Joel 2:15-18
15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

• Warn all to return to God.

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

• Get everybody together to work on the problem.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

• The preachers must be involved.
• Pray for good leadership.

18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

• God will respond.

Gentlemen, this is not the time to turn away from God, it is time to turn to God. Some of us will be casualty of war, just as Paul the Apostle was, but we must remember, this world is not our home, we are just a passing through.

Look what God says in Psalm 126.
Ps 126:4-6
5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

We have sowed in tears.