In the basket

This Sunday our speaker was a visiting missionary named Danny. He talked about how Paul went from being a persecutor of the church to the apostle to the Gentiles. Even though his conversion was instantaneous, with a flash of blinding light and a voice from heaven, the beginning of his ministry took some time. Even thought he had been trained under the high priest, Gamaliel, and was a Pharisee, Paul still had a lot to learn.

First, he went to stay with Ananias and the disciples in Damascus for several days. He taught in the synagogues, explaining that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews conspired to kill him and kept watch on the city gates. The disciples had to lower him in a basket from a hole in the wall at night in order for him to escape.

Our speaker pointed out that this may not have been the nicest basket. Who knows what it could held before -- fish, produce that went bad, rubbish -- you get the picture. But even in the nicest basket, it is humiliating to have to be secreted out of the city to run for your life.

On leaving Damascus, Paul spent a period of time in Arabia, possibly up to three years. He then went to Jerusalem. Even after being away for a time, the believers were afraid of him because he had persecuted the church so zealously, and Barnabas had to come to his defense. After a while, the Jews in Jerusalem sought to kill him, so the believers sent him to his home town of Tarsus, where he stayed until Barnabas went to find him and took him to Antioch to teach the Greek believers. Overall, it was about eleven years from the time of Paul's conversion until his first missionary journey.

Danny pointed out that personal growth and preparation for serving God takes time. It may involve uncomfortable situations and humiliating experiences. Danny called these experiences our "basket". They are necessary to prepare us to be a servant ready for God's use. Baskets can be a multitude of situations -- financial difficulties, emotional strains, job-related problems, health difficulties, family stresses.

I'm sure Paul felt the same way I do. I don't like being in a basket! It's dark and smelly! It sticks and pokes and cramps me! I want to rush ahead and serve God with the passion He's given me. But God knows I need time in the basket to be ready for Him to use.

What's your basket?