Paul's First Steps

Imagine that the most feared bully at your school — the one everybody avoided in the hallway — disappears for a while and comes back saying he has changed. That he is one of the good guys now. Would you believe him right away? Probably not. You would be suspicious, keep an eye on him, wait and see. That is more or less how the early church reacted when Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor who arrested and killed Christians, showed up saying he had met Jesus and was now preaching the Gospel.

What happened to Paul right after his conversion? The Bible does not tell us everything in detail, but what it does tell is precious: there was escape, there was rejection, there were almost invisible years, and there was a lot of growing up. Before the apostle wrote letters that would cross twenty centuries and before his missionary journeys shook the Roman Empire, there was a time of quiet preparation. And it is precisely this "before becoming famous" period that this lesson will study.

The question that will stay with us is simple and applies to you too: what does God do with a person after they are truly converted?

I. Paul's Early Journey

Right after being baptized, Paul did not stay quiet. He began attending the synagogues of Damascus proclaiming something no one expected to hear from that mouth: that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20-22). Imagine the shock. The man who had gone to Damascus specifically to hunt down Christians was now preaching in their favor. Many Jews did not like that at all and began plotting to kill him.

That was when one of the most curious scenes in the apostle's life took place: the brothers put him inside a basket and lowered him through an opening in the city wall so that he could escape those watching the gates (Acts 9:25; 2 Corinthians 11:32, 33). The great apostle Paul began his journey fleeing while hanging in a basket. There was no triumphal entry; there was a quiet escape in the dead of night.

🏛 Fun fact. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and in Paul's time it was surrounded by a wall with houses built on top of it — some with windows facing outward. It was through one of those openings that the disciples lowered Paul in the basket. In 2 Corinthians 11:32, 33, Paul makes a point of recalling that episode: for him, that humiliating escape was no shame at all, but proof that God had kept him safe from the very first day.

Putting together the information in Acts and the Letter to the Galatians, we discover that the story is longer than it looks. Paul spent time in Arabia and then returned to Damascus, during a period scholars often call the "hidden years" or "silent years" (Galatians 1:15-18). What did he do during that time? The Bible does not say. Researchers suggest a few possibilities: he may have learned the trade of tentmaking, he may have begun preaching among the Gentiles, or he may have dived deep into studying the Scriptures, understanding how all the prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus.

After that, Paul went up to Jerusalem and had a brief contact with the leaders of the church — he spoke with Peter and James (Galatians 1:18, 19). But remember the bully nobody believed had changed? That is exactly what happened: the church in Jerusalem knew Saul the persecutor and was suspicious. The one who broke the ice was Barnabas, introducing to the apostles the Paul who had been transformed by Christ. Even so, the apostle's bold preaching stirred up opposition again, and the brothers had to help him escape to Caesarea (Acts 9:30).

Some time later, when the church in Antioch of Syria grew and needed leadership, it was Barnabas once again who went to get Paul, now in Tarsus, so they could work together (Acts 11:25, 26). Antioch was a large, bustling Roman city full of followers of Jesus. And it was there that a new word was born: for the first time, the disciples were called Christians (Acts 11:26).

II. Paul's Spiritual Maturation

Here it is worth stopping to think: why so many "silent" years? If Paul had already met Jesus and already knew how to preach, why didn't God launch him immediately into the great missionary journeys? The answer has to do with a truth the world today hates to hear: growing takes time.

On the one hand, Paul had gone through an enormous transformation. He was literally a new person, because "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). It makes sense, then, that he used that time to rebuild his own life: finding a new direction, dealing with his emotions, shaping his character according to the teachings of Jesus. No one becomes a mature Christian overnight — not even Paul did.

On the other hand, when Barnabas finally called him to Antioch, Paul was ready to go and to lead. That is a sign those years were not wasted. They were years of studying the Scriptures, of prayer, of fasting, of preparation. The Holy Spirit was with him the entire time, guiding every step even when no one was watching. When the right time came, the worker was already mature.

❤ For your life. You are in a hurry to grow up, and that is good — but God is careful with time. Maybe you are in a stage that feels like "nothing is happening": studying, waiting, serving in small things, with no spotlight at all. Do not despise this time. Paul spent years like that, and it was those hidden years that built the apostle the world would see later. What God is forming in you right now, in silence, is the foundation of what He is going to do through you tomorrow.

Notice Paul's zeal as well. He was intense, passionate, bold — and that is beautiful in a new believer. But the lesson in the quarterly makes a wise observation: excessive zeal does not replace wisdom, and the passion of someone who has just converted is not the same thing as the patience of a mature Christian. Paul had fire; with time, he learned to direct that fire with love. That is why the church in that region itself, according to the Golden Text, walked in the fear of the Lord and, encouraged by the comfort of the Holy Spirit, kept multiplying (Acts 9:31). Where there is maturity and fear of God, there is peace and growth.

🕊 Our reading. Notice who the invisible protagonist of this whole story is: the Holy Spirit. It was He who guided Paul during the hidden years, it was He who gave authority to his preaching (Acts 9:22), and it is He who, according to the Golden Text, comforts and multiplies the church. We Pentecostals believe that the same Spirit who empowered Paul remains active today, baptizing, comforting, and distributing gifts. Maturing in the faith is not becoming more "on your own" — it is depending more and more on the direction of the Spirit, just as Paul did.

III. The Message That Disturbs

Here comes a part that teens need to understand well, because it is going to happen to them. All that enthusiasm Paul once used to hunt down Christians he now used to preach Jesus. And even so, many people kept rejecting the message. Why?

The people of Israel were waiting for the Messiah — the prophets had announced Him, and the promises were written in the Scriptures. During His life on Earth, Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of those prophecies (Matthew 5:17) and showed Himself to be the Son of God (Matthew 16:16, 17). After He died and rose again, no doubt should have remained. And yet many Jews did not accept that Jesus was God and even went so far as to deny the resurrection. Worse: they accused those who preached this message of blasphemy — which is an offensive word or insult against God.

The important detail is this: the problem was not a lack of proof. Paul placed the Old Testament prophecies side by side with their fulfillment in Jesus and demonstrated that He was the Christ (Acts 9:22). His opponents could not refute his arguments. What they lacked was an open heart for the Holy Spirit to show them the truth.

🏛 Fun fact. Before converting, Saul was a respected rabbi, trained under the instruction of Gamaliel, one of the most famous teachers in Jerusalem (Acts 22:3). When a rabbi preached in a synagogue, he was expected to explain the Law of Moses. So imagine the impact: a heavyweight rabbi walks into the synagogue and, instead of defending traditional interpretations, proves from the Scriptures themselves that Jesus is the Messiah. It was that authority that left his opponents without an answer — and furious.

And what does that have to do with you? Everything. When you tell a classmate what Jesus has done in your life, it is very possible that you will face mockery, contempt, or that awkward silence. Do not be alarmed by that and do not get discouraged. Our duty is to speak about Jesus; convincing people's hearts is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7, 8). You plant the seed faithfully and lovingly; God takes care of the rest.

Christ in the Lesson

It is easy to read this lesson as the biography of a hero: "the incredible Paul, who escaped in a basket, matured in the desert, and faced all opposition." But the center is not Paul. The center is Jesus, and Paul is only an example of what Christ does with a life.

Think about it: what turned the persecutor into a preacher was not willpower or therapy or a self-help book. It was a personal encounter with the living, risen Christ on the road to Damascus. It was Jesus who knocked him to the ground, who called him by name, who raised him up as a new creation. All the maturing we have studied here is the fruit of that encounter. If anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) — and the "new" begins in Christ, not in us.

And there is more. The message Paul preached, and for which he suffered, is the same one that saves you and me: Jesus is the promised Messiah, died for our sins, and rose again. Paul did not invent a new religion; he pointed to the Christ of the Scriptures. Studying Paul's first steps, at bottom, is seeing up close the power of Jesus to take the worst of stories and turn it into a testimony.

Application

In your personal faith. You do not need to have a conversion as dramatic as Paul's to be transformed by Christ. What matters is having a real encounter with Jesus and truly submitting yourself to Him. Has that happened to you already, or are you still living a faith just for show, inherited from your parents? This is the most important question of the lesson.

In your time of waiting. Maybe you dream of preaching, singing, leading, or doing something big for God, and feel like "nothing is happening." Remember Paul's hidden years. Use this time to study the Bible, pray, serve in small things, and let God shape your character. Hidden preparation today is fruitful ministry tomorrow.

In your testimony. Start speaking about Jesus right where you are — in your school group, on the court, on your phone. You will meet resistance, just as Paul did. Speak anyway, with respect and love, and trust the Holy Spirit to touch hearts. Your part is faithfulness; the part of convincing belongs to God.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You because You are able to transform any life — even that of the worst persecutor, even mine. Just as You did with Paul, do with me as well: renew my heart, shape my character, and give me patience to mature in Your time. Teach me to value the quiet days, when no one sees, but when You are preparing me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may speak of You without fear, even when I face resistance. May my life, like Paul's, always point to You, the Messiah who died and rose again for me. In Your name, amen.

Soli Deo Gloria — Scripture governs; everything else, on its knees.

Teacher's Guide

Opening activity (suggested by the quarterly — "Starting Point"): review with the class who Saul was before his conversion — the feared persecutor who arrested, flogged, and killed Christians. Ask them to imagine the fear the brothers and sisters felt when they heard his name. Then contrast that: this very same man showed up saying he had changed. Ask the class: "If you belonged to the church in Jerusalem, would you have believed him?" Let them answer honestly. Use their reactions to explain the church's suspicion and Barnabas's role as a bridge — and to introduce the idea that God truly transforms whoever surrenders to Him, even when people still doubt.

Tie the conversation to the balance the lesson teaches: the new believer has zeal, but still needs to mature; the church needs discernment to welcome, but also patience to walk alongside. Reinforce that no one matures alone or instantly — it is the work of the Holy Spirit over time.

Five questions for the class:

1. How did Paul escape from those who wanted to kill him in Damascus, and why does he recall that episode with pride in 2 Corinthians 11?
2. What were Paul's "hidden years," and what do scholars suggest he may have done during that time?
3. Why was the church in Jerusalem suspicious of Paul, and who helped resolve that?
4. Why did some Jews reject Paul's preaching even without being able to refute his arguments?
5. How can the story of Paul's silent years encourage you during a stage of life when it feels like "nothing is happening"?