HE WAS ON TRIAL, facing the death penalty. When it came time to defend himself, the Apostle Paul gave a remarkable summary of his life. Of his early experiences as a persecutor of Christians, of his astonishing conversion to Christianity, and of his subsequent years as Christian pastor, healer, and teacher in the major urban centers of the Roman Empire. In his summary, Paul faced King Agrippa and described the direct command he felt he had received in Damascus after his conversion: "Rise, and stand upon thy feet:" he'd heard, "for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness." Acts 26:16.
As a witness for God, Paul made it his life's work to testify to the truth of Christianity, of the good news—a mission that so permeated his being that all his teaching and healing supported this focus. It's evident, from reading accounts of his life in Acts and in his own letters, that Paul wasn't interested in being comfortable or in making a good living for himself—or even in looking piously to some kind of afterlife for a reward. His witnessing was activism itself, and while it brought him imprisonment, physical hardships, and ultimately death in Rome, it also produced outstanding healings and a body of written work that has inspired millions of people for almost 2,000 years. There were sacrifices, certainly. But Paul's understanding of the divine commission—first of all, be a witness for God—must have convinced him that it was all worth it.
Paul's work, of course, was inspired by the life of the master Christian, Jesus of Nazareth. As Paul knew, Jesus was so thoroughly a witness for God that he healed spontaneously wherever he went. The climax of Jesus' ministry was his own triumph over death in what we have come to call the resurrection and, just 40 days later, his ascension above human sight. Missing from the Biblical narratives is any indication that Jesus used his healing power to provide himself or his disciples with career-enhancing improvements: a headquarters building for their work, a steady income, or even a donkey to carry supplies. Jesus' work as a witness for God did not culminate in the cultivation and enhancement of creature comforts, but rather their sacrifice for a higher good. That's not to say that following Jesus necessitates that one's life be a model of asceticism. But when we choose to look to the Master as an example—as the expert witness, as it were—it shouldn't come as a surprise to discover that creature comforts or a career-driven life may not be the highest goals.
