Long before he became the Apostle Paul, Saul was a proud and ambitious man. Following his conversion,

and to prepare him for ministry, God systematically broke down Saul's pride and self-reliant

ways. Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall teaches from Acts chapter 9.

Paul's raw and humbling story reminds us that God doesn't need strong and independent renegades,

but draws on those who are humble and broken.

It's a sobering message on leadership, inside and outside the church.

Chuck titled his message, Mission Underway, Thanks to the Lesser Known.

This isn't really about the life of Paul. This is about God and his working in the life of Paul.

This is about God and his working in the life of a man named Saul.

After a while, while in Damascus, he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues,

verse 20, saying he is the son of God.

But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived

at Damascus by proving that this Jesus was the Christ. When many days had elapsed, verse 23 continues,

the Jews plotted together to do away with him. I think by now his ministry began to be effective.

And guess what?

People came to his rescue.

His disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall,

lowering him in a basket.

Can you imagine Saul of Tarsus five years earlier saying,

sure, I'll get in a basket. I mean, it would be

kind of humiliating for me to just lay down the floor right here in front of all of you and act

like I was in a basket. I thought about doing that. I thought, no, I don't think I want to do that.

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