الّذي كان يَضطَهدُنا هوَ الآنَ يُبَشِّرُ بالإيمانِ/Who Formerly Persecuted Us Is Now Preaching The Faith

أَنْتُم مِلْحُ الأَرض
إنجيل القدّيس متّى 5/13-17/:”أَنْتُم مِلْحُ الأَرض. فَإِذَا فَسَدَ المِلْحُ فَأَيُّ شَيءٍ يُمَلِّحُهُ؟ إِنَّهُ لا يَعُودُ يَصْلُحُ لِشَيء، إِلاَّ لأَنْ يُطْرَحَ في الخَارِجِ وتَدُوسَهُ النَّاس. أَنْتُم نُورُ العَالَم. لا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ تُخْفَى مَدِينَةٌ مَبْنِيَّةٌ عَلَى جَبَل. ولا يُوْقَدُ سِرَاجٌ ويُوضَعُ تَحْتَ المِكْيَال، بَلْ عَلى المَنَارَة، فَيُضِيءُ لِكُلِّ مَنْ في البَيْت. هكَذَا فَلْيُضِئْ نُورُكُم أَمَامَ النَّاس، لِيَرَوا أَعْمَالَكُمُ ٱلصَّالِحَة، ويُمَجِّدُوا أَبَاكُمُ الَّذي في السَّمَاوات. لا تَظُنُّوا أَنِّي جِئْتُ لأُبْطِلَ التَّوْرَاةَ أَوِ الأَنْبِياء. مَا جِئْتُ لأُبْطِل، بَلْ لأُكَمِّل.

الّذي كان يَضطَهدُنا هوَ الآنَ يُبَشِّرُ بالإيمانِ
من رسالة القدس بولس الرسول إلى غلاطية01/منِّي أنا بولُسَ، رَسولٌ لا مِنَ النّاس ِ ولا بِدَعوةٍ مِنْ إنسانٍ، بَلْ بِدَعوَةٍ مِنْ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ واللهِ الآبِ الّذي أقامَهُ مِنْ بَينِ الأمواتِ، ومِنْ جميعِ الإخوَةِ الّذين َ مَعي، إلى كنائِسِ غَلاطيةَ. علَيكُمُ النِّعمَةُ والسَّلامُ مِنَ اللهِ أبينا ومِنَ الرَّبِّ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ، الّذي ضَحَّى بِنَفسِهِ مِنْ أجلِ خَطايانا ليُنقِذَنا مِنْ هذا العالَمِ الشِّرِّيرِ، عمَلاً بِمَشيئَةِ إلَهِنا وأبينا، لَه المَجدُ إلى أبَدِ الدُّهورِ. آمين. عَجيبٌ أمرُكُم! أَبِمِثلِ هذِهِ السُّرعَةِ تَترُكونَ الّذي دَعاكُم بِنِعمَةِ المَسيحِ وتَتبَعونَ بِشارةً أُخرى؟ وما هُناكَ بِشارةٌ أُخرى، بَلْ جَماعةٌ تُثيرُ البَلْ بلَةَ بَينَكُم وتُحاوِلُ تَغييرَ بِشارَةِ المَسيحِ. فلَو بَشَّرناكُم نَحنُ أو بَشَّرَكُم مَلاكٌ مِنَ السَّماءِ بِبِشارَةٍ غَيرِ الّتي بَشَّرناكُم بِها، فلْيكُنْ مَلعونًا. قُلْنا لكُم قَبلاً وأقولُ الآنَ: إذا بَشَّرَكُم أحَدٌ بِبِشارَةٍ غَيرِ الّتي قَبلتُموها مِنَّا، فاللَّعنَةُ علَيهِ. هَلْ أنا أستَعطِفُ النّاس َ؟ كلاَّ، بَلْ أستَعطِفُ اللهَ. أيكونُ أنِّي أطلُبُ رِضا النّاس ِ فلَو كُنتُ إلى اليومِ أطلُبُ رِضا النّاس ِ، لما كُنتُ عَبدًا لِلمَسيحِ. فاعلَموا، أيُّها الإخوَةُ، أنَّ البِشارَةَ الّتي بَشَّرتُكُم بِها غَيرُ صادِرَةٍ عَنِ البَشَرِ. فأنا ما تَلقَّيتُها ولا أخَذتُها عَنْ إنسانٍ، بَلْ عَنْ وَحيٍ مِنْ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ. سَمِعتُم بِسيرَتي الماضِيَةِ في ديانَةِ اليَهودِ وكيفَ كُنتُ أضْطَهِدُ كَنيسةَ اللهِ بِلا رَحمَةٍ وأُحاوِلُ تَدميرَها وأفوقُ أكثرَ أبناءِ جِيلي مِنْ بَني قَومي في دِيانَةِ اليَهودِ وفي الغَيرَةِ الشَّديدَةِ على تَقاليدِ آبائي. ولكِنَّ اللهَ بِنِعمَتِهِ اختارَني وأنا في بَطنِ أُمِّي فدَعاني إلى خِدمَتِهِ. وعِندَما شاءَ أنْ يُعلِنَ ابنَهُ فيَّ لأُبشِّرَ بِه بَينَ الأُمَمِ، ما استَشَرتُ بَشَرًا ولا صَعِدتُ إلى أُورُشليمَ لأرى الّذينَ كانوا رُسُلاً قَبلي، بل ذَهَبتُ على الفَورِ إلى بلادِ العَرَبِ ومِنها عُدتُ إلى دِمَشقَ. وبَعدَ ثلاثِ سَنواتٍ صَعِدتُ إلى أُورُشليمَ لأرى بُطرُسَ، فأقَمتُ عِندَهُ خَمسةَ عشَرَ يومًا، وما رَأَيتُ غَيرَهُ مِنَ الرُّسُلِ سِوى يَعقوبَ أخي الرَّبِّ. ويَشهَدُ اللهُ أنِّي لا أكذِبُ في هذا الّذي أكتبُ بِه إلَيكُم. ثُمَّ سافَرتُ إلى بلادِ سورِيَّةَ وكيليكيَّةَ، وما كُنتُ مَعروفَ الوَجهِ عِندَ كنائِسِ المَسيحِ في اليَهودِيَّةِ، وإنَّما سَمِعوا أنَّ الّذي كان يَضطَهدُنا هوَ الآنَ يُبَشِّرُ بالإيمانِ الّذي كانَ يُريدُ أنْ يُدَمِّرَهُ، فمَجَّدوا اللهَ مِنْ أجلي.”

You are the salt of the earth
Matthew 5/11-20: “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.  You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.  Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house. Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. “Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished. Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.  For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Who Formerly Persecuted Us Is Now Preaching The Faith
Galatians 01/01-24: “Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,  to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—  which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!  As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased  to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being.  I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Then I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they praised God because of me.”