Romans 1:1-2 Paul, a slave of Messiah Yeshua, called to be an emissary and set apart for the Good News of God, which He announced beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.

Let’s start with the name. Paul is a Latin version of Saul, which is an English version of Shaul. The Messianic version of Paul’s name is Rav Shaul (pronounced “Sha-ul'”) meaning “Rabbi Shaul.” Paul didn’t change his name to become Christian. It was changed for him by various Bible translators.

Paul never stopped being Jewish. After many years of ministry, he testifies to the Roman commander in Jerusalem … Acts 21:39a Paul said, “I am a Jewish man.” Notice he doesn’t say, “I was a Jewish man until I became a Christian man.” In fact, early believers were called “followers of the way.” The concept of “Christian” is explained in Acts 11:26, but Paul never identified himself that way.

Paul calls himself a servant of Messiah Yeshua. The concept of servant or slave is used here to indicate a lack of ownership. Yeshua is the owner of the message. When we minister, He is still the owner. We minister under authority, which is a high level of responsibility and a great honor. The more we humble ourselves, under His authority, the more He lifts us up.

Jacob 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of Adonai, and He shall lift you up.

Let’s keep this short and pick it up again next time.