Acts 9:1-31
Today we see the power of the Gospel on bright display. God takes a man who is killing disciples and turns him into one of the most effective ministers of the Gospel this world has ever seen. God is in the business of transforming the lives of men and nowhere is it more evident than in the story of Paul.
PAUL THE PERSECUTOR: Paul hated Christians and was willing to go to any lengths to persecute them. He even wanted to take his show on the road and hunt down any believer he could find and throw them in prison. Paul, at this time still named Saul was "all in" I think that this is the kind of person God looks for. Sometimes it is easier to take a highly motivated person who is dead wrong and redirect his energies into that which is right than it is to take a bump on a log and light a fire underneath him. At any rate Saul thought that he was serving God in what he was doing, but he did not know the truth of Christ. Zeal without truth is a very dangerous thing and we see this repeatedly in the terrorism that runs rampent in our world today. They think that they are serving God, but they do not know the truth.
PAUL THE PETRIFIED: As Paul walked along the road the Lord revealed Himself to Paul in the form of a bright light and an audible voice. I am sure that Paul was petrified by the experience. He falls to the ground in fear and worship, but when he gets up he is blind physically but his spiritual eyes have been opened. He knows that he has been persecuting the true followers of the Messiah he had, up until now, rejected. When God begins to transform lives by convicting them of their sin. Paul had to realize that he was wrong before he could be made right. Admitting that you are wrong is a very scary thing but it is absolutely necessary if we are going to be transformed and become like Christ.
PAUL THE PRAYER: Paul finds himself in a strange place, blind and having to come to grips with the fact that all he had believed up until this day was wrong. He had been instrumental in the death of Stephen and the imprisonment of so many others who were now his brothers and sisters in Christ. What do you do when your entire world comes crashing down on top of you? You pray! As Paul is praying, God is moving in the life of another believer to come and heal Paul and set him on his way. Prayer is vital to the life of believers. God uses prayer to be a comfort in times of distress and to direct believers so that they can be of great use in the kingdom of God. Can you imagine being the guy who baptised Paul? Amazing things happen when God's children pray. We all need to do more of it!
PAUL THE PREACHER: As soon as Paul was baptised and healed, he started telling others about Christ and he never stopped until they chopped his head off. The people who once feared him are now amazed to hear him preaching Christ and arguing with the Jews about Christ. When God works in our lives, we should be excited about talking to others and lifting up the name of Christ. When God works in our hearts it should impact our mouths. Not everyone has the speaking ability of Paul, but everyone does have the ability to talk to someone and God has called us to honor Him with our mouths. Once again, we see that Paul is "all in" and does not waste any time at giving all of his energies to spread the fame of Christ. Oh what a difference Jesus makes in our lives.
PAUL THE PERSECUTED: Well, we have come full circle. He who was the persecutor is now the persecuted. He has to flee Damascus and Jerusalem as the Jews were wanting to kill him. He was warned at his conversion that he would suffer much for the cause of Christ. He may have suffered much but he also accomplished very much for the cause of Christ. Persecution is part of living godly in Christ Jesus and we can see that Paul was a very godly man. God transformed his life in a radical way. That is what God does best and it is what He wants to do in each of our lives. There is a high price to pay for living in this way, but I promise you that Paul is shouting from heaven to all of us "IT IS WORTH IT ALL!!!!!"
PAUL THE PERSECUTOR: Paul hated Christians and was willing to go to any lengths to persecute them. He even wanted to take his show on the road and hunt down any believer he could find and throw them in prison. Paul, at this time still named Saul was "all in" I think that this is the kind of person God looks for. Sometimes it is easier to take a highly motivated person who is dead wrong and redirect his energies into that which is right than it is to take a bump on a log and light a fire underneath him. At any rate Saul thought that he was serving God in what he was doing, but he did not know the truth of Christ. Zeal without truth is a very dangerous thing and we see this repeatedly in the terrorism that runs rampent in our world today. They think that they are serving God, but they do not know the truth.
PAUL THE PETRIFIED: As Paul walked along the road the Lord revealed Himself to Paul in the form of a bright light and an audible voice. I am sure that Paul was petrified by the experience. He falls to the ground in fear and worship, but when he gets up he is blind physically but his spiritual eyes have been opened. He knows that he has been persecuting the true followers of the Messiah he had, up until now, rejected. When God begins to transform lives by convicting them of their sin. Paul had to realize that he was wrong before he could be made right. Admitting that you are wrong is a very scary thing but it is absolutely necessary if we are going to be transformed and become like Christ.
PAUL THE PRAYER: Paul finds himself in a strange place, blind and having to come to grips with the fact that all he had believed up until this day was wrong. He had been instrumental in the death of Stephen and the imprisonment of so many others who were now his brothers and sisters in Christ. What do you do when your entire world comes crashing down on top of you? You pray! As Paul is praying, God is moving in the life of another believer to come and heal Paul and set him on his way. Prayer is vital to the life of believers. God uses prayer to be a comfort in times of distress and to direct believers so that they can be of great use in the kingdom of God. Can you imagine being the guy who baptised Paul? Amazing things happen when God's children pray. We all need to do more of it!
PAUL THE PREACHER: As soon as Paul was baptised and healed, he started telling others about Christ and he never stopped until they chopped his head off. The people who once feared him are now amazed to hear him preaching Christ and arguing with the Jews about Christ. When God works in our lives, we should be excited about talking to others and lifting up the name of Christ. When God works in our hearts it should impact our mouths. Not everyone has the speaking ability of Paul, but everyone does have the ability to talk to someone and God has called us to honor Him with our mouths. Once again, we see that Paul is "all in" and does not waste any time at giving all of his energies to spread the fame of Christ. Oh what a difference Jesus makes in our lives.
PAUL THE PERSECUTED: Well, we have come full circle. He who was the persecutor is now the persecuted. He has to flee Damascus and Jerusalem as the Jews were wanting to kill him. He was warned at his conversion that he would suffer much for the cause of Christ. He may have suffered much but he also accomplished very much for the cause of Christ. Persecution is part of living godly in Christ Jesus and we can see that Paul was a very godly man. God transformed his life in a radical way. That is what God does best and it is what He wants to do in each of our lives. There is a high price to pay for living in this way, but I promise you that Paul is shouting from heaven to all of us "IT IS WORTH IT ALL!!!!!"
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