In the last few chapters we saw 2 Spirit-filled deacons - Stephen and Philip who became pioneers in bringing the Gospel beyond Jerusalem.
• In chapters 9 and 10, Luke tells us of 2 extraordinary conversions – Saul and Cornelius, which eventually set the mission going.
Saul’s conversion marks another important milestone for the church.
• It can be considered as one of the most significant events in church history.
• This is so important that Luke penned it 3 times, here in chapter 9, and again in chapters 22 and 26.
• In Acts 22:1-21 Paul spoke to his Jewish unbelieving brethren in defense of his ministry. In Acts 26:1-23 Paul shares his personal testimony to King Agrippa, Festus, and Bernice.
Young Saul of Tarsus, the enemy of the church, the persecutor of Christians, the destroyer of Christianity, ended up being a passionate preacher the Gospel and the pioneer of many churches.
• What happened? God showed up in his life!
• He was stopped in his tracks on the road to Damascus, miraculously converted and recruited to share the Gospel to the regions beyond.
• This conversion is a reminder to us that God is in the business of pursuing men and women and transforming lives today.
Luke the author wanted us to see that Saul was the greatest threat to Christianity at that time.
• 8:1 says when Stephen was murdered, “Saul was there, giving approval to his death.”
• 8:3 “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.”
• Then in 9:1–2 Luke says that Paul was not just threatening the Christians, he was "breathing out murderous threats." He kills them, not just in Jerusalem, but wherever they fled to.
• Later on, in Acts 26, in his appearance before King Agrippa, Paul tells the king how he felt at this time: "I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them." (Acts 26:9-11).
You can see that this was not a small task or a part-time job for Saul.
• It went right to the core of his belief. He was determined to destroy them.
• Christianity with its message of salvation by faith apart from works is heresy to him. It needs to be destroyed.
• He was even determined to take his persecution over 240km North East to Damascus.
What God Wants Us to See
• This is the kind of person that no one expects to be converted.
• His own belief system is too deep, his opposition is too intense.
• His whole life would have to be changed if he embraces Christianity – he has to drop his deep-rooted belief in the Law and all his ‘obedience to the Law’ stuff.
• All that he has learnt and grew up in would have to be demolished.
And now that he has taken such a public stand against the Christians, taking on this very heroic crusade against Christianity, it would be utterly humiliating to change his mind and support what he had fought against.
• It would be like Hitler getting converted and becoming the greatest missionary in Germany and Europe.
• It would be like Saddam Hussein getting converted and becoming a Christian missionary to Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
If there was a prayer meeting then, I doubt anyone would pray for Saul be saved.
• Maybe some might even pray that Saul be “terminated” in some divine act or in a natural accident (“act of God”).
• I can believe the believers who gathered to pray would have prayed for the protection of the church and for the safety of believers, especially the leaders of the church.
• No one, it would seem, was even thinking of what God was about to do. Ananias is not only surprised; he is resistant to being called to help Saul, at least initially.
Yet Saul was converted! Against all odds!
• God wants us to see that this most unlikely person can even be converted.
• The “worst of sinners” (1 Tim 1:16) – the chief of sinners was converted.
• Last week we saw an Ethiopian eunuch, an unlikely candidate coming to know Christ. And now Saul.
• If it can happen to Saul, it can happen to anyone. There is hope for everyone.
God stepped in, in a sudden and unexpected way.
• Verse 3: "Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him."
• The whole thing came out of the blue, as we say. We don’t see it coming.
• It did, by the sheer grace of God. Again, not the work of man. It wasn’t the work of man for the eunuch; it wasn’t the work of man for Saul.
It is a mistake to think that only those who show some kind of openness or interest or spiritual sensitivity have a higher chance to accept Christ.
• Paul was not open and not interested and not spiritually sensitive.
• He was utterly closed and utterly convinced that Christianity was false, and in total rebellion.
• He was not "ripe for the picking" as we like to say. He was way beyond picking. He was hard and dry and ‘evil’.
What happened to Saul was sudden and unexpected, and that means the same can happen today.
• We don’t despair and we don’t give up. Keep praying and keep speaking the truth in love.
• Our God is a God of grace. He loves to show mercy and offer grace, and He does that sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways.
Jesus spoke directly to him. He called out his name, “Saul, Saul…”!
• How personal! The Lord says He is the Shepherd (John 10) and He calls his sheep by name! God knows you by name.
Saul realized at that moment that Jesus was alive, that His claims were true.
• Lying prostrate in the dust of the road, Saul received instructions to go into the city, where he would be told what to do next.
• Now Saul was blind. This proud and confident man was broken. He has to be led by the hand into the city. He is now blind, weak and helpless.
• Jesus Christ brought him to the place where he has to acknowledge his need for Him.
Listen to how Paul describes his own experience – Gal 1:13-17
• It’s a work of God’s grace. Jesus totally took over on the Damascus road.
• He was not responding to anything Paul had done to win God’s grace.
• It was all of God and nothing of man. It was utterly free and unmerited.
• Whatever resistance Paul might have melted away in the presence of God’s grace and love.
We should never give up on anyone, because no one is hopeless before Christ.
• In 1 Tim 1:12-16, Paul said that the fact that he, the worst of sinners, could be converted is a SIGN that the least likely of all people can be converted.
• God demonstrated His “unlimited patience” towards this ‘worst of sinners’, as an example to you. Christ did it the way He did it to show that God is patient.
• 2 Peter 3:9 “… He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
God used the chief of sinners as an example for us.
• It doesn’t begin with what you have to offer; it begins with what God has to offer – His grace and His power for a changed life.
• 1 Tim 1:14 says God poured out His grace on him abundantly… along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
God’s grace overflows. It overwhelms you.
• Saul’s conversion serves to remind us there is always hope, and we should not lose heart.
• Put your trust in God. Put your trust in the power of the Holy Spirit in changing lives.
• And that includes our own lives today. Only Jesus Christ can do a real makeover for us. God turns Saul into Paul, and he impacted the first century church.
In an English church some years ago, the pastor was overcome by the sight at his altar. An ex-convict was kneeling beside a judge who sat on the bench of England’s highest court. This judge had been the one who handed down a 7-year prison sentence to the man now kneeling at his side.
In a conversation after the service, the judge asked the pastor if he had noticed who was praying next to him.
The pastor acknowledged this remarkable sight. The judge then stated, “What a miracle of grace!”
The pastor agreed and made reference to the criminal’s conversion.
“But I was not referring to him, I was thinking of myself,” noted the judge.
He went on to explain, “That man knew how much he needed Christ to save him from his sins. But look at me. I was taught from childhood to live as a gentleman, to keep my word, to say my prayers, to go to church. I went through Oxford, took my degrees, was called to the bar, and eventually became a judge.
Pastor, nothing but the grace of God could have caused me to admit that I was a sinner on a level with that convict. It took much more grace to forgive me for my pride and self-righteousness, to get me to admit that I was no better in the eyes of God than the convict whom I sent to prison.”
Grace is necessary for all sinners to find forgiveness, regardless of how they, or the world, picture their deeds.)
We all need God’s grace. We are all sinners in need of His forgiveness.
• No matter now man or the world sees us, we are equal in the sight of God.
• If you have never experienced grace and you sense God is calling you to come to Him, respond to Him. Pray and invite Him into your life.
Prayer: Father, thank you for this amazing story and the truths it teaches. Thank you for taking the initiative to find us and bring us into your kingdom. Teach us to grow in grace. We pray that we will not write anyone off. Help us become like you, seeking others with the good news of life in Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
