The Conversion of All

(Read Acts 9)

God has a habit throughout all scripture of using the most unlikely individuals to do his work. He makes no exceptions. We all know sincere, spirit-filled people who are humble, who draw no attention to themselves. These people don’t crave attention or glory. They are purpose-driven. There is another version of spiritual people who are also purpose-driven, but they have self-gratifying motivations. One version is blind, one is not.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:1-2

When I served on our church’s council, I quickly discovered that it was an eye-opening experience. The business of running a church is messy sometimes. Hard decisions have to be made to ensure the church doors stay open and that the church continues to provide an avenue of worship and growth for followers of Christ. I never saw anyone who represented the wrath and ferocity of Saul. We all had different takes on the best ways to achieve these goals and every one of us were sincere in our views. There were times however, when I heard more emphasis on our way over His way.

In Acts 9, we get the first glimpse that Christianity is referred to as the Way. This reference was used five times in Acts. It showed that this new thing was much more than just a belief or doctrine. It is a way of living and believing. Saul, and probably other religious zealots were concerned about these Jesus followers because this Jesus movement was spreading everywhere.

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
Acts 9:3-5

At the time Acts was written, there was no electricity and no lasers, or digital light sources. There was nothing brighter than the sun. The light that flashed around Saul, was a supernatural light brighter than the sun. Even if there was technology that could have described the brightness, it would have been brighter than that.

When God calls you, you better listen. When He calls you twice, He’s not only demanding your attention, He’s addressing you in a personal, intimate way. Clearly, Jesus wanted Saul’s attention. He was demanding a stop to this persecution and false religious dogma Saul was enforcing. Moses, Jacob, Samuel, Martha, and Simon were called twice by God for different reasons but from the same loving vantage point. When God needs to use us, He means to use us.

It’s important to notice, that despite Saul’s fiery crusade against the Jesus followers, he immediately recognized the significance of Jesus’ call to him. He asked, “Who are you Lord?” Not, what do you want? How can I do my job better? Not how can I lift myself higher? Saul recognized Jesus’ sovereignty. He was God. He recognized Jesus as Lord.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Acts 6:6

Jesus knows why we do everything we do. He knew why Saul was ravaging the early Christian community. He knew what was in Saul’s heart. But, He wanted Saul to see this. Jesus knowingly asked, “Why are you persecuting me?” Throughout history, there have been scores of people convinced they were doing God a favor by purging the worst behavior in people by whatever means necessary. Sadly, it is usually wrongly disguised in the name of God. We look at these persecutors with disdain. We look down on them as freaks and aberrations. But are they? Is this something we do too?

After his lightning experience with Jesus, Saul was struck with blindness and was taken to Damascus. In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias who knew all about Saul and was terrified of him. Once again, God intervened. Once again, God uses any of us, even the most unlikely to carry His plan forward. Despite Ananias’ objections, God told him that he had no choice in getting involved with this Saul character. I have always imagined it would be like God telling us that we have to go find a wild tiger and welcome him into our home. Imagine the terror when God tells us to, “Look for Saul.”

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 9:17

Saul was not only physically blind, he was spiritually blind too. He believed his way was actually better than God’s ways or maybe he was just too impatient for God’s way to play out. After literally seeing the light, Saul wanted to be connected with Jesus and with His disciples. His first step in this connection was being baptized. We are never told in Acts or elsewhere, that Ananias told Saul about baptism. More likely, Saul had seen Christian baptisms and could now recognize the life-changing power in them.

Saul probably believed that his most productive and fruitful years in serving God came from his strict, false, and violent adherence of his understanding of Hebrew Scriptures. As an expert in the law with a new lens, he could instantly see how the Old testament pointed to Jesus as the Messiah.

At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 20-22

What does the phrase, “the Son of God” mean to you? Is it a way of saying the son is under God or less than God? In Jesus’ day, the significance of the phrase was understood. To be called the “son of” something meant you were identified with that person. It meant that the son’s identity was the same as the father’s identity. Jesus calling himself the son of God was as a clear claim to His deity.

We learn that Saul later changed his name to Paul. “Saul” was a solid Jewish name. Saul was the name of the first king who unified Israel. Ironically, “Paul,” means “small.” So, the strong, mighty, and proud Saul became the small servant Paul.

Saul thought he was in his glory as a highly visible leader protecting Jewish law. In reality, Paul spent his most formidable years in prison. Some in the early church thought he was awesome, while others thought he was an egotistical crazy man. Paul suffered tremendously as a disciple of Jesus. He eventually was martyred by the Roman Emperor Nero. Many scholars believe that Paul’s body was given to dogs and devoured. It’s ironic that 2,000 years later, the Roman empire has crumbled, Nero is a footnote in history books, but Paul is one of the most prolific contributors to the New Testament. Paul is a hero to many who champion his writing, his passion, and his gifts to the Christian church.

My Bible titles this chapter, “The Conversion of Saul.” In terms of believers, the lesson should be titled, “The Conversion of All.” It’s safe to say that Acts 9 shows us that your past does not disqualify you from future usefulness. Here God takes a horrifying, outspoken Jew who despises Christians, and uses him for the sake of the gospel. It’s a clear display of God’s power, and a good reminder that even the wisest among us are nothing compared to the wisdom, the love, and the grace of God.

Key Applications:

1. Are you blinded by your spiritual beliefs? Are your religious convictions fundamental to you alone, or shared by other followers of Christ? Remember to focus your passion on the grace of God, not your own personal agenda.
2. Do others see your victories the same way you do? Do the people you influence see the same value in what you value about yourself. Take a step back. Pray for God to show you humility. Pray for God’s wisdom to enlighten you about the truth.
3. Read Acts 9. You might feel unworthy. You might feel that God would never use you to advance His plan. Think again. Be open to His whispering to you. If God calls you to help him, listen. If He calls you twice, listen extra hard.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.