Saul/paul

Saul/Paul

Reading the Word

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:1–6).

Setting the Scene

Saul is one of the best examples in history of the truth that religious zealots are some of the people most in need of God’s restoring work. He grew up under the finest in Jewish education of his time yet was blind to his own spiritual condition and violent in his rejection of the Gospel. He was well on his way to a career in wreaking havoc among early Christians when Jesus himself confronted him on the road to Damascus. That encounter left Saul physically blind but with wide-eyed spiritual vision. God restored Saul’s sight and allowed him to suddenly see the truth in all that he had learned in his training. He had his Emmaus road experience on the way to Damascus.

Through that encounter with Jesus and discipling by Ananias, Barnabas, and other believers, Paul (Greek for “Saul”) was transformed from zealous Christian-persecutor to courageous Christ-proclaimer and the Church’s greatest evangelist, especially to the “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Getting Personal

You probably don’t have a Damascus-Road-type conversion story. In fact, you may not even be able to remember a specific time and place where God found you and made you his child. But you know he did.

And you may wonder about the impact for Christ you are having (certainly no Apostle Paul). But since the first century, Christ’s work has been carried out by millions of faithful believers, nearly all anonymous—people like you. They knew that Jesus had found them and commissioned them to share his love and redemption story wherever they went. And they changed the world.

• What is your faith-story? When and where did God “find” you?
• With whom have you shared your story recently? Who in your family, at work, or in your neighborhood needs to hear about Jesus?

Talking to God

When I consider my life before and after Christ, Lord, I know I am a living miracle. I’m no Apostle Paul, but you found me and turned my life around. Thank you, Father. Motivate and empower me to share this life-changing news with others.

Adapted from “Restoration Profiles” by Neil Wilson; used by permission.