The apostle Paul went from being one of the most ardent opponents of the early church to one of its most staunch leaders. In doing so, he gave up everything. He was well-respected and yielded authority within the Jewish nation and religion. But when he converted to Jesus, he lost everything and counted it as rubbish.
We are first introduced to Paul (his Roman name) as Saul (his Jewish name). Saul appears in the New Testament by name in Acts 7. His name is mentioned after the Jewish people argue with Stephen over his preaching of Jesus. Stephen gives his defense, and they stone him, laying their garments at the feet of Saul, who gave his consent to the stoning of Stephen.
“Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:58 ESV).
But the argument with Stephen started before his defense. In Chapter 6 we read,
“Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.” (Acts 6:9 ESV).
Paul was a Jew from Cilicia. He would have been one of the men who argued with Stephen even after the Spirit, through Luke, tells us:
“And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8 ESV).
Imagine, the man who would become one of the strongest defenders of Jesus and would suffer more than most, argued with a preacher who was doing great wonders and signs. Yet, in the end, the people laid their garments at his feet when they stoned the man Saul believed was a blasphemer.
This was a turning point for Saul. No more would he sit idly by as this sect continued to preach Jesus as God and Messiah. He made it his personal mission to destroy these people and defend the one true God of Israel.
“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” (Acts 8:1-3 ESV).
We learn later from Ananias that word of Saul’s bloodlust against the Christians spread even beyond Israel (Acts 9:13-14). In fact, it wasn’t enough for Saul to confine his mission to cleanse the land of these blasphemers,
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” (Acts 9:1-2 ESV).
And it was on the road to Damascus where the Lord Jesus appeared in person to Saul. We know the story. A blinding light appeared, and Jesus revealed himself to Saul. He told Saul to go to Damascus and he would be told what to do. When Jesus left, Saul was blind.
For three days, he waited for Ananias to come to him. For three days, he remained blind. That’s a long time for him to think about what he had done. He was the catalyst for murder, persecution, and ultimately blasphemy against the Messiah he had been waiting for.
What do you suppose when through his mind during the three days of blindness? We don’t know for sure because we’re not told. However, we know some things...
We know he persecuted the disciples with a clear conscience, believing he was obeying God.
Jesus even said,
“They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.” (John 16:2 ESV).
Could there be anyone who exemplifies this verse more than Saul?
We know he came face-to-face with Jesus and the truth about himself and his relationship with Jesus. Do you suppose he wrestled with godly sorrow in the three days of blindness as he played his sins over and over in his mind, having been told by Jesus that he was persecuting Him?
In his blindness, did he wonder, as the people on the day of Pentecost wondered, “What shall I do?” For three days, he wrestled with his sins and the reality of who he was and who Jesus was.
Then came a time to make a decision. When his blindness left and he could see, Saul heard the Gospel. Ananias told him how to obey. How did the three days of blind contemplation affect him?
He repented and submitted to Jesus in baptism.
He didn’t argue with the man Jesus sent to tell him what to do. He didn’t ask, “Why baptism?” Nor did he become so overcome with godly sorrow that he felt God could never forgive his sins, as bad as he was.
He simply obeyed the Gospel as Ananias taught him.
If we have not called upon the name of the Lord and have been baptized for the remission of sins, then we are contemplating something in our spiritual blindness today.
Have we been convicted of our sins?
Do we see our need for a Savior?
Do we cry out, “What should I do?”
Is our heart ready to repent?
If you are wrestling in your spiritual blindness with your sins, I leave you with the words of Ananias to Saul,
“And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16 ESV).
The angels told us that we are closer than ever to the return of Jesus, our King.
Get ready.
It’s going to happen.
“And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11 ESV).
As we study the word of God, let’s use the reason that God endowed us with to think through the things the Spirit leaves us.
Our ability to reason is a gift of God that is part of the way we are made in His image.
But it is incumbent upon us to be aware of when we are employing our reason as we study.
The danger is not in using our reasoning, but in treating our conclusions and inferences as equal to the word of God.
It’s good when we make a conclusion based on what we read. That shows we are striving to apply the word in our hearts. But we must always be willing to examine our conclusions.
Whether we eat meat offered to idols or whether we abstain can both be reasoned from how we apply God’s word.
But to state that my reasoning and conclusions are elevated to God’s word is a dangerous and presumptuous usurping of God’s authority.
“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” (1 Corinthians 8:8 ESV).
We should be more concerned about not letting our inferences and conclusions hurt our brothers.
“But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9 ESV).
It is one thing to temper our conclusions, inferences, and reasoning for the sake of our brothers. It is another thing to elevate our conclusions, inferences, and reasoning to be equal to God.
If we condemn what God has not condemned or if we require what God has not required, we will have to give account to the author of the word on judgment day for our presumption.
“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9 ESV).
Let us always approach God’s word with the reverence and honor it deserves and not debase it by elevating our reasoning to be equal to God’s.
It’s sad that in our advertisements, we have normalized sin so much that it’s becoming innocuous.
I used to worry about the movies and television shows I watched where sex, language, blasphemies, and violence were present.
Now, Satan has figured out how to get his evil into my mind in a 30-second commercial while I’m only paying half attention.
The devil is shrewd and opportunistic. If he can’t get us to spend 90 minutes with him, he’ll take 30 seconds at a time.
It’s never been more important to guard our hearts and minds from sin.
It may take more work now that we have to guard against even 30-second commercials found on television and online,
But the alternative can affect our hearts before we realize what just happened.
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 ESV).
The same Messiah that told the Samaritan woman that the time is coming when those who worship God will worship Him in spirit told her we will also worship Him in truth.
If we worship in spirit but not the truth, or in truth but not spirit, then we are not worshiping God as Jesus said we should.
The living truth will make us alive with its transforming power. Let’s not be bewitched into worshiping God in spirit or truth only.
Let us worship God the way Jesus said we would when the time came because this is what our Father wants.
The time has come, and now is.
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24 ESV).
God’s sovereignty is amazing and beyond what we can ever imagine.
For example, when God wants to exercise His sovereignty over a nation, He has more arrows in His quiver than we can imagine to accomplish His purposes.
He doesn’t have to bring in another nation to conquer in order to exercise His sovereignty.
Sometimes He may choose to just make a nation’s leaders stupid and therefore make stupid decisions.
“therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” (Isaiah 29:14 ESV).
As an American, I’m not sure which is the more scary way God can exert His sovereignty.
Interesting historical note...
Annas, the patriarchal High Priest of his family, was in his 1st to 3rd year as High Priest when Jesus was 12 years old and impressed the leaders in Jerusalem (depending in what year Jesus was born).
Annas served as High Priest from 6 AD to 15 AD. All five of his sons eventually served as High Priest, as did his son-in-law Caiaphas.
It is very likely that one of the people Jesus impressed at age twelve in the Temple was the patriarch of the family that would put him to death by crying out to the Romans, “Crucify Him!” 2 decades later.
“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:46-47 ESV).
Today is the Lord’s Day.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could worship together and then greet Jesus together as He returns today, His day?
Paul is an amazing convert. His life was 100% converted to the Messiah he once persecuted.
After all he lost for the sake of Jesus, he said this to the brethren at Philippi:
“I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” (Philippians 1:23-24 ESV).
He thought it far better to be with Jesus.
He wanted to be with the One he once despised, fought against, and rejected.
I pray that no matter what our past, our present can also say to depart and be with Jesus is far better than anything we have today.