Following the martyrdom of Stephen, a young, ambitious Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus saw a golden opportunity for advancement and seized it. The Jewish leadership in Jerusalem was anxious to stamp out the fledgling Christian movement and Saul knew he was just the man for the job. Luke records it this way: “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2).
But something happened on the road between Jerusalem and Damascus, something young Saul could have never imagined. “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…” (Acts 9.3-5). Saul is confronted by the Risen Lord and from that moment on, his life would never be the same. The persecutor of Christianity was about to become the promoter of Christianity!
Saul learned many things that day in the dust of the Damascus road. One big lesson learned was that persecuting the followers of Jesus is the same as persecuting Him. At another level, the Bible also teaches that to oppose Jesus is to oppose God Himself (Luke 10.16; Matthew 25.40,45). It’s a package deal. Saul thought he was serving God by killing and imprisoning Christians and opposing Jesus (Acts 26.9). Instead, he discovered he was doing the very thing his revered teacher Gamaliel had warned against: fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39). And that’s a battle no man can win.
To his credit, Saul learned his lessons, corrected his course, and realigned himself with God’s purposes. Are we willing to do the same when the Lord confronts us?
God loves you!
Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment