“The Conversion of Saul” (Acts Chapter 9) and “Then Saul, who was also called Paul” (Acts 13:9)
Most of us are familiar with the story of Saul as told by Dr. Luke in Acts 9. Saul was born of Roman parents and, therefore, was a Roman Citizen. But he was not a Gentile, he was a Jew, trained as a Pharisee. Even though his trade was that of a tent maker, Saul’s eyes had become focused on one thing, being a Christian-hater.
In 34AD, 4 years after the crucifixion of Christ, Saul was on the road to Damascus, on his way to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem to face trial by the Jewish leaders, when he was suddenly confronted by Jesus. God had decided to use Saul as His task theologian to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. However, before that could happen, God had to open Saul’s eyes to the gospel and His calling. God did that by first blinding Saul, closing his eyes to the life he had been living, a life of persecuting Christians.
God sent Saul to Damascus to wait. Three days later He sent His disciple Ananias to restore Saul’s sight and give Saul the Holy Spirit. When the scales fell off Saul’s eyes, when Saul’s eyes were again opened by God, he saw the world totally different.
The new Saul was born and he would now see the world through the eyes of an apostle of the Lord, chosen to bring the salvation of Jesus Christ to the very Christians he had been persecuting. It was now Saul’s job to bring the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles of the world. When God made the change in Saul from a Christian persecutor to a Christian promoter, he made another change in Saul. He changed his name from Saul to Paul. The “new Paul” was born.
Sometimes for God to get us to see what He has called us to do, He must first “blind” us to what we want to do. He has called each of us to serve Him and His kingdom in different ways. But being called to serve and be willing to heed God’s calling to serve are often two very different things. All too often, we are focused on our own “road to Damascus”, and what we see as our mission in life. There can be a wide gap between what we want to do and what God has called us to do.
God has a plan and purpose for each of us. Pastor Rick Warren, in his book, “Purpose Driven Life” says: “There are five great benefits in a purpose-driven life: 1) Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life, 2) Knowing your purpose simplifies your life, 3) Knowing your purpose focuses your life, 4) Knowing your purpose motivates your life and 5) knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity.
What has God called you to do? What is God’s purpose for you? We all find ourselves on our own “Road to Damascus from time to time. Seeing God’s will for us rather than following our own self-centered will is not all that easy. We must commune with God. We must build a relationship with Him. Most of us are not called to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, be evangelists, or world leaders in bringing the gospel to people like Paul. In the modern era, people like Dwight Moody, Billy Graham, and Charles Stanley have brought millions to accept Christ as their savior. But the work of these great evangelists can only be successful if there are thousands of others doing their part each day to carry the cross of Christ. From the Chaplain of the United States Congress to the man who sweeps the floor, from the Deacon at the local church to the man who serves food at the local soup kitchen, from the Pastors of the local church to the Sunday School teachers, we all have a calling to serve God in one way or another. I suspect when we are standing in front of the Great White Throne, how we responded to His calling will be a topic of conversation.