Has something ever happened in your life that immediately changed everything?  Some people have experiences like that where others gradually change over time.  Saul/Paul had one of those immediate life changing situations take place.  Let’s look at the story together from Acts 9.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 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. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “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.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

When Saul in confronted with the presence of Jesus he goes immediately from being perhaps the greatest persecuted of Christians and the early church to calling out, “who are you, Lord”?  He then becomes one of the greatest evangelistic forces in all of history.  While his story is amazing the biggest question for us all is how do we experience and respond to the presence of God in our lives?  We need to seek encounters with Jesus and allow Him to change our lives as well.  It might not be immediate but His Spirit changes us from the inside out.  He takes the brokenness of our lives and makes beautiful things out of it.  He changes Saul from a persecutor to a proclaimer.  He wants to use all of us to build His kingdom and share His love with the world.  All we need to do is be willing to let Him.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave