Today we are observing the Feast Day of“The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle".
In Christianity, conversion is when someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
When they do so, they are transformed and given a new identity, and their journey of spiritual growth begins.
Some people have a radical transformation take place in a short amount of time, demonstrating a fundamental shift in beliefs, values, and behavior, and growth in Christ.
The transformation often begins with the Holy Spirit working on a person’s heart, convicting, convincing, and drawing them to the LORD.
Once the person responds to the Spirit, that person repents by turning away from sin and heading towards the LORD, as the blood of Christ cleanses them from all of their sins.
A Christian’s transformation is not a one-time event but a lifelong journey following Jesus, learning from scripture and becoming more like Jesus every day.
That is exactly what eventually happened to Paul.
However, before that, Paul was all about persecuting Christians.
During the time of persecution against the early church, (Paul then known as Saul) consented to the murder of Saint Stephen. Next, he went to the High Priest for permission to bring Christians from Damascus to Jerusalem to stand trial. Then something dramatic happened.
As Saul was traveling the road towards Damascus,
a great light shone on him, and he became blind.
As Saul was traveling the road towards Damascus, a great light shone on him, and he became blind.
The Lord asked Saul a very telling question in Acts 9:4, “
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Saul asked,“
Who are You, Lord?”Jesus answered Saul. “
I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Then Saul asked, “
What do You want me to do?”
Jesus told Saul to go into Damascus and that a man named Ananias was going to help him.
Since Saul was blind, those with him had to take him by the hand and lead him to the city.
Which brings us to the man named Ananias.
The LORD appeared to him in a vision instructing him to go, find Saul, and lay hands on him to restore his sight. Ananias questioned God’s call because of Saul’s reputation of persecuting Christians. None the less, Ananias obeyed, showed courage, and went to meet Saul. He went on the basis of nothing except what the Lord said; it is called faith, trusting what the Lord says and responding!
As the Epistle of James, chapter 1, verse 22 says: “
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Or to put it a little differently, you could say, “true blessings come not just from hearing God's Word, but from actively doing it.” That's what Ananias did, and it applies to us as well.
Simply stated, the LORD blesses one's obedience.
Ananias took the LORD at His word that Saul was a changed person.
Even though Ananias had heard all the rumors about Saul's terrible past, he accepted the fact that Saul had repented and was now a follower of Christ and a brother in the LORD.
The next thing we learn is that when in Damascus, Ananias laid hands Saul and called Saul a brother, which powerfully communicated the love of Christ to Saul, even though he was blind and couldn't identify that it was Anania speaking. So, you see, Ananias became the one who would connect Saul with his new life in Christ!
Likewise, the LORD provides opportunities for us to see other people's need for Christ in their lives; the question is, are we willing to accept people for who they are in God's eyes and not hold their past sins against them? We should also, notice, the LORD did not require any of Ananias' natural ability to do His will, only Ananias' willingness to“obey."
Likewise, the key for us is to listen to the voice of God and have the willingness to obey.
If we struggle to discern the voice of God, it is a likely an indication that we need to spend more time with Him to be able to recognize it.
The dramatic conversion of Saul from persecuting Christians to becoming a devoted follower of Christ is a perfect example of the kind of transformation that can take place when a person encounters and listens to God's voice. As
Verses 21 & 22 tell us, where Saul began preaching: it says, "
Immediately he preached the Christ in
the synagogues.”
In his preaching, Saul, made it clear that the Old Testament prophecies were written about Jesus, and transformation only happens through Him.
Saul's preaching was all about Jesus being the Son of God. At that time in history, if someone called you the “son of” somebody, it meant that you were identified with that person, and their identity was your identity. When Jesus called Himself the Son of God, and when others called Him that,
it was understood as a clear claim of His divinity.
The Jewish culture understood the term“Son of God", made Jesus equal with God.
And that is exactly what Paul was preaching. Saul, as an Old Testament Theologian, now filled with the Holy Spirit, easily proved Jesus was God the Son, the Promised Messiah who could be found within their own Torah. Saul's teaching amazed those who heard it; They even asked,“
Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name?".
The radical transformation in the life of Saul was evident.
Not all transformations are as radical as Saul's, but serious transformations should be evident in the lives of ordinary believers who experience changes in their minds, attitudes, and relationships, as they grow in faith. We are told that Saul increased all the more in strength, as he preached about Christ; likewise, one of the best parts about sharing Christ with others, is that it
increases our faith as well.
As Saul's spiritual journey continued, we read in Galatians and 2 Corinthians that Saul left Damascus, and traveled to Arabia for 3 years.
Many believe he did so to spend time meditating on Christ.
Saul then returned to Damascus before going to Jerusalem, where he continued to profess the Risen Christ.
What is ironic, is that Saul who was part of the Jewish leadership before his conversion, would have been right in the middle of those seeking to kill Jesus. But now Saul who was a persecutor of Christians, became the persecuted.
The Jewish leadership plotted to kill Saul because he was preaching Christ.
The plot to kill Saul was known to the Christians in Damascus, so they decided to lower Saul down the wall at night, in a basket rather than risk his being captured.
Throughout the rest of Saul's life, he endured persecution and assassination attempts.
Saul's conversion began with him leaving Jerusalem to persecute followers of Christ, and it ended with him leaving Jerusalem as a persecuted follower of Christ.
Saul went from a young rabbi to a persecutor of Christians. After his encounter with Jesus on the road to the Road to Damascus, he became
Paul the Apostle.
At that moment, he was radically changed, he was transformed.
Likewise, when we receive Christ, His Holy Spirit will dwell within us, we will be changed, and our lives transformed. And once that occurs, our lives should demonstrate characteristics of our transformation.
- One evidence of transformation in a Christian is a sincere love for the LORD, demonstrated by our extending grace and forgiveness to others.
- Evidence of transformation in a Christian is demonstrated through experiences of a peace that passes human understanding, coupled with joy that transcends circumstances.
- Evidence of transformation in a Christian is demonstrated through the“fruit of the Spirit" – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
- Evidence of transformation in a Christian is demonstrated through our relationships and our interactions with the world, and desiring to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
- And finally, Evidence of transformation in a Christian is demonstrated through a desire to live according to God's will and a love for His Word.
The LORD saved and transformed us for Eternal Life and to have a relationship with Him.
He also saved and transformed us so we would become witnesses for Christ.
As we mature in Christ, we become more Christ-like every day.
As Paul said later in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
A radical transformation in Christ is a process of becoming more like Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, resulting in a life that reflects God's love, grace, and truth. AMEN
