May 29 - Because He Believed

Acts 9: 20-31

Like it or not, our past follows us. Humans tend to judge others on what they’ve done before. The famous quote, “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior” carries a lot of weight.

This doesn’t mean that people can’t change. The Bible tells of many less-than-savory characters making bad decisions, who later become outstanding champions of Christ. Character transformation speaks to God’s ability to work miracles.

The fact that Saul became Paul is one of the most miraculous transformations in the Bible. Who’d have thought the angry persecutor would become one of the greatest Jesus supporters?! Today’s reading says that even the disciples didn’t believe it could happen. But then Barnabas stepped in and vouched for Saul. Barnabas believed in the Paul that Saul would become. He was Saul’s champion. Often, we just need someone to believe in us – to believe that change is possible.

Do you have a Barnabas in your corner or maybe you’re a Barnabas for someone else?

When our church started exploring the characteristics of a disciple, I thought of Barnabas. The name Barnabas means “Son of consolation or comfort/encouragement” which sums up who he was to Saul and who he was in Christ. Barnabas knew of the transformative power that comes to those who believe. “As you follow him (Jesus), you will find it changes the way you picture yourself and the way you imagine the story of your life.  Your heart, your mind, your hands, and your spirit will transform to be more like God’s” (Portrait of a Disciple, p. 7).

Our God is the God of transformation. Anything is possible. And because of God’s faithfulness in the past, we can predict with absolute certainty His unending faithfulness in the future.

Speechless

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. . . . Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. (Acts 9:5-7)

Think for a moment, have you ever been left searching for words only to come up empty? It usually happens when actual events exceed anything we could have anticipated. Perhaps it was someone’s sacrificial act of kindness that locked up your lexicon for the moment. Maybe it was beauty beyond belief that completely abridged your inner Webster. On the other hand, it could have been an affront you didn’t see coming, or just plain fear.

It happened to the men in Saul’s entourage. On their way to arrest believers in Damascus, a brilliance surrounded them, and they heard the voice of One they could not see. They stood there, overwhelmed and at a loss for words. Scared speechless we might say.

I’m guessing sensory overload was not the only thing that dumbfounded the posse on their would-be roundup that day. For inside of Saul now burned a fire that overshadowed any light they beheld with their eyes, and it changed their leader in an instant. The One he had persecuted to this very moment, Saul now called “Lord.” From those he had intended to arrest, he now humbly sought guidance and help. In a flash, he was transformed from doubt to belief, from one seeking to imprison others to one declaring their spiritual freedom. Even his name was new: Saul had become Paul.

God transforms us in astounding ways—ways that leave us confounded and, yes, speechless. Today, take a quiet moment to reflect on His “body of work” in your life or in someone you know well. Marvel at his craftsmanship, how He shaped you through His word, a caring friend, or just the circumstances of life. Contemplate how you have come to trust Him, even as He draws you closer to Himself. And let your life praise Him in return, even when your tongue falls silent.

Father, I don’t have the words to describe the love you have shown me. Fill me with your Spirit that my life would declare your faithfulness. And use me to bring hope and promise to others as we journey this life together. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

[Read the story of Saul's conversion in Acts 9:1-17.]

In the crosshairs

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 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 ...” Acts 9:1-2

Saul was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” ... and Damascus was in his crosshairs.

He was a Pharisee and, by his own reckoning, “extremely zealous” and “intense” in his persecution of the church. How zealous? How intense? Convinced that he "ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth,” Saul, again in his own words ...

... persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it …
... went from synagogue to synagogue to imprison and beat believers ...
... arrested both men and women, throwing them into prison …
... brought prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished ...
... went to foreign cities to persecute the saints ...
... persecuted Jesus’ followers to their death ...
... cast his vote against those facing death ...
... tried to force the saints to blaspheme.

Imagine the fear of those at the end of the barrel of this singular-focus zealot. And Damascus was in his crosshairs.

But persecution wasn’t to happen that day, for the Saul who entered the city was a far cry from the one who set out for it. Consider the change ...

... he who tried to force the saints to blaspheme the name of Jesus now called him, “Lord” ...
... he who left Jerusalem with letters of authority entered Damascus, blind and led by the hand ...
... he who did all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus was now to become his “chosen instrument” ...
... he who intensely persecuted the church received his sight following the simple prayer of an obedient disciple ...
... he who learned from Gamaliel, the greatest Jewish teacher of his time, would carry Jesus’ name to the Gentiles ...
... he who went from one synagogue to another to imprison believers now preached in the Damascus synagogue that Jesus is the Son of God.

Such change just doesn't happen. But it did! It happened to Saul in an instant, around noon, to be exact, as Damascus grew ever larger in his sites. With a flash of light was a loud noise ... and Saul fell to the ground. For Jesus had him in his crosshairs.

We think we’re in control, but we’re not. We fear others are in control, but they’re not. We doubt God hears us, but he does.

For God reveals himself as he pleases, gradually to some and instantaneously to others; we have hope. God's love is as infinite as his power; we need not fear. God is sovereign over all things; we can trust him.

To read today’s entire text, Acts 9:1-9, click here.
To read more about Paul’s pre-conversion persecution of the church, click on the following verses: Acts 22:1-29; Acts 26:9-11; Galatians1:13-17.

Acts 9:32-43

Have you even been on the receiving end of a miracle? Have you ever witnessed one? Miracles are all around us, and Jesus is still in the miracle business contrary to popular opinion. The scripture lesson tells of two such happenings with the healing of a man who was bedridden for eight years and the other example is the story of bringing a disciple, Tabitha back to life.

Have you experienced some fantastic healing? Has someone you have known beaten cancer against all the odds? We all have heard stories and I imagine many could tell some. Miracles are really all around us, we only have to open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to see them. Some are subtle, nothing as obvious as coming back to life, or walking after being lame for many years. 

A little over ten years ago I participated in a weekend retreat called Renewal. As our team prepared to share this gift with another group of women two of us began praying that our husbands would also want to experience what we did.

Of course we both acknowledged it would take a miracle for this to happen. Well, they both did attend this weekend event and they were on the same team and became very close friends because of this. Also, they both drew closer to Jesus and became living testimonies to God's faithfulness and answered prayer in the form of a subtle miracle.

“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord." (Acts 9:33-35)

Read the Acts 9:32-43 text here.  Listen to the words here.