Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles
2 - Saul's Encounter With Christ
We take up the story of Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul, in the ninth chapter of the Book of the Acts. Saul had finished his brutal work against the Christian believers in Jerusalem and now he was on his way to Damascus in Syria to carry out the same task of persecution and imprisonment. What he failed to realise was that his every evil action was being followed in heaven by his hated enemy, Jesus Christ. He believed that Jesus who had died upon a cross had received his rightful punishment and was dead and finished. However, as he made his journey towards Damascus, something happened that changed Saul as a man and changed the whole direction of his life.
The Bible account in Acts chapter 9 tells us that suddenly he was blinded by a light from heaven that was brighter than the noonday sun. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” Probably somewhat confused, Saul replied with the first of two questions. He asked, “Who are you Lord?” The answer was immediate: “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” How this must have shaken Saul for he was convinced that Jesus was dead, never to speak again. In Saul’s thinking, since the leader of these Christians was dead all that was now necessary was for him to destroy his many followers and that would be an end to it. One commentator says about this, “Now with crushing force, Saul learns that Jesus is not dead at all, but that He has been raised from the dead and has been glorified at the right hand of God in heaven.” It was this revelation, and hearing the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that dramatically changed the direction of Saul’s life.
Saul also discovered something else of deep importance that day. It was, that while he had been persecuting the followers of Jesus, he had actually been persecuting the Lord Himself. Pain inflicted on the members of Christ’s body on earth - his church - was felt intensely by the head of the body in heaven. If you are going through a time of persecution or trial because you are a follower of the Lord Jesus, then remember this, He knows the way you take and is with you in your suffering.
Later on, in Acts chapter 22, we discover some more detail of what happened that day on the road to Damascus. In that chapter we have Saul’s account of his conversion, given to the crowd in Jerusalem. Verse 10 tells us that as he lay on the ground, he asked a second question of Jesus, who had spoken to him from heaven. It was: “What shall I do, Lord?” Notice that on each occasion that Saul addressed Jesus, he called him ‘Lord.’ There was something in that voice that caused Saul to begin to respect the One whom, up to then, he had so despised. The Lord’s answer comes, “Get up, and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” And so his companions then led him by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded him.
Now a second fine Christian comes into Saul’s life experience. First there was Stephen whose death for the cause of Christ had so affected him, and now there is a man in Damascus called Ananias. We pick up the story again in Acts chapter 9 verse 10. This man was directed to go to Saul by the Lord in a vision. He was told which house to go to and that he would find Saul praying. Understandably, at first, Ananias was reluctant to do this, knowing the terrible reputation that this Saul of Tarsus had for persecuting Christian believers. But the Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Now we see God’s purposes in the life of Saul of Tarsus being revealed. “Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptised, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Saul, the proud Pharisee and bigot had been saved and converted. He had been transformed into a dedicated believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ who had met and challenged him on the road to Damascus.
This faithful disciple, Ananias, teaches us a number of lessons as Christian believers. He is described in the book of Acts as “a good man, full of faith and the Holy Spirit.” I have always been impressed by the way he responded when the Lord called him in that vision to go to Saul. In spite of his natural reservations concerning Saul, he went as the Lord had directed him, when the Lord explained his purposes for Saul. It is obvious that this quiet, little known disciple was ready to respond directly when the Lord spoke to him, just as many other of God’s great servants responded to the voice of God as he spoke to them in bygone days. God speaks to his people today through the challenge of his written word, the Bible. How do we respond when He speaks to us? Do we hesitate? Do we put aside what He says to us? Or do we say “Lord, I will do what you ask of me”?
As I come towards the end of this second talk on the life and work of the Apostle Paul, let us note his very quick response to the Lord’s call in those early days of his conversion to Christ. We see them in Acts chapter 9 verses 4 to 22:
In verse 6 - he was filled with a desire to obey the Lord and to do his will.
In verse 11 - he began to pray.
In verse 18 - he was baptised as a believer.
In verse 19 - he was quickly united in fellowship with God’s people.
In verse 20 - he began to preach about Jesus in the Synagogues.
In verse 22 - he grew very evidently in grace and power.
We cannot but marvel at the immediate willingness of Saul to get involved in the work of the Lord which so recently he had been determined to destroy. Luke reports that he began at once to preach that Jesus is the Son of God, amazing all who heard him. He baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. As a result of all this, Saul himself became the object of persecution and there was a plot made against his life, and he was forced to make his escape from the city by night and go to Jerusalem. We will take up the story next time on “Discovery”
The greatest lesson we can learn from all of this is that God is constantly working his purpose out for the building of his church. As Jesus said during his ministry here on earth, every new believer who repents and believes the gospel, just as Saul of Tarsus did, becomes another stone in this great building which is his church and which stands erect for the glory of God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Christ died on the cross to make this possible and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.