E20 Saul
Acts 9.1-23
From the day of Pentecost and moving forward, the church grew at an incredible rate. As we have discovered, the church ministry was in the city of Jerusalem, only. But when the deacon, Stephen set out spreading the gospel, the entire church was affected by the results. Stephen was apprehended for preaching something contrary to Judaism. He gave his defense before the Sanhedrin court, and he did so in such a way that no one was able to argue against him.
It has been said, If you can cause a man to think that he ‘thinks’ you have gained a friend, but if you cause a man to ‘think’ you may have made an enemy. Stephen made these people think, and having no answer, they seemed to have no choice but to get angry. Angry enough to kill him.
Saul was present that day. He was one of the members of the Sanhedrin court. He is the one who gave the consent to kill Stephen. He, himself, would not get his hands or clothes dirty, but he took charge of the outer garments of those who did the dirty work.
The testimony of Stephen angered Saul intensely. After Stephen was put to death, Saul was not satisfied. He wanted the entire Christian movement to be squashed. Saul initiated such a persecution against the Jerusalem church that it caused all Christians to flee from Jerusalem, scattering all over Judea and Samaria. The Jerusalem church, which at the time had grown to many thousands of Christians, suddenly was reduced to just the apostles.
But Saul was not happy with his ‘success’ of ruining the ministry of the Jerusalem church. He began his own mission to find every small group of scattered Christians, now meeting secretly, and destroy them as well.
Since the writer, Luke, is turning the spotlight onto the man called Saul, we will do the same and note some things about who he was.
We first ‘heard’ about him in chapter 7:58. …and they cast him (Stephen) out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
How ‘young’ was Saul at the time? There seems to be ample evidence that Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin council. The minimum age for membership was 40.
Saul, whose name soon will be changed to Paul, gives his own ‘pedigree’ in Acts 22:3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
Paul says that he was brought up in the city of Jerusalem and taught by one of the finest of Jewish professors in history. In his letter to the Philippians, he adds this; 3:5 (I was) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
That is quite a resume’.
We pick up the narrative in chapter 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
It causes one to wonder just how great a penitentiary did Jerusalem have? Saul would like to have seen them all put to death, I am sure. But the Jews actually did not have the authority to do that. They had just killed Stephen, what about that? Well, Saul had the advantage of also being a natural born Roman citizen. I am supposing that the killing of Stephen would have reached the ears of the Roman authorities, but perhaps Saul used his Roman influence to explain the killing as an unfortunate result of a riot.
We remember that the Jews wanted to execute Jesus. They brought him to the authorities and after quite an examination, Pilate said … You take him and kill him. The Jews reminded him that they had no such authority to do that, or they clearly would have (jn 18.31).
Saul would be well aware of the law. Perhaps, after putting the Christians through a ‘Jewish’ trial, some kind of a punishment could be meted out that the Romans would actually permit. Perhaps even the death penalty.
Saul, as we have just read, is on his way to Damascus. Where exactly is that? It is not part of Israel. It is a city in the neighboring country to the North, Syria. Do the Jews have any jurisdiction in Syria? Actually, no. But Saul is trying to keep this ‘in house’. He is keeping it a ‘religious’ thing. So he does not traverse the city looking for Christians. He goes to the Jewish synagogues to see whether any of the Christians who fled from Israel might possibly be attending in the Synagogues and trying to convert the Jews to Christianity.
Saul is looking for Christians to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem. But Luke does not actually use those words. He says, if he found any who were of the Way, he would arrest them.
I like the designation, any who were of the Way, more than I like the name ‘Christian’. The name Christian does not mean all that much these days. It has become so weak that if someone says, "O my God!", they must be a Christian. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but if we are being described as followers of the Way, it leaves little doubt who we are believing in and who we are actually following.
Continuing in Luke’s account regarding Saul, we read, 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
As we will see in a moment, Saul was not traveling alone. He was traveling on foot, it would appear, and as the result of a light so intensely bright, no doubt covering his eyes, he falls to the ground. Then he hears a voice.
This is about to become a life-changer for him. And maybe this is the origin of the expression …”I think he (or she) just saw the light!”
The voice he heard was clear. He answers the voice. He asks a question. 5 … “Who are You, Lord?” Very possibly Saul is saying, “Who are you, Sir?” The word ‘Lord’ is capitalized here, and if we did not know better, we would say, this is one of the names of God. But we do know better, and the word lord is not only capitalized in the Greek manuscripts, all the words of every New Testament manuscript were written in all capital letters. So we can not tell from that.
Saul gets his answer. Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus,
That would be a shock.. How long would it take for the words to sink in, before it would dawn on him, “Oh no! What am I doing … What have I been doing? How could I have been so blind!”
Jesus adds, It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
These words tell us that Saul has had some kind of a fight going on in his own conscience. He was in denial. He had heard Stephen's defense testimony. He could not refute it. So he has been trying to convince himself, “He has to be wrong!”
But now Saul’s inward fight is over. He knows he was in the wrong. He admits it. We read, 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Do you ever argue with yourself inside your head? Do you ever repress what you know must be the right thing to do, trying to convince yourself that what you would like to do right now must be God’s will? Things will never go right for us unless we too can say, Lord, what do You want me to do?
The Lord answers Saul.
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Saul was traveling with an entourage. This group may have been his bodyguards, or likely, they were his ‘officers’. Saul heard a voice and saw a light. His people also heard a voice … but we don’t know if they heard every word or if all they heard was noise.
Saul seems to have been the only one lying flat on the ground.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Three very long days, no doubt. What a change for this proud and determined young man. We can only imagine his train of thoughts during this time. Perhaps the biggest thought was … "What now? Everything I have done was actually against God! What now?"
During this time of Saul’s ‘introspection’, God was also working with someone else. Isn’t it interesting, … we know God is so awesome, wonderful and almighty, but yet we are somewhat surprised and impressed when we discover that God was not only working with us, but He was also working with someone else that was about to come into our life. After coming together we share some of the incidents and realize that could only have been God, and we are amazed. I love those God moments.
So who is God working with while Saul sits in the dark for three days? We read, 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
Ananias is referred to as a ‘disciple’. From the storyline so far in Acts we come to understand that Ananias has not been a Christian very long at all. Saul is the one whose persecution caused all the Christians to flee from Jerusalem. Ananias could have been one of them who fled. But the other option is that he is a brand new Christian who came to faith as a result of hearing the testimony of one of the fleeing Christians. This seems to be the case, as we will note just in the next verse or so. This man seems to have had a fairly good bible background, and I believe God chose him for that reason. He likely was one of the Jews living in Damascus and heard the gospel from one of the Jerusalem Christians.
Now, God is speaking to him audibly. There is a reason that not many of us have the experience of hearing God 'out loud’. Throughout the history of the Bible, God’s audible voice has been reserved for only the most important of situations. And another reason, God spoke audibly to prophets because that was the only source of the Word of God. Today … years after both the Old and New Testament times, we have His completed word. He speaks to us through His word.
I am not saying that God could not, or would not, speak audibly to you today, but I am saying that it is highly unlikely.,
So, both Saul and Ananias have heard God's audible voice. In Ananias’ case, it is said that he saw a ‘vision’ as well as hearing the voice. What God is going to ask of Ananias is something incredibly difficult. If it had been asked of you or of me, I think it would have resulted in our answer being, "No way! Not me! Get somebody else!"
Ananias hears God saying, 11 … “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 “And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
And Ananias interrupts, "Wait a minute Lord! I am not the only Ananias around. There are a lot of us around. How do you know he saw me?"
Actually, no. It happened this way; 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 “And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
Ananias has heard of Saul’s fame. And he is up to date on the latest news. He knows that Saul is in town. And he is fully aware of Saul’s authorized mission.
The ‘issue’ of whether Jesus is God or not, is a current topic of discussion in the Damascus synagogue. Saul has contacted them for permission to apprehend all who call on the name ‘Jesus’. Ananias reveals clearly whose side he is on as he chooses the words, all who call on Your name.
When Ananias says Your name, he does not mean Jehovah (or Yaweh etc.) He means Jesus. It is only the name of Jesus that is outlawed.
And Ananias is showing his humanness here. He is afraid. I doubt that he was the first Christian to show fear. Many of us have experienced some fear when it comes to doing what we are quite certain is God’s will.
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Jesus just explained His reasoning. He does not always do that for us. Sometimes we are just to ‘go’. Abraham was told to ‘go’ to a land that would be given to him and his descendants. The scripture says that he obeyed, not knowing where this would lead him.
But in His wonderful grace, the Lord fills Ananias in on just what kind of a person Saul will be converted into.
And as a final note, Jesus is explaining something that comes close to fairness. Saul indeed did cause a lot of suffering to many Christians. But Saul is now going to experience the suffering himself.
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house;
Obedient, yet fearful. and laying his hands on him he said, “B(b-b-b-b)rother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
This new Christ-follower, Ananias has obediently stepped out in total faith and has obeyed the Lord’s will to a ‘T’. Little did he know that he was now to be partly responsible for the tremendous ministry that Saul would have.
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
Ananias’ ministry with Saul was not complete until they went to a source of water where he could immerse Saul in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Saul had not eaten for three days. He is staying in the house of Judas (not the betrayer, he is already dead and gone). This Judas is also a new believer. He probably was not one of the Christians to run from Jerusalem, since he has his own house. But for some reason, God did not choose him to be the one to lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. But, nonetheless… this Judas is also to be commended for receiving the notorious Saul into his home for three days.
Now that Saul has been healed and baptized, it was time to eat.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Jesus had told Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
Apparently God also spoke to Saul about it. We read that 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
A favorite radio preacher of mine said, “To me the miracle of God is not that He could take a good looking, well educated person to make a huge difference in the world, but the miracle is that he could take a crooked stick and hit a straight lick with it.”
Paul was that ‘crooked’ stick. So am I. And I am sure that some of you have felt, Who am I that God could use me? I am so inadequate and messed up. Certainly He does not want to use me.
But crooked, broken people are exactly who God uses. Saul explained it this way.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
When God uses me or you, a weak, ordinary, and even broken person to accomplish His will, people can see God at work. His word and His work become loud and clear.
So Paul could truthfully say, Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor 12:10
God has touched the heart of Saul. He will never be the same. The One he hated he now loves. Saul will embrace his new life and ministry with vigor and enthusiasm. But we are about to see that even a ‘forgiven’ past can affect our present … at least for a time.
It has been said, If you can cause a man to think that he ‘thinks’ you have gained a friend, but if you cause a man to ‘think’ you may have made an enemy. Stephen made these people think, and having no answer, they seemed to have no choice but to get angry. Angry enough to kill him.
Saul was present that day. He was one of the members of the Sanhedrin court. He is the one who gave the consent to kill Stephen. He, himself, would not get his hands or clothes dirty, but he took charge of the outer garments of those who did the dirty work.
The testimony of Stephen angered Saul intensely. After Stephen was put to death, Saul was not satisfied. He wanted the entire Christian movement to be squashed. Saul initiated such a persecution against the Jerusalem church that it caused all Christians to flee from Jerusalem, scattering all over Judea and Samaria. The Jerusalem church, which at the time had grown to many thousands of Christians, suddenly was reduced to just the apostles.
But Saul was not happy with his ‘success’ of ruining the ministry of the Jerusalem church. He began his own mission to find every small group of scattered Christians, now meeting secretly, and destroy them as well.
Since the writer, Luke, is turning the spotlight onto the man called Saul, we will do the same and note some things about who he was.
We first ‘heard’ about him in chapter 7:58. …and they cast him (Stephen) out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
How ‘young’ was Saul at the time? There seems to be ample evidence that Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin council. The minimum age for membership was 40.
Saul, whose name soon will be changed to Paul, gives his own ‘pedigree’ in Acts 22:3 “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.
Paul says that he was brought up in the city of Jerusalem and taught by one of the finest of Jewish professors in history. In his letter to the Philippians, he adds this; 3:5 (I was) circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
That is quite a resume’.
We pick up the narrative in chapter 9:1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
It causes one to wonder just how great a penitentiary did Jerusalem have? Saul would like to have seen them all put to death, I am sure. But the Jews actually did not have the authority to do that. They had just killed Stephen, what about that? Well, Saul had the advantage of also being a natural born Roman citizen. I am supposing that the killing of Stephen would have reached the ears of the Roman authorities, but perhaps Saul used his Roman influence to explain the killing as an unfortunate result of a riot.
We remember that the Jews wanted to execute Jesus. They brought him to the authorities and after quite an examination, Pilate said … You take him and kill him. The Jews reminded him that they had no such authority to do that, or they clearly would have (jn 18.31).
Saul would be well aware of the law. Perhaps, after putting the Christians through a ‘Jewish’ trial, some kind of a punishment could be meted out that the Romans would actually permit. Perhaps even the death penalty.
Saul, as we have just read, is on his way to Damascus. Where exactly is that? It is not part of Israel. It is a city in the neighboring country to the North, Syria. Do the Jews have any jurisdiction in Syria? Actually, no. But Saul is trying to keep this ‘in house’. He is keeping it a ‘religious’ thing. So he does not traverse the city looking for Christians. He goes to the Jewish synagogues to see whether any of the Christians who fled from Israel might possibly be attending in the Synagogues and trying to convert the Jews to Christianity.
Saul is looking for Christians to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem. But Luke does not actually use those words. He says, if he found any who were of the Way, he would arrest them.
I like the designation, any who were of the Way, more than I like the name ‘Christian’. The name Christian does not mean all that much these days. It has become so weak that if someone says, "O my God!", they must be a Christian. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but if we are being described as followers of the Way, it leaves little doubt who we are believing in and who we are actually following.
Continuing in Luke’s account regarding Saul, we read, 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
As we will see in a moment, Saul was not traveling alone. He was traveling on foot, it would appear, and as the result of a light so intensely bright, no doubt covering his eyes, he falls to the ground. Then he hears a voice.
This is about to become a life-changer for him. And maybe this is the origin of the expression …”I think he (or she) just saw the light!”
The voice he heard was clear. He answers the voice. He asks a question. 5 … “Who are You, Lord?” Very possibly Saul is saying, “Who are you, Sir?” The word ‘Lord’ is capitalized here, and if we did not know better, we would say, this is one of the names of God. But we do know better, and the word lord is not only capitalized in the Greek manuscripts, all the words of every New Testament manuscript were written in all capital letters. So we can not tell from that.
Saul gets his answer. Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus,
That would be a shock.. How long would it take for the words to sink in, before it would dawn on him, “Oh no! What am I doing … What have I been doing? How could I have been so blind!”
Jesus adds, It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
These words tell us that Saul has had some kind of a fight going on in his own conscience. He was in denial. He had heard Stephen's defense testimony. He could not refute it. So he has been trying to convince himself, “He has to be wrong!”
But now Saul’s inward fight is over. He knows he was in the wrong. He admits it. We read, 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Do you ever argue with yourself inside your head? Do you ever repress what you know must be the right thing to do, trying to convince yourself that what you would like to do right now must be God’s will? Things will never go right for us unless we too can say, Lord, what do You want me to do?
The Lord answers Saul.
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Saul was traveling with an entourage. This group may have been his bodyguards, or likely, they were his ‘officers’. Saul heard a voice and saw a light. His people also heard a voice … but we don’t know if they heard every word or if all they heard was noise.
Saul seems to have been the only one lying flat on the ground.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Three very long days, no doubt. What a change for this proud and determined young man. We can only imagine his train of thoughts during this time. Perhaps the biggest thought was … "What now? Everything I have done was actually against God! What now?"
During this time of Saul’s ‘introspection’, God was also working with someone else. Isn’t it interesting, … we know God is so awesome, wonderful and almighty, but yet we are somewhat surprised and impressed when we discover that God was not only working with us, but He was also working with someone else that was about to come into our life. After coming together we share some of the incidents and realize that could only have been God, and we are amazed. I love those God moments.
So who is God working with while Saul sits in the dark for three days? We read, 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
Ananias is referred to as a ‘disciple’. From the storyline so far in Acts we come to understand that Ananias has not been a Christian very long at all. Saul is the one whose persecution caused all the Christians to flee from Jerusalem. Ananias could have been one of them who fled. But the other option is that he is a brand new Christian who came to faith as a result of hearing the testimony of one of the fleeing Christians. This seems to be the case, as we will note just in the next verse or so. This man seems to have had a fairly good bible background, and I believe God chose him for that reason. He likely was one of the Jews living in Damascus and heard the gospel from one of the Jerusalem Christians.
Now, God is speaking to him audibly. There is a reason that not many of us have the experience of hearing God 'out loud’. Throughout the history of the Bible, God’s audible voice has been reserved for only the most important of situations. And another reason, God spoke audibly to prophets because that was the only source of the Word of God. Today … years after both the Old and New Testament times, we have His completed word. He speaks to us through His word.
I am not saying that God could not, or would not, speak audibly to you today, but I am saying that it is highly unlikely.,
So, both Saul and Ananias have heard God's audible voice. In Ananias’ case, it is said that he saw a ‘vision’ as well as hearing the voice. What God is going to ask of Ananias is something incredibly difficult. If it had been asked of you or of me, I think it would have resulted in our answer being, "No way! Not me! Get somebody else!"
Ananias hears God saying, 11 … “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
12 “And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
And Ananias interrupts, "Wait a minute Lord! I am not the only Ananias around. There are a lot of us around. How do you know he saw me?"
Actually, no. It happened this way; 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
14 “And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
Ananias has heard of Saul’s fame. And he is up to date on the latest news. He knows that Saul is in town. And he is fully aware of Saul’s authorized mission.
The ‘issue’ of whether Jesus is God or not, is a current topic of discussion in the Damascus synagogue. Saul has contacted them for permission to apprehend all who call on the name ‘Jesus’. Ananias reveals clearly whose side he is on as he chooses the words, all who call on Your name.
When Ananias says Your name, he does not mean Jehovah (or Yaweh etc.) He means Jesus. It is only the name of Jesus that is outlawed.
And Ananias is showing his humanness here. He is afraid. I doubt that he was the first Christian to show fear. Many of us have experienced some fear when it comes to doing what we are quite certain is God’s will.
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
16 “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Jesus just explained His reasoning. He does not always do that for us. Sometimes we are just to ‘go’. Abraham was told to ‘go’ to a land that would be given to him and his descendants. The scripture says that he obeyed, not knowing where this would lead him.
But in His wonderful grace, the Lord fills Ananias in on just what kind of a person Saul will be converted into.
And as a final note, Jesus is explaining something that comes close to fairness. Saul indeed did cause a lot of suffering to many Christians. But Saul is now going to experience the suffering himself.
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house;
Obedient, yet fearful. and laying his hands on him he said, “B(b-b-b-b)rother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
This new Christ-follower, Ananias has obediently stepped out in total faith and has obeyed the Lord’s will to a ‘T’. Little did he know that he was now to be partly responsible for the tremendous ministry that Saul would have.
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
Ananias’ ministry with Saul was not complete until they went to a source of water where he could immerse Saul in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Saul had not eaten for three days. He is staying in the house of Judas (not the betrayer, he is already dead and gone). This Judas is also a new believer. He probably was not one of the Christians to run from Jerusalem, since he has his own house. But for some reason, God did not choose him to be the one to lay hands on Saul and restore his sight. But, nonetheless… this Judas is also to be commended for receiving the notorious Saul into his home for three days.
Now that Saul has been healed and baptized, it was time to eat.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Jesus had told Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
Apparently God also spoke to Saul about it. We read that 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
A favorite radio preacher of mine said, “To me the miracle of God is not that He could take a good looking, well educated person to make a huge difference in the world, but the miracle is that he could take a crooked stick and hit a straight lick with it.”
Paul was that ‘crooked’ stick. So am I. And I am sure that some of you have felt, Who am I that God could use me? I am so inadequate and messed up. Certainly He does not want to use me.
But crooked, broken people are exactly who God uses. Saul explained it this way.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
When God uses me or you, a weak, ordinary, and even broken person to accomplish His will, people can see God at work. His word and His work become loud and clear.
So Paul could truthfully say, Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 2 Cor 12:10
God has touched the heart of Saul. He will never be the same. The One he hated he now loves. Saul will embrace his new life and ministry with vigor and enthusiasm. But we are about to see that even a ‘forgiven’ past can affect our present … at least for a time.