Good day dear friends.
We looked at Myth #6 yesterday, "People become Christians by social conditioning." This is the myth that says it's more of a cultural conditioning of a person rather than a person's choice to become a Christian. For some religions and cultures that may be true, such as Hindus or Buddists, but for Christians, one must personally accept Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior to become a Christian. We looked at the life of Saul of Tarsus, who through a conversison experience became a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Read again the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus found in Acts 9. Read there how the Lord Jesus took a man who had given his life to opposing Him and turned him into perhaps the greatest Christian evangelist the world has ever seen. Read carefully the word of the Lord to this man. Also, please note the time Saul spent in fasting and prayer.
Here is part of the chapter from Acts 9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?" 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.
Saul was a man of his time. Most of the New Testament that contains his writings are marked by his cultural influences and personal beliefs. I say this because there are some who dislike Paul for some of his cultural and contemporary views. Yet one thing we cannot argue is his passion and conviction for the Lord Jesus Christ. And this from a man whom we first meet at the execution of Stephen (Acts 7:58). We know from that one verse that he is young and is entrusted to care for the coats of those who were to carry out the execution. The next reference to Paul comes in Acts 8:1, where we see that Saul approved of this murder. Paul shares more of his background in Philippians 3: 5 "circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless."
Not a candidate for sainthood one might have said prior to his Damascus Road experience. It was on that road that Paul's life was converted. As I mentioned, his conscience, his understanding, his will were all changed. And because of this conversion, everything about his life also changed.
Christ continues to offer us a new relationship with Him to help us change from that which is taking us away from life, into the fullness of life He promised in John 10:10. It is ours for the choosing. It is not something we receive because we sit in a church Sunday after Sunday.
PRAYER: God of change, continue to change our lives in Christ. Let our lives be examples of the hope and trust that is ours through Him who gave His all for us. Let us strive to serve You and Yours, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day.
e.v.
