He hated Christians with a passion. Carrying letters of approval from regional authorities he came to town intent on capturing or killing every single last Christian in the place. What happened next no one could have predicted.
Saul claims that he is now a believer. Let’s be honest….if I’m a first century Christian, I don’t believe him. I would suspect that this is just one more plot to try and discover who all the Christians are. In fact, if this guy shows up at your house claiming to be blind, maybe killing him would prevent a lot of other Christians needless death.
Isn’t it amazing how the Holy Spirit always seems to be working in a way that is “counter-intuitive”? There are two very good reasons for that: 1. From birth our first mindset is ungodly. The old fashioned church word is “carnal”. It simply means that our original nature isn’t the nature that God has. We are born in sin, and we think in sinful ways. That’s why your children don’t listen and often try to do the opposite of what they were told. They were born with a defiant nature. So, it’s no surprise when we see the Holy Spirit acting in a way that seems foreign to us.
2. When the Holy Spirit behaves in a way that seems illogical, it just proves that God had to be involved…because “there’s no way that should have worked”. God wants the glory, and when He works He does it in a way that testifies about Him.
God’s chosen instrument was Saul. We would look at Saul and say “that guy is so hard headed, and filled with hate and jealousy that there’s no way he is ever going to be a convert”. But the Holy Spirit looks at Saul and says “there’s the right kind of personality to drive the Gospel forward….he just needs a new mindset and theology”. What’s impossible for us isn’t even hard for God. Is there anyone in your life that you have “given up” on because they are too far gone? Don’t you believe it for a minute. God can turn that whole situation around in less than 1 minute. Keep praying, and leave the results to Him. I don’t know if anyone was praying that Saul would get saved, but I know they were praying that the church and the message would spread. Turning Saul into Paul was the way God answered prayer. I suspect that the people who were praying the hardest were the ones that didn’t want him in town when he showed up. That’s the way it usually works.
By the way, I really appreciate Barnabus. Apparently he was in Damascus listening to Saul preach, and he’s the one who introduces Saul to the other believers. Without Barnabus, we don’t have Paul. Paul really draws all the attention (and in some respects he should) but it is good to remember that he couldn’t have been who he was without Barnabus.
I find myself thanking God for all the Barnabus’s in my life. I wonder if I even recognize them all? A Barnabus puts up with you when others might choose to walk away. A Barnabus looks beyond your mannerisms and personality quirks and sees the good you are capable of and the potential that you have. Everyone needs a Barnabus.
Actually, you and I might consider becoming Barnabus’s ourselves. Instead of needing one, become one.
I won’t add many thoughts about Peter today. I only want to mention that he is in Joppa, which is modern day Tel Aviv. And because he raised a woman from the dead, and did other miracles, they want him to stay in town. Joppa is huge by first century standards…so Peter won’t run out of areas to evangelize. But as he ministers and fellowships and who knows…..considers that this would be a good place to “settle down”… God is about to do something really crazy.
Serving a God who is crazy good,
PR