Paul, part 1

             Many of us are familiar with Paul and his testimony, his story. It’s a simple, beautiful story of redemption, of God’s forgiveness and grace. As Saul, he imprisoned Christians (then known as followers of “The Way”), hunting them down and dragging them from their homes. Men and women alike were taken and thrown into jail. By doing this, Saul actually helped the Christian movement. He caused believers to spread out, taking the gospel with them. Saul was trained as a Pharisee. This movement was a threat to what he knew and what he thought to be true.

               What happens next is my favorite part of the story. All of it takes place in Acts 9. Basically, Saul is on his way to Damascus. There, he’s going to capture all the followers of the Way and drag them back to Jerusalem. That doesn’t happen. Instead, he gets blinded (for some twisted reason, I find this hilarious). Then Jesus speaks to him. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) This for me is interesting because Saul wasn’t really attacking Christians. Not in a literal sense. There weren’t any epic, Matrix style fights. There was no blood recorded. But Saul was attacking Jesus. He was imprisoning His people, tearing them from their homes just because they believed that a dead man was alive and that He was the savior of the world. All he was doing was putting them in chains. I mean, yeah, he hated them and wanted them all dead but that’s not the point. The point is that he was hurting God and should’ve paid the price for it but he didn’t.

               Saul was blinded. God spoke to him. In that moment, Saul realized more than he ever could with sight. He realized that everything he had done was wrong and that Jesus really was alive and in power. He realized that he was a sinner but most of all, he knew that he should’ve been dead. He wasn’t. God spared him and he was led to Damascus.

               Enter Ananias. He did not want to go see and heal Saul. Not in the least. He argued saying, “He’s an evil man” (Acts 9:13, Voice). But then God says this: (Acts 9:15-16) “Yes, but you must go! I have chosen him to be My instrument to bring My name far and wide—to outsiders, to kings, and to the people of Israel as well. I have much to show him, including how much he must suffer for My name.” How beautiful is that? More than the forgiveness this story portrays, it also tells us that God has a plan for our lives, that nothing is an accident. All the suffering has purpose, all the joy is a gift

               Our lives belong to God and He has good plans for them. He wants to bring the hope of salvation, of redemption to world through us. Paul spoke to the emperor of Rome! How much more can he do through us?