Thursday, October 23, 2025

            Acts 9 records the amazing conversion experience of Saul (Paul) who came to faith in Jesus—the very Name He had worked so tirelessly to persecute and prosecute.  At the time of his conversion, the Bible says that he was on his way to Damascus to look for any followers of Jesus whom he could apprehend and take to Jerusalem as prisoners.  But an encounter with Jesus changed everything.  Jesus appeared to Paul in a blinding flash of light.  The events that followed show us that Paul was a changed man.  We learn some important faith lessons by what we see in Paul’s reaction.
            First, Paul obeyed Jesus.  He went into Damascus as the Lord ordered him and awaited further instructions.  For three days, he was blind and did not eat anything.  It is not hard to imagine that Paul spent that time in deep reflection about his present life, his encounter with Jesus and the changed man he had become.  He likely repented of his wicked and murderous past and looked forward to what Christ had in store for him.  If we come to Christ, we are changed people.  We begin to obey Him and call Him Lord.  As Paul would later write, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Coming to Jesus means we do not stay like the same old people we used to be. 
            Second, Paul was baptized (Acts 9:18).  Baptism is a sign of conversion, change and new life.  It is an outward and public sign of something that the Lord has done personally and inwardly in the heart and life of a man or woman who has come to trust Jesus and Jesus alone for forgiveness, salvation and a new life.  Baptism is a sign of an eternal commitment made to Christ—to be His servant and disciple forever.  While baptism does not save us or secure us some extra grace points, it is an important indication of our willingness to surrender our lives to Christ and follow Him wherever He may take us.  Paul had no way of knowing just how profoundly that his life was about to change.  But he was willing to trust Jesus for whatever came next.
            Third, Paul began preaching in Damascus—the very town where he had hoped to stamp out Christians and the gospel message.  Acts says, “at once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20).  After we have come to faith in Jesus, we have a story to tell.  We have a faith and Savior to share with others—family, friends and anyone close to us.  Paul did not keep silent about his newborn faith.  He settled into a new pattern of life that would be his calling all the way to death—declaring the good news of Jesus Christ.  As Christians, we dare not keep silent.  The church, believing men and women, is God’s plan A to reach the world with the good news of Jesus and His death and resurrection.  There is no plan B. 
            Fourth, Paul lived a different life.  Acts 9:22 says, “Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Paul’s life became his argument for the saving power of Jesus.  When we come to believe in Jesus, we live differently.  We do not cling to or cherish the same old sins.  We live for Jesus and not ourselves.  We serve Him and not our desires.  We bear witness to the change and difference that Jesus has made in our lives.  We do not return to the old ways and sins of the past.  Paul’s different way of living, thanks to Jesus, changed those around him.  Like a stone dropped in a pond leads to a series of ripples, Paul’s conversion and commitment to Jesus produced a series of ripple effects.  These ripples are best described by the Bible in Acts 9:31, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.”  Everything calmed down and the Church was strengthened.  When you live differently because of Jesus, everything around you changes too—family, friends, the workplace, your home and the places where you go.  You are now living for Christ and seeing what He can do through you. Paul’s conversion challenges us to examine how we are living and the kind of fruit we are producing.  Have a great Thursday!