Title: The Conversion of Saul the Persecutor
Contents
From the ethnic framework of Jerusalem and Judea, the gospel was preached to Samaria through Philip, and now we see that God prepared Paul for missions to the Gentiles (1:8).
Paul was from Tarsus, the stronghold of Greek philosophy, and was familiar with Greek culture, was a respected Gamaliel cultural student of the Jews, and had extensive knowledge of the Bible and Roman citizenship. This is how Paul met Jesus. , Whoever meets Jesus will change. Text Saul also met Jesus and a great change occurred. What changes will happen when you meet Jesus?
1. Personality is changed.
Saul was a young man filled with hatred of Christians and pride and superiority in persecuting them. So, Luke said that threats and living are equal. (1) However, it is changed by meeting the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. Hatred, pride, and superiority were transformed into repentance and confession (9,11) with the new shock of awakening to the truth, and became a person who humbly obeyed the instructions of Ananias, a pious believer. How could such a stubborn Saul change in a day? Because I met the Lord and the Lord poured out the Holy Spirit. Thus, a change of character was made, and the face of threats and life turned into joy.
This was the case with Stephen, a man of the Holy Spirit (6:15), and so was Moses, who had a deep spiritual fellowship with God (2 Corinthians 3:7).
2. The purpose of life is changed.
When you meet Jesus, the purpose of your life, that is, your values, changes. Previously, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life were the only goals and goals in life, but when I meet Jesus, Jesus becomes my treasure. The young Saul was proud of his lineage, position, morals, learning, and persecution against the church, but after meeting Jesus at the Damascus statue, he gave up everything that was useful for him and made Christ his everything (Philippians 3:4-12). When you meet Jesus like this, your purpose in life changes. It is a change that appeared in those who met Jesus, such as the disciples of Jesus (Matthew 19:27) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:8).
3. Your life will change.
When you meet Jesus and your personality and purpose of life change, of course, the shape of your life also changes. There is a clear change in behavior and life, not just a change of heart and thought. Saul, who was threatening the church and destroying the saints until he met Jesus, has completely changed his life after he met Jesus, and he works hard to build and grow the church and serve the saints. Those who meet the Lord will realize how useless and evil their previous life was, and live a life of practicing righteousness by following the Lord who leads to the light without paying off the life.
If you say you met Jesus and are following the corrupted old customs, you need to check again.
When you meet Jesus, your whole person changes. Saul became like this because he met Jesus. In this way, the foundation for conversion is Stephen (7:54-60). This is not a reform or improvement to make a slight change. In other words, it is a revolution. to be completely reborn. Personality, purpose, values, and lifestyle change. Are you new?