Friday: Further Thought – Conversion of Paul
Further Study: “A general slain in battle is lost to his army, but his death gives no additional strength to the enemy. But when a man of prominence joins the opposing force, not only are his services lost, but those to whom he joins himself gain a decided advantage. Saul of Tarsus, on his way to Damascus, might easily have been struck dead by the Lord, and much strength would have been withdrawn from the persecuting power.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
But God in His providence not only spared Saul’s life, but converted him, thus transferring a champion from the side of the enemy to the side of Christ.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 124.
“Christ had commanded [H]is disciples to go and teach all nations; but the previous teachings which they had received from the Jews made it difficult for them to fully comprehend the words of their Master, and therefore they were slow to act upon them. They called themselves the children of Abraham, and regarded themselves as the heirs of divine promise. It was not until several years after the Lord’s ascension that their minds were sufficiently expanded to clearly understand the intent of Christ’s words, that they were to labor for the conversion of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews.”—Ellen G. White, Sketches From the Life of Paul, p. 38.
Discussion Questions:
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Saturday: Chosen - For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Sunday: Zeal - Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Monday: Blind - With his eyes open, he could not see Christ. With his eyes closed, he saw the clear demonstration of the plan of redemption.
Tuesday: Brother Saul - An enemy becomes brother only in Christianity by the SPIRIT of CHRIST.
Wednesday: Betrayal - No man can serve two masters: for either he. will hate the one, and love the other; or else. he will hold to the one, and despise the other, Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Thursday: Make haste and get out - If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet
Friday: Conversion - Birth of a new born in Christ. A miraculous experience. Indeed, I count EVERYTHING A LOSS because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
The conversion of Saul/Paul was a fairly dramatic event. An epiphany that knocks you off your donkey while you are travelling with the intention of carrying out some pretty serious persecution has to be a life-changing event. To be realistic, such drama does not happen to all that many people.
I can remember in my youth, certain Christians would question me about when I was saved; as though I should be able to pinpoint a specific time/event when I was converted. I used to worry that I could not point to anything specific, thinking that conversion must still be ahead of me somewhere. I eventually realized that the timing or drama of conversion was not the really important thing, but the growth was.
If we stop reading after Paul's dramatic conversion we have only read the headlines. When you read the rest of the story and Paul's own words in his epistles, you realize there are some years between the Damascus road conversion and his life as an active missionary. Those years were years of study, both privately and together with the disciples to learn, and unlearn.
Perhaps a takeaway message that comes with this study is that Christianity is more than just an epiphany, but an ongoing experience that needs to be fed, developed, and exercised.
Nominal/mainstream Christianity has experienced significant doctrinal corruption & deception in the last 100 years. The meaning of the word "saved" is an example. The meanings of 2 other key terms, "gospel" & "grace" have also suffered misleading concepts.
Paul gives a clue that counters this contemporary misleading concept of what people think of as "saved" in several verses, however to focus on Paul, I would call attention to 1 Cor 9:27...
"But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." NKJV
"But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit." Amplified
"But I keep control of my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." KJ 21
God has placed people in our lives that need encouragement for example those sick in hospital ,in nursing homes ,confined to bed in their homes (shut ins) to befriend to lift up in prayer ,sing hymns & chorus , to read his word to them and to draw us out of ourselves. It’s an enormous help and privilege to be given such a commission.
It may take a whole life for a for a full conversion... on the Way, we can be transformed as we walk. Remarkably, Saul and Paul may seem to have the same essence! Truly dedicated to a cause! But more than that, God knew his heart!
1. Jesus taught: "Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me." However we treat others, it is as if we have treated Jesus the same. His warning stands for all who: "shall begin to smite [his] fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;". Doesn't this speak to the church?
2. If the world is friendly with us, we do not reflect Jesus in our life. Satan is faithful to bring trouble and suffering upon any who threaten his hold upon sinners by their example of a holy life. This persecution can easily come from within the church or immediate family. If the pleasure-seeking world finds us pleasant company, we have not taken Jesus' yoke upon us and learned of Him. The disobedient Cain will always hate righteous Abel "for righteousness sake". Such a mystery this hatred.
3. If we labor to bring the gospel to others, most, if not all other difficulties will be taken care of. If we labor instead to debate over doctrinal issues(e.g. "Sabbath vs Sunday", "Creation vs evolution", true meaning of prophecy, "adventist issues", etc) while they remain unrepentant in sin, how can we expect them to understand(Dan 12:10)?
I plan on sharing in the Sabbath school class this significant takeaway which counters other misleading typical teachings about the "sovereignty/omnipotence/ God is in control of all" sayings.
Think on why pastors & teachers quote these sayings.
Remember that Stephen was stoned to death. Also recall that a considerable amount of early Christians were killed or imprisoned by Paul...before the Damascus road event.
God is in control of the larger picture, not in every specific detail of 7 billion people on Earth.
God has control and influence but He governs out of love and His allowance of freedom/free will.
Do or did kings control every action & thought of their subjects? Do parents supervise & control every word or action of their children 24 hours, 7 days a week?
This control label on God stems from the control mindset of our first parents, after their fall/sin and can be understood by knowing what the latter portion Gen 3:16 is about.
".....And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you."
Implying/placing incorrect attributes on God is a violation of the 1st commandment and is what Job's friends were accused of by God. They did not speak right about Him.
Another amazing conversion story that rocked the world at the time was the conversion of Solomon. He had drifted so far from God that his conversion seemed hopeless. You might say he was hopelessly lost. Did God give up on him? No. God sent His prophet to warn him. God sent adversity to wake him up. He finally saw the light. He Acknowledged God as higher than he,and acknowledged the folly of his apostasy, turned to God, repented with a contrite heart. Served the God of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph,David and the God of you and I, rather than the gods of his wife’s, the rest of his life. Ecclesiastes 8:5-11. Ecclesiastes 9:3. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14. Awesome God we serve. He sent His Son into this world to pave the way for us to be His brother, daughter, and friend. Soloman said great things come to those who turn to God. In Ecclesiastes 12:13. I believe fear God in this case, means turn to God, and keep His commandments. Soloman said: from experience that those who turn to God, it is well with their soul. Ecclesiastes 8:12.
It is well with my soul.