Ch5: Episode 2: From the Wrong Path to God's Calling: Paul's Conversion

0:00 Welcome back to the Gifts of No Return. We're in Episode 2, Paul's Conversion. It's where we will explore the timeless and unchanging nature of God's call in our lives. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and in our last episode, we introduced the theme of God's gifts and callings of today. And so today we're going to be diving right into the transformation of the conversion of Paul, as is recorded in Acts chapter 9, verses 1 through 19. 1-19. So our theme for this episode is From the Wrong Path to God's Calling.

0:44 I think we all have a story similar to that, which is awesome how God can redeem all of us. We all have a story. We'll look at Paul's background as persecuted to Christians, persecution of Christians, his dramatic encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and the incredible transformation that follow. This story is a testament to the fact that no one is too far from God's reach and that his call can reach, his call can transform any life. So let's explore this incredible journey together. It's when we say yes to God, and we're going to cover different aspects of Paul from the good, the bad, to the ugly.

1:30 And I added some things in there Just to make it interesting Now a lot of times we don't know the background of a person So I added a little things in this devotional. This episode that's probably not in my devotion, I like to keep those straight and clear because I pretty much know the story. But when you have an episode or podcast, many people probably don't know the background of Paul. So I'm going to take a little time right now just to give you a little background about Paul to make it interesting. Paul is one of the characters I like. You hear me say that of almost all biblical characters. Characters so the good thing about pa before we get into the biblical reading um like i said it could be acts 9 1 through 19 we probably stop at 12 but keep your bible open find your favorite trance your favorite translation and we'll start there later but let me take a little time out and tell you a little bit about pa and how god could have used him you know we all have a story and so So never shut anybody down because we all have a story, right?

2:40 So the good thing about Paul is that Paul was highly educated. He was knowledgeable in the Jewish law. He was a devout Pharisee. So we hear about the Pharisees and the Sadducees in the Bible a lot. So he was one of those Pharisees. He had a deep understanding of the scripture and he had a passion for the Jewish faith. You know, so you can see once he had an understanding for the scripture, you can see how God can use him for spreading the gospel. He was an effective communicator. And so he can speak to both the Jews and the Gentile. And so he understood the Jewish covenant for for the for Jesus.

3:25 All right. So he had a good knowledge of working knowledge of the scripture. So that was a positive. That was a good. What was the bad thing about Paul? Paul, before his conversion from Saul, he was a fierce persecutor of Christians. He was known for his relentless efforts to hunt down and imprison followers of Jesus. He believed he was defending the Jewish faith. He saw that the followers of Jesus was a dangerous sect, which could mean a cult. So he said, they are interrupting our flow, so we're going to arrest them and put them to jail.

4:09 So he had a bad reputation of being a persecutor of Christians. That was widely known. And so already he was a deep understanding of scripture and he was already popular for just being on the opposite side of what represented Jesus. Right. So he was already popular, already known. So God always used the ones well known too. Right. And the ugliest thing about him was that he was, he was zealous and he would use extreme measures. And he was one in the Bible, if you go to Acts, I think it was Acts 6 or so, where Stephen was stoned. I mean, he was a witness to the stoning of Stephen, which was the first Christian martyr.

4:56 And so he was marked by violence after that. So that was his ugly. But we can see that God was still a redeemer. God had the ability to redeem and transform Paul from this ugly mark on his record. So Paul's zealous nature combined with his education and his passionate personality made him an effective and tireless missionary once he encountered Christ. His life story is a powerful testimony to the idea that Christ can use all aspects of our lives, the good, the bad, and the ugly, for his greater story.

5:42 What is a Pharisee? A Pharisee is someone who observes the law and their traditions. So they were, they focused on the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law. So those are the people who I would say, my idea, they're super spiritual. So you have to follow the letter of the law. You violated the letter of the law. I don't know if you saw the movie, A Patch of Christ, and they were all in their little garb, the Pharisees, and they were all critical of Jesus. You know, so the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. So another familiar person who was a Pharisee was Nicodemus.

6:22 Remember, he went at night to see Jesus. And later he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. And so that's a powerful story. So let's go to, let's read. We're going to not read it in its entirety, but just in part. So let's go to Acts 9, chapter 9. So let's begin by understanding Paul's background before his conversion. So we got a little bit about his background. So let's walk through his conversion. About what happened to his conversion. Let's walk it through slowly, step by step, and get an idea of how God just changed his, how God changed him from Saul to Paul.

7:06 Let's go to verses 1 and 2. It says, meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that he found any that who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. So he was still, and this was shortly after he had witnessed the martyr of Saul, not Saul, of Stephan. So he saw that and that pretty much kind of kept him on fire.

7:47 And now he says, anybody, I want to have warrants for the arrest of anybody. Okay. And so Saul's zealous persecution of Christians set the stage for his dramatic transformation. His intent was to eradicate the followers of Jesus, reflecting a heart filled with opposition and hostility towards the early church. But then something extraordinary happened on his way. He said, belonging to the way, God stopped him on the way. God has a way of intercepting our lives.

8:28 And it all seemed to make sense when we think about it, like 20-20 vision, they say. On the way to Damascus, Saul had a life-changing encounter. I just want to pause here and just, if you can reflect, even if you can reflect on how God caught your attention, and if he hasn't caught your attention yet, get ready, get ready, get ready. how God caught your attention. You were about your business, thought you were going to do one thing, and then God stopped you. He was on his way. He was going to get warrants for the disciples who belonged to the way, but on his way, God stopped him and he had a life-changing encounter. counter.

9:19 Let's see what happened to Paul, verses three through six. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and he heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. He replied, now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. Now in another translation, which I love is in the King James translation, it says in verse six, it says, and he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

10:15 And the Lord said to him, arise and go into the city and it should be told thee what thee should do. So there was two different responses depending on the translation. Who are you, Lord? And that one response, what would you have me to do? So either way, he didn't say anything wrong. Out of the ordinary, otherwise, this was Jesus talking. What I thought was interesting is that he heard and he recognized the voice of Jesus talking to him. So that shows that Jesus, that we all have the. The opportunity to know the voice of God, that we as his children, whether we on the way or in the way, we can know, we know the voice of our Lord.

11:06 I love that. This encounter with Jesus was not just a momentary vision. It was a divine intervention that would redirect Saul's entire life. The bright Light, light, and Jesus' voice stopped Saul in his tracks, leading to his immediate physical blindness, symbolizing his spiritual transformation. Now, Saul wasn't walking alone. And so other translation says that some heard thunder, but Saul heard the voice of Jesus. Jesus, have that happened to you where you heard the voice of Jesus?

11:46 You were at a place that you weren't supposed to be. And yet you heard the voice of the Lord telling you it's time for you to go. And then you left that place and then something happened. Maybe there was an event where you could have been injured. Even on your way home, you heard a voice. And so I hear this a lot. Like I said, I'm a retired police officer and I pick someone up, maybe make an arrest, and they'll say, something told me not to do this. Remember, they're on their way to jail. They had an encounter with the police and they said, something told me not to do this.

12:29 And that's the Lord giving them another direction. So we do have these encounters. Encounters might be not so dramatic as Saul or Paul, but we have these encounters where God does interrupt our life. But this encounter caused, we'll call him Saul now, he lost his sight. But yet he heard the voice of God and he got directions. And he had to follow these directions. These directions were specific. I want to read them again. It says, I am Jesus who you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.

13:16 And here it goes. It says, Saul's companions were speechless, witnessing the sound, but not seeing no one. So let's go to, let's see what they witnessed. Go to verses 7 through 9. It describes this moment. Let's read it. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound, but did not see anyone. one. Saul got up from the ground, and when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days, he was blind and did not eat or drink anything.

14:00 So during these three days, Saul was in a state of reflection and dependence on God. His physical Physical blindness mirrored his need for spiritual sight. It was a period of waiting and transformation, preparing him for the mission ahead. Isn't that interesting? God just dropped him to his knees, lost his sight, and gave him immediate directions on what he needed to do. And he did it. Enter Ananias, a disciple in Damascus. And God called Ananias to go to Saul.

14:41 So at the same time, Saul was having an encounter with Jesus on the road, in the way, on the road, on the way, on the way. Then Ananias was also having an encounter with Jesus. Look at Jesus multitasking. He knows how to get some things done. Let's read verses 10 through 12. In Damascus, there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision. Ananias? Yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord told him, go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying in, In the vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.

15:41 So you got two things. Look at this. This is powerful. It's all over there praying. Now he's a praying man. He went from being a man, a killing man, killing people who love Jesus, to a man who heard the voice of Jesus, to a man praying to Jesus. Whoa come on now and then Ananias is saying like okay yes Lord I hear you so despite Ananias hesitation Ananias obeys God's command but let's hear let's go to verse 13 to 15 let's hear this conversation what Ananias says Lord Ananias answered I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people of Jerusalem.

16:32 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name. But the Lord said to Ananias, go. This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to to the people of Israel, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. And the goal is with an explanation mark, like, okay, I know the story, so just get to it. Ananias' obedience was crucial for Saul's conversion. When Ananias said, when he sent God, Jesus said, go, he said, When you hear from the voice of the Lord And he speaks right in your spirit When he says go You just move Because it was important It was urgent that Ananias get to it Because that's who Jesus was counting on To go lay hands on Saul So Ananias' obedience was crucial In Saul's conversion So when Ananias laid hands on Saul.

17:46 Something miraculous happened happened? What happened? Let's look at verse 17 through 19. When Ananias went to the house and entered it, placing his hands on Saul, he said, brother Saul, wow, it changed. The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to pause here. He says here, brother saw the Lord Jesus who has sent you here, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

18:41 Not only was his eyes, he was able to see again, but he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was, he was endued with power from on high to do the work of the ministry. Wow. God didn't just save him. He gave him the power to do the work of the ministry. And it says here immediately something like scales fell from his eyes. So he was blinded spiritually, but also physically. But to see scales fall off his eyes, that had to have been something to see for Ananias.

19:25 So like scales fell off his eyes and he could see again he got up and not only that he was baptized, and after taking some food he regained his strength so this when we read the bible too fast we missed some of the important details three days he didn't eat so it's similar like a little It was a mini fast, three days, probably only if he had water, just fasted. He was waiting because this was a dramatic experience for Paul. Ananias comes in and he lays hands on Paul. Ananias lays hands on Paul. He's now seen physically, spiritually, filled with the Holy Spirit, and now he's baptized. times.

20:13 So Saul's transformation was complete. From persecutor of a Christian, he became a devoted follower of Christ, ready to proclaim the gospel. His new mission was to spread the message of Jesus to the Gentiles, kings, and to the people of Israel. Paul's conversion teaches us that no one is too far from God's reach, regardless of their path. God's call can transform any life. This story is a powerful reminder that God's grace is sufficient to redirect our path, no matter where we have been or what we have done.

21:07 Isn't that powerful? No matter where we have been or what we have done. I just want to backtrack a little bit. When Paul immediately obeyed the voice of the Lord, it showed that Paul recognized immediately Jesus' authority, his submission to his will. So he surrendered everything, everything that he thought was right, he surrendered it to God right away, right to Jesus right away. He obeyed right away. He went right into obedience.

21:48 He didn't understand anything. He didn't have any further questions. He just says, okay, that what would you have me to do was enough to just, it was a way that Paul surrendered to in obedience. His transformation and repentance Repentance was all done in that one word, what would you have me to do? And that is a model for believers. It exemplifies a posture of true discipleship, one who's willing to ask God for direction and to follow his will, regardless of personal plans, previous way of life, his attitude towards humility and readiness to be used by God for his purpose.

22:35 Submitting to God and his will to be ready to follow his guidance no matter where it leads. This marked the beginning of Paul's new life as an apostle, which made him one of the most influential leaders, figures that spread the gospel. So what happens with him when he started spreading the gospel, right? Right. So what's some practical applications that we can use in our lives from just learning about a past? So there's so much more I want to cover, but I don't want to make this hour long episode. So practical applications that we can use, that we can learn from Paul.

23:17 First of all, I want you to identify areas in your life where transformation is needed. There's nobody's perfect, only Jesus. Reflect on parts of your life that may need God's transformative power. Just a quick reflection. Consider habits, attitudes, past experience that's holding you back from fully embracing what God has called you to do. You know, this is the episode or this is a series, Gifts of No Return. What God has called you to do. He did not change his mind. He didn't revoke it. He didn't rebuke it.

24:02 It's embracing God's unchanging car. So what's holding you back from following God's fully, following him fully and embracing his car? Number two, reflect on how God's grace can redirect your path. God's grace is sufficient. Spend time in prayer and meditation and asking God to reveal his purpose for you. Trust in his ability to guide you, even if the path seems uncertain. And the path is always going to seem uncertain. So remember, we don't lean on our own understanding.

24:44 We lean on his understanding, his wisdom, his knowledge, his understanding. If he would have told me what I was going to be doing, I don't think that that would be something I would choose. If Paul knew that walking that certain street, he was going to meet Jesus, you think he was going to walk that certain street? God has a plan for us, and he doesn't tell us the whole plan. He tells us part by part by part. You see, Paul had a heart. He had it all description and we knew all about Jesus. But when he met him, he asked right away, what will you have me to do? That would be a good question.

25:26 Lord, what would you have me to do? And God will begin to give you the instructions on that next step. Gifts of no return. Number three, seek God's guidance. And be open to change. Be willing to listen to God's direction, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. It always means stepping out of your comfort zone. How do you think? And you got to read the book of Acts. So hopefully I'm encouraging you to pick up your Bible. Paul's story is exciting because every zone he went in was uncomfortable because he had a reputation for killing Christians. So how does that change?

26:15 Because Jesus calls you, that means people are going to say, yeah, okay, yep, Jesus called you, so you're good to go. Come on in. The apostles had to look at him, you know, look at him kind of like kind of on the side eye, however they say that. Looked at him suspiciously for a little while. A couple of apostles stood up and believed him. It took a little while because he had a bad reputation. But after a while, his reputation began to change because his fruit of what he was doing began to change. He did suffer a lot for Jesus. Embrace the changes he brings into your life as part of his divine plan.

27:00 When you seek God's guidance to be open for change, just be ready for change. Some changes are suddenly and some are gradually. You might not notice them right away, but people around you will begin to notice that you have changed. Your hearing from God will begin to change. Your friends around you, your notice will begin to change. Your tastes begin to change. What you thought was fun is no longer fun. You know, you thought that miniskirt was cute. Now it's not cute anymore. You know, things begin to change.

27:41 Things will begin to change. Diary of a Black Woman written by a Black woman. I know the stories. I have stories I want to share. I will share a lot of it. I got some things coming up that's going to bring out a lot of my story, but it's not on this episode. Number four, act in faith and obedience. It says take practical steps to align your life with God's calling. What are those practical steps? Only you know. Only you know. And I think it does start out first with identifying the areas in life that you need you need help with, right?

28:24 And then reflecting on how God's grace can redirect you. But sometimes you know in your heart what you need to do. And a lot of times we think we have to do something great and I got to get my act together. Well, sometimes God can get your act together if you just ask. Sometimes he'll get your act together if you don't ask. It's just depending on, he knows. Because if you're listening to this podcast, then you know you know that it's getting close to you turning things over to Jesus. It's just the little things that no longer... Interests you, then you start to, start to draw away from it.

29:07 Sometimes it's age and sometimes it's like, it's maybe you, we can, friends happen to lose a friend. You can lose a foe. Things get a little kind of, I hate to use the word crazy, but life gets to be real different out there. And you're like, this ain't worth it anymore. You know, it's just not worth it anymore. more. And so act in faith and obedience, take practical steps. And finally, this one is follow the example of Paul who responded to God's call with immediate action and commitment. A good question. I just said, Lord, what would you have me to do? You can still, maybe you're doing ministry and you're not having one of these transformative feelings that Paul had.

29:53 Paul had like the light came on from heaven. God's voice came from heaven. What would you have me to do? Lord, what would you have me to do? It could just be a little tweak in here and there, right? And so it's just something that you can do. But we're only on episode one on Paul. We got two more. We're going to talk about Gideon. Then we have Deborah. This was a short devotional, on, but these are the ones that really changed my life. It kept me focused, and I always liked Paul. And so I think that wraps up. I have some decrees. I'm trying to see if there's anything else. When Paul changed his life for Jesus, I want to just share some things that happened with him. that his life never, never was the same.

30:44 He endured suffering, you know, 2 Corinthians 11, 22 to 23 to 28, but he counted it all joy. He influenced Christianity. He wrote pretty much, we got Paul epistles, pretty much a lot of the New Testament, but yet he died. He had an enduring legacy. he died preaching the gospel. So Paul's life changed dramatically after his encounter with Jesus and his subsequent submission to God's will. He went from being a fierce persecutor of Christians, to becoming a tireless apostle of Christ, spreading the gospel across Rome Empire and leaving a lasting legacy on the Christian faith.

31:33 His transformation exemplified the power of God's grace and the radical change that can occur when someone surrenders their life to Jesus. So I want to just go over these decrees. Are you ready to surrender your life to Jesus? So let's just do about four decrees. I'm just going to say them over you. A decree for transformation. So I decree that like Paul, my past will not hinder my future in Christ. I embrace the transformation power of God's grace in my life, trusting that he can use all my experiences for my greater purpose.

32:19 Decree for divine guidance. I decree that I will seek and follow God's guidance in my life, remaining open to his direction and willing to step out in faith. A decree for obedience. I decree that I will act in faith and obedience to God's will, aligning my actions with his divine plan for my life. I decree for confidence in God's call. I decree that I will embrace my unique calling with confidence.

32:59 Knowing that God's gifts and callings are irrevocable, and his purpose for me is unchangeable, unchanging. So as we conclude this episode, take some time to think about how God's grace has worked in your life. How has he transformed you and what areas he still needs to touch? Remember, God's call is powerful and can change the direction of your life. In our next episode, we'll explore the story of Gideon, focusing on how God's call can overcome our fears and insecurities.

33:43 Ladies, Gideon's journey from fear to faith is a testament to God's empowering presence in our life. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Gifts of No Return, Embracing God's Unchanging Call. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with others who might benefit from this message. Thank you for listening and God bless. And this is Connie Morris, Diary of a Black Woman podcast. Until next time, see ya.