Acts 9:1-9 

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Metamorphosis

The word “metamorphosis” means a change of form or shape; a transformation of appearance, character, condition or function.

The life cycle of a butterfly is an amazing example of metamorphosis.

A caterpillar looks so ugly; its function or concern is to destroy plants. At the proper time, the caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. Its function or concern is also transformed from destroying to helping plants bear fruit.

When a believer is transformed, a destructive character is transformed to useful.

Saul was like a caterpillar destroying the church before he was transformed. Saul devoted his life to persecute the disciples of the Lord.

1. Persecution

¹ Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 

Saul persecuted the Lord’s disciples; he filled the church with fear, panic, and worry.

The phrase “breathing out murderous threats” presents an intention to inflict punishment that leads to destruction and persecution of the Lord’s disciples. Saul was determined not just to deal the Lord’s disciples with harm but to wipe them out. He was very devoted to bring trouble to the believer, to murder the Lord’s disciples.

Saul believed that his murderous threats to the Lord’s disciples were lawful and legal. He was authorized by the high priest; he has acquired a license to arrest the Lord’s disciples. All disciples that he might arrest, he would bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Saul persecuted the disciples; he wanted to put to an end the growing number of believers.

³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 

Here is one reason God in His glorious appearance does not show Himself to humans. The human eyes cannot withstand, cannot bear the brightness of the glory of God. Our human eyes have limited capabilities to bear, to withstand the unlimited glory of God.

The brightness of God’s glory is million times brighter than sunlight.

⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul fell to the ground portrays an image when Jesus comes again, every knee shall bow. When Christ Jesus comes in His glory, all creatures will bow down before Him.

Saul was nearing Damascus when he heard a voice, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

Saul persecuted the church because he did not know the Lord Jesus personally. His plan to persecute the disciples ended abruptly when the Lord appeared to him. Saul might have thought he was serving God but the Lord said he was persecuting Him. His zeal to serve that Lord has driven him even to the point of persecuting his own people.

Many church-goers, like Saul, are misguided in their zeal to serve Lord. Anyone can be deceived or call himself a Christian; anyone can claim to be a servant of God. God cannot be deceived; He knows if a person is a genuine believer or just disillusioned.

Like Saul, anyone can be zealous in his belief; anyone can be disillusioned in his ideologies.

Victor Corpus

Victor Corpus has a very controversial career in the Philippine military history as soldier, rebel, whistle-blower, and master spy. Two years after graduating in 1967 from the PMA [Philippine Military Academy], Victor Corpus led a raid on the academy’s armoury. They carted away weapons, which he delivered to the NPA [New People’s Army].

Five years later, in 1974, the disillusioned Victor Corpus called up his PMA classmate and surrendered.

“When I made those decisions, I believed in my heart they were the right thing to do,” Victor Corpus said, referring to his defection to the NPA.

Saul was like that; he was very sincere persecuting the church. He thought it was a right thing. He had a license issued by the high priest to arrest, to persecute the Lord’s disciples.

Have you heard of a woman who charged, sued her parents in a court using her legal right? Have you heard of a senator who badmouthed a fellow senator because of immunity rights?

Christians are not exempted; we can also be misguided or disillusioned. In all our decision-making, we need to allow the Lord Jesus to help us decide. There are many ideologies or dogmas that may mislead us into unpleasant decisions. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in all the things we do or decide. We also need to ask His help to remind or make us aware when we are not abiding in Him.

Saul’s zealousness to persecute the church led to his introduction to the Lord Jesus.

2. Introduction

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” ⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

The Lord understood that Saul was disillusioned by his devoted service to God. Saul did not know who Jesus is because he did not have any relationship with Him. Jesus introduced Himself to Saul but his companions knew nothing about it. They heard the sound but they have no idea about Saul’s encounter with Christ. They might have been wondering how Paul became blind.

No one can find where God is unless God decides to reveal Himself to the person. When God speaks, He speaks very clearly and personally to the individual person. This is why when a sermon is given, everyone may hear or read the same message but the principle to be applied is very exclusive to individual person. When God reveals Himself, each believer will come to know the Lord very uniquely and exclusively personal.

How did you come to know the Lord Jesus in a very personal way? Who is Christ to you personally. How did Christ reveal Himself to you exclusively?

He Cleanses

The more I become serious in my faith, the more I desired to experience and encounter the Lord in a very personal and very realistic manner. As a very young believer, I tried to get rid of the vices that had enslaved me. So, I prayed and said to God, “Lord, You have resurrected Christ from the dead; so, it’s easy for You to cleanse me from the vices that enslaved me; You know, Lord, that I’ve tried many time to be freed from vices but they keep coming back; if my body is Your temple, please, clean Your temple because I cannot do it.”

In no time, after I prayed sincerely for God to cleanse me, each time I see others in their vices, I felt very sorry for them.

When we personally experience the presence of Christ in our life, there are changes made. When Saul encountered the Lord, he was changed from being a persecutor to preacher. There was a complete turn around from his destructive attitude toward to being pleasant.

Be very sure you have a personal relationship with Christ.

Did your life change or transform when you decided to trust in Christ? What changes in your life have you experienced when you decided to trust in the Lord?

Let’s check our sinful human nature and see the sinfulness that God has removed from us.

Galatians 5:19-23 help us understand how a believer should be transformed.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control.

Keep pleading in the Lord to let the fruit of the Spirit grow mature and big in your life.

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