Crosspoint Church Meditates on Conversion of Paul the Apostle.
On July 14, Friday Prayer meeting service at Crosspoint Community Church
Minister Eugene delivered a message from Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:6-21; Acts 26:12-18., which led the congregants to meditate on The conversion of Paul the Apostle.
The New Testament record of the conversion of the apostle Paul is a tremendously important element of Christian history.It has a significant apologetic thrust, and is likewise wonderfully illustrative of the crucial elements of the Lord’s plan for human redemption.
KEY: Paul’s conversion experience is discussed in both the Pauline epistles and in the Acts of the Apostles.
Saul’s dramatic transformation has perplexed infidelity for many centuries. It requires some reasonable explanation.
According to both sources, Paul was not a follower of Jesus and did not know him before his crucifixion. Paul’s conversion occurred after Jesus’ crucifixion. The accounts of Paul’s conversion experience describe it as miraculous, supernatural, or otherwise revelatory in nature.
Before his conversion, Paul, then known as Saul, was “a Pharisee of Pharisees“, who “intensely persecuted” the followers of Jesus. Says Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians: “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Galatians 1:13–14).
Saul of Tarsus first appears in the biblical record as a witness to the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr to the cause of Christ—even “consenting” to his death (Acts 7:58; 9:1).
When God brings a person to faith in Jesus Christ, he already knows how he wants to use that person in service to his kingdom. Sometimes we are slow to understand God’s plan and may even resist it.
Paul’s life-changing experience on the Damascus Road led to his baptism and instruction in the Christian faith. He became the most determined of the apostles, suffering brutal physical pain, persecution, and finally, martyrdom. He revealed his secret of enduring a lifetime of hardship for the gospel:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The same Jesus who rose from the dead and transformed Paul wants to work in your life too. What could Jesus do through you if you surrendered as Paul did and gave him complete control of your life? Maybe God will call you to work quietly behind the scenes like the little known Ananias, or perhaps you’ll reach multitudes like the great Apostle Paul.