The Man Who Changed The World

Picture this. A man is riding toward Damascus with one mission on his mind. He has papers in his hand authorizing him to arrest, imprison, and if necessary, destroy every follower of Jesus Christ he can find. He is not struggling with his faith. He is not searching for answers. He is absolutely certain he is doing the right thing.
His name is Saul of Tarsus. And he is about to have the most unexpected encounter of his life.

This past Sunday at Family Life Church, we wrapped up our four week series Great Men of the Scriptures by looking at one of the most remarkable transformations in the entire Bible. The story of Paul is not just a historical account. It is a living, breathing reminder that nobody is too far gone, nobody is too broken, and nobody is beyond the reach of a God who specializes in the impossible.

It Started With an Encounter
I want you to understand something. Paul did not come to God because he was ready. He did not come because life had worn him down or because he was searching for something more. He came because Jesus Christ stopped him in his tracks on a road outside Damascus and said, 'Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
That is the kind of God we serve. He does not wait for you to find Him. He comes looking for you.

"As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?" — Acts 9:3-4 (NLT)

For three days Paul sat in darkness. No food. No water. No sight. Just God doing what only God can do, taking a man apart from the inside out and rebuilding him from the ground up. When Ananias laid hands on him and Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, the man who walked out was not the same man who rode in.

That is what a genuine encounter with Jesus does. It does not just change your behavior. It changes who you are.

You Cannot Do This in Your Own Strength
Here is what always gets me about Paul. This man had every reason to be confident in himself. He was educated. He was connected. He was disciplined. By every human standard he had what it took.
And yet listen to what he says.
"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." — Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Not through my training. Not through my background. Not through my willpower. Through Christ.

Paul learned something that most of us spend years fighting against. Our weakness is not the problem. Our weakness is actually where God does His best work. When God told him, my grace is all you need, my power works best in weakness, Paul did not argue. He said, then I will boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can rest on me.

That is a word for somebody today. Stop trying to muscle your way through what only the Holy Spirit can carry you through.
Suffering Does Not Mean God Has Left the Building
I need to be honest with you about something. If you follow Paul's life expecting it to look like a highlight reel, you are going to be surprised. This man was beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, and left for dead. More than once.

But here is what I want you to see. In the middle of all of that, Paul never lost his purpose. He never lost his joy. And he never lost his song.

"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!" — Acts 16:25-26 (NLT)

They were bleeding. They were locked in stocks. And they sang.
I believe somebody reading this right now is in their own midnight season. Maybe it is a health report that shook you. Maybe it is a relationship that fell apart. Maybe it is a dream that has not come to pass and you are starting to wonder if God forgot about you. He has not forgotten about you. And your praise in the middle of that midnight is not weakness. It is a weapon.

Finish the Race
Near the very end of his life, sitting in a cold Roman prison knowing that his execution was close, Paul wrote these words to his son in the faith, Timothy.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return." — 2 Timothy 4:7-8a (NLT)

I have read those words many times. And every time I read them I am struck by what is not there. There is no bitterness. There is no regret. There is no wish that things had gone differently. Just three declarations from a man who gave everything he had to the God who gave everything for him.

I fought. I finished. I remained faithful.
That is the finish line I want to cross. I believe it is the finish line you want to cross too.

Your Story Is Not Over
Paul started as the church's greatest enemy. He ended as its greatest champion. He wrote half of the New Testament, planted churches across the known world, and laid down his life for the faith he once tried to destroy.

And the same Jesus who met him on that Damascus road is alive and present today.

If you have been telling yourself that you are too far gone, I want you to hear this. Paul held the coats at a stoning. If God could use him, God can use you. If you have been running on empty, worn down by the weight of a season that will not let up, I want you to know that the God who opened prison doors at midnight is not done with your story.

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." — Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

We would love to have you join us at Family Life Church. Come as you are. Come with your questions. Come with your mess. Because the God who transformed the most unlikely man in the New Testament is still in the transformation business.