Unlikely People God Saves Through the Gospel - Acts 9:1-22
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate a truth that we ought to treasure every day of our lives:
Jesus Christ is risen!
On Sunday, Pastor Michael preached on Acts 9:1-22, reminding us that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead. We reflected on this glorious truth as we read about the conversion of Saul.
Saul (his Hebrew name, his Greek being Paul) was a zealous persecutor of the church. In Acts 8, we learned that Saul approved of Stephen’s execution and mercilessly hunted down believers in order to arrest them. Acts 8:3 (ESV) says, “But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” In the following chapter, Luke writes that Saul was “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” and intended to bring Christians “bound to Jerusalem” (see v. 1-2). Saul was a violent persecutor of believers. Some have described him as a religious terrorist.
Saul's life changed when Jesus spoke to him on the way to Damascus. A bright light shone from heaven, and the Lord said to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (see v. 4). Saul learned that this was the risen and ascended Jesus speaking to him, and from that moment on, his life never looked the same. The once-Pharisaical Jew would become the apostle to Gentiles. The man who once violently persecuted believers would suffer countless afflictions to share the gospel and build up the church. The Lord worked mightily through Saul. The Holy Spirit even guided him to write roughly half the books of the New Testament.
By human standards, Saul’s conversion was as unlikely as any in history — and yet, if we’re in Christ, we share his story. We were enemies of God, but God graciously pursued us and reconciled us to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son.
One of the great encouragements we can take from Saul’s conversion is that nobody is beyond the reach of God’s grace. Salvation is available to anyone who would repent and trust in Jesus. At the same time, we must remember that we are just as dependent on God’s grace as Saul. Those of us who trust in Christ have been saved by grace, not by our own merit. Knowing this, let’s be bold to share the gospel and pray for people in our lives who do not follow the Lord. After all, if God can save Saul — and if God can save us — He can save anybody.
Resources:
The Son Must Rise — David Mathis
Jesus Calls Saul To Service — Ligonier Ministries
Reflection Questions:
Who is one person in your life who seems far from trusting in the gospel? How might you pray for and share the gospel with this person?
Do you consistently see yourself as a recipient of immeasurable grace?
How does reflecting on Saul’s conversion spur you on to faithfully share the gospel?
Listen to the Sermon: