On The Road To Damascus – Acts 9

The story of Saul’s conversion on the Road To Damascus from a man possessed with a burning desire to persecute the early Christians to one of the greatest evangelists for Christ the world has ever known, has never ceased to both inspire me and amaze me.

Saul (Paul as he became to be known) began as the bitterest enemy the gospel had at the time.  “McCartney – Diles (1990) writes that He was a murderer, a bigot, he hated Christianity and everything about it and he almost single-handedly drove the church out of Jerusalem. He was on his way to Damascus to do the same thing there – to find Christians and bind them and bring them back to a kangaroo court and put them to death. Then, at the doorway of Damascus, the LORD JESUS CHRIST appeared to him IN PERSON and struck him down and transformed his life. From then on, Paul was a completely changed man. All his old war buddies, his cronies, were amazed. They couldn’t understand what had happened to him. But Paul stayed true all the rest of his days.

In 2 Corinthians, there’s a list as long as a tall man’s arm relating all the things Paul endured. He was beaten, stoned, ship-wrecked three times, imprisoned, and there were many attempts on his life before he was finally killed, beheaded in Rome because of his love for the gospel. And just before the end of his life, he was able to write to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day -and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4: 7-8).”

The inspiration and amazement for me is derived from the fact that if a man like Paul with all his prior history and sinful acts against God, can be forgiven and even more powerful; used in the manner that Paul was to teach and spread the word of God and salvation by way of Jesus Christ, who cannot be accepted into the everlasting Kingdom of God through profession of belief in Jesus Christ as their personal savior? It is awe-inspiring.

If you wish to accept Jesus as your personal savior please see our salvation guidance on the Salvation page of this blog.

*McCartney , Bill with Dave Diles 1990. FROM ASHES TO GLORY. Thomas Nelson Publishers.