2 Corinthians 5:17 - Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! (NIrV)
1 Peter 3:18 - Christ Himself died for you. And that one death paid for your wrongs. He was not guilty, but He died for those who were guilty. He did this to bring you all to God.
Of all the stories in the book of Acts, the one about the conversion of Saul is surely one of the best-known and best-loved of them all. There is something so exciting and so dramatic about this account of a persecutor who find himself confronted with the glory of the Lord, and something so thrilling about his total change of heart from a murderer to a missionary, that even folk who know very little of the Bible will sometimes - without perhaps realizing the origin of the phrase - talk about a Damascus Road experience to describe a sudden and unexpected shift in someone’s position.
Saul was brought up as a high-ranking and highly-educated member of the Jewish religious elite. Paul himself tells us in Philippians 3:4-5: If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee. And not just any old Pharisee, but as Paul himself reveals in Acts 22:3 a Pharisee trained and educated in Jerusalem by the greatest religious teacher of them all, Gamaliel. Paul in other words was a top theologian steeped in the law and traditions of the Jewish religion. If anyone knew the Scriptures, it was Saul, a.k.a Paul. He would have been thoroughly acquainted with the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, and he would have also known that the penalty for those who falsely claimed to be the Messiah or worshipped just such a person was death.
Saul was someone well-acquainted with the Christian faith. Of course, talking about the Christian faith in this stage of the story of the church is rather out of place. It is not until the gospel reaches Antioch in Acts 11:26 that the followers of Jesus are first called Christians. At this time as verse 2 of our reading tells us they are simply known as people who belonged to the Way. And Saul well understood what this meant. Because in his interrogations of the men and women he arrested and then put to death, he would have learned all about Jesus’ teachings, and how this carpenter from Nazareth claimed that the way to God the Father was not through religious ritual and meticulous observance of the law but through faith and trust in Him. It was perhaps not that surprising, then, that verse 1 tells us how Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. The followers of the Way quite simply challenged everything Saul stood for.
Saul had also witnessed the willingness of the Lord’s disciples to die for what they believed. We in fact first come across Saul at the end of chapter 7 where those who are about to stone Stephen to death take off their outer garments - because, after all, stoning is hard work - and give them to Saul to look after. Saul himself would have seen Stephen’s willingness to die for what he believed, and he would have heard Stephen commit himself to the Lord as he drew his final breath. But instead of being moved by what he saw and heard, he took Stephen’s death as his cue to start his own one-man crusade to round up anyone else who followed these strange teachings. Maybe he thought that arrest and imprisonment would persuade them to repent of their error. If so, he was sorely mistaken. He quickly realized that most of those he dragged off to prison would rather die than change their mind.
But nonetheless he continued in his quest to root out and destroy the rapidly growing new faith that was spreading out from Jerusalem and Judea to cities further afield like Damascus. After Jesus appears to Saul on the Damascus Road verse 9 tells us: “For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.” What was it that was happening over these three days? We get something of a clue in verse 13 where the Lord tells Ananias that Saul is praying. We get rather more of a clue in verses 15-16 where the Lord reveals that Saul is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. It seems therefore that Saul was fasting and praying as the Lord showed him the special plan that He had in store for his life. Verse 18 tells us that once Ananias prayed for Saul to receive the Holy Spirit Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. Baptism was a radical, public act, probably in the local river, where you declared your willingness to be known as a follower of Jesus and a member of God’s people. It involved declaring that Jesus - not the Emperor - was your Lord. It involved leaving behind the security and safety of the old Jewish religion and a willingness to live by faith. It involved severing old ties of friendship and family and recognizing the church around you as your new circle of family and friends.
Saul spent several days with the disciples there. Why? Because they were his new family. And we can sure that those days would have been spent studying the Scriptures, praying together, and worshipping the Lord who had worked so powerfully in Saul’s life.
Exploring God’s Word Saul’s Conversion Acts 9:1-16 Today we are going to learn about someone in the Bible who had a dramatic change in their life and lifestyle. That person is Paul. Only God can make changes this dramatic!
Saul was a man who was trained from childhood to keep the letter of God’s Law, but he completely missed the heart of God (Isaiah 29:13). But Jesus lovingly pursued Saul, and Saul finally saw the Light.
Saul was a man who did not believe in Jesus. In fact he was so mad at the people who did believe in Jesus that he wanted to arrest them. He got special permission from the officials to go to a town called Damascus to look for Christians. His plan was to arrest them and bring them back to have them punished.
As he was traveling to Damascus, an unusual thing happened. A bright light from Heaven suddenly flashed around him. Saul fell to the ground. He heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you doing things against me?” Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?”
The voice answered, “I am Jesus. I am the One you are trying to hurt. Get up now and go into the city. Someone there will tell you what you must do.” Saul got up from the ground. He opened his eyes—BUT HE COULD NOT SEE! So the men who came with him had to lead him to the town. For 3 days Saul did not eat or drink anything.
In the town of Damascus, there was a person named Ananias. He loved Jesus very much. The Lord spoke to him and said, “Get up and go to the street called Straight Street. Find the house of Judas. Ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He is praying in the house.
But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man. He has done terrible things to people who believe in You.”
The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. He believes in Me now and he will tell many people about Me.
So Ananias obeyed God and went to the house and found Saul. He put his hands on Saul’s eyes and something like fish scales fell off. Immediately Saul could see! But there was a difference in what he now saw. He not only could see physically again, but now he saw everything with new eyes—spiritually. Before, he wanted to hurt Jesus’ friends and even kill them; now, he loved Jesus and wanted to serve Him and His friends.
Next, Saul got up and was baptized because he wanted everyone to know that he believed in Jesus. Saul decided to change his name to show the change in his heart. His name became Paul.
Paul stayed in Damascus and told people about Jesus’ love. He shared with them how Jesus had changed his life. He explained to them that Jesus was the only way for them to go to Heaven. He told them that they could follow Jesus too if they prayed and asked Him to come into their lives.
All the people were amazed. They knew that Jesus had definitely changed his life.
Ananias did something important too. He told Paul about Jesus. He was not afraid to stand up for what he believed.
Lutheran Link: The Third Petition of the Lord’s Prayer says: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also. How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.
Paul, or Saul, was once an enemy of the people of God. He threatened to kill the followers of Jesus. Saul was on his way to capture Christians in Damascus when suddenly a bright light from heaven shone one him. Falling to the ground he heard Jesus’ voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” Paul came to faith in Jesus as his Savior and was baptized. Then God told Paul His will for his life. Paul was to become a Christian missionary. He would travel throughout the world telling people about Jesus.
Theme Verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! (NIrV)
1 Peter 3:18 - Christ Himself died for you. And that one death paid for your wrongs. He was not guilty, but He died for those who were guilty. He did this to bring you all to God.
Game: Trust Walk You’ll Need: Blindfolds Obstacle course set up in room
What You’ll Do: Divide group into teams of 2 or 3 Blindfold one person in each team The other person or persons need to lead the blindfolded person through the obstacle course. When finished, reverse roles.
Say: Saul/Paul was blinded by a bright light. How did it feel to “be” blind?
CROSS TRANSFORMATION: You’ll Need: Cross outline on card stock with words Jesus Transforms Lives printed on each one Tissue paper, glitter, confetti, Glue
Give each child supplies to make a cross transformation to glue onto the cross to "transform" it.
Students can put the paper pieces, glitter, etc around the words.
Fish Scale Eyes Make some fun “fish scales.”
You’ll Need: Elmer’s White Glue in small to medium bottles, enough for one for each person in a small group
What You’ll Do: Put a very thin amount of glue to coat the palm of your hand. Let it dry. Now, peel it off.
Say: This may be something similar to what Paul had on his eyes. Gently place the fish scales over your eyes – how well can you see?
Closing:
Say: Saul was a man who was trained from childhood to keep the letter of God’s Law, but he completely missed the heart of God (Isaiah 29:13). But Jesus lovingly pursued Saul, and Saul finally saw the Light.
Prayer Dear Jesus, help us to know when to change. We want to do the things that will please You. If we are doing something You do not like, help us to change so we can go the distance for You. In Jesus Name Amen.
Psalm 25:4 (NIV) "Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me Your path guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior."
