Is change possible? Can a person go from being bad to being good? 

Sometimes it is so difficult to break free from our negative attitudes, our prejudices, our wounds, and our habitual sins. 

In today’s scripture we encounter a man named Paul. It is a dramatic story of change, but before we fully appreciate the change we need to understand the person.

In various passages in the New Testament, we can put together Paul’s background as he recounts it. He was a man of promise with such potential. Amongst the Jews he was an up-and-coming star, a future leader of his people. This is how Paul described himself in his own words.

3 “I am a Jew. . . I was circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. . . Born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in Jerusalem. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. . . I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. In regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."

For the Jews, Paul’s resume was spectacular. He was committed to the law from birth. He was from a respected tribe. He was raised in Jerusalem, the center of Judaism. He studied under the wise and acclaimed teacher Gamaliel. He was well-versed in and committed to Jewish tradition and the ancient laws. . . and he was a Pharisee. 

The Pharisees had great influence within Judaism during this time of the early church. They were known for being very spiritual people who meticulously obeyed the religious laws. 

They believed in God’s written law found in the Old Testament, but also gave the same authority to religious traditions that had been passed down through the centuries. This added more than 600 religious laws in addition to the laws that were found in scripture. Because of this the supposed holiness of a Pharisee’s life was many times based on legalism and strict rule keeping.

The Pharisees were often middle-class businessmen who led mainly in the synagogues. This was in contrast to the priests who ministered in the temple. They were a minority part of the Sanhedrin, the main decision-making body in Judaism. Although they were outnumbered in the Sanhedrin they often possessed power because they had the popular support of the normal people. 

Paul was amongst the elite scholars of Jerusalem, but at the same time was very well connected to the workings of the synagogues w there he have been familiar with the normal Jewish people. At the same time he was a Roman citizen and had a background of relating to non-Jewish Gentiles. 

God had prepared Paul in a very unique way to fulfill the call that God had for Paul’s life. 

In Acts 22 we read more of Paul’s description of what happened next.  

“4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 

“The Way,” was how they referred to the Christians at this point. The name “Christian” would be give to the followers of Christ in Antioch later in Acts 11.

In Acts 26 Paul continued.

  9“I was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.”

In Acts 8:1 we read of an early Christian martyr named Stephen, who was stoned as Paul watched. It says that, “Saul (Paul) approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.”

The Christian faith was now spreading, and Paul would do whatever was necessary to stamp it out. This was Paul’s background. He was a man with a mission, and he hated the followers of Jesus, as heretics as blasphemers. He was traveling to arrest more Christians, but Christ had other plans. 

Acts 9:1-2 shares the story of what happened next.

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 

The power of the Sanhedrin extended to anywhere there were Jews. So, their letter on Paul’s behalf to the synagogue leaders in Damascus was enough to accomplish his purposes of persecution. 

Acts 9:3-6 then continues with the story.

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The journey from Jerusalem to Damascus was about 140 miles. It would have taken about a week, walking.  Paul would likely have been accompanied by officers of the Sanhedrin, similar to police. Because he was a Pharisee his religious rules would not have allowed him to relate with them so he probably walked this one week journey relatively “alone” with plenty of time to think about recent events.

His journey would have taken him through Galilee where Jesus was from. The road would finally have led him over Mount Hermon where below lay the ancient city of Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world. As Barclay described, “a lovely white city in a green plain, “a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald.””

In was at this point Paul saw the light from heaven, fell to the ground and heard the voice of Jesus. In Paul’s retelling of this account in Acts 26 he added that it was noon, that Jesus spoke to Paul in Aramaic and that Jesus also said to Paul, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 

The religious language of the day for the Jews was Hebrew. It was the sacred language but here we see the Jewish Messiah, the Promised Christ speaking to Paul in the every day language of the people. He is the Savior who had drawn near.

We must also consider Jesus’ words, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

In Jesus´ day the farmers would use oxen to plow their fields. They would carry a long pole that would have a sharp metal point on the end. This sharp point was called a goad. Whenever the oxen would slow or even stop they would prod the oxen on with the goad, the metal point. At times the oxen would grow angry and kick in retaliation, but it would only cause greater pain as the oxen kicked against the metal point of the goad. 

Jesus had somehow been “goading” Paul at this point. Maybe it was through Paul’s study of the scriptures or maybe it was as he had watched Steven and others die for their faith in Jesus. We do not know but it seems that God had already been taking steps to draw Paul to Himself (John 6:44), possibly preparing Paul for this moment of encounter with Christ. 

It seems like a sudden conversion but perhaps it was really a final surrender. 

In Acts 16:26, Paul tells more of how at this point in the story, Jesus then told Paul to

16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Paul was just in the process of putting His faith in Jesus and already God had an assignment for him. The story then continued.

7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

He who had planned to come with “avenging fury” now was left blind and helpless before his newfound Savior. This man of action was left to sit and ponder what awaited him.

These times of waiting are sometimes the most difficult. We want to get out there and do something and instead God calls us to “be still and know that I am God.”(Psalm 46:10)

Acts 9:10-12 then continued with these words. 

10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Scripture tells us that Ananias was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. The Lord was not choosing just anyone, He was choosing one who was ready and willing to hear the call. Ananias had “ears to hear and a heart to obey.” At times we are waiting for God to call when our first attention should go to making sure we have a heart that is prepared to obey when He speaks.

It is interesting to note that the Lord called out to Ananias and his immediate response was, “Yes, Lord.” It can be no other way. If there is not a “yes” then He is not Lord, and if He is Lord our response will always be “yes.” It takes us back to the precommitment to obedience that God calls us to. “No” and “Lord” cannot exist together. That does not mean it will always be easy, it is just the reality of having Christ as Lord.

Can you imagine being Ananias and receiving a vision from the Lord that tells you to go “to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul?” Ananias had heard the reports that Paul, the persecutor of Christians, was coming to Damascus backed by the full authority of the chief priests. He had heard of all the harm, arrests and even deaths that had resulted from Paul’s efforts in Jerusalem. Paul was coming to arrest all who call on the name of Jesus Christ. 

At the same time, the Lord instructed Ananias to ask for Paul, because in “a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

If you had been Ananias in that situation, what do you think you would have done? What would have won, fear or faith? 

It was a crisis of belief for this one man and his act of obedience would play a key role in how God would use Paul in the years ahead. 

Acts 9:17-19 continued,

17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Ananias had no idea how this one act of obedience would affect the future of Christianity. His fearless faith and obedience set in motion Paul’s entrance into the life of the early church and would eventually be used to start churches, make disciples and Paul’s writing of more of the New Testament than anyone else. 

In Acts 22 Paul recounted even more detail of what he was told by Ananias in that initial conversation.

14 “Then he (Ananias) said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’

The waiting period was over. In these words of Ananias, we see that the Christian faith is not a new religion. It is the continuation of God’s pursuit of His people that began at Creation. It is the same story that continued through Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets and now through Christ. The God of their ancestors allowed Paul to see Christ, the Righteous One and now Paul would play a role in God’s plan as He continues to advance His kingdom and His eternal plan in this world. 

Paul’s sight was restored. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul was then baptized as an outward proclamation of the inward commitment that he had made to Christ.

Ananias’ words “Brother Saul” were also a statement of faith. Who would have ever believed that the Holy Spirit could be powerful enough to change a heart like Paul’s? In Christ, men who should have been enemies had now become brothers. 

This same truth is at work in our church as well. We come from different countries, can speak different languages, have had different life experiences and are from different cultures, but all of those differences pale in comparison to what we have in common, in Christ. Our differences are limited to this lifetime but what unites us is eternal. 

We are children of God. We are reconciled in Christ. We now share the same purpose, the same mission, the same destiny and the same Father. Outwardly we may look different, but inwardly we have been forgiven, transformed, made new and now are indwelled by the same Spirit of Christ. 

The world stirs animosity between cultures and ethnicities but we have already been reconciled to each other in Christ. We now must humble ourselves before Christ and each other and walk in this reconciliation. May we follow I the footsteps of Ananias and believe God to work this unity amongst us. 

In days that followed Paul began to preach in the synagogues in Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God. 

21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

Even though Paul was a new believer God had been preparing Paul for this all of his life. God had “set Paul apart from his mother’s womb” (Galatians 1:15) and had used his training, his temperament and his life experiences to prepare him for this purpose. Now that it was joined with the gospel Paul was ready to be used by God in a powerful way. 

Paul began to teach in the synagogues in Damascus, proving that Jesus is the Messiah and eventually had to flee the city because of threats on his life. The same would happen in Jerusalem and throughout Paul’s ministry, but the story of his changed life would always be a testimony to the power of God. May our story of transformation do the same. 

Saul’s salvation and integration into the church was a group project. The prayer and martyrdom of Steven. The courageous welcome of Ananias. Even the role of Barnabas to later present him to the Jerusalem church and eventually to the church in Antioch when few believed in Paul. It is in the context of the church that we as believers are led into the fullness of being on mission with Christ. 

Let me encourage you today. Maybe you are still kicking against the goads as did the Apostle Paul before he finally believed in Jesus, fighting against what God is doing in your life, refusing to give up control as God seeks to bring you to Himself. Today will you humble yourself before Jesus, surrender and believe.

Let us now finish our time together as we hear the words of 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

17 If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 

20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.