Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine

Acts 9:1-25 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” ⁷ The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, ¹² and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; ¹⁴ and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” ²¹ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

The story of the conversion of Saul is one of many great stories of redemption in the Bible. Saul an enemy of the church, a persecutor of the followers of Christ has a personal encounter with Jesus and he is changed from an enemy of Jesus to one of His greatest allies. Paul, the new creation in Christ, might very well have had a greater impact on the church and on the message of the gospel spreading throughout the world than anyone other than Jesus Himself. There are many things we can learn and apply to our own lives and our own time through the account of Saul.

First as noted yesterday, Jesus says:   No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him (John 6:44)  There are times when that drawing is subtle and gentle, but the truth is that God:  does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9) If those who God draws gently do not respond God will increase the intensity of His effort to reveal Jesus as the Christ. Later in his life, when Paul is testifying of his conversion and his encounter with Jesus, he says:   "And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'”(Acts 26:14) Goads are sharp pointed sticks which are used to direct the path of an ox as it works. That’s what it is like when people refuse the drawing of God. He has a direction in mind for them, a task and a purpose for them to complete. The more a person resists God and does not yield to His direction for their lives the more painful that resistance becomes. We each have a choice, we can continue throughout our lives resisting God, kicking against the goads of His direction, His will or we can submit to His drawing and His will. We can respond to Jesus who says:   “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30) Just like the goads, the yoke is an instrument used to control an animal as it works. Jesus doesn’t want to bind and restrict us. He doesn’t chain us or imprison us to restrict what we do. Rather, Jesus wants us to walk and work with Him. He wants us to move with Him. When we are yoked and submitted to Him He carries and bears the weight of the burdens we encounter. When we move with Him everything we do is easier. Still, just like Saul, each individual must choose for their self when and how they will respond to the drawing of God and the revelation that Jesus is the Christ.

That brings us to the second thing we see in today’s account. No one is so far from God that they cannot be reached and changed, redeemed by Jesus. In today’s text God calls on His servant, commanding him to go and pray for Saul. The text says:   “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem;  and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”  But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”     God had great plans and purpose for Saul. Romans 11:29 says:  … the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable…   Just as it is God’s will and His desire that none should be lost, that all should come to repentance, so too has God gifted each individual with natural talents and abilities. These are intended to fulfill God’s purpose for each life. The truth is though if God has gifted someone to be a great leader they will be a great leader. Saul, later called Paul was gifted by God to be a great leader of His church. Before his conversion Saul was a great leader against  the church. Perhaps we, the church today need more people who will rise up in obedience, like Ananias, to follow Jesus instruction to: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. (Matthew 5:44) What great leaders of the church today might be out in the world among the enemies of God and the church?  What if we would pray that they like Paul would have their sight restored, that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit?  Our government has the responsibility and the commission to protect its citizens from their political enemies. But as for the church, the Lord says to us His servants:  “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”   How much better would the world be, how much stronger would the church be, if the enemies of God came to know their true call and purpose? If they no longer kicked against the goads, but Like Paul became yoked to Christ?

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for Your patience and persistence in drawing and calling me, in revealing Jesus as the Christ. Thank You for the purpose that You have called me too. Thank You that as I walk and work in that purpose, You walk and work with me, doing the heavy work that I may rest in You. May I be obedient to You, to pray for those who are opposed to You and Your purpose, that they too may come to know You and their purpose and call in and to the world.   Amen