The Gospel Threatens Vested Interests

God's Exceptional Choice  We are God's Artwork Christ is Wisdom Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)  Acts 9:21-31 The Voice 21 Obviously this amazed everybody, and the buzz spread. The People: Isn't he the man who caused so much trouble in Jerusalem for everyone identified with Jesus? Didn't he come here to arrest followers of Jesus and bring them in chains to the religious authorities? Now he's switched sides and is preaching Jesus? 22 As time passed, Saul's confidence grew stronger and stronger, so much so that he debated with the Jews of Damascus and made an irrefutable case that Jesus is, in fact, God's Anointed, the Liberating King. 23 They didn't like being confounded like this; so after several days, the Jews plotted to assassinate Saul. 24 But he learned of the plot. He knew they were keeping the city gates under constant surveillance, so they could follow and kill him when he left. 25 To save Saul, the disciples came up with a plan of their own. During the night, they put Saul in a basket and lowered him by ropes from an opening in the wall of the city rather than passing through the gates. Their plan worked, 26 and he returned to Jerusalem. He tried to join the disciples there, but they didn't think he was sincere. 27 Only one person accepted Saul as a genuine disciple, Barnabas, who became Saul's advocate to the apostles. He told the whole story of what happened in Damascus, from Saul's vision and message from the Lord to his transformation into a confident proclaimer of the name of Jesus. 28 Finally they accepted Saul and gave him access to their community, and he continued to speak confidently in the name of the Lord. 29 He dialogued—and argued—with a group of Greek-speaking Jews. That didn't go well either, because soon they were plotting to kill him also. 30 His fellow believers helped him escape by bringing him to Caesarea and sending him to his hometown, Tarsus. 31 And so the church enjoyed a period of peace and growth throughout the regions of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The disciples lived in deep reverence for the Lord, they experienced the strong comfort of the Holy Spirit, and their numbers increased. For Reflection How can one trust another who committed sinful acts but who has also been transformed into righteousness? Before he met Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul believed he was doing God's will. But his persecution of the believers was tantamount to violence against God. If our sense of a calling permits us to inflict violence against others who do not believe as we believe, that call is not from God. Committing violence against others in defense of our religion is not a part of the calling and justice of God. We are not doing God a favor, but by harming others, we wound God. Saul/Paul didn't know he was persecuting the Lord. He didn't realize that being a self-made man makes it tough to be made and re-made in God's image.   Pray Pray so that you may be transformed. Open our blind eyes so that we may see ourselves as God sees us Forward to a friend Sign up for our mailing list!