A Close Encounter

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
–Acts 9:4

Behind the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the most important event in church history was the conversion of Saul, who was later known by his Roman name, Paul. Saul’s life was transformed after an encounter with Jesus.

Acts 9:1 reveals Saul’s priority before his conversion: “Saul [was] still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” After the stoning of Stephen, Saul was on a rampage against Christians. He thought he was doing God’s work and rooting out heresy. On Saul’s way to Damascus to round up more Christians, “suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” (vv. 3–4). I’m sure Saul was perplexed: What do You mean that I’m persecuting You, God? I’m serving You. Confused, Saul said, “Who are You, Lord?” The voice answered, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (v. 5).

The name Jesus must have struck Saul like a thunderbolt from heaven. Jesus really was raised from the dead. Christianity really was true–and Saul was on the wrong side. By hurting Christians, Saul was hurting Jesus Himself.

Saul had a close encounter of the supernatural kind with the Lord Jesus Christ. But an encounter with God is not enough to save anyone. In that moment on that road to Damascus, Saul also understood that Jesus was the Messiah who died for our sins, and Saul placed his faith in Jesus for salvation. You might say, “Pastor, where do you get all that from this passage?” I don’t; I get it from Paul’s writings. For example, in Philippians 3:8–9, he said, “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ.” Paul was saying, “The only righteousness that counts is the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ.”

On the road to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with the risen Lord, and he put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. As a result, his desires and priorities changed forever.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Greatest Conversion in History,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2021.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.