From Saul to Paul

Beloved friend,

Some of God's greatest servants began as His fiercest opponents. Saul of Tarsus was not just indifferent to the gospel—he was actively hunting down believers, "breathing threats and murder" against those who followed the Way. Picture this young Pharisee, zealous beyond measure, convinced that every Christian he imprisoned was a victory for righteousness.

His letters of authority from the high priest weren't just official documents—they were weapons of destruction in his holy war against what he saw as dangerous heresy. His heart was set like flint against Christ, his mind convinced that he was serving God by persecuting the church.

Notice the tender repetition of his name—not the voice of an angry judge, but of a pursuing Lover. In that blazing encounter, Saul discovered that his war against the church was actually a war against heaven itself.

What strikes me most about this encounter is not just the blinding light or the voice from heaven, but the deeply personal nature of Christ's approach to His enemy. Jesus didn't send an angel with a rebuke or a prophet with condemnation—He came Himself, revealing the mystery that would reshape Saul's entire understanding of reality.

When we persecute His people, we persecute Him. The Christians Saul had been dragging to prison weren't just followers of a dead teacher—they were living members of Christ's own body, and every chain he placed on them was felt by their risen Lord.

Blinded for three days by the glory of Christ, Saul's physical darkness marked the beginning of his spiritual awakening. Those three days of darkness weren't punishment—they were preparation. Sometimes God has to blind us to what we think we see so clearly before He can open our eyes to what is truly real.

Saul's blindness forced him into a dependency he had never known, stripped of his self-righteousness and religious credentials, left with nothing but the voice that had called his name and the followers of Jesus who would now care for their former persecutor.

The transformation that followed wasn't merely external—it was a complete remaking of identity, purpose, and passion. The man who had sought to destroy the church became its greatest apostle and most prolific church planter. The one who breathed threats became the one who breathed life into new communities of faith across the known world.

His former religious credentials, once his greatest pride, he now counted as rubbish compared to knowing Christ. Saul's restless persecution was really a misdirected hunger for the very God he thought he was defending.

But here's what captivates me most about Paul's conversion: it wasn't just about stopping a persecutor—it was about unleashing an apostle. God didn't merely save Saul from his sin; He redirected that same zealous energy into gospel proclamation with unstoppable force. The very qualities that made him dangerous to the early church—his brilliant mind, his uncompromising dedication, his fearless boldness—became the instruments through which the gospel spread to the Gentile world.

God doesn't waste our past; He redeems it and uses it for His glory.

This same transforming power is available today, working in ways that often surprise us. Perhaps you're reading this and thinking of someone in your life who seems impossibly far from God—that family member who mocks your faith, that coworker who openly opposes Christianity, that friend whose heart seems hardened against the gospel. Maybe you're even thinking of your own past, wondering how God could use the broken pieces of your story for His purposes. Remember Saul. Remember that the same Jesus who appeared on the Damascus road is still in the business of radical transformation.

Consider this: while the church was praying for protection from Saul, God was preparing to answer their prayers in a way they never imagined—by converting their greatest enemy into their greatest ally.

Sometimes God's answer to our prayers for deliverance is transformation. Sometimes the very person who seems to oppose the gospel most fiercely is the one God is preparing for the most dramatic conversion. Our role isn't to be discouraged by the depth of someone's opposition but to pray with faith, knowing that no heart is too hard for the One who can stop a persecutor in his tracks and turn him into a proclaimer of grace.

And if you're struggling with your own sense of unworthiness, if you feel like your past disqualifies you from being used by God, let Paul's story speak hope into your heart. The chief of sinners became the chief of apostles. The one who destroyed the church became the one who planted it across three continents. Your past mistakes, your former rebellion, your deepest failures—none of these are beyond God's redemptive power. He specializes in writing beautiful stories with broken pens.

Today, be encouraged: The God who transformed the church's greatest enemy into its most powerful apostle is still working miracles of grace today. No one—absolutely no one—is beyond His transforming touch. The same voice that called "Saul, Saul" on the Damascus road is still calling names today.

For reflection: Who in your life seems far from God or even hostile to the gospel? Spend time this week praying for their Damascus road encounter, trusting that the same Jesus who called Saul can call them by name.

By grace and by fire,

– The Living Gospel Letters Team