Random Thoughts - Acts 9

Acts 9

There are so many interesting things in the story of Saul’s conversion story.  I don’t have one theme to pull them all together so I will stick with random thoughts.

The Way:

The Way is a way of suffering.  In Luke 3:1 John the Baptist claims  that he comes preparing The Way (Same gk word as here in Acts.) as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus never minced words as to the suffering He came to endure on our behalf.

The book of Acts is the beginning of the story of the people of The Way and this chapter tells us how one of the main characters, Saul, who was on his way (v. 3) was invited into the story.  It is a wild story about God bringing the two ways together in an amazing story of transformation.

 Very quickly we see the contrast between The Way and Saul’s way.  The Message translates  v. 16,  “And now I'm about to show him (Saul) what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”

Paul,  confidant in his “rightness” is working from a position of power, so God completely humbles him, blind is powerless.  In his powerlessness he is filled with the HS and becomes the conduit for real power.  There is power in enduring suffering that exceeds the power of those who inflict suffering.

This reminds me of Jesus and Peter in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter inflicting suffering (Cutting off ears with a sword.) and trying to use power to bring in the kingdom, but Jesus brings him up short with the words, it is not by power, but by suffering that the kingdom will come.  Following Me, the Way, is to participate in my suffering.  The Way means absorbing suffering, taking it upon us vs. inflicting suffering.  Am I willing to walk this way?

Bit parts in a big story:

I love this story of transformation and the participation of a disciple, Ananias, heard about only one time, who plays a part.  Then later Barnabas, who was willing to take a risk on a violent man and bring him into the fellowship of believers.  Acts is full of these kinds of references, faithful people who show up in the story once or twice and then we never hear about them again.  It was faithful people like these, who like extras in a  movie don’t show up in the credits, but changed the known world.

I love this quote from I know not where, “Maturity is to be at home with being ordinary.”  I have never wanted to be ordinary, but there are far, far, more  bit players like Ananias than there are stars like the apostle Paul, and God is slowly wrestling me to the ground on this one.  Maturity is still out there on the horizon for me, but I think I am least headed that way. (Pun intended.)

The timeline of transformation?

Jonah in the belly of a fish for three days.  Jesus in the grave for three days.  Saul blind for three days. Can you think of any others?