But Saul, still
breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the
high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if
he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to
Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a
light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are
you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and
enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were
traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul
rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So
they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he
was without sight, and neither ate nor drank (Acts 9:1-9).
The Holy Spirit gives us a dramatic description here of a life-changing
encounter between Jesus Christ and Saul, one of His most active enemies. In the
midst of a blinding light and a heavenly voice we see the grace of God released
into the heart of the most powerful persecutor of the early church. The results
are amazing as this former enemy of Christ became a serious disciple and
leading apostle, making disciples, planting churches, and writing nearly
two-thirds of the New Testament. When we meet with Christ, a similar
transformation will occur. The Holy Spirit goes to work in us, transforming us
into His image, making us more like Christ… “And we all, with unveiled
face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is
the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). I pray that Saul’s Damascus Road
experience encourages you to create a daily sacred place where you too can
experience the encounter that transforms the heart.
An encounter with Christ will light up the heart. Before
this encounter, Saul saw himself as a devout Jew, and defender of the faith
against the heresy of what became known as the Way… “I am a Jew, born in
Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of
Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being
zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death,
binding and delivering to prison both men and women” (Acts 22:3-4).
Overwhelmed by… “a light from heaven” Saul was blinded to the
natural world around him and freed to see himself as Jesus saw him, as a
servant and a witness to the One he was persecuting… “But rise and stand
upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as
a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in
which I will appear to you” (Acts 26:16). In our intimate meetings with
Him, Christ will remove the world’s distractions and help us see ourselves as
He does, as God’s children… “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what
we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be
like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). A daily
heart shaping encounter with Christ helps us see that we are
growing children of the King!
An encounter with Christ will speak to the heart. When our heart
anticipates hearing from Christ, our ears become sensitive to His voice as we
read His Word. He once taught… “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear”
(Mark 4:23), and He went on to explain… “Pay attention to what
you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more
will be added to you” (Mark 4:24). The heart that hungers for more of
His Word will hear His voice and be transformed by a close encounter
with Him.
An encounter with Christ will humble the heart. Saul’s encounter
with Christ left him blind and dependent on the very people he was persecuting,
but now he could see and hear the truth more clearly than ever before. Near the
end of his life, Saul, who became known as Paul (Gk. Paulus meaning little)
described himself like this… “You yourselves know how I lived among you
the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord
with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through
the plots of the Jews” (Acts 20:18-19). Saul was permanently humbled
by the encounter that transformed his heart.
As we grow up into Christ, and we meet with Him daily, we are becoming
more like Him through…
The Encounter that Transforms the Heart.
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