Where are you on that path? I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. His name was Aretas IV (9 B.C.-A.D. 40). Straight Street — Certain localities are shown as the site of those scriptural events which specially interest us in its history. (Witherington), Paul’s Calling — This passage holds the story of Paul receiving his calling. Paul's conversion occurred after Jesus's crucifixion. Conversion does not simply mean changing religious adherence. Saul was a Pharisee and a murderer who persecuted the church... but a remarkable transformation took place and he became Paul, a significant and influential spiritual leader in the Christian faith. It is important to note that the end of Saul’s fast – which came after his conscience had been settled upon being forgiven of his sins – came after baptism. The Way — This was one of the earliest designations of Christianity (cf. (Witherington) “The choice of Ananias for this task made it clear that Saul of Tarsus was not dependent upon the Twelve, and also that an apostle was not required for bestowing the Spirit (as might have been concluded from the case in Samaria).” (Kent), “In this passage we have the most famous conversion story in all history.” -Barclay, “This was a radical change of religious direction, and it was accompanied by a radical change of action: the active persecutor became an even more active preacher and evangelist.” -Barrett, “The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch was in a chariot; the conversion of Saul of Tarsus was down in the dust.” -McGee, “He who had intended to enter Damascus like an avenging fury was led by the hand into that city, blind and helpless as a child.”-Barclay, “Saul became God’s primary instrument in taking the gospel to the Gentile world.” -Constable. Answer: One of the often-thought-of “name changes” in the Bible is that of Saul to Paul.The change is commonly linked to Saul’s conversion on the Damascus Road, when the Lord Jesus commissioned him to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1–19).However, at the time of Saul’s conversion, Jesus still addressed him as “Saul.” Our wills are not perfectly in line with God’s. The first time we meet Saul in Sacred Scripture is at the scene of a martyrdom, the killing of the first martyr, Stephen. “Lord,” he said, “I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. “Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit.” Saul regained his sight, was baptized, and immediately moved on to preach Jesus in the synagogues of Damascus. Fulton Sheen’s Advice for the End of 2020, Former Swiss Guard Serves a Feast for the Imagination in The Vatican Christmas Cookbook. This man who had once facilitated, expedited, and perpetrated the persecution of the followers of Jesus, was now His instrument. (Witherington). Conversion is not meant only for non-Christians or non-Catholics; conversion is not something that is only meant for those who have led dramatically sinful lives; conversion is a re-orientation of our wills toward God’s, a change of heart wherein we seek what God wills, and strive to do what He is calling us to do. It’s clear that Ananias is a Christian disciple, and he is apparently one who has always lived in Damascus, for he has only heard about Saul’s persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, not experienced it. When we are in the midst of suffering or pain, how does the awareness of and partnership with Jesus contribute to our perseverance? In what ways has God used you in unlikely ways or used your weaknesses to bring glory to His name. Now, however, he was seeking disciples of Jesus in order that they might know and accept the Gospel. His conversion dramatically reoriented his life of devotion to the will of God from Pharisaic Judaism to primitive Christianity. “Saul’s Conversion,” Friend, Nov. 1999, 39 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him ( James 1:5 ). Schooled as a Pharisee, he was a tent maker by trade, but was most noted for his hatred of Christians. Firstly, this is the man who would become known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, the man who would do more than perhaps anyone else to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide, and to fight heterodoxy and other problems that would arise in the churches he established. Visit the Calling Lab to get started. It has contacts with previous accounts, in that by the end of this story Saul is evangelizing in Damascus without the direction or permission of the Jerusalem church, as was also the case with Philip in Acts 8. 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22), and it appears only in Acts. The initial record of Saul’s conversion (Acts 9) is not Paul’s account; it is that of the historian Luke. Jesus told Saul to go into the city, and get instructions there. Saul was traveling to Damascus to arrest those in the synagogues who followed Jesus, and bring them to Jerusalem in chains. On various occasions in his epistles, Paul made either direct or indirect references to his former life of opposition and his radical conversion. A man in the city named Ananias, a disciple of the Lord, was told by the Lord to go and find Saul. Saul: The Second Most Important Conversion in History While teaching Acts 9:1-19, Todd Wagner showed us the conversion of Saul, who would later give himself the name of Paul, and how Ananias responded faithfully to God’s call to love a person who formerly persecuted the church. We know already that this man is to be important, that his role is to be unparalleled, and that he will yield great things in the service of God. Subscribe. We need to carefully consider the import of this event. Matthew 25:40, 45); and what has happened to him—viz. The conversion of St. Paul is important to us for two reasons. Without question, the story of Saul’s “conversion” is one of the most important events, if not the most important event, that Luke records in Acts. He heard a voice crying out, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul seems to have thought that an individual he had arrested, or was about to arrest, was accosting him, confronting him. Secondly, the criticism fails to take into account the epochal nature of the conversion of Saul, and its importance in the divine scheme of things. Firstly, this is the man who would become known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, the man who would do more than perhaps anyone else to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ far and wide, and to fight heterodoxy and other problems that would arise in the churches he established. © Copyright 2020 Catholic Exchange. crucifixion and resurrection—has happened to us who believe in him (Galatians 2:20). Have you been working out your calling for some time now? Secondly, St. Paul helps to show us just what conversion means. I asked GPT-3 for the question to “42”. And from the synagogues, Saul went out, preaching the gospel to all those he could reach, whether by letter or word of mouth, and his message was to have a profound impact, unimaginable at the time, and unfathomable today. (Robertson). We know this was the same man, as Paul himself would later recount the story and identify himself and his role: “And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself stood by giving my approval and keeping guard over the cloaks of his murders.” (Acts 22:20) What a dramatic change! These five different texts include several repeated elements: 1) Paul was chosen by the Lord; 2) Paul is sent as a witness to both Jews and Gentiles; 3) Paul’s mission will encounter rejection and require suffering; 4) Paul will bring light; 5) Paul will preach repentance; 6) Paul’s witness will be based on his Damascus Road experience — what he has seen and heard. Paul was to be God’s instrument of election, “to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and for the people of Israel.” The order of this list is no doubt intentional, and it anticipates what is said to Saul directly in Acts 22:15 and 26:16–18. Ananias was familiar with Saul by reputation. Paul had essentially made a career out of persecuting Christians for their faith.

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