THE RADICAL CONVERSION OF SAUL
Imagine if Hitler, the Nazi leader who was responsible for the death of 6 million Jews, had a super-natural encounter with Jesus that led to his repentance and salvation. It is extremely difficult to think that someone who was so completely evil could be redeemed by the love, grace, and mercy of Christ, isn't it? Now go back about 1900 years to the 1st century A.D., when a man named Saul was ravaging the early church through an intense persecution of the followers of Jesus. Christians were literally running for their lives from this Saul guy until that fateful day he collided with a resurrected and glorified Jesus on the road to Damascus. A blinding light and the awe-and-fear inspiring voice of Christ was the catalyst for one of the most dramatic and radical conversions in the entire Bible. An evil persecutor of the church became the Apostle Paul, the first great missionary of the Gospel, the author of several books of the Bible, and a passionate lover of Jesus.
This radical conversion of Saul the persecutor to Paul the missionary serves as an example of the bottomless depth of God's love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In other words, no matter how evil or bad someone seems, they are never beyond the saving grace and forgiveness of Christ. So no matter your past, no matter how bad you think you've been, it doesn't matter. God's love, grace, and mercy is unconditional, and He wants you to receive His forgiveness and spiritual healing today, right now. If there is something that you're really struggling with, take a few moments to go to God with it right now. Lay it all at the feet of Jesus, ask Him for His forgiveness, and then let His healing hand fill your heart with new life, hope, and joy!
Maybe you've never met Jesus before. If that's the case, then here's the truth about Christ. He is God's holy and perfect son, and He loves you more than you could ever know. In fact, He loves you so much, He died a terrible and painful death for you on the cross. His death on the cross paid the penalty for all of your sins — past, present, and future. What's even more amazing, three days after His death, He literally rose again, securing an eternal victory over sin and death. Through Christ's victory on the cross, you can be forgiven of your sins! You can receive the gift of eternal life! All you have to do is truly believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and rose again, ask for God's forgiveness, and commit to following Him the rest of your life. If you want to receive the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in heaven made possible through the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus, surrender your heart to Jesus. Here's a simple prayer you can pray to help you give Him your heart:
Jesus. I realize I am a sinner in desperate need of your grace and forgiveness. I believe with all of my heart that you died for me and rose again so that I could have eternal life. Please forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart and make it new. Help me to turn away from my old ways and follow you completely. Thank you for your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Amen.
If you just surrendered your heart to Jesus, then you can experience the same kind of life-changing collision with Jesus that Saul experienced, and just like Saul, you will never be the same!
GO DEEPER: Read Acts 9:1-31, 2 Corinthians 5:17
