June 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
368
that can’t be accounted for save by Paul’s own interpretation of the change wrought in him.” He saw Jesus and surrendered to him. The critics are just as powerless to explain thousands of other experiences. The work is being repeated every day. Papini, Italy’s blaspheming Atheist, writes a life of Christ that is read around the world'. Frequently those who vilify Christ in the most virulent manner, be come, overnight, His most staunch de fenders. The need o f the day is not a new gospel, but the old Gospel anew. IT W ORKS ! . , ; . ■' Every true conversion is the result of a supernatural agency—the Holy Spirit. Not all may expect to be knocked down as 'was Saul, for his was a very special case, but like every other Christian, Saul entered the kingdom through the door of belief in Jesus Christ as the living Son of God. The effects of that belief are the same in every case. It is bound to issue in a complete transference o f oneself to the service of God, in a life o f prayer and testimony. Dr, William M. Taylor rightly says: “You do not need any miraculous vision to convince you that Jesus is no more than one of the philosophers of antiquity. If you can read the Gospels and' yet re main an unbeliever in the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, then I de liberately say, neither would you be per suaded though He were to smite you with His blinding light.” .), —o— C omments on ' the T ext Saul was acting up to his light, but lack o f light itself may be a sin;f Have^ we humbly, honestly sought right opinions? If not, we must take the consequences, no matter how sincere.we may have been. Saul was converted “as he journeyed." Salvation is hot tied to any church or organization. ■ Saul’s conversion was sudden. Some do not believe in sudden conversions. _ lln Acts 22 :6 we learn that the light from heave® came at about noon. Verse 13 says it was "above the brightness of the noonday sun.” This hour was chosen in order that the glory of this heaven sent light should not be confounded with any natural phenomena. “H e fell to the earth" He who is call ed tq great heights mu,st first be laid low. So actual was the oneness o f _Jesus with His own that He felt the pain of Stephen. “ Why persecutest thou ME? Cf. Mt. 25 :45; 1 Cor. 12:26-27; Isa. 63: 9; Zech. 3:8. “Kick against the pricks." Pricks were goads on oxen. When the ox kicked, it would drive the goad into itself. No man can rave against Christianity and be a happy man. Saul was three days in darkness as Jesus was three days in the tomb. He was learning death to self. He came in newness of life. Christ was not only re vealed to him but in him (Gab 1;15-16). Some hold that it was during the three- day darkness that Paul had the vision spoken of in 2 Cor. 12 :l-4. God used Ananias. There is some hu man instrument in every conversion. Ananias, was an obscure man, unknown before or after this transaction. Can He 1 use you ? If so, you may be used to direct another into paths of magnificent service. "Behold, he p r a y e t h ; A born-again man is sure to start praying.
credentials (Acts 9:2) and proceeded to this oldest city of the world, in that day the capital of Syria. For six days Saul and his companions had journeyed. They were nearing their destination. The sun was approaching meridian height. “Suddenly there shined around about him a light from heaven and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice say ing unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest ; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” His companions were speechless. They had seen the great light, but discerned' no figure. They heard a voice, but couldn’t catch any words. Then they discovered that Saul was blind. They led him by the hand into Damascus. Saul had seen the Lord Jesus Christ, a living, reigning Saviour in heaven. He had been struck with His right of Lordship over him. A personal appeal had been made to him by the Lord of Glory. “ Why — thou — M e?” The word's kept ringing in his ears. There was Something that had to be settled. He settled it. “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Isn’t this whaL happens in every con version? We are suddenly shut up with the Lord. Others about us may not see what is going on when we are face to face with Him. We must sooner or later an swer the question o f why we are opposed to Jesus Christ- and His Church. We must choose whom we will serve. The finest evidence that a real conversion has taken place is when a man gets to the question, “Lord, what can I do for you?” Watch them leading this meek, blind man into Damascus. Is that the entrance he had planned? No, indeed! He had anticipated being received': with great honors by the rulers ,of the synagogue—■ lauded as the great champion of the faith. All has been revolutionized. He would have taken prisoners. He had been taken a captive to Christ. He would drag others to jail. He was- drawn by the power of divine lcive. He whose eyes had been so keen for earthly glory, is blind to all such things and a celestial light was glowing within. Three days of darkness! Who knows what light he had in that season ? Did he ponder every word he had heard from Stephen’s lips ? Did he understand that seraphic light he had seen upon the mar tyr’s face? Now, with his qwn great guilt borne in upon him, how he must have thought of Stephen’s dying prayer: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge!" These were never-to-be-forgotten days. At the close a new Ananias, who had been prepared' by the Holy Spirit, visited Saul and became the instrument o f restoring ihis sight and leading him into the Spirit- filled Tie. After being baptized, he came forth to preach Christ in the very syna gogues where he would have destroyed the faith. Here is something that must be ac counted fo r ! This man whose whole be ing was distinctly hostile to Christ, was completely and suddenly turned around. Atheists have tried' by all kinds of devices to explain it on natural grounds. It was a sunstroke! Blessed sunstroke that can turn a murderer into a self-sacrificing servant o f his fellow men and make him a blessing to the whole world for nearly 2,000 years! , “ The conversion of Saul,” says Findlay, i§ps a psychological and ethical problem
AFTER the burial of Stephen, perse- cution • still raged against Chris tians in Jerusalem. An eminent and active agent in this was Saul of Tarsus.
The death of Stephen was really a bright spot in the history of thè early church. The first apostle who died had been a traitor. The first follower of the apostles to have his death recorded
was Ananias, a hypocrite. The heavenly light reappeared with the death of Stephen. It is doubtful if any journey was ever undertaken on which so much interest has been concentrated as that of Saul of Tarsus from Jerusalem to Damascus. His conversion on that 'road is like the call o f a second Abraham. Think what, it has meant to the world that Saul came to Christ that day! You will appreciate the story more if you get Saul’s own picture of his con dition at the time as we have it in Phil. 3 :4-6. He was the greatest moralist and religionist who ever lived, yet he had to climb down the ladder of self-righteous ness and accept Christ. If such a man had to come down, it is o f little use for anyone else to try to climb up. Saul furnishes one grand illustration of the fact that a man may be very concien- tious and absolutely wrong at the same time (26:9). He may at once be the chief o f moralists and the chief o f sinners in the sight o f God. That is the outstanding lesson in the conversion Of Saul. A fter the death of Stephen, Saul went after' Christians, whether men or women, like a savage monster. Some suggest that the arguments o f , Stephen had pro duced a deep impression upon his mind, ■and that he flung himself with all his soul into the work o f'a persecutor, simply that he might drown the doubts that were troubling him. They point out that his morbid excitement was an evidence o f his inner restlessness. It must be admitted that many who are under conviction and do not wish to admit it, act after this fashion. Yet there is little evidence that this was the case with Saul. Paul, in his later life, describes his feelings at the time and de clares in the most unqualified manner, that all the time, he “verily thought he was do ing God service.” :It would seem, there fore, that up to thè moment o f his con version, he was a sincere adherent of the Jewish religion, as -interpreted by the Pharisees. He considered it a sacred duty to slaughter all Christians. He offered his services to the high priest for this business. What evil may not exist under the cloak of sincerity and religion ! How utterly mistaken a man may be in follow ing the dictates o f an unenlightened con science,. Although living under Roman rule, the Jews were,permitted for the most part to live under their own laws, so long as the rights o f Roman citizens were respected. The authority o f the high priest was recog nized by the Jews as that o f the Pope is today acknowledged by Roman Catholics. Thus it was that Saul suggested to the high priest that he be sent to Damascus, 140 miles from Jerusalem, to bring back with him as prisoners, any whom he might discover to be infected with this new “heresy.” He was given the desired
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