Have You Been Converted Like Paul?
Tom Shrader walks through Acts 9, the account of Saul of Tarsus encountering the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, and draws out the Reformed theological conviction that conversion is entirely God's initiative. He explores how Saul's religious zeal and blameless law-keeping were no substitute for the grace that struck him blind and brought him to his knees before Jesus as Lord. Shrader applies the passage to his congregation, urging listeners to examine whether their own faith reflects a genuine transformation of heart and motive, not merely a religious identity.
“When God takes over an individual's heart, when God through the Holy Spirit convicts and invades a person's life, all of a sudden they have ears to hear, and eyes to see, and a heart that believes, a heart that's converted.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Acts
Recorded: 1999 at East Valley Bible Church
Duration: 1 hr 14 min
Themes: conversion, grace, salvation, repentance, zeal, heart transformation, encountering Jesus, religious identity, questioning your salvation, religious but not saved, new believer, spiritually proud, longtime churchgoer, seeking assurance, young adult, struggling with self-righteousness
Scripture: Acts 7:58, Acts 8:1, Acts 8:3, Acts 8:4, Acts 9:1-19, Acts 13, Acts 14, Acts 17, Acts 17:10, Acts 18, Acts 19:8, Acts 22:6, Acts 22:9, Acts 22:28, Acts 23:6, Acts 26, Philippians 3:5, Romans 3, Romans 11, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, Ephesians 2:1, 1 Timothy 2:7, Titus 3:3-5, John 6:44, John 10
Theological Themes: reformed theology, monergism, divine initiative, effectual calling, regeneration, justification by grace, law and gospel, soteriology
Full Transcript
Introduction: A Word About Children's Ministry
I hope you know that all of the comments, prayer requests, concerns, praises, and requests we receive are circulated to the entire staff so that the whole team is praying for you and responding to what you share. The caveat is that signed communications go to the staff, but unsigned ones come straight to me. We had some unsigned ones long ago that were a little rugged, and I figure I can deal with that perhaps a little better than the rest of the staff. Periodically, though, I will share something that is unsigned.
This one is unsigned, and I appreciate the spirit of it. I share it especially for those of you who may not have children in the CE department, in children's ministry, and may not be fully aware of what is happening there. I will read you the last sentence first: "We have volunteered in the past, and we will continue to do so." Here is how it begins: "If we have a commitment to children, as you say, then we need to accommodate all children. Turning children away sends the wrong message as a church. Open up more nurseries and allow more children in the classes."
I share this because it dawns on me that some of you without children are really unaware of how difficult that circumstance is. We are committed to children, as we say we are, but we also understand that we must use precaution, sense, and wisdom. We have had to put caps on room sizes for the safety of the children and to provide an environment where learning can take place.
As a result, and this breaks my heart probably as much as it broke the heart of the person who wrote this, we find that almost every Sunday we have to send children away. We are trying to remedy that. There are no more rooms to open, there is no more nursery space, and for every room we convert to nursery, we lose space for the upper grades. We are in something of a catch-22.
The short-term solution, beginning in January, is a Sunday evening service that will mirror the morning service. The long-term solution is the building proposal we presented three or four weeks ago. Information about that is out in the courtyard, and there is an audio cassette tape of that Sunday available for those who missed it. For many of you who do not have children — younger couples, or those whose children are grown and who are now grandparents — you may not be aware of the need, and you are often the people who can step up financially and help make it happen. Right now, room 100 holds 130 college students, room 200 holds 300 junior high and high schoolers, and the remaining fifteen rooms hold approximately 220 children from birth through sixth grade. That is what we deal with every week.
The Conversion of Saul of Tarsus
Would you open your Bible to Acts chapter 9, please? This is one of my favorite chapters. It is the story of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and his transformation into Paul the Apostle. We pick up the story in verse 1: "Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest."
When we last saw Saul, he was presiding over the murder of Stephen. Acts chapter 7, verse 58 reads: "When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul." Saul is overseeing all of this. Then in verse 1 of chapter 8: "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death." On that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem, and the believers were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria — all except the apostles.
Verse 3 of chapter 8 tells us that "Saul began ravaging the church." The word used in Greek literature describes an animal ripping apart its prey. He vigorously attacked the church, entering house after house, dragging off men and women, and putting them into prison. What is striking is that though his desire was to stop the church, his persecution had exactly the opposite effect. It scattered the people, and Acts chapter 8, verse 4 says that "those who were scattered were preaching wherever they went." His intent was to silence the church, but he accomplished precisely the reverse. He was what God used to light the church on fire and spread it. Now he is still breathing these threats of murder.
Paul's Religious Resume
It is important to understand something of Paul's religious background. He was born in Tarsus, an important city in Asia Minor famous for its universities, which ranked alongside those in Athens. He was a Roman citizen — Acts chapter 22, verse 28 tells us he was a Roman citizen by birth, his father having been a citizen before him. He also had a great Jewish heritage, which Paul himself describes.
He writes in Philippians chapter 3, verse 5 that he was "circumcised on the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee." He was from a deeply religious family and was intensely proud of that heritage. And as to zeal — if you want to talk about religion in action — he says that as to zeal for this religion, he persecuted the church.
Paul's Pedigree and Purpose
As to righteousness found in the law, Paul declares he was blameless. He is saying that if righteousness could be achieved through the law given to Israel, he would have had it. That was his pedigree — trained by the greatest of teachers, a Pharisee of Pharisees.
In Acts chapter 23, verse 6, we see the apostle still breathing threats. In the Greek, he is literally breathing in threats. He is so angry and so determined to stop the church and its proliferation that he begins to persecute it. The breathing of threats and murder against the church was as natural to Paul as breathing air — it was constant, it was ever before him.
He goes to the high priest, who was the president of the Sanhedrin and was viewed by the Romans as the head of the Jewish state. It was the high priest who had authority over internal Jewish affairs, and the high priest would have jurisdiction in Damascus. Paul asks for letters from the high priest to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way — whether men or women — he could bind them and bring them to Jerusalem.
The Name "The Way"
Damascus apparently had a huge Jewish population. In AD 66, somewhere between ten thousand and twenty thousand Jews were massacred in that city. Paul was setting out to capture those in Damascus who had already joined the Way, a name attached to this early movement by its opponents.
It is interesting how that happens. Perhaps you still carry a nickname to this day that someone else gave you, and it stuck because it fit. Those who used the name "the Way" meant it critically. But one author writes that what the name actually indicated was what others observed in the early Christians — they saw that these people were different. They had a different way of life. They operated on a different basis.
In a selfish, self-centered, narcissistic world, this group of people lived for something larger than themselves. Perhaps what their opponents were thinking of, whether they knew it or not, was Jesus Himself saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." When the world looked at these Christians, they saw people who were not filled with self-aggrandizement and pride, but who were living for the cause of Christ.
The Light on the Road to Damascus
So Paul sets out. Verse 3 tells us that as he journeyed and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light flashed from heaven all around him. Acts chapter 22, verse 6 tells us that this took place around noon. Paul was traveling north, approximately 140 miles — about a week to eight days on foot. As he journeyed, this supernatural event took place, and he fell to the ground.
He heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" As we saw in the Gospel of John, when a word is repeated — "truly, truly" — the repetition is for emphasis. Jesus is saying, Saul, stop and think about this. The repetition was intended to grab his attention, to help him recognize his sin and his guilt, and to probe his heart.
The question itself is profound: "Why are you persecuting Me?" Notice the closeness Christ feels to the Christian. In Christ's reckoning, when we suffer, He suffers. When we are persecuted, He is persecuted. We are inseparably linked to our Lord and Savior. The question is not merely accusatory — it is searching. Why are you so driven that you would walk 140 miles only to harass and imprison people, to bring them back and kill them if you could? Why?
That is a great question, and it is not unlike what God does in the garden with Adam. When Adam sins, God says to him, "Where are you, Adam?" He is not seeking information. He is saying, Adam, stop and think — where are you, and how did you get there? In the same way, to Saul He says, "Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Some of you may find yourselves asking a similar question — why do I do what I do, what is the motive, what is truly driving me?
The Response and the Commission
Saul answers, "Who art thou, Lord?" And the voice replies, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting." In Acts chapter 22 and Acts chapter 26, we have Paul's own personal testimony of this event. Reading those two chapters together, you can piece together a fuller and beautiful picture of what happens. At this point, according to the apostle himself, he asks, "What should I do?" And the answer comes back: rise, enter the city, and there you will be told what to do.
What About the Other Men?
The men who traveled with Paul stood speechless. They heard a voice, but they saw no one. You may wonder — what happened to the other men? According to this account, they perceived something but did not see a person, though they heard a voice. In Paul's own testimony in Acts chapter 22, verse 9, he says the men with him saw the light but did not hear the voice.
This appears to be a contradiction, but it is not one at all. They heard something — they heard a voice — but they had no understanding of what they were hearing. It is exactly the same thing that happened during the earthly ministry of Jesus.
Saul's Conversion and First Obedience
Jesus would teach, Jesus would preach, Jesus would share about eternal life, and then He would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Some people had ears, and some didn't. Everyone could hear the words, but only some — only a special group, only His sheep — heard His voice. What is taking place here on the road to Damascus is for Saul. It is not for these other men.
Saul got up from the ground. His eyes were open, but he could not see, and they led him by the hand into Damascus. He asked, "What should I do?" And the Lord said, "Arise and go to the city." The first thing a converted heart does is what God tells it to do.
A converted heart does not merely confess Jesus as Savior — it confesses Jesus as Lord, and life begins to submit and surrender to Him. He is my Savior, to be sure, but because He is my Savior, He is also my Lord. He owns my life. Saul asked what he should do, was told to arise and go to the city, and he did.
Three Days of Fasting and Prayer
He remained in Damascus for three days, and in those three days he did not eat and he did not drink. Just as last week in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, God was working on both sides of the equation — the same is true here. As God was preparing the heart of Saul of Tarsus, He was also preparing the heart of Ananias.
Verse 10 tells us there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And Ananias replied, "Behold, here I am." The Lord had a message for him. According to Acts chapter 22, Ananias was a devout man, well spoken of by the Jews in Damascus, and probably a leader in that church.
The Lord spoke to him beginning in verse 11: "Arise and go to the street called Straight. Inquire at the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying. He has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him, so that he might regain his sight." Saul had been naturally and constantly breathing threats. Now, just as supernaturally, he is praying. Prayer is that unceasing attitude of a converted heart — that attitude that says, "You are everything and I am nothing. Father, guide my next move. Guide my thoughts. You are Lord. You are Master. I am Your slave." And by God's great mercy, even within those three days, the Lord had already given Paul a vision that he would regain his sight.
Ananias's Hesitation
So the Lord came to Ananias and said, "I have a job for you. I want you to go to Damascus, to the street called Straight, and there you will find Saul of Tarsus." Do not sterilize what happens next. Ananias said, "Wait a minute. Are you sure you have the right Saul? I have heard about this man. I heard how much harm he did in Jerusalem, and I have also heard that he has the authority of the chief priests to come here and do the same thing." There is a wonderful humanity in his response — he was essentially saying, "Are you sure this is the right person? This does not sound right to me. I don't know if You have read this man's press clippings, but he is breathing murder. He is slaughtering the church. His intent is not to help the church. His intent is to destroy the church."
Paul's Mission and Assignment
God replied with a message: when Ananias found Saul, he was to tell him that he is God's chosen instrument — chosen to do three things: to bear His name before the Gentiles, to bear His name before kings, and to bear His name before the sons of Israel. In 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 7, Paul himself writes, "I was appointed a preacher and apostle as the teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth." This is the appointment. This is the assignment he received from God — to go and preach to the Gentiles.
Again in Romans chapter 11, Paul said, "I am speaking to you Gentiles inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles." That was his mission. He was also called to speak before kings. We see this later in the book of Acts, in the testimony Paul gives before King Agrippa and then before leaders in Rome. And he was called to speak to the sons of Israel. In the book of Romans, Paul said that if it were possible, he would trade his own salvation for the nation — that is how deeply he loved the Jewish people.
His teaching pattern reflected this calling. Whenever he arrived in a new city, he would first go to the synagogue. There are five clear examples of this. In Acts 13, Paul comes to Antioch, and on the Sabbath day he goes to the synagogue and teaches. In Acts 14, he comes to Iconium and enters the synagogue with the Jews and begins to speak. In Acts 17, he arrives in Thessalonica and seeks out the synagogue to share with the Jews. In Acts 17:10, he arrives in Berea and that night goes to speak to the Jews in the synagogue. In Acts 18, he arrives in Corinth and it is to the synagogue that he goes to persuade the Jews. And in Ephesus, he stays three months — Acts 19:8 describes him speaking boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.
The Cost of Following Christ
Paul's message was coming to him through Ananias: go and preach to the Gentiles, and to the kings, and to the Jews. But there was something else the Lord wanted him to know. In the spirit of full disclosure, Acts 9:16 records the Lord saying, "I will show him how much he must suffer." There is a cost. There is a price to following Christ. Paul would be used in a powerful and mighty way, but he would also suffer.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 11, the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth about danger and hardship. Beginning in verse 24, he writes: "Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles."
The Cost of Apostolic Ministry
"Dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers in the sea, danger among false brethren. I have been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." There is the suffering, and then in verse 28, apart from such external things, there was the daily pressure upon Paul — his concern for all the churches. He suffered physically, but beyond that there was the emotional pressure. What is happening to the church at Thessalonica? How are they doing? Are they continuing in Antioch, Iconium? Are the brothers still together? Is the church holding together?
Ananias and the Filling of the Holy Spirit
Faithfully and obediently, Ananias understands that this is from the Lord. He departs, enters the house, lays his hands on Paul, and says, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is active in all of this. The Holy Spirit has convicted Paul — Saul of Tarsus — saved him of his sin, confirmed to him the lordship of Christ, converted his heart, baptized him, and put him into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells him, and the Holy Spirit now fills him to empower him for service.
Transformation of Motive, Not of Talent
There is a point here that seems legitimate. There is a radical transformation in the heart and life of Saul of Tarsus, but there is not a radical transformation per se in his skill gifts, his skill sets, or his talents. The attributes we associate with Paul the Apostle are attributes we would associate with Saul of Tarsus. He was a gifted man. He had a supreme intellect. He was determined, strong-willed, convicted, and bold. He was a thinker, and he was on fire for what he believed.
But there was a difference. As the Holy Spirit fills him, the hatred, the cruelty, and the pride are all replaced by a gentle, humble love. That is what God did when He converted you. You did not get a whole new skill set. Most of the talents you had before, you have now. But all of a sudden, your life is driven by a different motive — no longer selfish, self-centered, and filled with pride, but now driven by humility and love rather than cruelness.
Paul speaks out as the Apostle over and over again, telling us we are to love not just our friends but our enemies. It is a new heart. And as this process takes place, immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, he regained his sight, he arose, he was baptized, he took food, and he was strengthened. We will make more comments on that next time when we pick up there.
Religion as a Stumbling Block
Did you notice, as we went through this, that Paul — when he was Saul of Tarsus — was a religious man on a mission? Saul of Tarsus is not seeking God. He believes with all his heart that he is already serving Him. His religion, however, was a stumbling block, not a stepping stone. He was a deeply religious and devout man, and yet in his conversion, as in all conversions, it is God who is at work. He was a religious man doing what he thought would please God, while inside doing nothing more than pleasing himself.
The scales falling from his eyes are a physical picture of a spiritual truth. When God takes over an individual's heart — when God through the Holy Spirit convicts and invades a person's life — all of a sudden that person has ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart that believes, a heart that is converted. This is genuine conversion, and the same thing is true of you and of me.
How God Works in Conversion
We have looked at these principles over and over again, and they are so important for a basic understanding of how God works in conversions. Jesus says in John 6:44, "No one can come to the Father unless the Father draws him." It is the Father who is at work. How could Saul hear and see while the others could not? Because God had chosen to work in Saul's life and not in theirs. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that people who are not Christians cannot understand these truths from God's Spirit. A natural man — an unconverted, non-Christian man — cannot understand spiritual things.
That is why a person must be born again even before he has faith. A natural man will never have faith, because a natural man never understands spiritual things. The Holy Spirit must invade a life, because as Ephesians 2:1 tells us, we are dead in our sins and trespasses.
What takes place in conversion? Titus 3:3–5 describes it very concisely. In the New Living Translation it reads: "Once we too were foolish and disobedient, we were misled by others. We became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were filled with evil and envy. We hated others and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us His kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and He gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit."
The Rational Response of Gratitude
If you are here today and this makes sense to you, it is because God has granted you ears to hear. It is what Jesus said in John 10: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I will give them eternal life. They will never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hands, for the Father who has given them to me is more powerful than anyone else." If you are a Christian today, it is because, like Saul on the road to Damascus, God opened your ears, your heart, and your eyes.
So when you sing a song like "Thank You, Lord, for Loving Me," that is why you see a flood of tears. It is not irrational emotionalism. It is a rational, logical response to the truth that God saved you — you wretched, evil person. It feels so good because it is true. I am a wretched, lost person. I know I am not a God-seeker. I am not looking for Him. And yet we have whole movements of churches cropping up around —
The False Premise of Seeking God
The country is saturated with the false theological premise that people are out there seeking God. No one seeks God. Romans 3. Religion doesn't enhance my spiritual condition — it almost inevitably stops it. God hates that meaningless ritual that leads to nothing but idol worship. That is all it does.
Paul's Conversion Comes to Life
That is what Paul is immersed in. I love this chapter, because now he has ears to hear and eyes to see, and it is a conversion that should be like yours. I was born again in March of 1980. In 1981, they released a motion picture called *Peter and Paul*. It came out that Easter, and then I don't think it was ever on television again.
I found a copy of it a year or so ago, and now you can pick it up off the internet in a few different places. Number one, it was pretty accurate, and that set it apart from a lot of these dramas. Paul was played by Anthony Hopkins, and Anthony Hopkins just brought this to life. So I thought that through the balance of the book of Acts, periodically we are going to play just some scenes from that movie. There are a couple of scenes that are simply magnificent.
I want us not to sterilize this. I want us to understand these are real people, and this really happened.
The Film Scene: Saul Encounters the Risen Christ
*[Film scene plays. The following dialogue is from the motion picture Peter and Paul.]*
"Tell me, Lord, who are you? I can't see. I'm blind."
"This man has important work to do here in Damascus. He was to be brought to me. His companions brought him."
"To leave him like this? Why?"
"He will take nothing. No food, no water. He will say nothing. Keep me notified of his condition."
"Save me, God. I'm sinking in the deepest swamp. There is no foothold. Worn out with calling. My throat is aching. My eyes are strained, looking for my God. Please pull me out of the swamp. Let me sink no further. Do not let the waves wash over me. Do not let the deep swallow me. Or the pit close its mouth on me. In your great kindness, Father, answer me."
"Sir."
"My name is Ananias."
"Ananias?"
"Why are you here?"
"I am directed here by a vision."
"Vision?"
"Ananias called out to me. Go to the street called Straight and ask for the man from Tarsus named Saul. Are you Saul?"
"Yes. I've often heard of you and all the harm you've done my people in Jerusalem. That you were sent here to Damascus to arrest anyone who followed Jesus of Nazareth."
"And was it a true vision that came to me? I too had a vision. I saw a light shining all around me and around my companions. It was a light more brilliant than the sun itself. We fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? And I said, Lord, who are you? And the Lord replied, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. I have appeared to you for a purpose. Get up. Go into the city. And you will be told what you have to do."
"Go. The Lord told me to tell this man that I have chosen him to serve me. To make my name known to Gentiles and kings and to the people of Israel. And I myself will show him all he must suffer for my sake. Saul, my brother, may you be filled with the Holy Spirit."
The Power of True Conversion
I love watching that, because it humanizes the story. He is on his way to kill this man, and this man is on his way to be killed. Because God intervenes, they now look at each other and call each other brother.
Here is the question I close with: have you been converted like Paul? Have you had a conversion like Saul of Tarsus? Obviously, not circumstantially — none of you were on the way to Damascus to slaughter the church. But substantially. Because I believe if you haven't been converted like that, you haven't been converted at all.
That is conversion. It is a radical transformation. That is what Paul writes about in Romans chapter 12: "Present your bodies a living sacrifice." "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Has your mind been changed?
A Spirit of Thanksgiving
As we head toward Thanksgiving, I want you to understand: your greatest gift has been your faith. He gave you ears to hear and eyes to see. It may be that you are here today and, like Saul of Tarsus, God is opening your eyes. Maybe He has chosen you for this very moment to allow you to hear His words — to be converted, to see a life changed, a transformation. The very thing you hate becomes the thing you love. You hated righteousness, and God is calling you to a righteous, holy life. What a powerful work on His part.
Maybe you are here today and God is moving in your life. Would you talk to us? Let us talk to you about what it means to know Jesus, to believe in Him, to acknowledge that you are a sinner, and to accept the gift of eternal life that is found in Christ and Christ alone — found in salvation nowhere else. No religion, no action, no deed, nothing you can do. But God saves you. That is our prayer, that He would work in your life even today and bring you to a point of salvation.
Wednesday night at 5:30 and 7:00, we hope to see you here at the church for about a one-hour celebration. We know you have family and things to do, but this is a time to come together corporately to thank God for what He has done.
Father, please put in our hearts a spirit of thanksgiving. We pray that to You in Jesus' name. Amen.