Act 9 - A Blog in 28 Acts

Experiencing God Read all of Acts 9 here.

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 9:17-22

Have you ever had a situation where you experienced the presence of God in your life? Maybe it was through a song, a sermon, a trip to the mountains or the kind gesture of a stranger. I’m not talking about an awareness of God, but truly experiencing the love, forgiveness and power of God. Saul experienced God in Acts 9. He was on the road to Damascus when the resurrected Christ appeared to him personally and blinded him for three days. After these three days, Ananias prayed for Paul and laid hands on him and scales fell from his eyes and he was able to see again.

Imagine being in the presence of the resurrected Jesus and then having Jesus take away your sight for three days. Unable to see or find your way around. Unable to explain to others what really happened. I have to image that those three days seemed like an eternity for Saul. Then imagine the incredible joy that you would feel if you were Saul and Ananias placed his hands on you and at that moment of prayer God restored your sight and gave you a specific mission and purpose on earth. Imagine how much power you would feel and how your life would be changed.

We see that Saul’s life was indeed changed. As we read above, Saul immediately went to Damascus to learn about Jesus form the disciples. They he began to teach others that Jesus is truly the Messiah. Essentially, Saul did a 180 degree turn. He became one of the people he formerly hated. He began to preach to the people he once was. Instead of pride and jealousy, Saul began to live a life of humility and community. His life was so transformed that the disciples were afraid of him and his former friends, the Jewish leaders, wanted to kill him. Saul had experienced God and it transformed his life. Saul had known about God all of his life, but he wasn’t changed until he truly experienced God.

So the question for us today is two-fold. First, have you truly experienced God? Not just hearing or believing in God, but really experienced God? And second, if you have experienced God, what difference has it made in your life? I truly believe that all of us who belong to Christ have at some point had an encounter with God. It probably wasn’t as dramatic as Saul’s experience, but we have encountered God nonetheless. We were forgiven by a friend. We served on a mission trip. We gave to a church or mission organization from our heart. We felt God’s presence in a time of need or trial. We all experience God on various levels through various experiences. After we have these experiences, our lives should be transformed. We should live a little more like Christ each time. Saul didn’t delay. Once he encountered Christ, his life was completely transformed. For many of us this transformation happens more gradually and over time, but we should experience this transformation and growth.

How have you experienced God in your life? How has that experience changed your heart and life?

Chip

This 28 part blog will post each Tuesday through Friday from April 1 through May 16. We'll post on one chapter of Acts each day. Be sure to join us in reading this entire book. We'll learn about Jesus, about his disciples, and about how we can become more fully devoted followers of Christ.