Have you ever come across someone who is genuinely kicking against a great idea but believes that they are doing a service to the nation? Have you seen groups that oppose government institutions and they resolve to destroy properties made with the government’s hard earned money in order to draw attention? As silly as these may be, there are people who fight the good unknowingly but believe that they are doing the right thing. The truth is, whenever we take it upon ourselves to fight an institution, a group of people or an agenda, it is important we do our due diligence before we destroy properties, hurt lives and cause innocent people to suffer. In this post, we shall consider how an intention to fight for God was actually an act of persecution against the people of God. The early church faced several opposition from the religious leaders. One person who took it upon himself to get rid of the early church was Saul who later became apostle Paul. What was his intention? As a Pharisee, Saul presumed or possibly thought that the church was a hindrance to Judaism and the belief systems of the church were not in alignment with the Jewish laws.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4)
We are not informed whether Saul experienced the ministry of Jesus. It is possible that Saul’s first encounter was with the apostles. As a Pharisee himself, Saul would have marveled at the wisdom and dexterity of the disciples of Jesus. Saul’s first major encounter with the early church as mentioned in the Bible was at the trial of Stephen. There, Saul would have listened to Stephen’s defense with rapt attention. Saul might have heard when Stephen made these arguments: “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” (Acts 7:51-53). To Saul and the religious leaders who were gathered, their responsibility was to defend the Jewish religion and anyone who showed discontempt for their faith was an enemy to God. Stephen’s words cut to the heart of the people and without any proper trial, he was condemned and stoned to death. The witnesses laid their coats at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58) and he
approved of their killing of Stephen (Acts 8:1). As if this was not enough, Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison (Acts 8:3).
Saul was a dread to the church in Jerusalem. He saw the followers of Jesus as threats to Judaism and with all zeal, Saul attacked them without mercy. When Saul realized that the disciples had escaped to surrounding cities, he went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2). That was how dreadful Saul was to the church. Saul issued out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples and he would have been an infamous person to the church. Yet as Saul was busily kicking against the church, God had a plan to use the same person for the growth of the church. How was that even possible? Persecutor Saul received the support of the high priest and headed to Damascus. However, something happened that changed Saul’s trajectory forever. As Saul was near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-4). I believe if you were Saul, you would have been surprised at this question. Who is Saul persecuting if not those Jesus fanatics? Saul possibly assumed that getting rid of the disciples was his spiritual exercise to save the name of God from disrepute. So the question is why was Saul rather persecuting the same God he thought he was defending?
Saul’s response was this: “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5). And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5-6).Saul’s divine encounter with Jesus changed his trajectory from a persecutor of the church to a defender of the faith. We shall continue this encounter in another post.
Like Saul before His conversion, there are many people who will do anything to get rid Christians. Yet if these people encounter Jesus, their trajectory will change and they become lifetime ambassadors of Jesus. Instead of praying that unbelievers perish, pray for their salvation and conversion. God will use them to go to places you cannot go.
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