Acts 9:1-6
Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord? Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The ninth chapter of Acts tells us that Saul was persecuting the Church and was after the believers. It came to pass that on his way to Damascus, Jesus called out his name twice. At first Paul didn’t know who spoke to him. The scripture goes on to say:
Verse 7
And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
According to this passage, those who were around him heard the same voice he did, but didn’t see anything. God has very mysterious ways of talking to us, yet He uses our own language and speech because God has a beautiful character. King David had glorious experiences with God and was lead mysteriously. Despite going through great trials, he was very close to God. Although David was a man of like passions, he said, “Where can I hide from your Spirit?”
Many are hurt over circumstances because things don’t go their way. Although that is normal, we have to remember that we belong to God. When we understand His mysterious character, we’ll be aligned with Him and take whatever happens to us with joy! Every patriarch of faith experienced the mysterious ways of God. It is so wonderful to understand the character of God and the way He talks. The Lord calls us His friends, meaning that He shares everything with us. God speaks at our level, as a friend would.
Although Saul never met Christ, the Lord knew him. So Jesus asked him why he was persecuting Him? The Lord asked him a question; and while living on earth Jesus asked people rhetorical questions. The point being, God uses simple language to speak to us. Therefore, we could speak to Him in a simple way as well. He is a person; you can speak your mind to the Lord and talk to Him as to a friend. A lot of people turn away from Christ without knowing who He really is and what He can do for them. People focus more on regulations and what they have to do. But Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”
Saul had a religious reason to persecute believers because he was a Pharisee. Jesus stopped him and introduced Himself to him. The Lord told Saul that it is hard to kick against the pricks; it is not easy to fight the Church. Saul was frightened when he encountered the Lord.
Verse 6
So, he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
It is interesting that Saul had a heart of passion; otherwise, he would have apologized. When Moses received the 10 Commandments the children of Israel did not want to hear God, but Saul did the opposite. He did not back up, he trembled and talked back to God and asked Jesus what he wanted him to do? He surrendered to God because he had a real encounter with the Lord.
Verse 7
And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
Although the people around him heard the same words, they were not touched. Don’t ever walk with God religiously; don’t obey Him on the religious level. We are not good enough to fulfill God’s regulations; they are too heavy. Do not try to please God by works and to impress Him. If you walk with God religiously, you will fall into guilt and be condemned, and the Spirit will not move. God is not calling you to perform; on the contrary, we watch God perform His word. The greatest encounter with God is when you walk with God by faith through grace in relationship with Him.
We don’t have to try to achieve anything; we have to follow Him knowing the mind of Christ. We must know what God thinks about us. God knows exactly what we are planning to do; nothing is a surprise to Him. God brought us into fellowship with Him; there is no time or condemnation in God, just the conviction of the Spirit. God talks to us on our personal level, even if a person has Alzheimer’s he will still speak to them on their level. He will always be with us on our level. He will never exalt Himself above us to put us down, so long as we know He is God.
Pride is one of the greatest sins to God; therefore, He will not be proud. The reason He talks to us on our level is to establish a relationship with us. Even when He punishes us, it is out of love and the Lord still wants to be our friend. When we make a mistake, God doesn’t punish us for nothing; if He did we would become even more rebellious. God will not hold grudges because He does not want our hearts to become hard. He is our loving Heavenly Father. We can share our heart with Him and we don’t have to be afraid of Him. That is why God did not smite Saul, but He spoke to him at his level. He approached him at a relational level; the Lord knows our mind. In the days Jesus walked on the earth, He was known as a friend of sinners. When they questioned Him on what had to be done with the adulterous woman he said, “He who is without sin, cast the first stone” God negotiated with them. The Lord had mercy on her and gave her another chance. The Lord can set us free and help us, with our issues. Mary Magdalene was a prostitute who was set free and then followed Jesus. The Lord loves people and that is why as a spotless man, He talked with sinners and brought them to the Light.
Unless you will be relational with Jesus, you will become religious. God does into expect you to overcome on your own; God does into expect you to overcome on your own; He will help you. As a matter of fact, Jesus will wait for you to help you. You might have come out of a whirlwind, and
the Lord will be waiting for you. Even after Jesus rose and appeared to them, they struggled and Peter even went fishing again.
John 21 declares that they fished all night and caught nothing. When they were on their way back, Jesus was waiting for them and was cooking them breakfast. Peter probably expected Christ to condemn him, but on the contrary He asked him “Peter do you love Me?” three times. He gave Peter another opportunity to do what He told him. When God speaks to us, He reaches our heart. He speaks to us and calls on us although we are not worthy. He even gives name changes as He did with Abraham. Imagine how amazed Saul was when Jesus not only spared him but also gave him instruction despite what he did to the church. Then the Bible says:
Verse 10-15
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So, the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
The Lord knew that Saul (Paul) would have such a great heart towards Him. Because of Paul’s relationship with God, he became the greatest Apostle. You cannot truly serve God without knowing who He is. Let Him reveal Himself to you. When you are on a relational level with God you will not be afraid of Him, but you will be His friend. The only way we can serve God is on a relational level, if not, we will never make it. I pray that we will have a fresh encounter with God!
Rabbi Gennady Livshits