(Lesson 11) Saul: Becoming A Follower Of Christ

A. BACKGROUND

1. Perfect birth. "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews" (Phil. 3:5).

2. Perfect life. "As touching the law, a Pharisee . . . touching righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Phil. 3:5,6).

3. Best teacher. "Brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel" (Acts 22:3).

4. Roman citizen. "Art thou a Roman? He (Paul) said yes . . . I was free born" (Acts 22:27,28).

5. Persecuted the church. "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church" (Phil. 3:6).

6. Voted to kill Stephen. "When they were put to death, I gave my voice against them" (Acts 26:10).

7. Accessory to the crime. "Stoned him (Stephen) and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul" (Acts 7:58).

8. Authority to arrest. "I received letters . . . went to Damascus to bring them which were there ground into Jerusalem to be punished" (Acts 22:5 ELT).

B. ENCOUNTERING CHRIST

An encounter occurs when (1) God intentionally meets with you, (2) in a time of great personal need, (3) through unexpected circumstances, (4) telling you something about Himself, (5) you learn something about yourself, (6) preparing you for a specific task, (7) even though you don’t fully understand all the mysterious elements of the encounter.

C. TEN LESSONS ABOUT ENCOUNTERING CHRIST

1. A lost person can encounter Jesus and have his/her life changed. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold all things have become new" (II Cor. 5:17 NKJV).

2. The basis of encountering Christ is not in our background but in meeting the person of Jesus Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20 NJKV).

3. Jesus wants us to know Him and receive Him for who He is. "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death" (Phil. 3:10 NKJV).

4. After encountering Jesus, our life is pointed in a different direction. "Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23 NKJV).

5. People around us don’t understand what is happening when we encounter Christ. "They that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they did not understand the voice of Him that spake to me" (Acts 22:9).

6. An encounter with Jesus will take away our pride and humble us. "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13,14 NKJV).

7. Sometimes we cannot explain the experience that happens to us in an encounter, we can only testify to the transforming power of Jesus Christ. "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).

8. In an encounter, God sometimes gives us a task that is unpleasant. "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" (Acts 9:15, 16, NJKV).

9. Our friends and fellow workers may turn against us because of our encounter with Jesus Christ. "Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy" (I Peter 4:12,13 NKJV).

10. God has some people who will help to explain to us our encounter with Christ. "And Philip ran to him in the chariot and heard him read from Isaiah the prophet. Philip asked, ’Do you understand what you are reading?’ The Ethiopian eunuch answered, ’How can I, except someone helps me.’" (Acts 8:30,31 ELT).

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.