“Fly High” - Acts part 7
On the lighter side of life: Picture from Jennifer
Opening Illustration:
Religion has produced more terrorists than non-religion. Just take a look at the Middle East and also at The Crusades. Also take a look at this article
RELIGIOUS TERRORISM
Tragically, all major religions can justify violence, and religion has long been associated with terrorism. Ever since there was good and evil, religious people have pondered whether using evil to fight evil is good in the name of justice or self-defense. There may be some kind of connection between attachment to the idea of God and a proclivity toward violence. The most common resort to violence occurs when a religious group feels threatened and thinks of itself as a chosen people. Less common is the compulsion to slaughter others in the name of a deity, and even less common (although not insignificant) is the role of sexuality in the mindset of religious fundamentalists who kill. Religions also spawn sects, cults, and alternative religions, and religious terrorism (terrorism in the name of religion) likewise tends to spawn offshoots and factions. A sect is an offshoot of an established religion (Mormons, for example), and most either die off or expand into a major denomination like the Mormons did. A sect-based religious group is more likely to play the role of the victim, not the aggressor. A cult, on the other hand, is a more dangerous, spiritually innovative group (the Branch Davidians, for example) headed by a charismatic leader who usually has other aims than to become a major denomination. Many cults are harmless, but others are into mind control and some are into mass suicide. Still other cults have a doomsday orientation, and these tend to be ones which engage in religious terrorism (such as Aum Shinri Kyo). Any sect or cult can become involved in religious terrorism or it can just worship terrorism (a terrorism cult). The motives can be wide-ranging, from engaging in psychic warfare to expressive behaviors that are homicidal, suicidal, or both. Cults are usually more dangerous than sects (see the Watchman Fellowship’s List of Cults for a near-complete list or Perlmutter’s summary of occult religions).
There are four warning signs of a dangerous religious group: (1) apocalyptic thinking, or eschatology, that the world is coming to an end, and true believers will enjoy unique rewards at endtime; (2) charismatic leadership where the leader dominates the followers spiritually, emotionally, and sexually; (3) paranoia and demonization of outsiders, accompanied by intentional isolation within a cloistered community; and (4) preparations of a defensive nature, usually indicated by a buildup of guns, poisons, and/or weapons of mass destruction. Many terrorist experts (Lewy 1974; White 2002) regard apocalyptic thinking as the first and most important danger sign. Let’s briefly examine some of the major world religions:
CHRISTIANITY: The most popular religion in the world (33%) and the one with the most historical record of violence, much of it in-fighting. A person becomes Christian by being born again (Conservatives), baptized (Protestants and Catholics), reciting the Apostles’ creed (Catholics), or having a personal relationship with Jesus (Liberals). Eastern Orthodoxy rejects the Apostles’ creed. The strongest bond involves interpretation of the New Testament, although Fundamentalists (Extreme Conservatives) believe the Bible is inerrant and not subject to modern interpretation.
ISLAM: The world’s second largest (20%) and fastest growing religion. The word Islam is derived from the word "salam", meaning peace or submission. Allah is a word meaning one true God. Muslim is a word meaning a person who submits to the will of God. A person becomes Muslim by becoming a follower of Islam, attending a mosque (all are non-denominational), reading the Qur’an, holding six beliefs (involving God, angels, messengers, Satan, Day of Judgment, and Jesus was no son of God), and practicing five pillars (reciting a creed, praying 5 times a day, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage). Sikhism is a cross between Islam and Hinduism that rejects elitism and cherishes ceremonial weapons.
HINDUISM: The world’s third largest (13%) religion and the oldest organized one. The word Hindu comes from the Persian, from the Indian name for the river Indus - Sindhu. The Persians commonly replaced the S sounds with H sounds, and Hindus to them were people who inhabited the areas bounded by the Sindhu river. It is a religion without a founder, and a person becomes Hindu by reading the sacred texts, recognizing the holy trinity (Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer), and practicing various hymns, incantations, and Yoga to commune your soul with the unity of all reality. Most Hindus (80%) regard Vishnu as the ultimate deity, although there are many sects. Hindus believe in transmigration of the soul, or reincarnation, in judgment for good and bad acts.
BUDDHISM: The world’s fourth largest (6%) religion, founded by Buddha in 535 BC. Buddha is a term meaning one who is enlightened or has awakened. In Buddhism, there is no God, savior, heaven or hell, only a state of Nirvana achieved by meditation and avoiding extremes of mortification and hedonism. Southeast Asia practices Southern Buddhism which emphasizes karma. China, Japan and Korea practice Eastern Buddhism, which celebrates festivals and is mostly a ruling class religion. Tibet, Mongolia, and Russia practice Northern Buddhism (the Dalai Lama being the ruler) which emphasizes pilgrimages to sites in Sri Lanka and India. There are a variety of traditions mixed with local culture. Most Japanese (85%), for example, also follow Shinto, an ancient nature worship religion, and Shintoists almost always follow Confucianism (love of family) or Taoism (the force that flows thru life).
JUDAISM: Not one of the world’s largest (0.2%) religions, but one of the most influential. The history of the Jews is chronicled in the Old Testament, which corresponds to their sacred texts, the Torah being only five chapters of it. Jews believe in an incorporeal God who is all-powerful (i.e., monitoring everything on earth, but also merciful and just. There is no savior in Judaism, and the Jews are the chosen people not because they think of themselves are superior but because they believe, theologically, they have received more difficult responsibilities and will receive more punishments if they fail. Synagogues are governed by the congregation, the Rabbi being someone well educated. The main forms are Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative (an intermediate position between Orthodox and Reform).
From: http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/429/429lect13.htm
Thesis: God uses ordinary even notorious people to do his work for the Kingdom of God. Paul the religious terrorist meets Grace and changes into the Preacher of grace and mercy.
Scripture Text: Acts 9: 1-31:
1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and 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. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17Then 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.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and 19after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21All 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?” 22Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
23After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.
Introduction:
Over the last few weeks we have been studying the Book of Acts. We have been digging in this book and discovering how God uses ordinary people. We see that God draws these people to Him and then fills them with the Holy Spirit. The primary focus of the book of acts is how the Holy Spirit empowers people to do ministry. How the Holy Spirit enables ordinary men and women to be witnesses for the Kingdom of the Lord. We see the Holy Spirit at work uses people like Barnabas, Peter, Stephen, Philip, Simon, and Philip’s daughters and today we will look at the Apostle Paul. Saul was his name at this point in time and he was first introduced to us in Acts 8:1. Saul is introduced to us as a terrorist for Judaism against the Christians. He gives his approval to the stoning of Stephen and he becomes a blood thirsty persecutor of anyone who is a Christian.
Paul once named Saul is introduced as a Pharisee bent on destroying the church of Jesus Christ. He is a religious zealot committed to violence and murder to rid the middle east of this cult of Christians called the way. He is adamant about seeking to kill steal and destroy this group of Christ followers. He hates them because he is deceived into thinking that that they are in opposition to God who he represents. He really thinks that the Lord wants him to wipe these people off the face of the earth. So he sets out on his religious crusade to avenge the cause of God. But he soon discovers that he is the one in opposition to God.
I wonder if his former teacher’s words rang in his ears on the Damascus road from Acts 5:33-42:
33When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
40His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Saul a religious terrorist – like many today in Iraq and the Middle East actually thought they were doing the Lord’s work by killing others who preached in their view false doctrine. But the truth was they themselves are in opposition to God and in turn fighting against the one they claim to represent.
T.S. -So let’s look at our ordinary – religious man – actually a notorious man called Saul and see what the Lord does to our unlikely hero of the faith. The question could be asked, “Can God save a terrorist?” the answer is “Yes, he can!”
I. The religious terrorist for God – Saul (Acts 9:1,2)
a. He portrays how religious people can be deceived by their religion and by the enemy and how deceit can blind you to the Truth.
b. Religiousity does have a sinister side to it and Saul along with many in the middle east portray it’s reality of destruction.
i. Swindoll states, “Everyone has a dark side in their past!”
ii. Paul had his and we have ours – Paul of course took responsibility for his and did not try to cover it up. He repented of it and changed his thinking and his path after his divine experience on the road to Damascus.
1. Paul frequently exposed his dark side to us in the Scriptures to show that he was deceived and a man filled with sin even though he was religious.
a. Acts 26:9-11: 9“I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”
b. Acts 22:4, 5: 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
c. Galatians 1:13-14: 13For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
iii. Swindoll states, “The ninth chapter of Acts begins abruptly. Saul’s blood is boiling. He’s on a murderous rampage toward Damascus. He charged north out of Jerusalem with the fury of Alexander the Great sweeping across Persia, and the determined resolve of William Tecumesh Sherman in his scorching march across Georgia. Saul was borderline out of control. His fury had intensified almost to the point of no return. Such bloodthirsty determination and blind hatred for the followers of Christ, drove him hard toward his distant destination: Damascus. If you were a follower of Jesus living anywhere near Jerusalem, you wouldn’t want to hear Saul’s knock at your door” (22).
1. He was on a mission that he thought was from God but in reality it was in opposition to God and he would soon be face to face with the Lord himself.
T.S. – The religious terrorist meets the Lord face to face and there is a humbling and a awakening to the truth.
II. The threatening out of control religious terrorist meets his Lord (Acts 9:3-9)
a. He has a surprise encounter with the Lord – it knocks him down and blinds him.
i. His eyes though darkened are enlightened by the Light of the world Jesus.
ii. He is corrected and called all at the same time.
1. Jesus asks so why are you persecuting me?
2. Saul has no real answer for the Lord!
3. But Jesus has a plan and a purpose for this man’s life.
a. Important point: Regardless of what you have done no one is beyond hope or forgiveness!
b. This is the great hope of the Christian message.
i. Hope for the hopeless!
c. Swindoll, “Even though your past is soiled, anyone can find a new beginning with God…Don’t get stuck on where you were. Don’t waste your time focusing on what you used to be. Remember, the hope we have in Christ means then a brighter tomorrow. The sins are forgiven. The shame is cancelled out. Were no longer chained to a deep, dark pit in the past. Grace gives us wings to soar beyond it” (14).
b. I sometimes wish the Lord would do this more often!
i. Many today need to be knocked off their religious horses and blinded so that they may see the Way of the Lord.
ii. To many religious people think their way is God’s way. God’s way is the Word’s way and that is what we need to follow and pursue!
c. The religious terrorist –knocked down and blind sees the light and it changes his mindset from persecutor to promoter of the Gospel.
i. He gets up staggered and blind and listens to the Lord and goes were he needs to go.
ii. He then waits for the Lord praying-fasting and waiting for a special healing touch from the Lord Jesus.
T.S. – The now blind converted religious terrorist is praying and fasting in Damascus looking for a miracle form the Holy Spirit.
III. Ananias receives a vision from the Lord to go pray for the religious terrorist (Acts 9:10-19).
a. Here once again we have an ordinary man being asked to do something extraordinary or supernatural for the Kingdom of God.
i. He is a man filled with the Holy Spirit and one who knows the Lord. Many historians feel he was the Bishop of the Damascus church.
ii. He is called by God to go and pray for the healing of Saul. This is one of those once-in-a-life-time-commissions were an ordinary man is plucked from obscurity to do a task – a big one for God.
1. He listens to God’s command to go!
a. God calls and he answers the phone – here I am Lord what would you like me to do for you!
i. God tells him the plan and his part.
b. He thinks – I know about this religious terrorist Saul!
2. He then presents an argument to God!
a. He blurts out Lord I have heard about this lunatic! He kills Christians! He is here to arrest people like me!
b. Swindoll states, “We must understand Ananias’ reluctance. He was a sincere disciple of Christ-born again and dedicated follower-a bona fide believer. Saul killed Christians. See the dilemma? Ananias had heard God’s voice. The plan was troublesome. God had told him Saul was blind and praying somewhere in the city. “In the case, keep him blind, “ might have been Ananias first thought. At this point, understand, Ananias’s chair, God’s plan was filled with uncertainty and enormous risk” ( 35).
c. Eugene Peterson in the Message words the situation this way:
i. Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.” But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to Gentiles and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”
3. He obeys the command of God and he enters into view as a hero of the faith!
a. He is used to impact the Kingdom of God because he is obedient to follow the call of God.
i. He takes the risk and goes and pray for the man and he is healed and then it says He baptizes Paul.
b. The Lord choose to use an ordinary unknown man to go and minister to a religious terrorist name Saul so that the transformation would be complete.
i. We are told that Ananais was to go lay hands on Saul so he could see and to see that he was filled with the Holy Spirit.
1. He was and the rest is history.
T.S. – Ananais obedience placed him in a important place in the Kingdom because he obeyed and Saul was transformed through his obedience to the direction of the Lord.
IV. Saul now Paul is converted from a religious terrorist to a preacher of the Gospel of Grace (Acts 9: 19b-31).
a. The notorious Saul now becomes Paul the preacher of Grace.
i. His conversion rocked the Jews and the Christians.
ii. His impact is still felt today in the church of Jesus Christ.
iii. Swindoll states, “Augustine called Paul’s conversion ‘the violent capture of a rebel will.’ He pictured it as being like changing the nature of a wild wolf into the spirit of a lamb. Only God could do that in a depraved soul like Saul. How did it happen? In Paul’s own words, ‘I was shown mercy’ (I Timothy 1:13). One day, Mercy met the rebel Saul as he pressed toward Damascus” (22).
1. And it changed his life forever!
2. His life was transformed and he becomes one of the Great apostles of the faith.
Conclusion:
When Paul met Jesus on the Damascus road and encountered mercy and grace it changed his life.
Swindoll states, “His journey reversed direction. His mind did a turnaround that would ultimately transform him from the inside out. That’s the essence of genuine repentance-the mind does a turnaround…So many things within Saul’s thinking changed-and changed completely. He changed his mind about God, about Jesus, about the Resurrection, about those who followed Christ. He must have shaken his head for days. He thought Christ was dead. Paul shows that he was convinced Jesus was alive” (25).
