The Greatest Conversion

Today the modern churches talk about DECISIONS, not CONVERSIONS!

Illus: Someone said to a preacher, “Did you have any decisions last week?” The preacher said, “Yes, I had lots of them. Some DECIDED to go to the mountains and some DECIDED they would go to the beach instead of coming to church.”

When Paul got saved he got CONVERTED.

What the church today needs are MORE conversions, not MORE decisions!

Paul’s conversion is a model conversion for us all to examine. It ranks as one of the highest because of several reasons:

(1) THE MAN OF THE CONVERSION

The man was Saul of Tarsus. WHO WAS SAUL OF TARSUS?

He was a very devout Jew, and as a Jew he was thoroughly convinced that Christianity was a threat to Judaism, and must be wiped from the face of the earth.

I want to remind you that before his conversion, Paul was a devout Jew. A person can be SINCERE and SINCERELY WRONG at the same time.

Look at-

(2) THE METHOD OF THE CONVERSION

He was actually on his way to Damascus to find Christians. His plan was to bring them back to be prosecuted, when God supernaturally intervened. Let’s look at-

I. THE PLAN

The first thing we want to consider is-

A. THE SEARCHING

Look at verses 1-2. We read, “And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.”

• After his conversion, Paul was a man that had a great love for God’s church. He loved the church and prayed for it constantly.

• But before his conversion, Paul had no love for the Christian churches whatsoever.

One of the ways you can tell a person has truly been converted is that their ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOD’S CHURCH WILL CHANGE DRASTICALLY.

Paul was determined to put down this religion called Christianity. He sought them out and persecuted them.

After the death of Stephen, the Christians scattered everywhere. But Saul heard that some had fled to Damascus, and he went to the high priest to get permission to find them and bring them back for trial.

Look at verses 1-2. For example, we find him doing two things, and he literally sounds like a mad man.

1. He is “…Breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples.”

2. He is seeking permission from the high priest to go to Damascus and, “…If he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.”

These are the BIG PLANS he has, but aren’t you glad that sometimes God steps into the plans of the ungodly and ruins those plans?

• Remember when Nehemiah was re-building the walls, and Sanballat and Tobiah were doing everything that they could possibly do to stop them?

The Bible tells us in Nehemiah 4:4, that Nehemiah prayed this prayer to God: “Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head…” And that is exactly what happened.

• Also, the Bible tell us in the book of Esther, that Haman, who despised Mordecai, had built a place to hang him because he would not bow and show him the respect he wanted. But God messed up his plans, and he was hung in the very place he had built to hang Mordecai.

Paul had plans to DESTROY the Christian church, but God messed those plans up, and caused him to become one of the great servants of the church.

He meant the church harm before his conversion, but probably no man who has ever walked on this earth, (other than the Lord Jesus), has done as much for the church as he did after he was converted.

Before his conversion, he went SEARCHING for Christians he could lay hold of, (men or women), and wanted to do as much harm as he could to them.

We have looked at THE SEARCHING, but let’s also look at-

B. THE SURRENDER

Look at verses 3-6. We read, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”