S I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And I answered, “Who art thou, Lord?” And He said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.” (Acts 23:7-8)
O Paul recounts his experience on the road to Damascus. He had been persecuting the Church, throwing Christians in jail, endorsing others who opposed Christians (the stoning of Stephen when he watched their cloaks v20)—he was also one of the main accusers and bad mouthers of Christians. He was blinded by a light on the road to Damascus. Jesus Himself is the one who turned up the wattage. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Jesus said. Paul, not sure who was talking, took the risk to gain further clarification. “Who art Thou … and just in case, he said, “Who art Thou Lord?” “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Saul ransacked the Church, and bad-mouthed Christians—not Jesus! But this passage is what Jesus was saying to Saul, and He says the same to you and me.
A When I persecute the Church, I am persecuting Jesus. When I bad-mouth other Christians, I bad-mouth Jesus. When I injure others with my slander, I have slandered Jesus. Saul was blinded—almost as if the Lord made him, for a moment, physically blind in order to show him what he was spiritually. From then on, Paul became the protector of the Church, a leader, and one who would plant churches. The Church may be far from perfect. Some Christians may have lots of flat spots—even in leadership positions, but Jesus reminds us in Matt 25:40, “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
P Lord Jesus, help me to be one who influences other Christians rather than slanders other Christians. Teach me to persuade them rather than condemn them and drive them further away. Teach me to inspire them to better things rather than condemn them for lesser things.
There will be times when reproof will be necessary, but teach me to deliver the message saturated and permeated with love for them and for their best.
-Wayne Cordeiro
Beautiful message of ever lasting faith & the knowledge that everyone will make mistakes. It is our duty as Christians to be up lifting people in the ways that God would instead of making them feel mediocre because they might not be living up to a certain standard! God is love & that should be the only thing that matters. Sometimes we need to be blinded to see things from a different view…GODS VIEW!