Remember, “Remember the Titans”? I have a friend whose son
was playing junior high football back when that movie was released. He and his
friends went to see the movie together and when they emerged they announced
that their greatest desire was to be just like the Titans. They wanted to be
that tightly knit. They wanted to be that successful on the gridiron. But what
they didn’t count on was all the effort that was required to get there.
Think of all the pain and struggle those Virginia high
schoolers had to endure to meld those disparate players into a single-minded
team. There were coaching changes. There were racial divisions. There were
social pressures inside and outside the team. There was even the paralysis of
one of the most gifted players that had to be overcome. What’s more, all of
that pain and struggle doesn’t even represent the two-a-days, the multiple mile
runs, and the seemingly endless hours in the weight room and on the practice
fields. To become like the Titans wasn’t the product of a wish, it was the
result of diligent hard work. To become like the Titans required the surrender
of scores of egos. It was a long, hard process of change.
The same is true of walking with Christ. While it’s often
assumed that becoming a Christian is a moment in time, or an hour of decision,
it’s much more than that and the Bible proves it. Think of the Apostle Paul.
It’s often assumed that his experience on the Road to Damascus changed his
life. And in one sense that’s true. There, on the road, the trajectory of his
life was forever altered. He’s humbled. He’s blinded. He’s made to wait three
days for healing. He’s received by brothers and sisters in Christ. He’s given
the opportunity to preach Christ in the synagogues of Damascus and Jerusalem.
But that’s not the whole story. There’s much more to Saul becoming Paul than
all of this.
In Matthew 11 the Lord Jesus utters some seminal words that
fully describe what the Christian life entails. He says, “Come to me, all who
labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest.” That’s what we see Saul
doing in Acts 9:1-19. He’s become a Christian by coming to Jesus; or to be
completely accurate, when Jesus comes to him. But that’s not all that happens
to transform Saul to Paul. And that’s not all Jesus says in Matthew 11. He
continues, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly
in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light.”
Just like the Titans, for Saul to become Paul requires some extraordinary
hard knocks and hard work. It didn’t happen overnight. There were some serious,
core jarring life lessons that Saul needed to learn to become a useful tool in
the hands of Jesus. Simply put, Saul had to assume the yoke; the same yoke Jesus
requires us to wear.
This Communion and Father’s Day Sunday, we will be digging
into the final portion of Acts 9 (Acts 9:19(b) – 31) that deals with Saul’s
emerging walk with Jesus. There are at least four major lessons that each one
of us can draw from Luke’s account of Saul’s early years of walking with Jesus.
Not only does Saul come to Jesus, he becomes yoked to Him, just like you and I
must be.
In preparation for Sunday’s message, you may wish to
consider the following:
- How does Saul epitomize the new Christian in verse 20?
- Why would the reaction to his proclamation in the synagogue be amazement?
- How does Saul increase in strength as indicated by his proclamation in verse 20 and his “proving” in verse 22?
- How are the disciples in Damascus a means of grace for Saul?
- Who is Barnabas and why does he take such a risk on Saul?
- How does Saul’s Christian life demonstrate the critical importance of the Body of Christ?
- What is the significance of Luke’s words in verse 31, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up?” in Saul’s absence?
- Why does Saul go back to Tarsus? How long is he there? Where does he next show up in the book of Acts?
- How does Acts 9:1-31 describe what Jesus is saying in Matthew 11:28-30?
- How are “coming to Jesus” and “taking His yoke” two separate actions?
