Perfect Package ~ Bob Coy

Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Acts 9:4 (NKJV)

It's easy for us to find fault with Saul of Tarsus, the man who would eventually become the Apostle Paul. We see him as the prime opponent of the Church, we see him as the killer of Christians, and we see him on the other side of the Cross.

Don't misunderstand. This isn't an attempt to justify any of Saul's crimes against the Church, Christians, or the Cross. But it does show that we can overlook Saul's sincerity in doing what he did. He truly and fully believed that he was doing God a service by capturing and killing Christians. Based on a lifetime of intensive training, he thought Jesus was another false teacher whose followers had to be silenced.

So imagine how he felt when the Lord finally revealed the truth to him-that all this time he had actually been persecuting the One he was trying to serve! That's an incredibly hard message to receive, and Jesus delivers it so perfectly by packaging it in the form of a question. "Why are you persecuting me?"

Jesus could have really blasted Saul on this one, "Guess what Saul? All those innocent men, women, and children...all those things you thought you were doing for me...well I have some bad news for you!"

He could have done that, but He didn't want to obliterate Saul. Instead, the Lord wanted to reveal the truth of his actions in a way that he could receive and recover from. A question was the perfect way of doing this because it gradually caused Saul to see that he'd been wrong all along.

What a wonderful reminder that even when we need to be corrected, the Lord does it in a way that's tender and considerate of our weaknesses.

Discuss with your group this miraculous moment of conversion. Why do you see salvation as a true miracle? Share with your group how you came to Jesus.

Dig into Acts 9:1–8. What was Saul’s purpose in heading to Damascus? How does Paul’s story inspire you? Why do you think Jesus blinded Paul?

Decide to pray for the persecuted church. Intercede for those whose lives are in danger because of their faith. For more information, check out www.voiceofthemartyrs.org.