The Coolidge examiner., 1939-03-30
SAUL BECOMES A NEW MAN

LESSON TEXT-Acts Clip, 1919.
GOLDEN TEXT-Therefore if any
man be in Christ. he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new.-II Corinthians
SIT.
The conversion of Saul is admit
tedly one of the outstanding events
in Bible history. When two bril-
liant English lawyers, Lord Lyttle-
ton and Sir Gilbert West, set out to
disprove the truth of Christianity,
they selected the resurrection Of
Christ and the story of Paul's con-
version as the focal points of their
proof. Working independently, they
then came together to compare
notes and found that they had both
become Christians since they had
become convinced of the truth of
the Scriptures.
The two events may we'll stand
together as evidence for Christian
ity, for only on the ground of regen-
GRAFTON can the change in Saul be
accounted for, and only on the as
surance that he met the risen Christ
on the Damascus Road can we &C.
count for his conversion. This is a
great lesson. let us make the very
most of it.
I. A Bold Prosecutor (vv. l, y.
AS our lesson opens we find the
brilliant and Jealous young Jew,
Saul, yet breathing out threaten
ingS and slaughter against the dis
ciples of the Lord" The persecu-
tons in Jerusalem had practically
wiped out the church in that city
but had scattered the disciples
abroad. and thus the witness had
been spread. The death of the god
ly Stephen, to which Saul had given
his approval, had only increased his
determination to destroy those who
were ''of the way of Jesus. Look
ing for new fields to conquer, he
carries with him to Damascus let
tiers from the high priest at Jeru-
salem, giving him authority to i'm
prison the followers of Christ. But
on the way he meets Christ Him
self, and is stricken to the earth.
III. A Convicted Sinner wv. 3-9).
Stricken down by brilliant heav-
emily light, he finds himself talking
to the Lord Jesus. He hears from
His holy lips the solemn indictment
of those who persecute Gods peo-
ple-"Why persecutest thou me?"
He who lays unkind hands, or untrue
accusation upon Gods children had
best beware, for so closely is our
Lord identified with His people that
when they suffer, it is He who bears
the hurt.
In a single sentence the Lord dis
poses of the prosecuting zeal and
the sinful skepticism of this proud
young Pharisee, and Saul enters
into Damascus not as the naughty
prosecutor, but as man trembling
and astonished at his own sin. He
spends three days shut in with his
own soul and God, not seeing, not
caring to eat, losing all conscious
ness of earth, but entering into COM
munion with God. By Gods grace
the old life is pulled up by the
roots as it is displaced by the new
life in Christ Jesus.
iii. An Obedient Disciple wv. 10
12).
Ananias was the 81 am here,
Lord type of Christian to whom
the Lord can confidently commit
His important business. All we
know of him is what is contained
in this chapter, but it is a very
beautiful and enviable record. God
is able to work directly on any hui
man soul and accomplish His end
Gas He did with Saul on the Damas
Gus Road, but His usual manner Of
working is through faithful human
agencies. One wonders how much
would be accomplished for God if
every Christian were as willing and
ready as was Ananias to do the
Lords bidding in seeking out and
helping a struggling soul. The
greatest of all Christian leaders, the
apostle Paul, was led out into his
life of loyalty and service to Christ
by a humble layman. Repeatedly
Gods Word by precept and exam
pie stresses the vital importance Of
personal work on the part of lay
men and women. The leaders of
Christian work during the coming
generation are now in the Sunday
School classes of our churches, per-
haps in a little wayside chapel in
the country, in the village church,
in the mission or settlement house,
or in the great city church.
Nv. A Converted Brother wv. IT.
19).
The fears of Ananias that Saul
might still be worker of evil ".
49, are soon overcome by Gods
assurance that in the praying Saul
He had prepared for Himself "a
chosen vessel ". 80 to bear the
gospel to the Gentiles and to kings,
as well as to Israel.
It is interesting to observe that
Saul knew nothing of that subtle
hypocrisy known as being "a secret
believer" for at once he made open