May 18, 2010
Acts 9
Pastor Luke Lang
We all have THAT relative or friend who is just ornery.
We’ve been praying for him or her for years, and the person has just gotten meaner and more selfish. We start thinking that maybe he/she is a lost cause.
Acts 9 gives us an extra helping of hope through the story of Saul/Paul.
Saul was a Pharisee who was so passionate in his hatred of Jesus that he became a professional Christian-killer! He was an enemy of God - the Osama bin Laden of his day. He aggressively tried to destroy the Christian community. While on a mission to Damascus, Saul got knocked off of his high horse (literally) by a bright light show and met the object of his hatred….Jesus!
Rather than payback, he experienced the truly amazing grace of the Master! Saul got a new chance, new life, new mission and a new name…Paul. From that point, he became the most influential Christian who ever lived, and wrote most of the New Testament. He gave his life for the cause that he tried to destroy.
Paul’s story is undeniable proof that no one is beyond the reach of love and the grasp of grace. Not you, not your ornery family member….no one! God gets hold of us and changes our life, our mission and our name:
- The hopeless becomes chosen one.
- The worthless becomes priceless.
- The lonely becomes loved.
- The lost becomes found.
- The dead becomes alive.
Pastor Luke is the assistant director of student ministries, including oversight of “The Tribe” ministry to 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
