Central Truth

Having a personal relationship with Jesus will change your life. It is this change that identifies Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

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Reflections

At the age of twelve, after reading a children's Bible on my own, I decided to make Christianity my faith. At the time, it felt good to proclaim my new found faith. I spent the next two decades trying to take those words back. Mainly, I had no guidance at home that could keep me on my path while I tried to learn about my faith. Inevitably, I found the "contradictions" that plague new believers and decided to try to walk away.

There was only problem with my plan: God had chosen me. It didn't matter that I decided to leave my faith. God had already decided He wanted me and was going to use me for His purpose. God did several things to try to win me back. He granted me numerous and inexplicable gifts, all of which I turned away. He finally got me back the "hard way!" When calamity entered into my life, I realized only Christ could get me out of it. To this day, I tell people that were it not for Jesus; I would be dead . . . literally.

In today's passage, Paul recounts his life-changing encounter with a personal God. Paul witnesses to the church on how he came to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It was not a call made by man, and Paul's faith is not of his own doing. God called Paul to a personal relationship and ministry (in Acts 9). As evidence, Paul describes how he served as the chief persecutor of Christianity only to experience a complete and thorough change from persecutor to protector of the church.  Regardless of how Paul fought it, God selected Paul to be one of his "holy messengers."

The "take away" from this passage is twofold. First, we remember how Jesus called each of us to a personal relationship. The call by grace causes drastic changes within us. Second, we need to pass that testimony to others. Only in so doing can the grace of God be multiplied.

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Discussion Questions

1. Take a moment to remember your own testimony of Christ's calling. How does your calling parallel with Paul's in Acts 9?

2. Paul's calling caused drastic changes in him. How did you change when you were called by Christ?

3. How could your own calling be used to make evangelism easier for both yourself and the person you are testifying to?

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