When God Showed Up For Paul
The persecutor becomes a preacher. The destroyer becomes a disciple. The enemy becomes an apostle.
When God Shows Up For Paul
Text: Acts 9:1–19
Paul thought he was serving God. He had a great resume. Pedigree? Check. Credentials? Check. Training? Check. Authority? Check.
He wasn’t rebellious. He was religious. And yet, very wrong.
Paul wasn’t searching for Jesus — he was hunting Christians with letters in hand and threats in his mouth.
And then God showed up.
A bright light, blind confusion and a voice calling his name led Paul to ask the only question that mattered:
“Who are You, Lord?”
And the answer shattered his world:
“I am Jesus.”
In one sentence, Paul realized everything he believed about God was incomplete. The One he thought he honored was the One he was attacking.
For days he sat in dark silence with no food or comfort. God brought Truth, but with it, He took Paul’s illusions.
Augustine once said that the first step in the way of salvation is to confess one’s sins. Paul couldn’t move forward until he faced who he really was. Later he would write:
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
He didn’t say was. He used the present tense.The closer Paul walked with Christ, the more aware he became of his own need for grace. Now — Here is the heartbeat of the Gospel. Are you ready for this?
God exposes — but He doesn’t abandon.
You see, Paul had to be knocked down before he could be built up. Then came Ananias. The scales fell from his eyes, he was baptized and he begins to preach.
The persecutor becomes a preacher. The destroyer becomes a disciple. The enemy becomes an apostle.
Paul would never forget who he was. But he would always praise God for what He became.
A.W. Tozer wrote:
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”
Not to harm — but to heal.
Not to crush — but to transform.
When God shows up, He reveals who we are, but He doesn’t stop there. He may dismantle your identity, your pride, your reputation and your self-confidence. But hear this: God only tears down what He plans to rebuild.
He changes us.
He sends us.
He uses us.
God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
