We all have a past. Some of us are not at all proud of some of the things we have done, or choices made. I have been comforted by knowing that God loves me no matter what. He has a very big eraser, and once sins are forgiven, they are forgotten. God forgives and forgets. That’s hard for us to understand because while we may forgive someone who has done us wrong, we certainly find it next to impossible to forget the offense entirely.
Today we see a man who has a past. Saul was a key player in the persecution of new Christ followers as the early church was emerging. We hear he was “eager to kill the Lord’s followers.” Now that sounds ruthless and unloving to us, yet God saw something special in Saul. He was ready to forgive Saul before Saul knew what was happening. It’s a beautiful of example of God using the unlikely in big ways. He can use us, broken as we are, for good things, too. Continue reading “Acts 9:1-19 – Being Used By God”
What an interesting account. Philip had some help, didn’t he? First, he received an angelic message to go down a certain road. Then the Holy Spirit told him what carriage to walk by. Later the Holy Spirit showed up and whisked him away. I wonder how many people have angelic visits and don’t realize it and possibly even miss an assignment from God. Philip was obedient, and God opened a beautiful opportunity for him to share the Gospel.
Do you remember the game Simon Says? It often turned silly, but it was good practice for our listening skills when you think of it. How often do we just take off in our own direction without listening first? We hear today of a man named Simon who people had been listening to. He was a sorcerer. Because of is magic, people had been seeing him as “the Great One – the Power of God.” We know better, this power is not from God.
In our last reading we witnessed a dreadful tragedy we now learn Saul approved. We will learn more about Saul as we go forward. This is our first glimpse at a man who was full of evil. He believed he was good, working to maintain Jewish tradition.
Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. His eloquent retelling of history was drawing them in, I’m sure. It not only was Stephen’s story, it was common to those who were questioning him. Stephen was building rapport with his accusers. For us, it helps us remember all the heroes of faith who have been used by God over time to bring us to this moment. It’s a nutshell sermon that God used to warm them up.
