Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
Acts 9:22 (NIV)

While I was in high school there was a bit of a spiritual revival that broke out at our school. Among those who placed their faith in Jesus were some individuals with reputations for being pretty wild. I can remember hearing the news and immediately feeling skepticism. It was such a radical conversion in some cases, that it was hard to actually believe it.

Today’s chapter contains one of the most dramatic life changes in history. Saul of Tarsus was a zealous, educated, and well-connected Pharisee who was fully committed to imprisoning Jesus’ disciples, snuffing the Jesus Movement out of existence, and even killing people if necessary to make it happen. Jesus appears to Saul and calls on him to switch teams. In an instant, the enemy becomes an ally. The hunter becomes the hunted. Saul, who will become Paul, becomes arguably the greatest example of what can happen if you follow Jesus’ teaching, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Paul would later write a letter to believers in Corinth and describe all followers of Jesus as the “body of Christ.” It’s a powerful word picture because he makes the distinction of the body needing all of its parts to function in a healthy way. With Paul’s conversion, the body of Christ added a key part.

Unlike the Twelve, Paul was educated by the best. Paul was a man uniquely gifted for establishing the theological foundations of the Jesus Movement and could go toe-to-toe with any Jewish critic.

Paul was part of the Jewish establishment, yet he was also from Greece and knew the Hellenistic world and customs. Just a few chapters ago, Luke records that there was tension between the Greeks and Hebrews among Jesus’ followers. Paul was uniquely suited to help bridge this rift, as well as being uniquely suited to take Jesus’ message to the Greek world while still having respect for non-Greek Jews within the movement. Paul was also a Roman citizen, which would become instrumental in his witness and his missionary journeys.

In the quiet this morning, I spent some time meditating on the very nature of the body of Christ in the “holy catholic” sense of it being made up of all believers of all types around the globe. God uses so many different people with different gifts in different ways to accomplish His purposes on a grand scale that is hard for me to even fathom. At the same time, every member of that Body is a gifted part of it and has a part to play in it. My job is to consciously use my gifts as God leads me in accomplishing His purposes within my circles of influence.

Which has me thinking about my brothers and sisters from that revival back in high school. I didn’t really know those I referenced personally. It was a large high school, they were older, and I operated in different social circles. Still, I wonder how their stories have played out. Like Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed falling on different types of soil, I imagine there is a spectrum of stories and outcomes. I spent some time this morning picturing faces, recalling names, and praying for them wherever they are and whatever God’s purposes in their life journeys. I may be in a different part of the body, but I can certainly pray for each and every other part.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.