Tuesday, 6th
Read: Acts 9
The word “revolution” means “an assertedly momentous change in any situation.” In this Jesus revolution we want to see a momentous change in the world around us—people living their lives in fullness for Jesus! But the change we want to see in our world first has to happen with us first. We can’t preach an empty gospel; that is, one that hasn’t first changed us.
Saul/Paul was bad news for the ‘followers of the way’ (early Christians). He was there when the first Christian martyr, Stephen, was killed for his faith in Jesus. He had risen to become one of the top leaders and ruthless persecutors of Christians of his day. You can see in verse 1 that he was ‘breathing out murderous threats’ against them and trying to lock them up or kill them (v.2).
Then Saul of Tarsus encountered Jesus Christ. There was an ‘assertedly momentous change’ in his life. In less than a week Saul went from zealously persecuting Jesus to zealously preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. Now THAT is revolution! His life was turned upside down; his mission and purpose for living had completely reversed! (On a side note, Saul (Paul) will later use this experience of seeing the risen Christ to validate his apostolicity.)
Jesus really wants us to meet Him so that He can do this revolution in and through us. He wants us to experience Him in such a way so that we turn 180 degrees from our sin. He wants us to literally ‘go and sin no more.’ You may not be the worst of all sinners but there are likely places in you that need to be revolutionized. And think of the hardest, meanest, darkest person you know. God wants to do the same work in him/her as he did in Saul! That is good news if I’ve ever heard any.
Do you know what happened to Saul after he allowed God to do this work in him? He lead a hard life, facing persecution, death threats, hardship, imprisonment and, eventually, execution. But he ended up writing most of the New Testament (a source of deep encouragement and truth for us today) and brought the Truth of Jesus Christ to the furthest reaches of the known world! This guy experienced personal revolution and then took that Jesus revolution to everyone around him!
The key to revolutionary change lies in verse 17—“he sent me that you may…be filled with the Holy Spirit.” When we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us entirely, He changes us. He revolutionizes us!
The song Send the Fire by William Booth (see SASB #203) talks of this experience and describes what happens when God sends the Fire of His Holy Spirit to fill us:
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire!
Process:
1. What are some ways that you have been living a revolutionary life? What else can you do to present the glory of God to others? Ask Holy Spirit to fill you. Ask Him to remove any part of you that remains without the light of Christ. Ask Him to make a revolution happen in you; for Him to make you holy. Receive it by faith, and then walk it out in your life, in your world and in your relationships with people.
CHALLENGE
Go through and read the chapter again, focus on Saul/Paul and answer the following questions.
What is this chapter about?
Who are the main characters?
When does this event or teaching take place?
Where does this happen?
Why is this being done or said?
How did it happen?