Probably the clearest example in scripture of somebody's conversion is that of Saul, identified in our text for today.

Remember what conversion is. As I shared with our children, who came up here this morning:

Conversion

is the activity of the Holy Spirit

by which He turns us from our life of sin and death,

to a life of holiness.

In our text for today Saul thought that what he was doing was right. We even seeing Saul going to the High Priest, getting letters of approval, so that as he went out and found people who belonged to the Way, he had permission to arrest them, bring them back to Jerusalem, and have them put on trial for their heresy of the Jewish faith. Saul also thought he was doing right, as he was breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples.

Instead of being a good and right thing, how bad the activity of Saul was, before his conversion. It was on his way to Damascus that Jesus appeared to him. Jesus appeared to Saul and said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" He shared with Saul that the activity he was doing - breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples, going out and capturing people who belonged to the Way, (that is people who believed in Jesus, as their Savior, and found in Jesus the fulfillment of the Messiah) - Jesus told him that those things were wrong.

Saul was then struck with physical blindness.

He went into the city of Damascus, where he was for three days. That is when Jesus appeared to another gentleman, whose name was Ananias, convincing Ananias to go and to speak with Saul.

(Now, I cut it out of our text for this morning, but if you recall this section of scripture, Ananias did not want to go and talk to Saul, because he knew who he was. And yet, Jesus convinced Ananias to go.)

Notice how Ananias addressed Saul. He said, "Brother, Saul." He saw Saul as a brother in Christ. Ananias told Saul that Jesus, whom he was persecuting was his Savior. "Jesus, whom you are persecuting is not one that you are to be an opponent of, but one that you are to be a proponent of." Through the words that Ananias spoke, the Word of God, Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit. Our text tells us that something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again! And immediately, he was baptized.

Immediately, he was baptized.

Instead of walking away from the cross of Christ, (which is what Saul was doing in his life), the Holy Spirit had come to him. And through the Words that Ananias spoke, and through Saul's baptism by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit turned Saul from sin and death, to life and holiness.

Now, Saul, (Paul, for the rest of his life) was walking toward the cross of Christ. He proclaimed that Jesus is the Son of God. And, he proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ.

From our text, we truly see how the resurrected Jesus changes lives. We have an awful lot in common with Saul, because it is the resurrected Jesus who has changed our lives, as well. Remember what I said about Saul. He thought what he was doing was right. There are times in our lives, when we think that the sinful activities that we are involved in are right, because other people are doing them. If other people are doing them, it eases our conscious. It eases our guilt. It makes those sinful activities seem normal.

Maybe think about it this way. Have you ever had a child, (or maybe you yourself), who has been intrigued how escalators work? You have seen an escalator that is going down, and you want to walk up the stairs of the escalator that are going down. (I am sure a number of you have done that, before.) It is pretty easy to walk up that escalator that is going down, when nobody is on the escalator, right? And yet, when you put a number of people on that escalator going down, it becomes far more challenging to walk up that escalator.

Such is the life of a Christian. The world is walking away from the cross of Christ. In a sense, we might say that they are going down that escalator. They want you, and they want me, to join in with them. How easy it is for us to join in with them. After all, other people are doing it. And when we, or others, are so enmeshed in sin, we don't want to do it by ourselves. We want others to join in with us, because when others join in with us, it eases our conscious, calms our guilt, and makes the sinful activities that we are involved in seem normal.

In the early Christian Church, the Apostle Peter was addressing such people who had come to faith - those who were walking away from the cross of Christ, but now had come to faith and were walking toward the cross of Christ. He was talking about how it was that they lived before, and how it seemed normal. He said, "You have spent enough time in the past doing what unbelievers chose to do - living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry."

Those people had turned from their sinful ways. They were now walking toward the cross of Christ. So also it is for us in our lives.

We, like Saul, by nature are enemies of God, walking away from the cross of Christ, wanting to join in with the world, so enmeshed in sin. It seems so normal, when others are doing those same sinful activities. It eases our conscious and our guilt, as well.

Just as Ananias was sent into Saul's life, so also somebody was sent into your life, proclaiming the very Word of God to you. And also, through your baptism, the Holy Spirit has had the opportunity to go to work, to change us from our life of sin and death, toward that of a life of holiness.

We also are like Saul, because he was struck with physical blindness. But, before he was physically blind, he was spiritually blind, because he did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah. Also by nature, we are spiritually blind. And it is only through the activity of the Holy Spirit and His conversion of us that He has led us from our life of walking away from the cross of Christ, to walking toward the cross of Christ.

As Ananias approached Saul, he was told how it was that he would know who to talk to. Jesus told him that the one he should go and talk to would be praying. For a Christian, one of the activities, after we have been converted and turned to a life of holiness, is a life of prayer.

(In the weeks to come, as we are preparing for our stewardship emphasis, one of the things we are going to be encouraged to do is pray that the hearts of God's people may be raised.)

Here we have the example of Saul, having newly come to faith in Jesus as his Savior, busy in the activity of prayer, now trusting that Jesus is the Son of God, and now trusting that Jesus is the Christ.

Today we are so thankful that the Holy Spirit has converted us. We are so thankful that the Holy Spirit has come to you in your life and He has come to me in my life. And God sent someone to proclaim the Word of God to us. Also, through our baptism, the Holy Spirit could go to work bringing us to faith in Jesus, as our Savior.

Now, as we continue to live out the rest of our days, not walking away from the cross of Christ, but walking toward the cross of Christ, thankful for the forgiveness of sins, that our Savior Jesus has won for us on the cross, having eternal life in Heaven, how is it that we are to live?

Well, the Apostle Peter reminds us, and I end with these words, this morning. "The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received, to serve others. Faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides. So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever."

Amen.