The Damascus Road Experience

April 14

(Acts 9:3-5 NIV) ““As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. {4} He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" {5} "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.””

(Acts 26:9-15 NIV) ““I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. {10} And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. {11} Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. {12} "On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. {13} About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. {14} We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' {15} "Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' "'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied.””

Saul had been busy beating up on the Bride of Christ, but as he headed down that desert road to Damascus, he met the Groom -- and the Groom was not happy. He knocked Saul to the ground, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Saul had the good sense to address this forceful light as “Lord”, asking “Lord, who are you?” His heart skipped a beat, and his breath left him, as he heard a voice say, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Saul was not only leveled that day, he was humbled. He not only ended up eating dust -- he ended up eating his words. He certainly must have feared for his life. Jesus had Saul’s attention, and Saul was now listening. What will it take to get your attention? Will it take a Damascus Road Experience? Will you have to be knocked flat on your back before you look up and finally listen? Maybe today, God is saying to you, “Don’t make me come down there.” Listen! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day  

Misdirected Zeal

April 13

(Acts 9:1-3 NIV) "Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest {2} and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”

(Philippians 3:4-6 NIV) "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: {5} circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; {6} as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."

Saul was one of the most religious men in Israel. He was a Pharisee. He believed in a holy and righteous God -- a God so holy that He would never lower himself to become a man as these “Jesus people” were claiming. Saul’s beliefs drove him to try to eradicate this little sect of believers called “The Way”, and to stop their gospel from spreading. He oversaw them being beaten up, imprisoned, and even killed. When Saul heard that some of them had fled to Damascus, he put a team of thugs together and headed that way. What Saul didn’t know was that he was about to get a wakeup call. In his zeal for God, he had actually become an enemy of God. That can happen to us too. We can become so zealous for our particular brand of faith that we discount, criticize, and fight against others who don’t do things like us. Be careful, or like Saul, you can end up fighting against God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Obedience and the Miraculous

April 12

(Acts 8:39-40 NIV) “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. {40} Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.”

(Jeremiah 32:18-20 NIV) “You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers' sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, {19} great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. {20} You performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, both in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours.”

Obedience is a portal for miracles from God. Philip was obedient and went to a desert road, and the Ethiopian was miraculously converted. Philip was then miraculously transported to another place where he continued his obedient service to God. It’s cyclical -- obedience promotes the miraculous, and the miraculous promotes obedience. The one converted was a miracle promoted by obedience. The Ethiopian had traveled a great distance to worship God and was miraculously saved. Don’t forget who he was. He was the Secretary of the Treasury for Ethiopia -- a man of prominence. He probably took news of this miracle back to his queen and his nation. Very likely, God used him to spread the gospel throughout Ethiopia. God wants to use believers in the same way today. When we walk in obedience, God can work miracles in us, around us, and through us. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

A Seeker is Saved

April 11

(Acts 8:32-38 NIV) ““The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. {33} In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth." {34} The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" {35} Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. {36} As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" {37} “If you believe with all your heart, you may”. The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”. {38} And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.””

(Romans 10:8-15 NIV) ““But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: {9} That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. {11} As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." {12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, {13} for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." {14} How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? {15} And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!””

As the Ethiopian rode in his chariot, he was reading from the prophet Isaiah, but didn’t fully understand it. He asked Philip to explain it, and Philip began with the verses in question and shared the gospel with the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian believed and was baptized, and entered the ranks of those whose names are written in the Book of Life. But it all started with the Scriptures. Christians, we should know how to lead people to Jesus using the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit will put the hunger in their heart, but we should have the knowledge to help them across the line. Philip had obviously studied the Scriptures -- we should too. We have no excuse for not doing so. We have at our fingertips what some have been willing to die for: the Bible. Read it, study it, and use it -- not to condemn people, but to lead seekers to salvation through a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day