Acts Series Part 13: There is No-one that the Gospel Cannot Reach: The Curious Incident on the Road to Damascus

Send Dean your question here Acts Chapter 9 In the last podcast in this series, we heard about the Ethiopian eunuch and saw that nothing can stop someone becoming one of God's people. In this podcast, Acts chapter 9 takes that truth one step further. Not only can nothing stop us receiving God's grace, but nobody is beyond it.  In our reading we witness one of the most remarkable accounts in the book of Acts: Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–31). Luke deliberately reminds us who Saul was before introducing the change that takes place, because Saul is the man who approved of Stephen's death, who was "breathing out murderous threats" against Christians, and who travelled over 130 miles to arrest and imprison them. Hatred of the church had become the very air he breathed.  Yet everything changed in an instant when Saul was confronted by Jesus himself. A brilliant light stopped him in his tracks, and Jesus asked, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" These words reveal not only that Jesus was alive, but that He so closely identifies with His people that to persecute the church is to persecute him. In an instant Saul discovered that everything he believed about Jesus was wrong. He was left blind by the encounter and had to be led by the hand into Damascus before being ministered to by the very people he had come to persecute. Christianity is fundamentally different from every other religion. Most worldviews begin with humanity trying to reach God through effort, morality or religious devotion. The gospel begins with God coming to humanity. Saul was not searching for Jesus or gradually working his way towards faith. He was actively opposing Christ when Jesus intervened. Christianity is not ultimately the story of people finding God, but of God coming to rescue people who could never rescue themselves.  The account also reminds us that God's grace is never cheap. At first glance, Saul's conversion can seem almost unfair. How could someone responsible for such violence receive mercy? Yet God never simply overlooks sin. Every sin is paid for, either by the sinner or by Christ on the cross. Grace is free to us because it was unimaginably costly to Jesus. Nor did grace leave Saul unchanged. He exchanged influence for suffering, status for sacrifice, and comfort for hardship as he spent the rest of his life proclaiming the gospel. Forgiveness did not remove every earthly consequence, but it completely transformed his heart, his identity and his purpose.  Luke also highlights the faith of ordinary believers such as Ananias and Barnabas. Ananias obeyed Jesus' command to visit the church's greatest enemy and greeted him with the remarkable words, "Brother Saul." Barnabas later stood alongside Saul when others remained suspicious. Their examples remind us that grace changes not only how God sees us, but also how we are called to see one another.  Finally, Acts 9 confronts us with two searching questions. Firstly, have we quietly decided that some people are beyond God's reach? Saul's story—and the many modern testimonies of former persecutors who have come to faith—reminds us that nobody is beyond the saving power of Christ. Secondly, are we still allowing our past to define us? The gospel does not erase our history, but it 1 does give us a new identity. We are no longer defined by our failures, our shame or our achievements, but by the grace of Jesus Christ.  Acts 9 is not ultimately a story about Saul. It is a story about the pursuing, saving and transforming Christ. The same Jesus who met Saul on the Damascus Road still seeks out sinners today, still changes lives by His grace, and still calls ordinary people to trust Him and join His mission. You can see past sermons on the Leominster Baptist Church website at  Leominster Baptist Church - YouTube and can contact us directly with your feedback or queries through the Contact Us link at the top of the episode description text. Leominster Baptist Church can be found on Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. To find out more about us, visit our website leobc.co.uk. If you would like to speak to someone about anything that you have heard on our podcasts please give us a call and ask for a chat.