Acts 8-9

"And immediately [Paul] began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." (Acts 9:20)

For me, Paul's conversion is one of the most comforting encouragements of Scripture. Paul was completely changed after his encounter with the risen Lord. He was so transformed that even his name had to be changed! He had stood by giving hearty approval as Stephen was stoned to death. He had persecuted the Church at Jerusalem and sought out jurisdiction to do the same in the surrounding area.

Yet on that road to Damascus, Paul went from persecutor to proclaimer, from jailer to justified, and from pharisee to forgiven. Paul's perception of Christ had been miraculously transformed from Messianic want-to-be to resurrected Son of God. This was something that could have only been done by the power of the Holy Spirit and his conversion points us to a powerful life-changing God and the reality of a resurrected living Savior.

And that salvation experience was not an isolated moment; it led to a salvation lifestyle. True change produces irrefutable evidence. Immediately afterward his conversion, he began preaching Jesus as the Christ. His target audience changed. He no longer sought out to persecute Christ's followers, but to persuade his fellow Jews of Jesus' true identity.

Many of us know someone who has experienced a similar radical conversion to faith in Christ. These individuals are some of the neatest people to be around. Their new found faith has produced such as radical change that their lives are contagiously and unashamedly Christian! Their faith created in them a stark change of focus, behavior, and motivation.

But if you have had a salvation moment in your life, no matter how seemingly mundane or extraordinary it may have felt, you should be able to relate to Paul's converted lifestyle. Though our salvation is never earned by works, our salvation is certainly attested to by them. As James 2 points out, faith without works is dead. Ephesians 2:10 says that once a sinner is saved he/she is now equipped to walk in good works, works prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.

Our lives are a continuous testimony to that moment when Jesus saved our soul. This morning as you read the story of Paul's conversion, reflect anew upon that moment in your own life and ask yourself, "How is Christ's transforming work in my life being proclaimed to the world?"

If you realize that you have never had that moment when you professed Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, would you consider it today?

The validity of Scripture and the authenticity of our faith is over and over again proved by Christ's powerful transformation of lives. Our personal testimonies are some of the most meaningful elements of our confidence and encouragement in the faith.