How God can use suffering

He wasn't satisfied with mocking and criticizing Christians; he went out of his way to hunt them down and imprison them. He tortured them and executed them. And he presided over the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church. When this man came to faith, it was so unexpected that many greeted…

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He wasn't satisfied with mocking and criticizing Christians; he went out of his way to hunt them down and imprison them. He tortured them and executed them. And he presided over the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian church.

When this man came to faith, it was so unexpected that many greeted it with skepticism and suspicion. But his story didn't stop with his conversion. He dedicated the rest of his life to serving God.

The notorious Saul, who later became the great apostle Paul, had been controlled by hate, rage and bitterness. But after his conversion, he was controlled by love, passion and concern for people who didn't know the Lord.

This is amazing when you consider his background. Prior to his conversion, Saul was a cold-hearted, bigoted, hateful murderer. And he was out searching for more Christians to put to death when God took hold of him.

Saul was from Tarsus, a very important city in the ancient Roman world. It was in Tarsus that Saul learned Greek philosophy and Roman law, things that were helpful in the ministry that later unfolded before him.

And Saul was Jewish. His family tree included the tribe of Benjamin, from which another man named Saul, Israel's first king, came. Saul of Tarsus decided to become a Pharisee and quite possibly a member of the Sanhedrin, which was no small feat.

Thus, Saul became a powerful and famous man. He also was an infamous man, because he felt it was his job to eradicate the new sect of believers who followed someone called Jesus, who was from Nazareth. Saul went out of his way to find Christians, and he wasn't satisfied with arresting only the Christians who were in Jerusalem.

Saul also obtained extradition orders that allowed him to go as far away as Damascus, about 140 miles away from Jerusalem, to find more believers, arrest them, bring them back to Jerusalem and imprison them.

This is a strange thing, because Saul claimed to have belief in God. But he was a godless man.

I'm always amazed at how people who claim to be Christians can be filled with hate. Sadly, some are very critical and mean-spirited. Sure, we can correct one another. And sure, we need to be careful and discerning. But can we do so in a loving way? I've seen believers who are quick to criticize the efforts of everyone else, yet they're doing nothing for the sake of the Gospel and the kingdom of God.

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Unwittingly, even before Saul was a part of the kingdom of God, he was working for it. By attacking Christians, he caused them to spread out. If he hadn't done that, it's entirely possible the believers would have remained in a holy huddle of sorts in Jerusalem.

Jesus had told them to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, but they didn't seem to be doing that. So along came Saul to arrest Christians, and they fled to various areas. As a result, the Gospel spread (see Acts 8:3–4).

Little did Saul realize, however, that he was about to meet Jesus on the road to Damascus. If someone would have said to him when he left Jerusalem that he soon would become a follower of Jesus, he would have laughed in their face.

Yet the Bible tells us that "as he journeyed he came near Damascus … suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'" (Acts 9:3–4 nlt).

The others who were with him heard the sound of a voice, but they didn't see anyone. But Saul heard the voice of God. He came into contact with Jesus.

I wonder if Saul was afraid to say what he said next: "Who are you, lord?" (verse 5 NLT).

Then he heard the answer: "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!" (verse 5 NLT).

I think deep in his heart, Saul knew all along that it was Jesus. And he discovered that he had been fighting with God from the beginning. When he stood up and opened his eyes, he also realized that he was blind.

But God raised up a man to help the newly converted Saul of Tarsus. Verses 10–11 of Acts 9 tell us, "Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, 'Ananias!'

"'Yes, Lord!' he replied.

"The Lord said, 'Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now" (NLT).

Then Ananias said, in effect, "Uh, Lord, hello? Are we talking about the same guy? Do you mean Saul of Tarsus?"

But God told him, "Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake" (verses 15–16 NLT).

God used Saul, or the apostle Paul, powerfully. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote letters that became part of the New Testament. And it was through the hand of Paul that God performed miracles.

Paul changed his world. He blazed a trail, leaving behind many churches and converts. Paul preached to philosophers, religious leaders, rulers, soldiers, sorcerers, sailors, slaves, and most likely, Caesar himself. God called Paul to bring the Gospel to his generation, and he did so brilliantly.

Yet Paul also suffered.

If you face calamity, if you've had a loved one die unexpectedly or struggle with a challenge or physical infirmity and can still praise God, then that, my friend, is a powerful witness. And in some ways, it can be more powerful than the witness of someone who has no infirmities at all. God can work through human weakness and suffering.

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