Turnaround

The Conversion of St. Paul
January 25, 2026
Acts 9:1-22  

“Turnaround”

 We’ve all been there: you’re driving down the road on your way to wherever you’re going and then traffic starts slowing down. You wonder what’s going on, and then you see it: one of those signs that says, “Road Closed – Emergency Detour.” You know then that your trip just got longer as you have to detour down other roads to get where you need to be. You have to turn around and go in a different direction. Today as we observe the Conversion of St. Paul, there is a major turnaround on the road to Damascus. Right there on that road, Jesus powerfully intervened in the life of one man, transforming him from Saul, persecutor of Jesus’ followers, into Paul, preacher, apostle, and evangelist of this same Jesus. Paul was called and sent by the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ to carry the good news of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in Jesus to all the world. This becomes the theme for preaching today under the theme “Turnaround.” May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.  

Throughout the Scriptures, God often does things that are counter-intuitive. He called an old man who was childless to become the father of many nations (Genesis 12:1-3) – that was Abraham. God chose a nation who were slaves in a foreign land to be his chosen people (Exodus 3:1ff.) – that was Israel. God chose to send his own Son to be born in poverty and be the Redeemer of the world (Luke 1:26-33) – that was Jesus. So, really, it should not surprise us that God would once again choose to do something completely unexpected in calling Saul, zealous persecutor of Jesus’ followers, to become the Paul, apostle to the Gentiles who would lead many to faith in Jesus. Who would have thought it? The road to Damascus was that life-changing turnaround for Paul, taking him on a much different journey than he could ever have imagined.  

The fledgling church in Jerusalem experienced a dramatic shift when persecution broke out against it following the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 6:8-8:3). And one of the ringleaders of this persecution was Saul himself. We’re told that witnesses to Stephen’s execution laid down their garments at Saul’s feet (Acts 7:58). And yet, in the midst of this terrible persecution, God was working his gracious plan to expand and grow his Church. Jesus’ followers had become sort of stuck in Jerusalem. They had the good news of salvation through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection, but they weren’t really going anywhere with it. Rather than going out with the good news as Jesus had directed them in his Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus’ followers were waiting for people to come to them. And to be sure, that did happen, but the Lord wanted his people to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). The upshot here is that God allowed this persecution to take place in order to turn his people around; to move them off dead-center, getting them and the good news of new life in Jesus out into the world. The church today can also get stuck; not really going anywhere. The Lord’s desire for his church in every age is to carry that good news of Jesus out into the world. This is why it’s so important for us to reaffirm our calling as Jesus’ everyday missionaries in our daily lives as we have learned from our friend, Greg Finke, in Joining Jesus on His Mission (Dwelling 1:14 (dwelling114.org). Not another thing to do, but at the center of our life as everyday missionaries, are the five mission practices of seeking the kingdom, hearing from Jesus, talking with people, doing good, and ministering through prayer.  

Saul, who would become known as Paul, thought he was doing his best for God by hunting down, arresting, and throwing into prison Jesus’ followers. We shake our heads and wonder, “What was he thinking?” We see this in Paul’s life, but do we see it in our own lives? Sometimes we are convinced that what we’re doing is right and justified even if it means our actions harm other people. That is misguided thinking at best. What is needed is a turnaround; a change of heart and mind. This is what Scripture calls repentance (μετανοία). This turnaround, this change of heart and mind, this repentance that leads to life (see Acts 11:18; 2 Corinthians 7:10) hits the reset button for us as it did for Paul. The Lord often chooses to work through people, and so he did with Paul. The Lord Jesus called Ananias to go and minister to Paul after his experience on the road to Damascus. Understandably, Ananias was afraid to go. Paul’s reputation preceded him, and everyone lived in fear of him. Ananias voiced his fears and concerns to the Lord, but the Lord didn’t give him a pass, saying, “Oh, Ananias, that’s okay. I know it’s asking a lot. I’ll find someone else.” No, the Lord told him: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15-16). And that’s what the Lord says to us today when he calls us to go outside our comfort zone: “Go!” Remember Jesus’ closing words at the end of the Great Commission: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We’re not all by ourselves in the mission Jesus has given to us. The Lord Jesus himself is with us, and will provide strength equal to the tasks that are before us.  

The good news here is that no one is beyond God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. Jesus’ forgiveness extends to all people, even those like Paul who have persecuted Jesus and his church. Jesus, who gave his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for all our sins, calls each one of us to new life in him. After Jesus intervened in Paul’s life in such an amazing and powerful way, Paul wrote to believers in the city of Corinth: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). How true that is, not just for Paul, but for each and every one of us. In Jesus, we have the ultimate turnaround. Our old life of sin and separation from God has given way to a new life; a whole new creation. If the Lord Jesus could do this for Paul, just imagine what he can do for us in our own lives today.  

 As Jesus sent Paul, so he sends us today out into the world he dearly loves and for which he gave his life. In a very real way, we are Jesus’ hands and feet and mouth to be his witnesses through our words and actions. This is not some after-thought or add-on to what we’re already doing. This is not drudgery that we have to slog through to come out on the other side. No, this is the joyful privilege that the Lord Jesus has given to each one of us to join him on his mission. May the Lord who has worked his turnaround in each of our lives help each one of us to say as Ananias did: “Here I am, Lord” (Acts 9:10). Amen.