Acts; What the Devil is Afraid of

Aug.15

Read: Acts 9:1-31

Acts;

What the Devil is Afraid Of

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” (v.27)

There is no more radical a transformation story in the bible than that of Saul of Tarsus- the man who would eventually become the Apostle Paul. Saul literally goes from murdering Christians to wanting to be murdered by the his own people… and some of the Christians as well! (cf. Acts 9:23,29) The “hunter” became “the hunted” on account of Jesus Christ. The conversion of Saul is steeped in the supernatural. Jesus shows up in a vision on the road to Damascus… there is miraculous regaining of sight… and divine appointments with Saul and Ananias. It is an amazing story really. This is a testimony to the fact that the transformative work of Jesus knows NO BOUNDARIES at all.

One of the common threads in this account is the fact that it is so hard for people to believe that Saul had been transformed so radically and in such a short time. This is the power of Christ in us!  The reality is that sometimes people will not believe it. Think about Ananias - the Lord shows up to him in a vision and tells him to go to Saul, and he pushes back against the Lord. (v.13,14) It is hard to grasp the power of Christ to change someone.

Ananias obeys and is blessed because of it. Saul regains his site and travels back to Jerusalem. Imagine the surprise of the people there. No one really believes it is true… that is no one except Barnabas. Barnabas believes in Saul’s transformation… he believes that Jesus could truly change a person so radically and powerfully. Barnabas vouches for Saul and brings him into community. In short - Barnabas believes in Saul and the work of Christ in him. We all need someone to believe in us… pure and simple. When we doubt who Christ has made us… when we doubt that he has actually transformed us from the inside out… when we have the people around us telling us our “old self” is still our identity…it is no wonder the people of God become defeated and feel “trapped”. It is the lie of the enemy that says we are not changed… and never will be changed. What we need is the heart of Barnabas … the eyes to see Gods transformative work in one another and believe it… to call it out… to have someone’s back as Jesus is making them new. We all need a “Barnabas”- and we all could stand to be a Barnabas for someone else.

You cannot give away something you do not have. If you have not been transformed by Jesus or experienced his work in your life then it is no wonder that you cannot fathom it in someone else. There are plenty of people around you - inside the church and outside the church - that want to remind you of who you used to be. The memories of your past mistakes - sometimes real recent ones and sometimes ones from long ago - will creep back up and haunt you. They will try to tell you that you are not changed as quickly as any person will. The enemy wants you trapped by your “old-self” and the past mistakes you have made. Jesus declares that you are NEW. Jesus gives us a new identity… a TRUER and DEEPER identity. It is time for the people of God to take Jesus at his word when he tells us that he is making us new creations… giving us new hearts… and raising us into newness of life. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6:4, Ezek. 36:36, etc.) Barnabas believed in Saul. Barnabas welcomed him in to the community of faith in Jerusalem. Barnabas believed in Jesus and believed in Saul because he saw Jesus in him. We need to be reminding one another of our new identity in Christ. We need to be telling one another of the ways that we see Jesus working in each other. We all need someone who believes in us. What we DON’T need is someone telling us that we are not a new creation, that we are defined by our mistakes, or that we have not been transformed but carry around with us our “same old self” as before Jesus! Do you have a “Barnabas”? If not, Ask God for one. Can you be a “Barnabas” for someone else? Reach out to them today. The Devil is deathly afraid of the people of God coming to grips with our true identity in Jesus! Love you guys. - JDP