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Pastor Dan Eddy

Acts 9:1-31

The Challenges of Change

4-18-10

 

I.             Introduction

 

When I was 12 years old, I was in sixth grade at St. John Lutheran School in Beloit, WI. It is a K through 8th grade parochial school, which I had attended since Kindergarten. For seven years I had virtually the same 15-20 classmates.

 

However, one day my parents informed me that I would not attending 7th and 8th grade at St. John’s. They were transferring me to a public school. I would be going from an elementary school that had maybe 120-150 students to a 7th and 8th grade Junior High with well over 500.

 

This change did not sit well with me. I was not used to change like this. My parents had nothing against getting a Christian education, but they felt the public school offered elective courses like shop class, not available at St. John’s.

 

But all I kept thinking is how much I would miss my friends, and how much of a culture shock it would be. Some of my St. John classmates, like Randy Zirpel, even predicted I would get beat up often and would not survive. The fear and difficulties I would face cause much stress in my young life. It was my first big challenge to change.

 

Think of a time in your life when you went through a very stressful change. What were you feeling? What anxieties did you have? What challenges did you face? How did the Lord Jesus help you accept change?

 

In this morning’s text from Acts 9, all the characters in this true story were challenged by change.

 

(Point to head graph) For us, benefitting from the challenges of change involves a growing faith in Christ Jesus, individually and congregationally. And it includes three specific things. 

 

 

II.           Accepting the unknown

 

(Put up graphic #1) First it involves accepting the unknown. In other words, you trust that God has your best interests at heart even if you don’t know what the future holds. The problem in accepting the unknown is fear, as in being afraid. 

 

Fear is all over Acts 9.

 

First, the believers in Jesus were afraid of Saul. Sometime after Jesus crucifixion it is believed the Roman Empire granted the Jewish Sanhedrin religious council permission to arrest and kill Christians. They delegated the execution to do that to Saul.

 

And he needed to stop the believers in Damascus, which at that time was the international crossroads of the world. If the Church succeeded there then it would spread to the four corners of the earth.

 

So the Lord Jesus stopped Saul by literally kicking him to the ground.

 

Today, Saul would be a rough equivalent to Osama Bin Laden. Can you imagine if tomorrow the press reported that Bin Laden was now a believer in Jesus Christ and was going to cease plotting to terrorize and kill people, and became a Christian missionary? How many of us would buy it? Even in a direct vision from God, it was hard for Ananias, at first, to accept Saul as a Christian without being afraid.

 

Even after Saul’s conversion, the disciples in Jerusalem were fearful and refused to meet with him after he tried repeatedly.

 

But did you notice what eliminated the fear each and every time? (Pause) Accepting God’s Word.

 

For example, after Ananias heard the Lord speak, the fear was gone so he could go and speak God’s Word to Saul to heal him of blindness then baptize him, affirming Saul’s conversion. Ananias’ acceptance of the unknown by trusting in Jesus was demonstrated when he called Saul his brother in Christ.

 

And Barnabas, speaking God’s Word, calmed the fear of the disciples in Jerusalem. Barnabas did this when he recounted the Lord Jesus’ miraculous conversion of Saul. And they demonstrated their acceptance of the unknown by trusting in Jesus, when they showed Saul was their brother by helping him escape from death threats.

 

Trusting God’s Word eliminates fear and helps us accept the unknown. Jesus knows your future, and knows with faith in Him you will be fine.

 

Matthew 11:28 (ESV), Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

 

Jesus took the ultimate fear…the fear of death away with His death on the cross, and resurrection to life. Eternal life in Him gives us calm and rest in the unknown of the afterlife.

 

And in the here and now, Christ makes the unknown known to us in His timing, when He thinks we’re ready.

 

In our congregational and personal lives, there will always be things we are tempted to be afraid of, always unknown factors no matter how much we plan, and always unexpected things that will happen. The key is to look to God’s Word for guidance and wisdom, to be calmed, to see the unknown as an opportunity to trust Him and for Him to show His power and love to you and me.

 

Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV), Jesus said: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

 

 

III. Dealing with difficulties and discomforts 

 

(Put up graphic #2) Second, benefitting from challenges of change involves a growing faith in Christ Jesus, individually and congregationally by dealing with difficulties and discomforts. In other words, seeing present conflicts as opportunities to grow in the faith.

 

Paul dealt with all sorts of difficulties and discomforts after Christ Jesus converted his heart.

 

First, he had the difficulty of blindness. Paul was raised up from the ground, led by others. Imagine if all of sudden you couldn’t see. You couldn’t drive, read, walk on your own, even eating would be difficult. Difficulties and discomforts humble us.

 

As a result of Saul’s humility, he realized the old days of rounding of Jesus’ disciples and killing them were done. His days of working with the Sanhedrin were over.  Difficulties and discomforts bring us to repentance. It certainly did for Saul. He was being led on a new path.

 

He was “stilled” to learn more about our Lord and Savior from the disciples in Damascus, Even though he was an educated man, Saul still needed to learn the new way, follow this new path.

 

Learning is not always fun; it is often difficult. Challenges for a stronger faith involve discomfort, but they focus our attention back to God. And in the weakest points of his ministry, Paul admitted his faith was the strongest.

 

That’s what the making of a disciple is all about. It doesn’t just involve baptism. It involves learning. A disciple isn’t just one of the 12 Apostles.  A disciple is more than merely a follower. A disciple is not just a believer, but a student. It’s one who believes in what he says, and lives what he learns. It’s not just done in the classroom; it’s done by living life.

 

You are His disciple. How well are you being made? How well are you experiencing difficulties? How well are you dealing with physical, mental, and spiritual discomforts?

 

Jesus knows your discomforts. Growing up, Jesus learned like we learned, grew like we grew, experience pain like we do. He’s experienced difficulties and discomforts right up to the cross, right into the grave. And He experienced those as a perfect human being. His difficulties and discomforts came from living in a sin-fallen world.

 

So with Him in your heart He understands and has experienced your difficulties and discomforts. Matthew 8:17 (ESV): “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

 

Did you note in the text what Jesus said to Saul, “Why do you persecute me?” Not “Why do you persecute them?” Jesus does not separate Himself from His disciples. If you are being hurt, He is too.

 

A faith that does not experience difficulties and discomforts is not one that generally grows. My wife and I are seeing that right now in our marriage as she and her siblings work through the issues with my mother-in-law’s health and care.

 

You may be experiencing this as you deal with your own family, finances or health.

 

We experience this as a congregation when we wrestle with God’s Word in Bible study, believing it really is God’s revelation, and then learning how to faithfully apply it to controversial issues of the day, to our personal life, and to our vision for the future of this congregation as we reach out to care for the un-churched in our communities. 

 

Romans 5: 3-5 (ESV) Paul said: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

 

We see conflicts, difficulties, and discomforts as opportunities for a growing ministry.

 

 

IV. Enjoying our Blessings

 

Put up graphic #3) Finally, benefitting from challenges of change involves enjoying our blessings from God that come when we successfully accept the unknown and deal with the difficulties and discomforts.

 

In other words, God rewards us to experience joy and success today, not just in the life to come. 

 

The key is contentment, and not putting expectations on how God should give us success.

 

For example in the text, Paul may have had an unrealistic expectation that the Holy Spirit was going to use him to reach out to the Jews who were his allies against the Christians. He soon found out that they rejected him in Damascus and Jerusalem and wanted him dead, just like the other Christians.

 

However in the midst of defeat the Holy Spirit empowered Paul as verse 22 states. God granted him success, but not without failures along the way. That way when there was success Paul knew where it came from.

 

The short-term success of Christ converting Saul was peace in the church for the moment. The long-term success of Paul’s conversion was the growth of the church both spiritually and numerically.

 

Success comes along side of accepting the unknown and dealing with difficulties and discomforts. We find joy in Christ as we grieve our losses.

 

That’s what it means to be content. Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV) Paul wrote the following from prison: ”I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

 

Today we dine on the success of the Cross by consuming Christ’s real body and true blood, celebrating the life we have today and forever, celebrating the forgiveness we are given when we confess to giving into our fears, to fighting the opportunities to grow our faith, and to exhibiting a discontentment of His blessings.

 

Remember John’s words to Peter in our Gospel reading, “It’s the Lord” He’s the One who does the converting of the hearts. He’s the One who saves people from death. He’s the One who gives faith, but the Lord Jesus lets us share in His victories.

 

Please remember that every time we gain or lose members…gain or lose volunteers to board and committees…gain or lose dollars in the plate. We rejoice in the Lord always as Paul wrote.

 

But remember the promise of Proverbs 16:3 (NIV) “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed.”

 

 

V. Conclusion –

 

Well the Lord helped me handle the challenges of change switching from a small private school to a big public school. I was not beat up. I made many new friends, and I kept attending St. John’s for worship and confirmation. My grades improved, and my parent’s wisdom shined ever more brightly as I grew up stronger in my faith in so many ways.

 

But not without accepting the unknown, dealing with difficulties and discomforts, and praising God for all the blessings that came with that.

 

The Lord bless you with the challenges of change we face here and in your daily lives. Amen.