Like can you just imagine being a young man so zealous to serve God that you decide to make it your life’s mission to destroy the legacy of a dead blasphemer and every one of his heretic followers, terrorizing them to the last man and woman, and then they have the gall to carry on in the towns you drove them to, so you vow to bring your witch hunt all over the world if that’s what needs to happen, and then on the way you’re suddenly surrounded with light brighter than the sun, and at the centre of that light is a Man, and He calls you by name, and you just know that He has the power to eviscerate you to ash, “Who are You Lord?” and then the living nuclear explosion tells you that He is the very one you have vehemently despised as a blasphemer, a dead one at that, but He’s not dead, He’s very much standing in front of you and He can only be the Son of God Himself, and you have killed and imprisoned and uprooted so many of His disciples, what will He do to you??? What awful divine vengeance will God wreak on the foremost of sinners, His enemy? He simply says, “Stop resisting Me, get up, I will tell you what to do.” So you get up, struck stone blind and wondering what awful punishment awaits you, and you fast as you wait to see what Jesus, whom you have been persecuting, whose sheep you have been slaughtering, will do. And then?? One of those sheep you were on your way to slaughter comes to you! He prays for you in the name of Jesus Christ, he lays his hands on you and prays for your eyes to be opened, and they are!! What words could possibly come out of your mouth next but “baptize me”? What other response could you have to such love, mercy, forgiveness, hope, grace? That the chief of sinners would be met by the One he fought against as his bitterest enemy, not with reciprocated hatred and revenge, but love brighter than the sun and bigger than the universe, and the desire to redeem him, reward him, use him for God’s kingdom, so that the eyes of many could be likewise opened? Oh my goodness
Johnny Cash (yes that one) wrote a short novel about St. Paul once, The Man In White. Describes this moment from his perspective very well, y'all should read it.
Just wanna ask of anyone to also please pray for the people in Iran. Me, and many other fellow Persians have family in Iran who are currently facing one of the biggest revolution in decades. All we want is to get our country back. For years the citizens of Iran have suffered through unjustified killings and torture under this regime. The media hasn’t been covering this so I hope this gets to at least a few people. #freeIran
