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“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord…” (Acts 9:1).
“And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias…and the Lord said unto him, Arise…and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth” (Acts 9:10-11).
The conversion of Saul of Tarsus is one of the most remarkable events in the Bible. As a young man he was the strongest opposer of Christianity. He had stood calmly by when Stephen was stoned, and he wanted to stamp out the name of Jesus Christ, if he could. He was even going to Damascus, to a foreign country (Syria), to arrest Christians. But then the Lord saved him, and he became the Apostle Paul.
Someone has remarked that when Satan arranged to stone one of the brightest lights in the early church (Stephen), God’s grace picked out the very worst one responsible, and then made him an even greater servant of God than Stephen. Conversions today are not accompanied by a light from heaven, but every time someone is saved, it is a miracle of God’s grace.
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