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God Saves Those We Don't Expect
Russell Moore had a good post back in January called "The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now" about how God saved those we don't expect. This is DEFINITELY the case with Paul - who knew this persecutor would become the man that wrote so much of the New Testament? Moore talks about a lot of famous theologians, evangelists, etc. so if you don't know everyone he mentions, don't sweat it. Here's an excerpt:
"Who knew that Saul of Tarsus was to be the great apostle to the Gentiles?” he asked us. “Who knew that God would raise up a C.S. Lewis, a Charles Colson? They were unbelievers who, once saved by the grace of God, were mighty warriors for the faith.”
The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now.
But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn’t just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus’ promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).
After all, while Phillip was leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, Saul of Tarsus was still a murderer...
...Whenever I’m tempted to despair about the shape of American Christianity, I’m reminded that Jesus never promised the triumph of the American church; he promised the triumph of the church. Most of the church, in heaven and on earth, isn’t American. Maybe the hope of the American church is right now in Nigeria or Laos or Indonesia.
Jesus will be King, and his church will flourish. And he’ll do it in the way he chooses, by exalting the humble and humbling the exalted, and by transforming cowards and thieves and murderers into the cornerstones of his New City.
So relax.
And, be kind to that atheist in front of you on the highway, the one who just shot you an obscene gesture. He might be the one who evangelizes your grandchildren." [1]
This is a great reminder that God often saves people that we don't expect. In fact, I am one of them. I came to know Jesus in High School, but if you were to ask friends and other people that knew me even weeks before I came to know Jesus, they would have probably told you it would never happen. God saves people that seem unchangeable and unsaveable.
So - maybe you have a person like that in your life. The person incredibly antagonistic toward Christianity and "religion". Keep praying for that person. Keep sharing. Keep caring for them. God can redeem anyone, just as he did Saul - the most unlikely convert.
God Saves Those We Don't Expect
Russell Moore had a good post back in January called "The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now" about how God saved those we don't expect. This is DEFINITELY the case with Paul - who knew this persecutor would become the man that wrote so much of the New Testament? Moore talks about a lot of famous theologians, evangelists, etc. so if you don't know everyone he mentions, don't sweat it. Here's an excerpt:
"Who knew that Saul of Tarsus was to be the great apostle to the Gentiles?” he asked us. “Who knew that God would raise up a C.S. Lewis, a Charles Colson? They were unbelievers who, once saved by the grace of God, were mighty warriors for the faith.”
The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now.
But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn’t just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus’ promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).
After all, while Phillip was leading the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ, Saul of Tarsus was still a murderer...
...Whenever I’m tempted to despair about the shape of American Christianity, I’m reminded that Jesus never promised the triumph of the American church; he promised the triumph of the church. Most of the church, in heaven and on earth, isn’t American. Maybe the hope of the American church is right now in Nigeria or Laos or Indonesia.
Jesus will be King, and his church will flourish. And he’ll do it in the way he chooses, by exalting the humble and humbling the exalted, and by transforming cowards and thieves and murderers into the cornerstones of his New City.
So relax.
And, be kind to that atheist in front of you on the highway, the one who just shot you an obscene gesture. He might be the one who evangelizes your grandchildren." [1]
This is a great reminder that God often saves people that we don't expect. In fact, I am one of them. I came to know Jesus in High School, but if you were to ask friends and other people that knew me even weeks before I came to know Jesus, they would have probably told you it would never happen. God saves people that seem unchangeable and unsaveable.
So - maybe you have a person like that in your life. The person incredibly antagonistic toward Christianity and "religion". Keep praying for that person. Keep sharing. Keep caring for them. God can redeem anyone, just as he did Saul - the most unlikely convert.
[1] http://www.russellmoore.com/2012/01/02/the-next-billy-graham-might-be-drunk-right-now/. Accessed 7-7-12.
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