The Power and Potential of Transformed Lives

I recently attended the memorial service of a dear friend - Fred, who was a very faithful and godly brother in Christ. Fred was the type of guy who dedicated his life to sharing, teaching, and preaching God’s word, and he always exuded a special kind of warmth whenever you were in his presence, a kind of angelic-like warmth that reflected the light and love of Jesus Christ. It was good to hear his family sharing their memories during the service. Fred’s wife Sandra shared how when she first met her future husband at a party while they were in college, she learned that Fred was selling marijuana at the time. I was taken aback when I heard this - no way, not the Fred I knew! This revelation at Fred’s memorial service caused me to reflect on the grace of God and his power to transform a person’s life in truly amazing ways. I also thought of the radical conversion and transformation of two individuals - The Apostle Paul and St. Augustine.

The Apostle Paul

Most of us are familiar with the account of Saul/Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Saul (as he was known before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus) had actually went to see the high priest to obtain letters to enter synagogues in Damascus for the sole purpose of taking those who belonged to the Way (the term given to the early Christians) as prisoners back to Jerusalem (Acts 9: 1-2). 
 “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9: 3-6). The story goes on to tell us that after Saul got up from the ground, he had been blinded by the light and had to be led by the hand and was blind for three days. The transformed persecutor of Christians would become the most prolific writer of the New Testament and a central figure in the Christian faith.

St Augustine

St. Augustine was a 4th-century theologian recognized as a foundational Christian theologian and philosopher from North Africa (modern day Algeria). As a young man Augustine struggled with lust and sexual pleasures in light of the gospel and the call of Christ. He famously prayed:

“Give me chastity and self-control, but not yet.” While sitting in a garden in Milan in great distress, he began to bang his head and tear at his hair - it was at this moment that he heard the voice of a child saying, “Take it and read it, Take it and read it.” Believing this as a word from God, Augustine opened his Bible and read the very first words he saw: “Not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13: 13-14). Augustine knew that God was speaking to his heart directly and he immediately repented of his sins. He would later describe the experience: “It was as though my heart was filled with a light of confidence, and all the shadows of my doubts were swept away.” Augustine would go on to become one of the church fathers, and most influential theologian in the Christian faith.

God’s work of conversion and transformation of the lives of individuals - especially at times those who may seem the farthest away from Him, is strong evidence that God is real, and is in the business of redeeming his image bearers. May we surrender to his transformational work in our lives for his glory.

Denny Barnett