Extra Ordinary Series - Changed on the Way

Change Is Always on the Way

How do you find change? Some people love transition — a new job, a new season, a new moment. Others resist it entirely. I saw it recently on holiday: three girls got on a plane with no makeup, plain clothes — and by the time they landed, they looked like completely different people. Change was on the way.

On that same holiday, I went out on a boat with friends on the calmest water you can imagine — the Mediterranean Sea. I'd even taken anti-sickness tablets because of past bad experiences on choppy water. But about half an hour in, I suddenly felt queasy. Despite the calm conditions, I became violently sick over the side of the boat.

My friends were kind — and full of banter. One suggested I could just swim back to shore since we could see the hotel. I was in such disarray I didn't even care about sunburn. I just lay there for an extra hour. But as we got closer to shore, the skipper said, "I'll get you a hundred meters away, and I reckon you can swim that." I hadn't swum a hundred meters in years. But with some encouragement — and a plastic bag that turned out useless once it got soaked — I swam.

It was only when my feet touched the sand that I found my footing again, in every sense. It was the same destination we'd set out for, but there had been a change on the way.

Saul's Sudden Change

We're all going somewhere. We all have a destination we're ultimately heading toward — but there's change on the way. Saul was on his way to Damascus for one purpose, but everything shifted through an encounter with Jesus.

Jesus was pursuing Saul even as Saul was doing everything he could to destroy those who followed the Way. Scripture says:

"Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him." (Acts 9:3)

I love that word suddenly. So often life is steady — but suddenly, everything changes. I want to encourage someone today: your suddenly could be closer than you think. Keep praying. Keep believing. It's the same kind of suddenly that brought the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, that opened prison doors in Acts 16, that cut off the water in Joshua 3. One suddenly can change everything.```

Saul was nearing Damascus — almost there — when something shifted. He was so convinced of his own purpose that he had lost sight, literally, in that moment, because Jesus wanted him to see properly. Some of us get so close to where we think we're going, so certain of our direction, when suddenly everything changes and we see differently.

No One Is Beyond His Reach

Sometimes I wonder whether God chose Saul specifically so that everyone would know: if he can be changed, anyone can be saved. Have you ever thought, "I'm too far gone"? I have friends who joke, "If I walk into church, I'll be set on fire." I tell them: yes — by the Holy Spirit. But there's a real fear behind that joke, isn't there? A fear of being too far gone.　　

Saul was breathing out murderous threats. He had encouraged the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr. He was the most feared enemy of the followers of the Way. He hated Jesus. But Jesus knows how to get our attention — sometimes gently, sometimes by humbling us completely.

Reminded of Our Identity

When Jesus speaks to Saul, He doesn't just humble him — He reminds him who he is:

"Saul, Saul..."

We see this pattern throughout Scripture — Abraham, Abraham. Moses, Moses. Martha, Martha. Sometimes before God changes our direction, He reminds us of our identity first.

Saul eventually became known as Paul — but in truth, he'd always been Paul. He just wasn't yet living up to that calling. I wonder if that's true for some of us — wearing the mask of another identity, when there's another person the Lord has called us to be.

Jesus asks Saul, "Why do you persecute me?" — not "my people." He is so united with His church that anything the church suffers, He suffers with it. He identifies completely with us.

The very road Saul thought he was traveling to destroy the church became the road that changed the church forever — through the man who became the greatest missionary and wrote most of the New Testament.

An Encounter That Changes Everything

Saul asks, "Who are you, Lord?" And Jesus answers, "I am Jesus." The man Saul thought was dead was alive. Later, before King Agrippa, Paul recounts seeing the risen Christ just as the other witnesses had in the forty days after the resurrection.

Once you've had a genuine encounter with Jesus, everything changes — your whole perspective shifts. Paul later describes it this way:

"At midday I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun."

That's the brightness of the light of Jesus — a light that dispels all darkness. He has been with us from the very beginning, and His light still illuminates our lives today.

Ananias: Called to Go

Once Saul is blinded, he's led by the hand into Damascus. Meanwhile, Jesus speaks to a man named Ananias. I love Ananias's response: "Are you sure, Lord? Are you sure that's who you want me to see?"

Think of your own worst-case scenario — the person you'd least want to go and talk to about Jesus. That politician you want nothing to do with. That difficult neighbor. That person who's wronged you deeply. Jesus simply says: go.

We may not all have a Damascus Road experience. We may well be humbled along the way — I know that's been part of my own story, having an identity built on rugby and other things stripped away because God wants to remove what isn't for Him.

So often obedience starts with a lack of understanding. That's faith. That's trust. We step out and risk before we see the full picture.

Belonging Before Believing

Ananias goes to Saul and calls him "Brother Saul." In that single word, he says: you belong here. You're part of the family now. Even though Saul thought he was too far gone, Ananias welcomes him in.

Some of us need to get better at welcoming others in before we see total life transformation. That's why we say belong before you believe — because we want to be a place where anyone can come, ask questions, be curious, and discover what life is ultimately about.

Ananias recognizes a new identity in Saul before any performance has earned it. That's what grace does — grace sees something on you before there's transformation in you. That's exactly what Jesus did for us: He came to us, lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and took our shame and guilt so that we might have access to the Father.

Freedom, Purpose, and Hope

Jesus brings freedom from our past — even from as recently as an hour ago. Bring it to Him again today. He brings fresh purpose to our present: to be like Ananias, recognizing potential in others, going where He asks us to go, encouraging and welcoming people in. And He brings hope for the future, because ultimately we are all coming home into the Father's arms.

Remember that boat story? I eventually made it to the beach — just in a very different condition than I'd expected. I was still struggling, the sand was scorching, and people had to help me up. That's often the picture of people coming to faith: desperate, struggling, needing others around them.

A Modern Story of Transformation

In the 1960s, a young man named Thomas Tarrants was one of the most violent white supremacists in America, involved with the KKK in horrendous acts of racial violence. While in prison, someone gave him a Bible. In his cell, he encountered Jesus — and he went on to a life of ministry, leading people to Christ. To this day, he still meets weekly with the very prison guard who gave him that Bible, to pray together.

No one remembers the name of the person who invited Billy Graham to the meeting where he first heard about Jesus. It doesn't matter if our names are remembered here on earth — what matters is that they're written in heaven. Who can we be that person for this week?

No One Is Beyond His Reach

The person you've given up on — Jesus is still pursuing them, even if you're not. The person you've stopped praying for — go again. Believe for your son, your daughter, your uncle, your aunt, your mother, your father, your friend. Believe for the one you've given up on.

Every one of us is on a journey somewhere. Some of us are chasing success when we need to be chasing peace. Some are chasing fame and affirmation when we need security and identity. Some of us think we can do life alone — but it's impossible to do life on your own, in the church or outside it.

Go with Jesus. Go with others. Be changed on the way.

Life is a series of being humbled — that was my experience on that boat, and it continues as we ask the Holy Spirit to strip away whatever holds us back from becoming more like Him. You are not too far gone. He pursues you. His light will illuminate your life again. And this morning, He says to us: go again.