Read with me about the conversion of Paul:
"Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:12-18).
How wonderfully are the purposes of God here laid out before us! And what a magnificent type of the believer’s commencement and progression into a true walk with God. We have here Saul, soon to be Paul, who has been overpowered by the glory of God. Like any natural reaction, he was thrown to the ground. He finds himself stirring in the presence of God, overwhelmed that Jesus is indeed “Lord” and Messiah. It was here, in the glory, that he heard the voice of Jesus instructing him. And what was Jesus instructing him to do? His words were “rise, and stand upon thy feet”! Revealing that it’s not the Lord’s will for us to merely experience Him, but to also rise up in that same power and take His atmosphere of glory to a needy and comfortless earth: “For I have appeared unto thee for this purpose…” And thus we have the purpose of God’s glory revealed, “to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee…” And what for? “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
We see the prophet Isaiah proclaiming the same truth: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; BECAUSE the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified" (Isa 61:1-3; Lk 4:18).
We see the Psalmist say this too: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee" (Ps 67:1-3).
Dear friends, I know that it's popular in our modern Charismatic experience, but the Biblical pattern is not to simply receive God's glory, and lounge around aimlessly (Acts 10:38; Isa 11:1-5; 42:1-4; Jn 10:36-38; 3:34). Rather, we are to receive it, grow up, and carry His glory to a desperate and needy people! Far too many believers are caught up in selfishly receiving the presence of God for themselves, rather than taking heed to the Scriptural admonition: "rise and stand upon thy feet..." Paul could have laid there on the ground, laughing all day, enveloped by the glorious presence around him.. but he did not. Rather, he took heed to the Word of the Lord that spoke to him. And so should we.
Let us ask ourselves, are we content with the blessings of His glory, or are we hungry enough to please Him that we press into the purposes of His glory? Are we content to just roll around in the Pentecostal experience, or are we captivated enough to let Him have His way in us? Let us not ever confuse “times of refreshing… from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19) with His appearance unto purpose (Acts 26:16). For while these “refreshings and refillings” are vital to us all, they are not the purpose of our walk with God. They are an effect of our proper walk with God, meant to propel us deeper and fuel us towards His great culmination. How many have confused this aspect of Christianity? How many are satisfied with Passover, when all the while the Lord has been wooing them towards Pentecost? And yet, how many are content with Pentecost, when God’s best is Tabernacles? What a vast sea of believers who are stuck in the rut of Charismatic experience, with no idea as to the purpose of such experiences! Are we to simply be a recipient of glory? Or rather, a channel of glory? I think we both know the answer; the greater includes the lesser. How badly we need to consult the whole counsel of Scripture, for therein is our real purpose revealed. We need, as Paul did, to hear the voice from heaven declaring the motives and desires of our Lord’s heart!
Are we listening?
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