Galatians 1:23 (NLT):

All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!”

Have you ever had a complete change, or major reversal in your life?

Paul was known for fiercely persecuting Christians. He was a devout and passionate Pharisee. He saw the gospel of Christ as a threat to his religion and social order. It threatened his prestigious position and the power he wielded. 

All he wanted was to destroy the faith, but then he met Jesus.

This wasn’t a change in occupation, or an enlightened worldview. This wasn’t behavioral modification, or any other merely psychological or intellectual change. 

Paul was changed from the inside out. 

This is what Jesus does. He finds us as his enemy, and changes everything. He makes us new and gives us opportunity to join Him as the armies of Heaven march forward taking back what the enemy has stolen.

Jesus is leading us straight into the deepest, and darkest parts of the world, with an undestroyable faith.

Jesus, when talking with Peter about how He would build the church, put it this way:

18 Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven

Some have said that Jesus referred to Peter as the rock that the church would be built on. In fact, in Catholicism the papacy is supposedly traced back to Peter and his role as an Apostle. This however is not the case with this verse, and that idea is not found in this chapter. Instead, it’s in the faith that Peter displayed (which was a gift from God). 

Faith is the rock. No, not a flippant, or weak faith, but a “kicking in the gates of hell” kind of faith. The kind of faith that completely changes everything. 

But how, how can we have such transformative faith?

When Jesus changes people he doesn’t just add on top of old foundations. He doesn’t just repair broken things. He rips it all out and replaces it with His very own Spirit.

Saul of Tarsus couldn’t stop it from transforming others, and it totally transformed Paul. He held to his new faith to the point of death.

So what must we do?

Surrender. 

When the very Spirit of God that once hovered over the chaotic waters of the earth at the dawn of creation comes into your life and permeates every bit of your existence – undestroyable faith bursts forth. 

It changes you from the inside out, so you can be part of what God is doing. His kingdom coming. His will on earth. His church growing. It will be radical, and everyone will see and testify to how God has changed you, and how He is using you to change the world. 

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Peace be with you.