By Paul Baxley, Executive Coordinator of CBF, Decatur, GA
“But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel.”
– Acts 9:15, NRSV
The Apostle Paul was a compelling preacher, a natural entrepreneur who though not a theologian by profession, usedentrepreneurial methods to carry out his missionary work of starting congregations and mentoring church leaders. He was a visionary who imagined that the Christian community would be daringly and equitably inclusive of people who spoke many languages, came from different religious backgrounds, and had very different racial and ethnic identities. He was bold enough to stand up to political authorities and theological adversaries.
But none of that was true or evident when the Risen Jesus first overtook Paul on the Damascus Road. In that confrontation, Paul (then known as Saul) was overwhelmed, blinded and weakened. That moment was much more a divine confrontation than it was a disclosure of Call. Before Acts 9 is over, we know that Paul will be an “instrument to bring Christ’s name before Gentiles, kings and the people of Israel.” But we only know that because Jesus told Ananias, not because Saul heard anything. All Saul knows in those initial moments is that he must get to Damascus and then he’ll be told what to do next.
The beginning of Saul’s journey with Christ is not confidence and assurance. It is confrontation and vulnerability. Jesus confronts Saul with his history of persecution and that history must be dealt with honestly. Saul is blinded and weakened, and he cannot get anywhere on his own, but instead must humbly receive the guidance of others.
The first steps in any of our journeys toward participating in Christ’s vision of just and beautiful Christian community never promised certainty. For those of us who are white and have a history of benefitting from supremacy and privilege, there is first a dizzying confrontation with things to which we have far too long been blind. Then there is a need to follow the leadership of others as we take our steps toward the new world God is making. Christ will send others to take us by hand, to show us what we’ve not known before, and give us opportunities to grow. Then, by God’s grace, we find ways to be agents through whom God’s new creation comes to life.
Reflection: Who are the people Christ has sent to lead you toward his vision of a just and beautiful Christian community?
Prayer: Lord, open our eyes this Lent to the ways you are calling us to join you in making a world where there are no longer strangers and sojourners, where there is no longer domination and fear based on difference, but instead where all of us flourish together in your peace and justice.
This passage is originally found in the 2026 Emmanuel McCall Lenten Devotional series, prepared by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship family and friends. Register to receive the daily devotional here.
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