Marching Orders — Jim Cymbala

Saul of Tarsus: The Persecutor Who Became an Apostle

The greatest Christian with the most influence in the history of the world after Christ died on the cross, resurrected, ascended to the right hand of the Father, who's the most influential Christian that ever lived, without doubt, a Jewish man named Saul from Tarsus, north of Israel.

He wrote a good part of the New Testament, and what's odd about him is what was he before he converted? A persecutor of the church. And to close this meeting, I just want you to notice his conversion.

And as he saw near Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground. I want you to notice where the quotation marks are, where Paul speaks and where Jesus speaks.

Jesus Identifies Himself With His Persecuted Church

He fell to the ground and he heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Was he persecuting Jesus or was he persecuting the church? When you persecute the church, you persecute Jesus, because the head is connected to the body.

Anyone who lifts their hand up against the hurt, the church is lifting their hand against Jesus Christ, because he identifies so with the body. Aren't you happy he identifies with us so much? So here's what Paul says.

What does he say? Read it out loud with me. Who are you, Lord Saul? Now quotation goes back. 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.

The Revelation That Jesus Is Alive

This is the conversion experience of the greatest Christian who ever lived. How did it happen? He had a revelation of Jesus. He had a revelation that Jesus was alive. You can't do anything for God unless you know that Jesus is alive.

He's risen from the dead. He's not a concept. He's not a thought in the Bible. He's the living Savior and he's alive. And Saul, this was a blow to Saul, because here he was persecuting everyone who was a Christian.

He obviously did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. He rejected that thought, thought it was blasphemous. And now he's some commentators and historians think he killed hundreds or thousands of Christians.

The Bible doesn't say that, but we just know this. He was wrecking havoc in the church. And now he got letters from Jerusalem and he was going up to Damascus and Syria to persecute more Christians. But he got a revelation that Jesus is alive.

We're going to be used by God. We have to know every day in a new way. He's alive. He's alive. We got to walk in the street. He's alive. We got to talk to him. God has spared David and Leah is not a widow now today because David was warned by the living Jesus not to go certain places where they were waiting for him.

He's alive because Jesus is alive. Jesus speaks. Jesus directs. So we need to remember that. That was the first thing God wanted Saul to know and wants us to know. He's not dead. He's alive. Christianity is not about going to church.

It's about a living Jesus who we can have a relationship with and talk to and all of that. But I want you to notice that the Bible says in the next passage that the group that was with Saul on the road to Damascus, they saw the light, but they didn't hear the voice.

When God’s Call Is Not Understood by Others

In other words, God was dealing with him and no one understood. And I want to say this for somebody. This is coming out of left field, but I want to say this to somebody today. Many times when God is dealing with you, the people near you do not know what's happening and it hurts you and you feel misunderstood and you can't explain it to them.

The Bible tells us that the people with Saul saw the light, but didn't hear the voice. In other words, God was doing a miracle in him and calling him and they didn't have a clue. So be encouraged today.

People might not know what you're going through, but God knows what you're going through. God, come on, let's put our hands together and say, man, God knows your hunger. God knows your heart. God knows what you have surrendered to him.

So that's an encouragement for all of us. But as many times people closest to us have no idea what God is saying and you can't share it with hardly anyone. But here's the point. The only thing Saul says in his conversion, at least this part, was, who are you, Lord?

Receiving and Following Christ’s Marching Orders

I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting. And then do you notice how quickly Jesus says this to him? Okay, now you know I'm alive. Go into the city and you'll be told what you're to do. I didn't save you for nothing.

I'm saving you for something. You got to get your marching orders now and go and do it for me. Speak it for me. Let me love through you. Touch the world. But notice how quickly we get to that. Jesus doesn't say, I know all you've been through and this and that.

Isn't it great? You're persecuting the church. No, he gets right to the chase. And this is what the chase is. Go into the city blind as a bat. It so happened until he got his sight three days later. And you will be told what you should do.

Not what you should do, what you must do. And I want to say to all the pastors that are here and the people that are here, the miraculous power that Paul experienced in his life was because from the very beginning he understood Christianity this way.

That's my master. I'm his servant. I used to hate him and work against him. And now I know he's alive. And now I will do whatever he tells me to do. Instant obedience. When he speaks, I will go. When he says stay, I will stay.

When he says be quiet, I won't say a word. But when he says risk your life, I will risk my life. But I'm gonna do what he tells me to do. And Jesus cut right to that quick. And a lot of us have made the center of our Christianity us and how we feel and what we're going through.

A New Surrender to Obey Jesus

And thank God he has mercy on us and he helps us. But I want to challenge you all today. Those of you who really want to be used by God, you got to get to a new surrender. Jesus, I know you're alive and I will do what you tell me to do.

But what if it goes wrong? I will do what you tell me to do. But what if it doesn't work? I will do what you tell me to do. I want to live in such fellowship with you that when you speak, I will do it.

In the drug store, on the subway, in the apartment building, in the school. I will call who you want me to call. I will pray over people you want me to pray. But you are Lord, I am your servant, and I will do what you want me to do.

That conversion changed the world. And if you read the book of Acts, all you find out is the working out of, I will do what he tells me to do. I want to live the rest of my life that way. I want the lightest prompting.

Obeying the Spirit’s Prompting

I said to Jesus just a few minutes ago as we were praying for Iran, Lord, somebody's supposed to pray now. But I don't know who to pray and I don't want to ruin the meeting. So whatever person approaches me while we're praying and taps me on the shoulder, I will hand the microphone to.

And out of nowhere, Pastor Burgos walks over to me and taps me on the shoulder, which he never does in the middle of a meeting, never has done on this platform ever. And he tells me something about going on across the street about you folks watching.

And I turned to him, he'll tell you. And I said, Jesus wants you to pray. And did he pray for Iran? Come on, did he pray for Iran? Did God anoint him to pray? How many want to do whatever Jesus wants us to do?

Come on, even a little thing like that, even a little thing like that, how many know he's alive? How many know he's still speaking and leading us? Close your eyes. Those who want to be used by God in a new dimension and want to do what he tells you to do.

Breaking Free From Churchianity

You want to break away from the box and churchianity and you want to get radical into I will do what he tells me to do. I'll do it tonight. I'll do it tomorrow by his grace. But I am not just going to go through the motions mechanically.

I'm going to live with a living Christ by my side with my ear open to him. He's my master. He's my Lord. And what he tells me to do, I will do. My best days on planet earth have been when I've been listening to do what he tells me to do.

My worst days in my life have been when my ears of my heart have been closed and I'm doing what I want to do. What a curse to do what you want to do after Jesus purchased you and he has an exciting plan for your life.

Calling Ministers to Come Forward

Now these people behind me, all of them, they got an ear to do, to listen and to do. Anybody here want to just come out and come up here and just stand right here in the front? Pastors? People feeling your call to the ministry?

Missionaries move forward pastors, deacons. In a second we're going to go down these steps. Oh there's a problem. How are we going to get to you God? Give us wisdom Jesus. Show us how we can pray for these people.

When they lay hands on you, here's what we're praying. Lord make them obedient servants. The anointing will come. The Holy Spirit power will come. I promise you it'll come. God will supply everything.

Are you kidding? You're going to do whatever he tells you to do and he's not going to help you? That's impossible. You mean we're going to obey his voice and do what he wants us to do and he won't help us and anoint us and strengthen us?

Prayer for Fresh Revelation and Obedience

No we're going to have a fresh surrender tonight. Congregation stand. Up in the balcony stand. We can't do this by ourselves. Prayer band people behind me and deacons and deaconesses make your way around and try to mingle with the people here in the front because I want the missionaries and the pastors to come right on the steps and start laying hands on these people.

Everybody in the building lift up your hands and begin to praise God. We're going to pray. We're going to lay hands on you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ who is alive, who wants to talk to you, wants to show you what to do.

Lord Jesus every day we pray that you'll give us a fresh revelation reminder that you are alive, that you talk, you lead, you listen. You are alive. You're risen from the dead. You're not a doctrine. You're not some faraway person.

You're as close as the mention of your name and you're alive. Give us an ear to hear what you're saying to us moment by moment, day by day. Save us from fanaticism but save us from deadness of spirit.

Speak your word into our hearts as we study it but then give us those little instructions, those little promptings and then God give us the grace to immediately obey every prompting that you give us and then we're counting that as we do that you are going to bless us with an anointing, with power, with supply, with grace, with love, everything we need because we're doing what you asked us to do.

How could you not help us if we do what you ask us to do? Help us to live close to you so we can be sent on many errands.