North Campus | David Shivers | The Greatest Conversion Ever

Devotional

Day 1: The Approval That Crumbles

Saul of Tarsus breathed threats against Christians. He dragged believers from homes, fueled by pride in his religious resume. Then Paul wrote: “Am I now trying to win human approval or God’s? If I were still pleasing people, I wouldn’t be Christ’s servant” (Galatians 1:10). The question split his old life like an axe through ice. Pleasing God meant abandoning the applause he’d chased since birth. [05:26]

Jesus confronts our addiction to others’ opinions. Paul’s story proves we can’t serve two masters—flattery dies when Christ claims us. The approval of crowds fades; God’s “well done” echoes forever.

Whose praise do you crave today—the shifting whispers of people or the steady voice of your Father? Write down one situation where you’ll choose to please God first.

“Am I now trying to win human approval or God’s? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
(Galatians 1:10, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to expose one relationship where you’ve prioritized human approval over obedience.
Challenge: Text a trusted friend: “Did I choose people-pleasing over integrity in any interaction today?”

Day 2: Interrupted by a “But God”

Saul rode toward Damascus, arrest warrants in hand. Sunlight flashed. He fell. A voice: “Why persecute me?” Blinded, Saul groped in darkness. Then came the pivot: “But God… called me by grace” (Galatians 1:15). Divine interruption shattered his self-made identity. Chains of religious performance broke as Christ renamed him. [11:45]

God still ambushes rebels. Jesus didn’t wait for Saul to repent—He crashed into his violence with mercy. Conversion begins not with our seeking, but God’s seizing. Grace invades before we bow.

Where is Jesus interrupting your routine? What Damascus Road might He be preparing—a crisis, a conversation, a quiet conviction?

“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me…”
(Galatians 1:15-16a, NIV)

Prayer: Confess areas you’ve resisted God’s interruptions. Ask for eyes to see His pursuing grace.
Challenge: Write “BUT GOD” on your mirror. Recall three times He redirected your life.

Day 3: Three Years in Arabia’s Silence

After Damascus, Paul didn’t sprint to preach. He vanished into Arabia’s deserts for three years. No crowds. No letters. Just raw encounters with the risen Christ. Solitude sanded his pride. Silence taught him dependence. When he emerged, his message burned with revelation, not secondhand religion. [17:14]

Jesus reshapes us in hidden places. Paul’s desert years forged unshakable identity: “The gospel I preached isn’t human in origin” (Galatians 1:11). Ministry flows from intimacy, not imitation.

When did you last withdraw to hear God’s voice without distraction? What false identities need desert winds to wither?

“I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus.”
(Galatians 1:17, NIV)

Prayer: Request 10 minutes of silence today. Listen for Christ’s voice without agenda.
Challenge: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Sit still—no phone, no tasks. Journal what stirs.

Day 4: New Name, New Hunger, New Path

Saul the Persecutor became Paul the Planter. His appetite shifted from destroying churches to planting them. He traded violence for vulnerability, arrogance for tears. The man who once arrested Christians now begged them: “Follow my example as I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). [20:51]

Conversion rewires desires. Paul’s story proves that encountering Jesus changes what we crave—from self-glory to God’s glory, from harming to healing.

What old hunger still nags? What new appetite is the Spirit stirring? Name one craving that needs replacing.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
(Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one destructive appetite. Ask for fresh hunger for the Spirit’s fruit.
Challenge: Replace 30 minutes of screen time today with Scripture reading.

Day 5: Zacchaeus in the Sycamore Shadows

Zacchaeus climbed a tree, curious but unseen. Jesus stopped. Looked up. “Come down. I’m staying at your house.” The crowd grumbled—a cheat turned host. But salvation crashed through that roof. Zacchaeus stood, transformed: “I give half to the poor. I repay fourfold” (Luke 19:8). [23:16]

Jesus still calls the hidden ones. Conversion isn’t a sermon punchline—it’s the tree climber becoming the table setter, the thief turned giver. Your story matters.

Who needs to hear how Jesus found you? When will you share your “before and after”?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for your conversion story. Ask for courage to share it this week.
Challenge: Write three sentences: “Before Christ… When I met Him… After He changed me…” Text them to someone.

Sermon Summary

Christ Jesus stands as the solid rock while all other ground keeps sinking, so the life that lasts must be built on him. Galatians 1 presses two questions into the soul: What is your purpose in life, and what are you living for. Paul sets the fork in the road in verse 10. The servant of Christ cannot live to please people. The text makes pleasing the Father the beginning of real change, the pivot where identity turns and peace returns when the head hits the pillow.

Paul then says the gospel he preaches did not start on earth. It is not invented, packaged, or polished by man. It came by revelation from Jesus Christ. Its origin is heaven and its power is transformation. Under pressure, Paul does not spin or posture. He shares his testimony. Tell them how Jesus met you, how he changed you, because a God-given gospel creates a God-made life.

The text names who Saul was. He persecuted the church intensely and tried to destroy it, rising fast in Judaism, zealous for the traditions of his fathers. Then comes the hinge of history. But God, who set him apart from birth and called him by grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in him for the sake of the nations. God interrupts. God draws. Jesus steps in. Kindness leads to repentance and purpose replaces rage.

After conversion Paul does not run to a committee. He goes to Arabia. He prays. He studies. He learns to be quiet with God. In time he seeks fellowship with Peter and James, then gets busy with the mission. The churches only hear the report. The man who tried to destroy the faith now preaches it, and God gets the praise. That is what grace does. It reshapes attitude toward worship and the body, it reorders appetites toward the Word and the fruit of the Spirit, and it realigns actions so the walk matches the talk.

Christianity demands conversion. Jesus still seeks and saves the lost. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come. Zacchaeus, Matthew, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, and a long line of witnesses say the same thing. Death to life. Darkness to light. So the questions return to the heart. What is the purpose. What is the life for. The chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, and the daily answer is simple enough to live on. Know Jesus more today, become like Jesus more today, and help somebody else meet him.

Key Takeaways

1. Pleasing God replaces pleasing people Pleasing the Father is where the turn happens. The servant of Christ cannot chase the approval of the crowd and keep a clean conscience. Identity settles and courage rises when the aim narrows to honoring God. Peace comes when the head hits the pillow under his smile. [05:08]
2. The gospel is revealed, not invented Revelation means the gospel’s source is heaven and its authority stands even when critics circle. A revealed gospel frees the believer to share a lived testimony rather than perform a slick presentation. Tell what Jesus did in you because God’s voice carries through changed lives. [07:09]
3. Conversion creates new attitude, appetites, actions Grace does not just adjust schedules. It remakes loves and loyalties. Over time worship becomes delight, Scripture becomes food, and the fruit of the Spirit becomes the normal aroma. Integrity grows as the walk lines up with the talk in ordinary choices. [19:26]
4. Every conversion is a but God story Set apart by grace and drawn by the Father, the sinner meets the Son and everything shifts. But God interrupts myopic living and turns it outward toward his mission. New creation is not self-improvement. It is Jesus revealed in a person for the sake of others. [11:16]
5. Purpose clarified by two questions Purpose and pursuit cannot be answered rightly until Jesus becomes Lord. Once converted, the daily aim sharpens. Know Christ, become like Christ, and help others know Christ. That direction brings ballast when everything else is sinking sand. [26:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Solid rock, sinking sand
[00:53] - Two questions that disturb
[03:26] - Galatians 1 and a conversion
[05:08] - Pleasing God or pleasing man
[07:09] - Gospel received by revelation
[09:19] - Before Christ, destroying the church
[11:16] - But God set apart by grace
[15:03] - After conversion, Arabia to Jerusalem
[19:26] - New attitude, appetites, actions
[22:08] - The necessity of conversion
[23:16] - New creation and roll call
[26:29] - What is your purpose
[27:54] - Invitation and response
[30:15] - Join this church family

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Galatians 1:10-17 (ESV)
10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

Observation Questions

In Galatians 1:10, Paul contrasts two motivations: pleasing people versus pleasing God. What specific actions or attitudes does he associate with being a "servant of Christ"?
How does Paul describe his life before encountering Christ (Galatians 1:13-14)? What details does he emphasize about his past?
After his conversion, what practical steps did Paul take (Galatians 1:16-17)? How did he prioritize his time and relationships?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul stress that the gospel he preached was “not man’s gospel” but came “through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12)? How does this distinction impact the authority and purpose of the gospel message?
Paul says God “set me apart before I was born” (Galatians 1:15). How does this idea of being chosen and called by grace shape a believer’s understanding of their identity and purpose?
The sermon highlights that conversion creates “new attitude, appetites, actions” ([19:26]). How do Paul’s post-conversion choices (e.g., going to Arabia, seeking fellowship) model this transformation?

Application Questions

Paul asks, “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” (Galatians 1:10). When have you felt pressured to prioritize others’ opinions over God’s truth? What practical step could help you refocus on pleasing Him this week?
The gospel is described as “revealed, not invented” ([07:09]). How could sharing your personal story of meeting Jesus—rather than relying on “slick presentations”—impact someone in your life?
After his conversion, Paul spent time alone with God in Arabia ([17:14]). What habits or rhythms help you cultivate intimacy with God? Is there a distraction you need to set aside to create space for prayer or Scripture?
The sermon states, “Every conversion is a but God story” ([11:16]). How has God interrupted your “myopic living” (self-focused priorities) and turned you toward His mission?
The two questions from the sermon are: What is your purpose? and What are you living for? ([26:29]). How would answering these honestly today clarify your daily choices or relationships?

Sermon Clips

40s

“Brothers and sisters, this is what the gospel is all about. It's death to life. It's darkness to life. It's transformation total and complete, and the list goes on and on and on. My question for you this morning is do you have a conversion story? Do you know exactly where you will spend eternity the moment this life here on earth is complete. Three simple questions as you consider your conversion. Who how was your life before Christ? When were you converted? How is your life after conversion? People long for this. They want this.”

32s

“Do you have an appetite for the things that honor the Lord, the holy spirit of God, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? These fruits of the spirit of Galatians chapter five, Are these the things that that mark your life and that are characteristic of my life and your life, and and then just your actions, the choices that we make on a day to day basis? A lot of times, we can talk a really big game, but then our walk doesn't match our talk.”

43s

“May I never and may you, brothers and sisters, may we be men and women who walk with God and whose are obedient and and who are submissive to the Holy Spirit? As that spirit changes our attitudes, our appetites, the things we hunger and thirst for, and our actions, the choices that we make every day. In closing, I wanna give you just a statement here. You cannot understand Christianity without coming to the grips with the reality coming to grips with the reality of conversion. Have you ever been converted? It's a simple straightforward question. Simple. It's straightforward.”

37s

“Saul of Tarsus just had to look inwardly. Before he changed his life, he changed his name, he changed his whole purpose and what Saul was living for. He had to look internally. And what he saw was not anything attractive. What he saw was selfishness, was anger, was rage, was sin and brokenness. That in all of his efforts to try to please God by destroying and bringing destruction upon the early church, God showed him he said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting? Jesus said, you're persecuting me.”

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North Campus | David Shivers | The Greatest Conversion Ever | Prestonwood Baptist Church