May 17, 2026 Service - "Encountering Jesus" - Week 6

May 17, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Blinded on Damascus Road

Saul gripped legal papers as he marched toward Damascus, breathing murderous threats. Sunlight baked the road when heaven’s light flashed. He collapsed, hearing his name twice: “Saul, Saul.” Dust coated his robes as Jesus asked why he persecuted Him. The man who hunted Christians now lay blinded, led by the hand like a child. [36:08]

Jesus didn’t wait for Saul to seek Him. He shattered Saul’s violent mission mid-stride. The persecutor’s certainty crumbled as physical blindness mirrored his spiritual condition. God often intervenes when we’re most confident in our own direction.

Where are you charging ahead without spiritual sight? What mission have you assumed is “holy” without consulting Christ?

“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way that he found there.”
(Acts 9:1-2, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal any hostility or resistance hidden beneath your religious activity.
Challenge: Write down one area where you’ve felt “certain” without seeking Christ’s guidance.

Day 2: Interrupted by Heaven’s Light

The Damascus road still burned in Saul’s memory—how glory light outshone the sun, how the voice named his violence as an attack on Christ Himself. For three days, darkness pressed as Saul fasted, scales crusting his eyes. Jesus didn’t debate theology; He claimed ownership: “I am Jesus, the one you’re persecuting.” [43:53]

Christ’s interruption wasn’t punishment but rescue. He loved Saul too much to let him keep destroying himself and others. Divine disruptions often protect us from paths that seem right but lead to death.

When has God rerouted your plans? What current trajectory might need His loving intervention?

“As he was approaching Damascus on his mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’”
(Acts 9:3-4, NLT)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for past interruptions that saved you. Ask for grace to welcome His redirection today.
Challenge: Set a phone reminder at 3:00 PM to pause and ask, “Jesus, are you interrupting anything I’m doing?”

Day 3: Scales Fell in Straight Street

Ananias trembled at God’s command: “Go to Straight Street.” The disciple’s knuckles hovered at Judas’ door, fearing Saul’s reputation. Yet he obeyed, calling his enemy “Brother.” Hands laid on Saul, scales fell like shattered pottery. Water baptized the persecutor as Ananias’ courage healed them both. [52:58]

God uses imperfect people to mediate His grace. Ananias didn’t argue theology—he embodied Christ’s forgiveness. Our obedience to love difficult people can become someone’s Damascus Road encounter.

Who has God placed in your path that needs courageous kindness?

“The Lord said to him, ‘Go over to Straight Street…ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul…he is praying to me right now.’…Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus…has sent me.’”
(Acts 9:11,17, NLT)

Prayer: Confess any reluctance to engage someone God is prompting you to bless.
Challenge: Text or call one person you’ve avoided, offering specific encouragement.

Day 4: From Fasting to Feast

Blind Saul ate nothing for three days, his stomach growling as he prayed in Judas’ house. After Ananias’ visit, he devoured bread and drank deeply, strength returning. The man who came to destroy believers now broke bread with them, his baptismal waters still damp on tunic shoulders. [34:22]

Nourishment followed surrender. Saul’s first acts as a Christian—eating, drinking, staying with disciples—were ordinary yet revolutionary. Christ often transforms through daily obedience in community.

What practical step (eating, resting, serving) might God use to strengthen your spiritual sight?

“Instantly…Saul…regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.”
(Acts 9:18-19, NLT)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to show you one tangible act of surrender today.
Challenge: Share a meal with a fellow believer this week, discussing how Christ interrupted your life.

Day 5: Persecutor Became Proclaimer

Saul stood in Damascus synagogues, the same spaces where arrest warrants once circulated. Now his voice declared, “He is the Son of God!” Listeners rubbed their ears—this was the terrorist who’d dragged away their friends. Yet transformed Saul preached with such power that opponents couldn’t refute him. [58:13]

Conversion births commission. Jesus didn’t just save Saul from hell; He enlisted him in heaven’s mission. Our testimonies—especially of radical grace—carry unique authority to astonish skeptics.

Whose surprise at God’s work in you could become an opening for the gospel?

“Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is indeed the Son of God!’”
(Acts 9:19-20, NLT)

Prayer: Ask boldness to share how Christ rerouted your life.
Challenge: Tell one person this week, “Let me tell you what Jesus interrupted in me.”

Sermon Summary

We gather around the story of Saul to see how Jesus meets people where they are and changes the whole course of their lives. We read of a man who knew scripture, who held authority, who breathed threats against the followers of Jesus, and who thought he had everything figured out. We watch Jesus interrupt that certainty with a light from heaven and a direct question that collapses Saul’s mission into a moment of reckoning. We see physical blindness become a sign of spiritual sight as scales fall from his eyes, and we see a community step in to restore him, name him brother, and send him into ministry. We notice key patterns: resistance looks like religious confidence and control; interruption looks like divine grace that halts our plans; healing flows through the body of Christ; conversion reassigns purpose so that former enemies now proclaim the Messiah. We affirm that no one stands outside the reach of grace, because Jesus identifies with his people and responds when they suffer. We confess that we too harbor pockets of resistance, cling to control, and sometimes want the gifts of God without the cost of community. We commit to welcome interruptions that correct and protect us. We commit to receive healing through confession, prayer, and the hands of others. We accept that encounters with the risen Christ not only forgive and free, they give specific mission and voice so that transformed lives become instruments of the gospel. We leave ready to ask where Jesus might meet us on our road, where he needs to interrupt a pattern, and which people God wants to use to bring our restoration and commission.

Key Takeaways

1. examination asks where pride and control keep us from surrender and from receiving grace. Real repentance uproots the cover of competence and invites humility. [36:08]
Healing requires the body of Christ
Transformation rarely happens in isolation because God often heals through other believers who risk presence and prayer. The very people once endangered by Saul became the agents of his restoration and new life. Community that calls us brother and sister creates a safe field for confession, forgiveness, and growth. We should not pursue God’s gifts apart from the people he uses to deliver them.

Conversion becomes a clear commission
Encountering Jesus does not end in private comfort; it repurposes us for mission and witness. Saul moved immediately from persecutor to preacher because the risen Christ gave new direction and voice. Transformation will reorient our speech, priorities, and life mission toward proclaiming the Messiah. We must expect that grace will send us out to serve. [36:08]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:13] - Psalm 95 reading and call to worship
[15:05] - Prayer for worship and surrender
[25:03] - Testimony and recent encouragement
[29:24] - Introduction to Acts chapter 9
[31:26] - Saul meets Jesus on the road
[33:03] - Ananias called to minister
[34:22] - Saul healed and baptized
[51:13] - Transformation through community
[57:02] - Conversion becomes commission
[60:10] - Invitation and closing prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 9:1-22 (ESV)
(Read the full passage of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, his healing through Ananias, and his immediate proclamation of Jesus as the Messiah.)

Observation Questions

What physical and spiritual changes occurred in Saul after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus?
How did Ananias respond when God called him to help Saul, and what does his address of Saul as “brother” reveal about his perspective? [33:50]
What immediate action did Saul take after regaining his sight and being baptized?
According to the sermon, what are some subtle ways resistance to Jesus might show up in people’s lives today? [39:10]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus confronted Saul with the question, “Why are you persecuting me?” instead of focusing on Saul’s persecution of believers? [45:13]
How does Saul’s physical blindness symbolize the spiritual blindness he experienced despite his religious knowledge and authority? [38:21]
The sermon states, “Resistance can wear religious clothing.” How might religious confidence or busyness actually hinder someone from surrendering to Jesus? [36:08]
Why is community essential for healing and transformation, as seen in Saul’s story? [51:13]

Application Questions

Where in your life might Jesus be inviting you to welcome an interruption—a habit, plan, or mindset—that needs redirection? [50:14]
Resistance to Jesus can look like self-sufficiency or clinging to control. What is one area where you need to release control and trust God’s leading instead of relying on your own understanding? [42:25]
The sermon mentions that “healing requires the body of Christ.” Is there a step toward vulnerability or confession you’ve been avoiding in your community? How could you take that step this week? [56:25]
Saul’s conversion led directly to proclaiming Jesus. How has your encounter with Christ shaped your purpose or voice? What specific mission might God be calling you to embrace right now? [58:13]
Are there people or groups you’ve struggled to see as part of God’s family? How might God be asking you to extend grace or call them “brother” or “sister,” as Ananias did? [54:15]

Sermon Clips

32s

#InterruptedByJesus

“Saul thought that he had it. Saul thought that he had it all, but we see that Jesus intervened and interrupted. And what Jesus was doing was Jesus was not just pointing out some error in Saul's way or thinking, but Jesus was actually working to save his life, to save his soul in this interruption. So maybe the question this morning for you and for me is what is in your life that needs to be interrupted by Jesus?”

36s

#HealingInCommunity

“You see, we should never underestimate the power of God through the people of God. You see, because healing often happens in the context of community. Growth happens in the context of community. Encouragement happens in the context of community. Transformation takes place in the context of community. And I believe that some of us want Jesus. We want what he offers to us, but we continue avoiding the very people who God has put in our pathway to bring about transformation and healing.”

42s

#ConversionToCommission

“What we see is that Saul's conversion, it turned into his commission, and he was a mouthpiece for the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah. An encounter with Jesus changes your direction, and it gives new purpose, and we see that in Saul because the persecutor became the preacher. The one who was killing the church became the one who was standing before them proclaiming the Messiah. Saul's conversion became his commission. You see Jesus did not only save Saul from something, but he saved him for something to proclaim Jesus.”

48s

#GraceTurnsTables

“You know what's comical to me, and it's comical, it's interesting, fascinating, the very man who is laying hands on followers of Jesus is healed by a follower of Jesus when he laid his hands on him. Ain't that interesting? Ain't it interesting how God turns the tables? A man who was harming the people of God, who was laying hands on them, is now transformed by a follower of Jesus who laid his hands on him. The very community that Saul sought to kill was the very community that God then sent to bring healing to him.”

51s

#GiftsWithoutSurrender

“I wonder if resistance to Jesus sometimes looks like self sufficiency. I got this. I've got some great ideas. I I can handle all these things in life. I've got it all figured out. I'm in control. I wonder if resistance to Jesus sometimes looking like wanting God and the things and the gifts of God without surrender to God. I wonder if resistance to Jesus sometimes looks like knowing church things, knowing the lingo, knowing the bible stories, knowing the spiritual things of God, all the while keeping Jesus at arm's length.”

43s

#BlindToTheMessiah

“Saul thought he saw clearly, but when in reality he was blind to the very messiah that he had been reading about, The one that had been, memorized in his mind and in his heart. He was blind. You see if we are honest, if we're not careful, I think that we too can be the same way. I don't think resistance to Jesus is always loud or aggressive like Saul. It's not always out persecuting the church, but I wonder if resistance to Jesus sometimes looks like pride that embeds itself in our soul and in our minds and in our words.”

42s

#MissionInterruptedByJesus

“Saul believes that he is seen clearly. And what does Jesus do? He directs himself into Saul's pathway. He interrupts the mission that Saul is on. In verse three, the scriptures say that a light shone suddenly from heaven flashing around him. Saul falls to the ground and Jesus calls him personally by name. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Jesus clearly interrupts Saul's mission. He interrupts what Saul is doing.”

37s

#KnowledgeNotRelationship

“Saul knew the old testament. He knew the law. He knew the Psalms. He knew the words of God. He had the right answers. He knew the right way. But what we also know of Saul is that he was spiritually blind. He was spiritually blinded to Jesus. He knew the words, but he did not recognize the word made flesh that was standing before him in the person of Christ. He knew religion, but he did not know a relationship with this guy named Jesus.”

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