September 20th, 2026 Nudges of Grace: Change of Trajectory

Bible Reading

Acts 9:1-19

Verse 1: Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest [56:27]

Verse 2: and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. [56:27]

Verse 3: As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. [56:27]

Verse 4: He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” [56:27]

Verse 5: “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. [56:27]

Verse 6: “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” [56:27]

Verse 7: The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. [59:37]

Verse 8: Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. [59:37]

Verse 9: For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. [59:37]

Verse 10: In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. [01:01:00]

Verse 11: The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.” [01:01:00]

Verse 12: “In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” [01:01:00]

Verse 13: “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.” [01:01:00]

Verse 14: “And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” [01:01:00]

Verse 15: But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.” [01:08:01]

Verse 16: “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” [01:08:01]

Verse 17: Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” [01:08:01]

Verse 18: Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, [01:08:01]

Verse 19: and after taking some food, he regained his strength. [01:08:01]

Philippians 3:4-14

Verse 4: If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [45:25]

Verses 5-6: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. [45:25]

Verse 7: But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. [45:25]

Verse 8: What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ [45:25]

Verse 9: and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. [45:25]

Verse 10: I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, [45:25]

Verse 11: and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. [45:25]

Verse 12: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [45:25]

Verses 13-14: Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. [45:25]

Acts 9:26-27

Verse 26: When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. [01:11:45]

Verse 27: But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. [01:11:45]

Galatians 1:17-18

Verse 17: 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. [01:11:15]

Verse 18: Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days. [01:11:15]

Observation questions

1. What details in Acts 9:1-2 show how determined Saul was to oppose followers of Jesus before Jesus met him?
2. What does Saul lose and receive after meeting Jesus on the road—especially in verses 8-9 and 17-19?
3. What specific concerns does Ananias raise when God tells him to go to Saul, and what does God tell Ananias about Saul’s future? [01:01:00]
4. What actions do Ananias and Barnabas each take that help Saul move from being feared and excluded to being received by the Christian community? [01:12:07]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “Why do you persecute me?” when Saul has been harming Christians. What does this reveal about how closely Jesus identifies with his people, especially when they suffer? [57:59]
2. Saul had great zeal, knowledge of Scripture, and drive before he met Christ. Why does God redirect those qualities instead of simply removing them? [01:00:28]
3. Ananias calls the former persecutor “Brother Saul” before Saul has had time to prove himself. How does this moment show the difference between excusing wrongdoing and making room for grace and belonging? [01:08:01]
4. Paul says he has not already arrived but presses on toward Christ. How do Saul’s three years before returning to Jerusalem help show that conversion begins a lifelong process of growth rather than finishing it? [01:11:15]

Application questions

1. Saul’s story shows that grace can reach people who seem far from God, resistant to truth, or even harmful to others. Is there someone you have quietly decided is beyond hope? How might this passage change the way you pray for and speak about that person? [58:41]
2. Jesus takes Saul’s strong zeal and gives it a new direction. What gifts, energy, ambition, knowledge, or passion has God given you? Where might any of those good things need to be redirected more fully toward Jesus? [01:17:33]
3. Ananias had honest fears and questions, yet he still obeyed God’s command to go. Is there a difficult conversation, act of service, welcome, or step of obedience that you sense God may be nudging you toward? What makes that step difficult? [01:16:30]
4. “Brother Saul” was a powerful word of welcome for a person with a troubling past. Who in your life, church, neighborhood, workplace, or family might need to hear and experience that they can belong? What could truthful, wise hospitality look like this week? [01:17:03]
5. Barnabas used his credibility to help the fearful Jerusalem believers receive Saul. When have you seen someone need an advocate or bridge-builder? Is there a practical way you could help someone gain trust, connection, or a place in Christian community? [01:12:22]
6. Paul did not treat his past as the final definition of his life, but neither did he claim to have already arrived. What part of your past—success, failure, shame, hurt, or spiritual experience—most tempts you either to stay stuck or to stop growing? What would pressing on toward Christ look like in that area? #!!47:03!!

Paul’s words in Philippians 3 set the shape for a life that counts everything else as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus. Paul does not claim to have arrived. Paul presses on, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, because following Jesus is a lifelong journey of growth.

God’s grace comes first in Saul’s story. Saul is not looking for truth, not asking questions, and not trying to find Jesus. Saul is breathing out murderous threats, heading to Damascus with authority to arrest followers of the Way. Jesus meets him anyway. The light from heaven, the voice calling, “Saul, Saul,” and the question, “Why do you persecute me?” show that Christ so identifies with his people that persecution of the body is persecution of Jesus himself.

Saul’s conversion does not erase his zeal, his knowledge of Scripture, or his missionary drive. God changes the trajectory. Saul had been using every bit of his energy against Jesus, and Christ turns that same energy toward proclaiming his name. The scandal of grace appears here because Saul does not get what he deserves, and he receives what he certainly has not earned. Grace is not fairness. Grace is God taking a violent persecutor and making him a chosen instrument.

Ananias shows how God works through ordinary disciples. Ananias has good questions because Saul’s reputation is terrifying, yet God tells him, “Go.” Ananias obeys before he fully understands, lays hands on Saul, and calls him “Brother Saul.” That one word creates space for a former enemy to belong. Scales fall from Saul’s eyes, but hospitality and community also help him truly see.

Barnabas continues that work when the Jerusalem disciples remain afraid. Barnabas puts his own credibility on the line and says Saul is the real deal. The church’s long work of discipleship happens through people like Ananias and Barnabas, people whose names may not be remembered as widely as Paul’s but whose obedience is absolutely essential.

God still gives nudges to ordinary people. The question is not whether someone is the best person, but whether that person is willing when the nudge comes. Christ redirects zeal, gifting, excitement, and energy toward himself, then calls his people to become evidence of what grace can do.

##

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Grace reaches the wrong people [01:07:20] God meets Saul while Saul is actively opposed to him. Grace does not wait for a person to become safe, deserving, or spiritually curious before it moves. The scandal of grace is that God gives both mercy that is not deserved and a calling that could never be earned. [67:20]
• 2. Jesus receives wounds against his body [57:59] Jesus asks Saul why he is persecuting him, not merely why he is harming believers. Christ binds himself to his people so closely that their suffering matters personally to him. The body of Christ is not a religious idea but the real presence of Jesus in the world. [57:59]
• 3. Belonging can open blinded eyes [01:09:57] Ananias begins with “Brother Saul,” even though Saul has given him every reason to be afraid. Hospitality does not deny the damage a person has done, but it creates space for grace to do its deep work. Many lives change less through clever arguments than through being received with truthful love. [69:57]
• 4. God redirects zeal instead of wasting it [01:17:33] Saul’s passion, learning, and drive do not disappear when he meets Christ. God turns them around and gives them a new direction. Zeal without Jesus can destroy, but zeal surrendered to Jesus can become a force for life and witness. [77:33]
• 5. Ordinary disciples make faith possible [01:18:00] Ananias and Barnabas stand behind Paul’s future ministry as faithful, mostly unseen servants. God often advances his work through people who simply respond to a hard nudge at the right moment. Community does the long work that a single spiritual moment cannot accomplish.
  
  ## [78:00]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [45:05] - Philippians 3 and Pressing On
• [47:55] - God’s Grace Comes First
• [48:56] - John Schlitt’s Changed Trajectory
• [54:09] - Saul’s Zeal Against the Way
• [56:27] - Jesus Meets Saul on the Road
• [59:37] - Blindness, Fasting, and Dependence
• [61:00] - Ananias Receives a Hard Nudge
• [66:12] - The Scandal of Grace
• [68:01] - “Brother Saul” and Radical Welcome
• [70:18] - Saul’s Growth and Bold Witness
• [71:45] - Barnabas Gives Saul a Place
• [73:09] - Grace, Community, and Lifelong Growth
• [75:41] - Willingness When God Nudges
• [78:20] - Prayer for Evidence of Grace