AS IT TURNS OUT, I AM THE KIND I OPPOSED

Ah, Jesus surely stirs the kingdom pot. He is ever active. Taking the gospel to all of the world is of extreme fascination. Surprisingly, he first takes it inward to the heart of the taker.

To say I find joy in God is an understatement. To experience His hand is the ultimate. And it goes on and on. How merciful can He be?

Baffling to my mind is the reversal God has made in my approach to kingdom work....when I wasn't suspecting such a need. I have become the very kind of man I was trained to oppose. I get the critic's disdain for one like me for I was groomed to stand against what I now stand for.

My goal was to make Church of Christ out of Baptists and Presbyterians because we did Bible right. Furthermore, I was at the top of the charts in the Church of Christ as far as proper perspective and mighty goals.....so I thought.

I thought wrong.

I was a biblical character; to be sure. I was a Pharisee who was clueless as to the nature and mission of Jesus. Law was my sword. Debate was my glory. Jesus was my demise. Now I am the very kind I could not and would not tolerate.

I get my critics for I was hatched from their incubators. The grasp for "that's not right" can be all-consuming. Jesus? Well, we close prayers in his name. The Holy Spirit? Don't even go there.

The conversion of Saul to Paul is reflective in places. It wasn't just that he shifted from Judaism to Christianity. Transitioning from a law man with six-gun and holster to operating under the influence of one named Jesus was stark in its polarization.

I identify. To move from carrying my Bible as a snare for the stupid to being snagged by the Savior is a thrilling, surprising, and stunning journey. I wasn't looking for it...for I had no need....so I assumed.

As it turns out, I am the very kind of Christian I earlier opposed. Should you have a yen for living under church law, Jesus is looking for you, too.