Saul’s Difficult First Steps in Faith
When we think about freedom, we often picture celebration, joy, and ease. But true freedom—especially spiritual freedom—often comes with a cost. Saul’s journey after his dramatic conversion on the Damascus road reveals that the path to true freedom in Christ isn’t always smooth.
What Happens the Day After You’re Set Free?
Sometimes the hardest part of beginning is actually beginning. For Saul, his conversion was just the start of a challenging journey. He had been carrying a backpack full of religious rocks—rules, pride, and judgment—thinking it made him look strong and important. But on that dusty desert road, Jesus looked past all that and saw a man being crushed by the weight he was carrying.
Jesus offered Saul true freedom—not the false freedom of power and religious superiority he thought he had, but the freedom of being loved simply because the Father chose to love him. The freedom of being adopted into the very family he had persecuted.
But here’s the catch: when you lay down the burdens of this world to pick up the freedom of Jesus, the world that loves carrying those rocks is going to have a problem with you.
How Does Freedom Sometimes Lead to Rejection?
After three years of boldly preaching Christ in Damascus, Saul’s freedom in Christ led to:
Rejection from his old friends: “The Jews plotted to kill him” (Acts 9:23). The very people who had sent him to Damascus to persecute Christians now wanted him dead.
A humbling escape: Saul—the proud Pharisee—had to be lowered down the city wall in a basket at night. His freedom led to complete helplessness and dependence on the very people he had come to persecute.
Rejection from his new family: “When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). The church itself turned its back on him.
Can you imagine the sting of that rejection? To be truly changed from the inside out, to know who you are in Christ, but to have everyone else still see you in the chains of your past?
Who Is Your Barnabas?
“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles” (Acts 9:27). When everyone else saw Saul’s past, Barnabas saw his potential. The name Barnabas means “son of encouragement,” and that’s exactly what he was to Saul.
We all need a Barnabas in our lives—someone who sees not the old chains that hold us back, but the new creation God is making. Someone who sees what we’re capable of, not what we’re guilty of.
And we’re all called to be a Barnabas to somebody else. Who is God calling you to encourage today? That one act of encouragement, that one moment where Barnabas chose grace over fear, changed everything for Saul.
Why Does God Sometimes Put Us on the Shelf?
Despite Barnabas’s help, Saul’s bold preaching in Jerusalem stirred up more trouble. For his safety, the apostles sent him back to his hometown of Tarsus, where he would spend the next ten years waiting.
Those ten years weren’t a prison sentence—they were a season of preparation. God was changing Saul into Paul, preparing him to bring salvation to the Gentiles. And changing his name wasn’t enough; God had to change his insides to match his new outsides.
Sometimes those quiet times in our lives, those times when we feel alone or set aside, aren’t punishment. They’re God’s way of preparing us for something bigger coming down the road.
What Does This Mean for Our Freedom Today?
On this weekend when we celebrate freedom, we need to remember:
Freedom doesn’t mean a life of ease. Just like the Declaration of Independence was actually the start of a fight, our declaration of freedom in Christ enlists us in a battle against the kingdom of darkness.
Our past can sometimes imprison us, even in the church. It takes courage to help someone break free from that prison.
God doesn’t waste seasons. Those times when we feel restricted or unused by God are often His times of preparation.
Our freedom in Christ isn’t a path to an easy life—it’s the power to work through a difficult one.
Life Application
This week, consider where you are in your journey of freedom:
Are you like Saul in a messy new beginning? Take courage and trust God’s process. Your freedom isn’t defined by your circumstances but by your identity in Christ.
Is God calling you to be a Barnabas? Who do you know that might be trapped in their past and needs your encouragement? Your act of grace may be the key that unlocks their future.
Are you in a season of Tarsus? Do you feel forgotten or unused by God? Use this time to prepare—read more, study more, pray harder, and pursue God with everything you have.
Ask yourself: What backpack of religious rocks am I still carrying that Jesus is asking me to put down? Who needs me to be their Barnabas this week? How can I use my current season—whether it’s one of active ministry or quiet preparation—to grow closer to God?
Remember, true freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want—it’s about being who God created you to be, even when that path is difficult.