Saul was enemy number one for the early church. He consented to the death of Stephen, had Christians dragged from their homes and imprisoned, and asked the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem to give him warrants to arrest believers in Damascus.
Along the road to Damascus, Saul had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus. After his encounter he was left blind and given instructions to wait for a man named Ananias to restore his sight and reveal the Lord’s will for his life. Ananias was hesitant about going to meet the enemy of the church but The Lord commanded him to go.
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15-16 NKJV)
The Lord said some good things about Saul (chosen vessel, bearer of his name before kings and the nation). But the last statement is interesting: “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
If The Lord showed you what you must suffer for his name’s sake, would you still follow him and how much could you take?