"It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon's Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, "How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly."
Jesus replied, "I have already told you, and you don't believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father's name. But you don't believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. Jesus said, "At my Father's direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?"
They replied, "We're stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God."
Jesus replied, "It is written in your own Scriptures that God said to certain leaders of the people, 'I say, you are gods!' And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people who received God's message were called 'gods,' why do you call it blasphemy when I say, 'I am the Son of God'? After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. Don't believe me unless I carry out my Father's work. But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don't believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father."
One again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. And many followed him. "John didn't perform miraculous signs," they remarked to one another, "but everything he said about this man has come true." And many who were there believed in Jesus." (John 10:22-42 NLT)
"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:3-6 KJV)
Okay, so it comes time to understand why words matter! Besides that, there might be some variation to the Text, one being that of the NLT, which has the word 'Lord,' shown as 'lord,' and the other being that of the NAB have is as 'sir,' hearing a well know Pastor saying, "sir," yesterday morning, really didn't sit right with me, at all!
The question that is pointed to, as if that question doesn't matter, is to whether or not Paul's reason for hitting the ground was because he knew it was God's light that appeared, which is why, just about every other interpretation has it as, "Lord." I studied this since the I first read it, right after I got saved.
The main point about my concern, is that I was so confused before I meet Jesus, thinking that I knew what was right, thinking that church was just a trap to get people stuck into religion. I even sat outside of a church service and prayed for the people inside, as they sang joyfully to the Lord! Thinking that my relationship with God was right, and their relationship was a counterfeit.
So, you can imagine how it was that I could have an interest with Paul's conversion. Much like many passages and illustrations in the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Spirit speaks through the Text! I heard it said by Dr. Chuck, 'that the space between the lines sometimes speaks louder than the lines themselves'. And I have found that to be true, over and over again.
Anywho; it a weird sort of way, that is the point Jesus is trying to make about the evidence of the miraculous works: They speak for themselves...
"Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle. Open up, the ancient gates! Open up, the ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The LORD of Heaven's Armies - he is the King of Glory. Interlude" (Psalm 24:7-10 NLT)
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