The POWER of Jesus Christ

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, who you are persecuting." -Acts 9:3-5

Look at the striking truths from this passage. Saul (later Paul) was traveling from town to town torturing Christians, because he practiced Judaism and believed that Christ-followers were heretics. His mission to rid the area of Christians prompted him to head for Damascus. Something unbelievable happened on the way to Damascus, though. Jesus decided to intervene.

Notice the power and authority of Jesus' presence.

Light of the world
His appearance alone consists of a flash of light. Paul recalls this encounter later in his Christian ministry, and he describes Jesus' presence as "a great light from heaven" that "suddenly shone around" him. A light so bright that it blinded Saul; a light so vast that it encompassed him. Jesus wasn't kidding when He said, "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12)

Falling to the ground
Seriously, these four words make me want cry out the name of Jesus and pump my fists in the air! Over and over in Scripture, this reaction is common when men found themselves in the presence of the Lord's glory. Imagine a being so powerful that you literally cannot stand in His presence. Saul felt this power firsthand, and he ended up in a humble position of worship. Jesus didn't have to ask Saul to submit to His Lordship, because the power of His glory left no choice for Saul. Christ is Lord of all, whether we acknowledge Him or not.

Lord
The words that come out of Saul's mouth as he's on the ground and scared out of his mind show Jesus' authority. Saul has no idea who this being is and he's never encountered this powerful light or heard this thundering voice, yet he refers to the light and the voice as "Lord." AMAZING. Saul doesn't know who Jesus is, but he calls Him "Lord" after being in His presence for only a few seconds. Think about it; how powerful would someone have to be for you to fall down and confess that person as Lord just after meeting him? Jesus testified to this authority Himself: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matt. 28:18)

The power and glory of Jesus Christ amazes me. Furthermore, His love and His sacrifice for a sinner like me is completely humbling. I can't wait to "see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." (Mark 13:26) I can't wait to fall flat on my face and worship the Savior of the world. In fact, we all will worship Jesus--at least for a moment--whether we accept Him in this life or not:

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:9-11

Check out the video below; the song speaks to the power and glory of Jesus Christ. "We all fall to the ground at the name of Jesus."

Jesus loves you so much, and I pray that you let Him fill your cup with everlasting joy. --JB