[The following is a true story about a man who I have spent a great deal of time with this past week. For “Z’s” protection, I will avoid using his real picture or easily identifiable details]
Meet Z. Less than 3 months ago, Z was in charge of the Northwest Territory’s largest crime organization. To put things into perspective, Z lead a branch of the world’s largest gang in a geographical area that comprises about 1/5 of Australia. Although Z was the grandson of a renowned Christian pastor, his desire for power and wealth took him down a path he never intended. What started out as a few small scale drug deals escalated into him murdering his predecessors and usurping control for himself.
By worldly standards, Z had it all. The gang business was lucrative and brought in millions of dollars a year. Z also had immense power and literally held the lives of hundreds of foot soldiers in the palm of his hand. He also had access to all the drugs and sex he could ever want. Yet in one unexpected evening, Z had an experience that shattered his existing way of life…
Saul was basically a stud. He was smart, persuasive, driven, and most importantly, he understood how to get things done. Saul’s skills enabled him to rise quickly up the ranks of the Judaic hierarchy and soon he wielded substantial authority. A loyal and revered Jewish scholar, Saul did his best to keep the existing power structure in place by suppressing uprisings by religious sects. Most notably, Saul sought to prevent the spread of a movement prompted by the death of a man known by the locals as Jesus Christ.
As a spiritual leader in Jerusalem during the Roman Empire, Paul had it made. The Jewish management held essentially all of the power, and his membership carried great prestige. Although he wasn’t supposed to have all the sex and drugs he wanted, he definitely could have. But God had bigger plans for Saul and although he didn’t know it, his life as Saul was about to end.
Sitting in a public restroom with $400,000 worth of cocaine in a backpack, Z waited for the drop to occur. Although he had made drug deals like this dozens of times before, this time he had more apprehension than usual. He knew the plan, wait for the buyers, allow them to inspect the merchandise, then make the swap for the money. The buyer knew of Z’s reputation; he knew what would happen to anyone who dared to cross Z.
Suddenly, Z felt an overwhelming desire to flee. From somewhere deep within him, he heard a voice warning him, “leave the money, leave your life of sin and run.” To obey the voice would mean surrendering all of his wealth and status, and more importantly, inevitable death. Disloyalty to the gang would mean a ransom on his head and it would only be a matter of time before they hunted him down. Despite all his fears, Z recognized the voice–a voice he hadn’t heard since he was a child. Overwhelmed with emotion, Z abandoned the drugs and left through the back door, never to return again…
Saul set out for Damascus, carrying warrants for the arrest of suspected Christian leaders. Like Stephen, Saul would torture and execute these Jewish traitors to set an example for others who dared to challenge the temple hierarchy. Unbenknownst to Saul, God had other plans for him.
“As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ NLT Acts 9:4. After heeding the Lord’s voice, Saul was given a new task: “…Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles…And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15.
Ultimately, God took Saul’s life of sin and utilized it to serve a greater purpose. It is difficult to accept that the man who had just facilitated the murdering of countless innocent men and women would eventually become one of the greatest Christian examples of all time (he changes his name to Paul). But God moves in mysterious ways and uses all things to serve his purposes.
It was a setup! As Z exited the scene, the police cars converged on the premises and began loading people into the squad cars. Broken, Z was speechless. Why, after all that Z had done, would God still show him mercy and rescue him from what would have been a life sentence behind bars. Paul explains why in Romans 3, even though we turn away from God, God will always remain faithful to us. It doesn’t matter how many people we hurt, or how many rules we break, God wants the best for us and is always there with open arms, awaiting our return. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our pride and assume that God can’t possibly forgive us, but God is greater than we can ever imagine and is not confined to our own worldly thinking. At any time, we can go to God and with a humble heart, acknowledge our sinfulness and ask for him to wipe our sins clean.
For those of us raised in the church, I know it seems so cliche but honestly, right now God is eagerly awaiting you to come to him. Be humble, acknowledge the ways in which you have acted selfishly before God and others and repent. Although, like myself, you will inevitably sin again, you can still experience God’s love and peace this very moment.
Epilogue: When Z defected, his son succeeded him as leader of the gang and vowed to kill him. Desiring to make amends, Z went to his son and was met with a gun to his head. By God’s mercy, the son decided not to pull the trigger and called off the bounty for Z’s life (in return for Z forfeiting all power and monetary interests in the gang). Z will still need to make amends for what he has done and will be going to jail for 15-20 years as soon as his trial finishes. He really wants to begin a prison ministry and ultimately travel around the world’s major cities to speak against gang life. Having made numerous enemies, he knows that at any time, his life can be cut short. Despite this, he has placed his trust in God and is hoping to use whatever time he has left on earth to serve His Glory.
