Acts 9:21 All those who heard him(Saul) were astonished and asked, "Isn't he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?
With a touch of theatrics, the Indianapolis judge shook his head very slowly back and forth as his clerk read off John Erwin's offenses from a red record book. He had skipped school too many times to count. He had stolen petty items, like flashlight batteries, only to discard them. He had stolen bicycles, ridden them to the junkyard and destroyed them.
Most recently, twelve-year old John had join a band of young toughs and threatened his foster parents with a .22 rifle. The judge leaned forward and announced, "Young man, I don't know how any one boy can be as mean as they say you are. But I'm convinced that you'll never change, I'm going to send you to a manual labor institute for correction, and I predict you'll spend most of your life in institutions".
Voluntary Life imprisonment
Three decades later the judge's prophecy was partially fulfilled: In all, John Erwin had spent over 25 years in a large, notorious institution-Chicago's County jail. But not as an inmate. The judge was mostly wrong: John did change. Remarkably. During a stint in the army, Erwin met a family who adopted him, determined to show him the same love they had shown to their own children. The defenses he had built up a childhood of violence and sexual abuse slowly melted. He experienced God's love and forgiveness, and he became a new person.
As a free man determined to help set others free, he founded the and led the PACE Institute, one of America's most successful prison rehabilitation programs. Then he went on to join the staff of Charles Colson's Prison Fellowship.
When asked why he has been so effective in the failure-littered field of prison work, Erwin replies, " Maybe it's because I've been behind bars, like these prisoners. Most of them come from miserable homes also, and were abused by their parents. I understand what makes life so hard for them-and my story gives them hope. I don't give up on people. If God can change me, He can change them too".
A Complete Turnaround
Converts like John Erwin often make the best crusaders. Former alcoholics can convince others of drinking dangers. Exiles from Communist countries such as Alexander Solzhenitsyn often become the most vehement anti-Communist. And when the book of Acts introduces the most effective Christian missionary of all time, he turns out to be a former bounty hunter of Christians.
How did a Jewish sect become the largest Gentile religion? How did an Asian faith become associated with European civilization? The answer traces back to the remarkable career of Paul, apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul(formerly called Saul) made his first appearance in Acts 8:1, assisting the brutal murder of Stephen. Later he led a gang of persecutors on a violent campaign against Christian believers. But then came a miraculous turnabout on the road to Damascus; Acts 9:1-19.
Life Questions
Has your life changed quickly and dramatically as Paul's did, or slowly and gradually?
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