The Greatest Conversion in the History of Christianity

Introduction

There is a man in the history of the church who accomplished more than Luther, more than Calvin, more than Wesley. A man who, before becoming a servant, was a relentless persecutor. A man whose conversion is so significant that the book of Acts tells it three times. That man is Paul.

Pastor Wataru Sugawara, of Kobe Christ Glory Church (神戸キリスト栄光教会), shared a message one Sunday in August 2025 that speaks to more than just the past. Looking at Paul's conversion, he draws out a clear conviction for today: wherever the gospel seems to be stalling, God still holds the greatest reversals in reserve. He is thinking of Japan, his own homeland, his own generation. But his message reaches you wherever you are: when reality seems closed off, Paul's conversion reopens the door of hope.

Sermon Outline

1. Paul, the Greatest Servant in the History of the Church

Sugawara opens with a bold statement: apart from Jesus himself, who remains incomparable, no one in the history of the Christian church has had as great an impact as the apostle Paul. Not Luther, not Calvin, not Wesley. Two thirds of the New Testament bears his mark: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Philemon, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. Many scholars also credit Paul, or his influence, with the letter to the Hebrews.

Yet this man was first named Saul. He persecuted Christians with rare violence. And then, in an instant, on the road to Damascus, he was turned around. "A true spiritual plot twist," says Sugawara. Scripture judges this turning point so significant that it tells the story three times: in Acts 9, in Acts 22, and in Acts 26.

2. The Real Weight of Japan: And Why the Pastor Is Not Without Hope

The pastor doesn't hide behind easy optimism. He lays out the numbers:

• Japan has fewer than 0.3% Christians in a population of about 125 million.
• There are around 8,000 churches in the country, but average Sunday attendance is only about 30 people.
• The largest Japanese church (Yamato Calvary Chapel) gathers about 1,000 people.
• The average age of pastors is over 70. Sugawara himself is 80.
• Neighboring Korea, by comparison, is roughly one third Christian. The largest Korean church once welcomed up to 700,000 people on a Sunday.
• Mongolia, where evangelism only began about thirty years ago, already has churches of 1,000 members.

Sugawara minimizes nothing: the real data shows that Japanese Christianity is declining, shrinking, aging. And yet, he says, "I am not the least bit without hope." His reason? It comes down to one name: Paul.

3. Acts 9: The Man Who Persecuted Jesus Meets Jesus

Saul sets out for Damascus, carrying official letters, determined to bring back to Jerusalem in chains anyone who follows "the Way." It is a mission of destruction. The distance is about 300 kilometers. He is resolute.

Then, everything changes: "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone 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, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 9:3-5, ESV).

Sugawara lingers on this sentence and highlights something you need to hear: Saul was persecuting Christians, not Jesus directly. But Jesus says: it is me you are persecuting. "If one day, because of your attachment to Christ, people push you aside, mock you, make you suffer, it isn't only you being struck: it is Jesus himself." And that is also why he says elsewhere: "Rejoice, when you are insulted because of my name."

Saul gets up blind. Three days without seeing, without eating, without drinking. In Damascus, a disciple named Ananias receives a vision. He hesitates: he knows Saul's reputation. But the Lord insists: "This man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15, ESV). Ananias obeys. He lays his hands on Saul. Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight, he was baptized, and he regained his strength. And "immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God" (Acts 9:20, ESV).

People can hardly believe their ears. The man who came to arrest the disciples is now proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ. The reversal is complete.

4. Acts 22: Paul Tells His Own Turnaround

Now an apostle, Paul is arrested in Jerusalem. Facing the Jewish crowd, speaking in Hebrew, he retells his story: born in Tarsus in Cilicia, brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, rigorously trained in the law of his fathers, zealous for God just as his accusers are (Acts 22:3).

He also tells how he persecuted the Way to the death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison (Acts 22:4). Then comes the same light, the same voice, the same question: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"

Ananias appears again, described this time as a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus. He tells Paul: "The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name" (Acts 22:14-16, ESV).

5. Acts 26: Before King Agrippa, Brighter Than the Sun

Third account. This time Paul stands before King Agrippa. He recalls that he lived as a Pharisee, according to the strictest party of his religion (Acts 26:5). He says he fought with all his strength against the name of Jesus of Nazareth, approved the killing of Stephen, and pursued the disciples even into foreign cities.

Then, at midday, on the road to Damascus, he sees "a light from heaven, brighter than the sun" (Acts 26:13, ESV). Sugawara stresses: we know of nothing brighter than the light of midday. But Paul was struck by a light brighter still. It is the light of the glory of God, the light in which the Lord dwells (1 Timothy 6:16).

The voice adds, in this account, an image: "It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14, ESV). And the Lord commissions Paul: "I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26:16-18, ESV).

6. Why Paul Is Irreplaceable: Justification by Faith

Sugawara makes an important theological observation here. You can search the four Gospels for a long time and you will not find the phrase "justified by faith." What Jesus said, what he did, his cross: yes, all of that is recorded there. But the clear, precise statement that by faith in Jesus we are forgiven, declared righteous, counted as Abraham's offspring, that is something the New Testament lays out through Paul.

"It is through Paul's letters that we learned this, that we received it, and that we give thanks for it," says Sugawara. That shows just how much the conversion of a single man, that day on the road to Damascus, has weighed on the church for two thousand years.

Key Takeaways

1. Paul's conversion is told three times in Acts (chapters 9, 22, 26). This repetition is no editorial accident: it marks the weight of this event for the whole church.
2. Persecuting the disciples is persecuting Jesus himself. "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Whatever you suffer for Christ, Christ lives through it with you.
3. God loves reversals no one saw coming. The persecutor becomes the apostle. The enemy becomes the chosen instrument. No situation is too hard for God to turn around.
4. The numbers don't have the final word. Sugawara doesn't deny Japan's harsh statistics. But he refuses to let them be the conclusion. Paul's conversion remains his reason for hope.
5. Justification by faith comes to us through Paul. You won't find this central doctrine spelled out in the Gospels. It was given to you through the letters of a man God went and found in a place no one else would have gone.

Personal Application

1. What situation, around you or within you, feels "lost before it even starts" today? Are you ready to believe God can bring about a Paul-like reversal there?
2. Are you tempted to measure God's power by the size of the numbers, the number of conversions, the size of your church, the attendance count? How does Paul's conversion shift your perspective?
3. When you are misunderstood or mocked because of your faith, do you hear Jesus saying, "Why are you persecuting me?" How does that word change your reaction?
4. Is there a "Saul" in your life (someone who seems hostile to the gospel) for whom you've stopped praying? Take up that prayer again. God still has more Pauls in reserve.
5. Take a moment this week to read Acts 9, Acts 22, and Acts 26 back to back. Note what each account adds to the others, and what the Lord might want you to draw from it.

Verses Cited

• Acts 9 · Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus
• Acts 22 · Paul recounts his conversion in Jerusalem
• Acts 26 · Paul before King Agrippa
• Philippians 3 · "A Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee"
• 1 Timothy 6:16 · "He dwells in unapproachable light"

FAQ

Why Is Paul's Conversion Told Three Times in Acts?

Sugawara sees this as a signal from the Holy Spirit: it is a founding event for the church. Acts 9 tells the facts, Acts 22 retells them to a hostile Jewish audience, Acts 26 retells them to a Roman audience. Each account brings out a different angle, but all of them confirm that God, in an instant, can turn around even the most determined enemy.

What Does "It Is Hard for You to Kick Against the Goads" Mean?

This is an image drawn from farm life. An ox that kicks against the farmer's goad only injures itself. Jesus is telling Paul: your resistance hurts you first of all. Fighting the Spirit who is speaking to you is not only fighting God, it is tearing yourself apart.

Is Sugawara's Message Only for Japan?

No. Sugawara speaks first to his own country, with precise figures on the Japanese church. But the principle is universal. Wherever the gospel seems to have stalled, wherever the statistics are discouraging, Paul's conversion remains proof that God reserves the right to have the last word. Wherever you live, that hope holds true for you too.