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Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." (vv. 1-6)

Watergate is one of those historical bookmarks in the pages of history. It caused a U.S. president to resign in disgrace. It affected many people and put several in jail. Yet, there was transformation that came out of it.

Charles Colson was one who was jailed through the Watergate scandal. He was converted in prison, and he came out of jail with a passion for prison ministry and sharing the gospel. Many were surprised because they believed he was a hardened politician who would never change.

In a speech at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, Colson shared his story of appearing on a television program where he talked about restitution and criminal justice. A few days later, he received a call from Jack Eckerd, the founder of the Eckerd's Pharmacy chain stores. Eckerd had seen Colson on television and invited him to Florida to help with their criminal justice crisis.

Together Eckerd, Colson, the state attorney general, and the president of the senate flew all over Florida in Eckerd's jet advocating criminal justice reforms. Everywhere they went, Eckerd would introduce Colson to the crowds by saying, "This is Chuck Colson, my friend; I met him on Bill Buckley's television program. He's born again, I'm not. I wish I were." And then he'd sit down.

Back on the airplane, Colson would share his faith with Eckerd. They'd get off at the next stop. Eckerd would make the same introduction. And they'd get back on the airplane, and Colson would share his faith again.

When the tour was over, Colson left Eckerd some of R. C. Sproul's books and C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Colson sent him some of his own books. About a year later after Eckerd read what Colson had written about Watergate and the Resurrection, he decided that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. He called Colson and told him that he believed.

Colson said, "You're born again!"

Eckerd said, "No, I'm not, I haven't felt anything."

Colson replied, "Yes, you are! Pray with me right now."

Later Eckerd was walking in one of his stores when he saw Playboy and Penthouse. And he'd seen it there many times before, but it had never bothered him. Now he saw them with new eyes. He'd become a Christian.

He went back to his office and called in his president. He said, "Take Playboy and Penthouse out of my stores."

The president said, "You can't mean that, Mr. Eckerd. We make three million dollars a year on those books."

He said, "Take 'em out of my stores."

And by one man's decision, the magazines were removed from the shelves of 1,700 stores across America -- all because a man had given his life to Christ. When Colson found out, he asked Eckerd, "Did you do that because of your commitment to Christ?"

He said, "Why else would I give away three million dollars? The Lord wouldn't let me off the hook."

God wouldn't let him off the hook. Jack Eckerd then wrote a letter to all the other chain pharmacies saying, "I've taken it out of my store. Why don't you take it out of yours?"

They didn't respond, so he wrote them again, and when Eckerd's profits went up because consumers supported them for taking Playboy and Penthouse out, Revco, Dart, and People's followed suit. And then 5,000 7-11 stores removed them as well.

Over a twelve-month period, 11,000 retail outlets in America removed Playboy and Penthouse -- not because the pornography commission in Washington offered a solution, but because God wouldn't let Jack Eckerd off the hook. Jack Eckerd had decided to claim his hero identity as a Christian instead of being a mild-mannered average Joe. That's what transformation is about.

The God who can change Chuck Colson and Jack Eckerd is the same God who changed Paul -- and the same God who can change even the most hardhearted of us.

We often call today's scripture "The Conversion of Saul" which is inaccurate. Saul wasn't converted from one religion to other -- from Judaism to Christianity. There wasn't Christianity as a religion yet. What happened was a transformation of who he was based on an encounter with Christ. He came into a relationship with Christ. He believed and was changed. And that is exactly what we are called to do -- to be transformed from ordinary people into true believers and followers of Christ.

(James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited [Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988], pp. 46-48)