Victor Raj

DEATH Nobody talks about death so much as the Disciples of Christ. Death scares. Everybody wants to live forever. We are just mortal and mortality scares. Well there was an article on photography in ‘Newsweek’ of June/July, 2005. It’s about fashion photography by Izima Karou. Izima Karou is Japanese, a fashion photographer. He found more acceptances in the West than in country of his birth. He likes his models as corpses; Dior drenched sensuously dressed models as corpses, a combination of eroticism and horror. Through his photography gore is made subtle. Karou says depiction of death or an accident would be a very powerful provocative setting for a fashion shoot. He believes that such fantasy death as a way of confronting mortality by presenting its lighter, glossier side. Most models collaborated with Izima Karou on the setting and manner of their death and the outfit as well. They chose the place of death too. But what was cause of death? It is not revealed in the photog...

A man doesn’t have to be anti-God to be far from God. Saul of Tarsus proves it. Before he met Jesus, Saul wasn’t running from the God of Israel — he was sprinting after Him. As a Pharisee, he was convinced he was defending Yahweh’s honor, protecting Israel’s purity, and safeguarding the hope of the Messiah. His zeal wasn’t atheism. It was misdirected worship. But zeal without revelation is a dangerous thing. The Moment Everything Collapsed On the Damascus road, Saul’s world didn’t simply shift — it exploded. A light brighter than the sun knocked him to the ground. A heavenly voice called him by name. The God he thought he was serving stopped him in his tracks. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me ?” His categories shattered instantly. He wasn’t resisting a heresy — he was resisting God Himself. Trembling, blind, undone, he could only whisper: “Who are you, Lord?” The word “Lord” wasn’t polite. It was worship. Saul wasn’t addressing a stranger. He was bowing before a Being clothed i...

Most people think of the Apostle Paul in terms of his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus . A flash of light, a voice from heaven, and a persecutor of Christians is instantly transformed into the greatest missionary of the early church. It’s a story that rightly inspires awe. But if we stop at Acts 9, we risk flattening Paul’s journey into a single event, when in fact Scripture itself reveals a longer, more complex, and deeply human process. Paul did not step off the Damascus Road as the fully formed theologian, pastor, and missionary we know from his letters. He was converted in a moment, yes—but he was shaped across years. His life reminds us that while God may call us in dramatic ways, He also shapes us patiently, chiseling our character, deepening our faith, and preparing us for the long haul of discipleship. The Damascus Road: A Beginning, Not the End Acts 9 narrates the iconic scene. Saul of Tarsus , zealous Pharisee and persecutor of Christians, is confronted by Jesus H...

  When God Steps In to Recreate Every great transformation in Scripture echoes a deeper theme, God’s commitment to re-create what is broken . From the beginning in Genesis, where He shapes order from chaos, to the Cross, where He births life from death, God is not done with His creation. Acts 9 gives us one of the most powerful moments of re-creation, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. This isn't just a personal salvation story—it is a divine intervention that rewrites the trajectory of one man, reshapes the early church’s mission, and renews the imagination of what God can do with even the most hostile heart. God Recreates a Man – Saul to Paul Saul enters Acts 9 not as a seeker, but as a murderous persecutor . “Breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), he sets out to arrest Christians in Damascus. He is full of fire, but it is misdirected. He believes he’s serving God, but he is warring against Him. Then suddenly, heaven breaks in: “As...

Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus is often described as his conversion. But that word, while useful, doesn’t quite capture what actually happened. Paul didn’t abandon one religion for another. He didn’t renounce Yahweh to follow a new deity. In fact, Paul already believed he was serving the one true God the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What changed wasn’t his God . What changed was his vision . In that blinding moment of light, Paul realized the unthinkable: Jesus is Yahweh. The crucified rabbi from Nazareth whom he considered a blasphemer and whose followers he hunted, was the living presence of the God he loved. And it shattered him. Paul’s Passion Before Christ: Zeal Without Sight “As to zeal, a persecutor of the church...” (Philippians 3:6) Saul of Tarsus was not lukewarm. He was aflame with devotion to the Torah and the God of Israel. He memorized Scripture. He defended tradition. He believed he was purifying Israel for the coming of Messiah. In his m...

We all like to be in control. But faith often begins where control ends. Loosen your grip, surrender outcomes, and walk with the God who doesn’t give maps—only Himself. We like maps. We like knowing what’s next. We like plans, spreadsheets, backup plans, and exit strategies. Control makes us feel safe. Predictability feels like peace. But what happens when we can’t control the outcome? When the job isn’t secure When the relationship is uncertain When the health report is unclear When the child won’t respond When the future looks foggy Our instinct is to try harder. Grasp tighter. Fix what we can. But control is often an illusion. And it’s a heavy one. Faith begins where control ends. Surrender Is Not Defeat Surrender isn’t waving a white flag in despair. It’s lifting empty hands in trust. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, faced a path He did not feel ready for. He prayed: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) He didn’t control the outcome. He trusted the Father through it. L...