Pastor Matt opens by honoring Memorial Day, reflecting on John 15:13, where Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." He draws a connection between the sacrifice of soldiers and the sacrifice of Christ, reminding the congregation that sacrifice for the good of others is honorable and meaningful. From there, he transitions into the ongoing series through the Book of Acts, picking up in Acts 9:18–42 with the life of Saul following his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus. The central big idea of the message is this: God develops who He calls. Calling may be immediate, but preparation is a process. Pastor Matt points out that what Acts describes as "many days" was actually closer to three years — a detail filled in by Paul himself in Galatians 1:17 — and that Saul largely disappeared from public view for another 8 to 10 years after that. These hidden seasons, Pastor Matt argues, were not wasted time. God was rewiring Saul's theology, building humility, developing ministry skills, and clarifying his calling. The key truth is that God often does His deepest work in seasons no one sees. Pastor Matt draws four practical lessons from the passage. First, immediate obedience does not mean immediate results — faithfulness precedes fruitfulness. Second, God uses hidden seasons to prepare people for future impact, and a calling may determine your direction, but preparation determines your capacity. Third, opposition should be reframed as confirmation rather than contradiction, because following Jesus will not make life easier, but it will bring new meaning, purpose, and power. Fourth, every believer needs a Barnabas — someone to believe in them, bridge the gap, and speak life into them — and many are also called to be that Barnabas for someone else.
