I’ve stolen the excellent sermon title from Derek Thomas’ Reformed Expository Commentary on Acts.
The conversion of Saul was as significant as it was shocking. After trying to destroy Christianity, he took the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The man who sparked a great persecution (Acts 8:1) against the Church became her greatest promoter.
Before we read this passage let us look to the Lord in prayer for his help in understanding it.
Read Acts 9:19b-31
Our conversion experience was not as dramatic as Saul’s, but we can relate to the trials he faced afterwards. Maybe you became passionate about sharing your faith and that brought some opposition. Or maybe you have experienced the difficulty of building new friendships in the context of the Church.
Would Saul’s conversion bear fruit? Would he persevere through the opposition of the Jews and the distrust of the disciples? When Saul’s faith was put to the test, he proved capable of defending himself. And he perseveres through the awkward phase of joining a new community.
The challenges you face are part God’s means of establishing your faith.
The passage contains two parallel accounts. In both sections Saul proclaims the gospel (Acts 9:20, 28), his life is threatened (Acts 9:23-24, 29), and believers help him escape (Acts 9:25, 30).
First, we will see how Saul Overcame Opposition in Damascus (19b-25). Second, we’ll see how Saul Overcame Mistrust in Jerusalem (26-31).
Saul Overcame Opposition in Damascus (19b-25)
The word of the Lord (Acts 9:15-16) came to pass in Saul’s life. He immediately takes up the mission Christ has given him to proclaim the gospel and to suffer for His name. Saul begins proclaiming Christ in the synagogues (Acts 9:20), and his life is threatened shortly after (Acts 9:23).
The initial reaction of the Jews in Damascus was amazement. They were shocked that the same man who “made havoc” of the lives of Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 9:21), had become one of them.
As his opposition increased their attack, Saul increased in “strength”. The word is used elsewhere in the New Testament to denote the work of the Holy Spirit in a believers life (Eph. 6:20; Phil. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:17). Rather than become intimidated by his opponents, Saul was encouraged by the Holy Spirit.
The initial amazement of the Jews in Damascus eventually turned into confusion. The word “confounded” (Acts 9:22) is the same Greek word that described the multitude who heard the believers speaking in their own language on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:6). They were unable to explain or respond to what to what Paul declared.
He was “proving that Jesus was the Christ.” He was bringing arguments together to form a logical conclusion. Saul was sharp. Before his conversion, he was a disciple of Gamaliel, one of the most respected Pharisees. Having become convinced that Jesus was the Christ, his understanding rapidly increased.
Paul relied upon the strength of the Holy Spirit to give him not only knowledge about Jesus Christ, but the ability to articulate and defend that truth. He was not content to tell them about Jesus, he sought to prove that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for.
According to Galatians 1:17-18 these “many days” (Acts 9:23) extended over the course of three years. In addition, we know that he spent some time in Arabia. He was committed to studying and preaching throughout these early years.
We do not know much about the success of his evangelistic efforts during this time, but considering the Jews desire to kill him, it is safe to assume he was having an impact (Acts 9:24). In addition, he received help from “hisdisciples” to escape Damascus in a basket (Acts 9:25). He apparently won a loyal following.
Paul would later record this escape as one of the trials that revealed his weaknesses (2 Cor. 11:32-33). Guy Waters explains,
“For years, Saul had been enlisted in the ranks of persecutory unbelief. Now for the first time he experienced the Jews’ efforts, coordinated among themselves and with the approval of the local authorities, to take his life.”1
He understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end of persecution.
This was the suffering that Jesus had promised (Acts 9:16). Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “Suffering…is the badge of true discipleship.”2 Now, for some of you, that immediately hits home. You quickly empathize with the hardship Saul endured.
But, if you are anything like me, you hear that and it never quite sinks in. It sounds right. It sounds like it should be true, but we look at our experience and find little evidence of suffering. We have a hard time being inconvenienced, let alone actually suffering. If suffering is the badge of true discipleship, why am I not suffering more? If it is true, there can only be two reasons: either I’m not a true disciple, or I’m not acknowledging my suffering for what it is. Or maybe it’s a softer combination of the two.
We are good at adjusting our speech and our actions in order to avoid suffering. What if we knew we had nothing to lose in proclaiming Christ? One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the missionary journal of Jim Elliot, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Can you trust that God is working in you and through you to accomplish His mission, especially in your suffering? Saul wrote, “Suffering produces endurance” (Romans 5:3). The challenges you face are part God’s means of establishing your faith. Clinging to Him reminds you of His calling and provision. He will supply everything you need to suffer for His glory.
Saul’s suffering didn’t just come from his Jewish opponents. It also came from the mistrust of his new family.
Saul Overcame Mistrust in Jerusalem (26-31)
Fleeing Damascus, Saul is rejected by the disciples in Jerusalem who question his faith (Acts 9:26). Talk about being kicked while you’re down!Some of you know what this feels like. This was probably more upsetting for Saul emotionally than his escape from Damascus.
Of course, no one can really blame them for questioning the sincerity of Saul’s conversion. He himself would testify that he had a reputation for being a ruthless persecutor (Gal. 1:13). And these were the very families he persecuted. Some of them may have lost loved ones to execution. Others had been separated from loved ones and probably still were. From their perspective, it’s hard to see them ever trusting Saul.
Nevertheless, unchecked hesitation can lead to paralyzation and the swift judgment of God (i.e., Lot’s wife, Israelite spies who gave a bad report about the Promised Land, and those who wanted to delay discipleship Luke 9:59-62, cf Matt. 8:19-22). While hesitation is understandable, and probably indicative of doing something beyond our natural inclinations, we must learn to overcome our reluctance by trusting that God will provide the strength to obey. Have you allowed your hesitation to turn into paralyzation when it comes to fulfilling the Great Commission?
Thankfully, Saul found an advocate in Barnabas who introduced him to the apostles (Acts 9:27). We met Barnabas in Acts 4:36. He sold his field and donated the proceeds to the church. This was a man literally sold out for the mission of God. His name was Joseph, but they called him Barnabas because he was such an encouragement. Later on, Barnabas and Saul will plant a church in Antioch (Acts 11:22-26) and go on the first missionary journey together (Acts 12:25f).
While the disciples are apprehensive about Saul, Barnabas confirms how he “preached boldly” in Damascus (Acts 9:27). And when the apostles received him, he began “preaching boldly” in Jerusalem too (Acts 9:28). He spoke “the name of Jesus” with complete freedom knowing the consequences could be execution.
Yet, Saul was not immune to fear. Dennis Johnson notes,
“Saul would later remind Christians that his preaching was hampered by ‘weakness…fear and much trembling’ (1 Cor. 2:3), and he would plead for prayer, that he might declare the gospel fearlessly (Eph. 6:19-20; Col. 4:3-4).”
Just as there is a natural separation that must take place between us and our former lifestyle, there is also an awkward union that we must push through in order to get acquainted with our new family. Most Sundays, we have another opportunity to push through that awkwardness.
Part of how He matures us is teaching us to embrace people who are nothing like us. Don’t narrow your relationships down to people just like you. That is the perfect way to stunt your growth as a Christian.
If the early Christians were able to get over the fact that one day Saul wanted to kill them and the next day he wanted to join them, we can get over some of our hesitations and insecurities to be welcoming and encouraging to newcomers.
With the conversion of Saul, the Church experienced a time of peace (Acts 9:31). We now come to another summary statement describing the ongoing growth of the Church. Two causes are attributed to this growth:
- The fear of the Lord This is a bit surprising. How does fear contribute to growth in any way? There seems to be a healthy trembling that is different than terror. Christians who are growing in the grace of God are not afraid of Him, but in awe of Him. “The fear of the Lord” is always characterized in a positive sense in the Old Testament (e.g., Job 28:28; Psa. 111:10; Prov. 1:7). G.K. Beale writes, “By this usage Luke indicates that the Christian religion is in continuity with OT religion.”3
- The comfort of the Holy Spirit This is easier to understand, but just as difficult to find our satisfaction in.
God will build His Church in a time of persecution and a time of peace when the people of God live lives that are consistent with what they believe.
Conclusion
The strength of Saul’s witness did not come through the encouragement of the hearers. The Jews despised him as a traitor, and the disciples were afraid of him. Yet, his strength increased (Acts 9:22) and he preached boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27-28).
Did you notice how Saul dealt with the tension in Jerusalem? He was not silenced or driven to violence. In the past, he would have dealt with his opponents by taking them to the authorities. But now, he continued to preach boldly. He faithfully preached the truth. He won their trust in part because of the testimony of Barnabas on his behalf as well as the consistency with which he lived in Damascus and Jerusalem.
He also accepted the help and protection of other believers after they got through their initial hesitancies. The challenges you face are part God’s means of establishing your faith.
Committing to the church is vitally important to your salvation. God uses the influence of church leadership and other brothers and sisters to strengthen your faith. But I appreciate John Stott’s reminder,
“It is not only that converts must join the Christian community, but that the Christian community must welcome converts, especially those from a different religious, ethnic or social background.”4
Christ’s death didn’t merely accomplish salvation for people like you and me. He made a way for people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to come to Him. Let us pray that Grace Clovis would experience the kind of authentic community that invites all people to come, and receives them with the love of Christ.