Project 119: Acts 9:1-31
| Project 119 | Tim Sanderlin
Paul has got to have one of the most incredible testimonies known to man. One day he is persecuting those who love God, the next he is writing letters to churches all over the world, encouraging them to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). One day he is holding the garments of the men stoning Stephen, giving them approval, and the next he is imprisoned for the exact same truth. Persecutor to apostle: this story of Paul having the scales fall from his eyes and him being filled with the Holy Spirit is one of great hope for us Christians, because it is our story as well! When we look back and see ourselves before Christ, we normally wouldn’t say we were in the same state as Saul might have been. Chances are, we were not actively hurting believers or persecuting anyone. If you are like me, I would have just considered myself to be “indifferent,” or on “neither side of the coin.” The reason that this conversion of Saul is one of such hope for us is that it is actually our story as well.
When it comes to the “sides of salvation,” the Bible makes it clear that we are either those who are reconciled to God or those who are in opposition to Him. While we would never really consider this to be our story, Romans 5:10 reminds us that we were enemies of God. If we do not stand with Jesus Christ beside the throne of God, then we stand with Saul the Oppressor as he approves of Stephen’s stoning.
This sounds grim, I know! But we must know the bad news before we can grasp the good news. Saul’s history as one who was an adversary of the Lord is sadly our history too. But so is the salvation, repentance, and redirection of his life! And we know that the future God had in store for Paul far outweighed his past. The old is gone, the new has come!
“For while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Romans 5:10
Lord, let us not dwell on the follies of our past when we were considered Your foes. Help us to rejoice in our adoption into Your family! Let this remind us of ourselves before You saved us, and remind us that no one is beyond Your grace. Not even us. Amen.
Acts 9:1-31 (ESV):
But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.