Think on these questions as you dwell in Acts 9:19-31:

1. The conversion of Saul is a well-known story, but what specific details about his transformation stand out to you in this account? How does his immediate proclamation of Jesus demonstrate the profound impact of his encounter with Christ?

2. Saul's conversion not only leads to his bold proclamation of Christ but also his ability to defend the faith, particularly in proving that Jesus is the promised Messiah. How does this aspect of Saul's transformation challenge our understanding of how God equips and uses individuals for His purposes? How might this inspire us in our own efforts to defend and share the gospel?

3. The passage highlights a contrast between the responses of believers and unbelievers to Saul's conversion. How do both groups grapple with this unexpected change in Saul's allegiance? What does this reveal about the complexities and challenges faced by the early church? How might these dynamics resonate with the experiences of contemporary believers in sharing their faith?

Transcript:

 One thing that is always interesting in working through a book of the Bible, sort of slowly, is that you find the stories that you, that you know very well. Maybe they were Sunday school stories, such as here's the conversion of Saul being knocked down and the scales on his eyes falling off. Those are stories we always remember.

And then you move on to the next part and you see some interesting details that you know you've learned before, but probably forgot because you were focused. On the other story, and there's really some beautiful stuff here that I think we often forget about the conversion of Saul. And one thing that is just amazing to see is that he immediately proclaims Jesus in the synagogues.

And that language there, he immediately, he's doing it quickly. It's important that he not only comes to faith, but he wants to tell others about it.  This is the one who had... persecuted Christians and now he is proclaiming Jesus saying he's the son of God and like we would be amazed the people who saw this In Damascus, we're amazed.

This is the guy who made havoc in Jerusalem.  People called on the name of Jesus and now he is proclaiming the name of Jesus. He wanted to persecute those people and now he's one of the people that he would persecute. This is a strange thing. It's an amazing thing.  And so, we see here that Paul increases in strength, and we also see that he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

He wasn't only proclaiming the faith, he was defending the faith. He was able to take what he knew from what we call the Old Testament and proclaim Jesus from it to defend that he was the one who fulfilled those promises. And so, after a little while, people want to plot to kill him, and here's another Sunday school story, right?

They let Saul down through the wall so that he can escape.  And so, what we see here is some contrast. We see that the unbelievers, the Jews, are Concerned about Saul really, he's proclaiming Christ. They're confused and they want to attack him He escapes and he goes someplace where he should be safe but the Apostles the disciples in Jerusalem are confused as well The believers don't know what to think the unbelievers didn't know what to think in Damascus in Jerusalem The believers don't know what to think.

Well, thankfully  he had an advocate in Barnabas who Told them about what had happened and how he was proclaiming Christ and how he was boldly preaching the name of Jesus Now likely, you know, they understood the risk that he was taking and so  he's able to become a part of them It says he went in and out among them at Jerusalem and they were pretty and he was preaching boldly in the name of the Lord amongst the disciples  and we see though that  There were more people who wanted to kill him.

It says that he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. Now, Hellenists were Greek speaking Jews. They were seeking to kill him and so he was sent off again. He was sent down, uh, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus so that he might be safe. And then we see the consequence of all of this.

What is going on here in the midst of this?  The church had been being persecuted. The church, uh, was having difficulty, but they were still proclaiming the name of Christ, and they were growing. Uh, the difficulty was the persecution, but they were standing in the face of that. Well, then we see verse 31, and we see a little reminder.

Luke is once again retelling and reminding us of what the story of Acts is. Remember what Jesus said. That the disciples would be the witnesses to Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. So, what do we see? That throughout all of Judea and Galilee and Samaria, the church 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. So, what was going on that this was happening? What was the message? Well, they're proclaiming Christ. They're boldly preaching the name of the Lord. They're proclaiming Christ and Him crucified. They're talking about how He is the Christ, the one who has come to save people from their sins.

Whether they are Jew or Gentile, they are all to come to faith. This is, this is the idea we see here, that the book of Acts is about the church going out. And through this proclamation, through fearing the Lord, proclaiming His name. And being comforted by the Holy Spirit, the church multiplies, it grows.  So, what do we see for us here in this passage?

Well, if we want to have peace and have a church that is being built up, what do we need? We need faithful and bold proclamation of Christ. We need faithful and bold proclamation of the gospel. And we need to walk in the fear of the Lord. And we need to be having the comfort of the Holy Spirit. We need to know that the Spirit is at work in us through the word, and then there's peace in the body, and the body is multiplied through that proclamation.

So may we seek that peace and seek that growth in the church. And that doesn't happen through programs or through things that we do. It happens through the proclamation of the Word, the proclamation of Christ and Him crucified, and the work of the Holy Spirit. So may we trust that that is happening, and may we continue to be faithful to God's Word and entrusting in the Spirit.