Acts 9
The idea of Saul “breathing out threats” suggests that his fury towards the Christian people was all-consuming in his life. Such was his desire to “kill-off’ the early Christian church that he went to the High Priest and obtained letter to the leaders in the synagogues in Damascus to allow him to bring back the Christians as prisoners. Saul is filled with a zeal that is all-consuming and irresistable – certainly someone that is determined to see this task through to its natural end.
Saul’s conversion is probably one of the most extreme in Christian history. Saul, the Christian church’s greatest threat, is personally touched by Jesus in his vision on the road to Damascus. The “Damascus road experience” enters the vocabulary as a description of someone whose life has been completely reversed!
Blinded and fasting, he is lead by companions to Damascus – where he spends three days waiting. Ananias was placed in a difficult position by his call from the God. Ananias is very aware of who Saul is – and despite not doubting Jesus’ call in his life, and his completely different character, he is still truly worried about going to him.
How completely human that anyone who heard Saul preach about Jesus asked questions about his turnabout! Even in today’s world, we are still suspicious about anyone coming to faith if they’ve lead a less than suitable life before. Just as happened with Saul, we need to be convinced that people’s conversion was real or not!
Saul becomes so good at the preaching that even the Jews in Damascus started to be worried that his conversion was completely real, and that he was starting to make waves among their own congregations. They made plans to kill him, and they started to watch the city gates in case Saul tried to escape.
Saul leaves Damascus to Jerusalem – his first return since his Christian conversion. The Jerusalem Christians were still suspicious of him, and wouldn’t associate with him. Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles to tell them all about his conversion and how fervently he had preached the Gospel of Christ. They accept him, and he starts to preach in Jerusalem, again making enemies very quickly. Once again, Saul is sent away for his own safety by the Christians – a complete reversal since the beginning of the chapter – when the Jews fled for fear of him!
Peter travelled to Lydda where he heals a man named Aeneas, and continues to preach the Gospel. Shorty afterwards he travelled to Joppa, to comfort the Christians after the loss of one of their fellow Christians, a lady named Tabitha. She had given freely of her time and gifts, and was well loved by everyone in the area.
Peter, however, sees an opportunity for God in this situation, and as he prays, he turns and calls her to arise – and the miracle happened immediately.
In his ministry among the people the Jews, two of Jesus’ most notable miracles included the healing of the paralysed man and raising people from the dead. The miracles of the healing of Aeneas and Tabitha are proof that the power that Jesus had shown in his healings is now available through the Holy Spirit to the apostles.
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