Rough Start



Acts 9:19b-31
19bFor some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
20And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
21And 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?”
22But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
23When many days [three years – see Galatians 1:17-18] had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,
24but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,
25but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26And 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.
27But 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.
28So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
29And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him.
30And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31So 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.

The same fervor that drove Saul to want to rid the world of Christ-followers now drives him to embrace his new faith. His change of heart is complete and passionate. First he tells of Jesus in Damascus and then on to Jerusalem to meet the Apostles. Several years of history is compacted into a few short verses here. “When many day has passed” indicates movement forward time wise but we need to look into Galatians to see just how many days; it was three years. Saul didn’t go immediately from exterminator to missionary. It took time to build up a relationship of trust with those already inside of the Christian community. In fact (which will be pointed out later in Acts) it was at least 14 years before Saul moved into active ministry after his conversion although he does face opposition almost immediately.

Saul/Paul is an interesting study in faith development. He is given an amazing education, having been trained at the feet of some very prominent Jewish educators. Then Jesus comes along and through the power of His Holy Spirit Saul’s training is taken to a whole new level as he learns about the work of Jesus Christ and His role as Savior and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy . It would be amazing to have this vast pool of knowledge expanded by a new depth of insight and understanding. No wonder he was fervent and driven to share the Gospel. God takes that passionate personality and uses it mightily for the Kingdom.

And that is the business God is in; taking passions and talents that He has given us and turning them into greatness for His Name. Saul will live to be the perfect example of what God does in a life given to Him. We won’t hear from Saul again for a few chapters as Peter’s story is expanded. But God’s training goes on and powerful things emerge because of it. We learn these stories because they teach us how God operates. He is the same today, training us so that we too can do powerful things in His name.

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