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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 9:1-19

INTRODUCTION: We are back to our message series in the book of Acts called Church on the Move as we work our way through the book of Acts together. We learned earlier in our series that there are four major movements in the book of Acts:

   1-8 > From Jerusalem to Samaria
   9-15 > From the Jews to the Gentiles
   16-20 > From Asia to Europe
   21-28 > To the ends of the Earth

Chapters 1-8 track the movement of the church from Jerusalem to Samaria. Chapters 9-15 track the movement of the church from the Jews to the Gentiles. Chapters 16-20 track the movement of the church from Asia to Europe. And chapters 21-28 track the movement of the church as it makes its way to the ends of the earth.

Last year in the series we looked at the first movement of the church from Jerusalem to Samaria. Today we begin working our way through the second movement of the church from the Jews to the Gentiles. And it all begins with a man named Saul. (Read Acts 9:1-2 and pray.)

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We are going to talk about Saul in just a moment, but first I want to say a few words about Paul. Paul the apostle is one of the most important figures in the New Testament, the history of the church and indeed the history of the world.

Paul was a man of deep humility, conviction, compassion and affection. He was a brilliant man who studied under the greatest scholars of his time. He had a passion and zeal for God that was unmatched in his day and perhaps in any age. He traveled over ten thousand miles in fourteen years preaching Christ and the gospel—most of it on foot! (Talk about church on the move!) He wrote half the books in the New Testament. He willingly endured persecution, physical suffering and even prison for the sake of the gospel.

Paul is someone everyone should get to know and appreciate. However, before he became known as Paul the apostle, he was first known as Saul of Tarsus. And Saul was a very different man than Paul. Yes, he was still brilliant, passionate, willing to travel and zealous for God. But he hated Jesus, and he hated the church. He hated Christians. That was all about to change.

In Acts chapter nine we learn about Saul’s conversion. It is the second of three conversion stories that we find in here Acts chapters 8, 9 and 10. In chapter 8 we find the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopian eunuch was a Jewish convert who lived far away from Jerusalem. We saw that this was a foreshadowing of the final movement of the church when the gospel goes out to the ends of the earth. In chapter 9 we find the conversion of Saul, who will become the apostle to the Gentiles. And then in chapter 10 we find the conversion of Cornelius, who is the first actual Gentile convert to Christ.

But today we want to look at the conversion of Saul. Because Saul’s conversion changes everything! Through Saul who became Paul, the gospel will go out to the Gentiles and spread throughout the Roman Empire. The story of Saul’s conversion is such an important story that it’s told three times in the book of Acts! (Acts 9, 22, 26). Today we will look at the first of these tellings, as we see how in God’s providence Saul of Tarsus became the person we know as Paul the apostle. So, let’s look at Saul’s conversion together.

I. Saul before his conversion (1-2)

First, Luke shares about Saul before his conversion. We all have a pre-conversion story. You may not have been a murderer of Christians like Saul was, but we all have a pre-conversion story. That’s because none of us are born converted to Christ. Even those who come to faith at a young age have a pre-conversion story.

Some of us know the date and time when we converted. Others of us don’t know exactly when we came to Christ. But everyone who is a Christian came to Christ at some time. None of us are born Christians. We become Christians. And therefore, each of us has a pre-conversion story. There was a time in our lives before we understood and embraced Christ as our Savior.

So, let’s look at Saul’s pre-conversion story in verses 1-2:

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2)

Here we see two characteristics of Saul before he converted to Christ. We see his continued persecution of Christians, and we see his expanded persecution of Christians.

   A. Continued persecution of Christian believers (1)

First, we see his continued persecution of Christian believers. Luke says that Saul was still persecuting those who followed Christ. That’s because Saul never stopped! This is the third time we have met Saul in the book of Acts, and every time we find him participating in the persecution of Christians.

We first saw him at the death of Stephen, where he guarded the coats for those who cast the stones and gave his approval over the whole process (Acts 7:58, 8:1). Next we saw that he was part of the initial persecution of the church in Jerusalem, going from house to house and dragging off both men and women to put them in prison (Acts 8:3).

But Saul wasn’t satisfied with just prison for these Christian believers. Luke says he was breathing out murderous threats. Saul didn’t just want these believers locked up. He wanted them dead. He saw this young Christian movement as a direct threat to the worship of the true God of Israel, and he wanted to stamp it out of existence.

And so, the persecution of Christians we find here in chapter nine was not something new for Saul. He had already been doing it. This was a continued persecution of Christian believers.

   B. Expanded persecution of Christian believers (2)

Not only that, but it was also an expanded persecution of Christian believers. At first, Saul only persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem. Why only Jerusalem? Because that’s where they all were! However, as a direct result of that persecution, the Christians left Jerusalem and scattered. So now Saul expanded his efforts.

The church was on the move, and so Saul was on the move too. The believers had scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, and Saul was on a mission to track them all down and bring them all back. As Saul told King Agrippa in Acts 26: “Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them” (Acts 26:11).

So, when Saul went to Damascus, this was not his first rodeo. Damascus was 150 miles away, about a week’s journey. There was a major Jewish population there, so that’s where many of the early Jewish Christians had gone. Saul couldn’t just go and bring them back on his own, so he went to the high priest and asked for letters. These were extradition papers giving him the authority to take as prisoners any believers he found and bring them back to Jerusalem.

Notice these early Christians are described as those “who belonged to the Way.” That’s an interesting name. It recalls the words of Jesus in the gospel of John: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). It shows that the early Christians emphasized Jesus as the only way to God.

Now, stop and think about Saul for a moment. Was he a likely candidate for conversion at this time? He hated Jesus, and he hated Christians. He was willing to travel 150 miles on foot to Damascus just to look for Christians to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem. If you stopped and asked him at the beginning of his trip if he would be a believer by the time he got to Damascus, he would have thought you were mad. But no one is beyond Christ’s reach. God can reach anyone with the gospel.

II. Saul’s encounter with Christ (3-9)

Saul’s plan was to go to Damascus and arrest the Christians there. Of course, God had other plans, and so next we see God’s plan prevail over Saul’s plan.

   A. Light from heaven (3)

The first part of that plan involved light from heaven. Look at verse 3 with me now:

As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. (Acts 9:3)

Notice this happened as he neared Damascus. He was so close. He was almost there! This light from heaven was a manifestation of God’s glory. Bright light is often associated with divine visitations in Scripture. Luke tells us this light flashed all around him. It’s a rare word that’s only used twice in the New Testament, both times describing this same incident. It describes a light that is shining all around a specific area, sort of like a spotlight. Elsewhere in Acts we are told this happened at high noon (Acts 26:13), so this light was extremely bright—brighter than the noonday sun!

   B. Hearing the voice of Jesus (4-6)

Saul sees the light from heaven, and then he hears the voice of Jesus. Look at verses 4-6:

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:4-6)

First Saul falls to the ground. Have you ever experienced a close lightning flash and boom? You instinctively fall to the ground, and that’s what Saul does here. Saul falls to the ground and hears a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” This must have been so confusing to him. This was clearly a divine revelation, but Saul wasn’t persecuting the Lord. He was defending him! Or so he thought.

So, Saul asks, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” This was the answer that turned Saul’s world upside down and would eventually turn the entire world upside down. Saul’s worst fears are realized. He has been persecuting Christians for following Jesus as Lord, and now he learns that Jesus is the Lord. The Lord is Jesus. This changes everything.

Notice Jesus’ close identification with believers in this passage. To persecute Christian believers is to persecute Christ. Why is that? We are all part of the body of Christ, and Jesus is the head of the body. When you suffer persecution for your faith, know that Jesus feels your hurt as well.

Jesus first identifies himself to Saul, and then he gives him instructions: “Go into the city and wait.” Sound familiar? That’s what Jesus told the apostles back in Acts 1. They were to go into the city and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The apostles had to wait for the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8 the Samaritans had to wait for the Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). And now Saul in Acts 9 has to wait for the Spirit.

Why does God make Saul wait? Because God is calling him to be an apostle. Saul has been granted a post-resurrection appearance of Christ—not only post-resurrection but post-ascension! The other apostles saw Jesus in his resurrection body. Saul was privileged to see Christ in all of his glory.

   C. Humbled and blind (7-9)

So, Saul sees the light from heaven and hears the voice of Jesus speaking. Next, he is humbled and blind. Look at verses 7-9:

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. (Acts 9:7-9)

Saul’s companions see the light and hear the sound, but they don’t understand the voice (Acts 22:9). These miraculous signs confirmed the experience publicly, but the revelation was private for Saul alone (cf. Daniel 10:7; John 12:27-28).

When Saul gets up, he discovers that he is blind. Apparently, he had his eyes closed the whole time until he got back up. His companions lead him into the city. This was not how Saul had envisioned himself arriving. What a contrast from the proud, self-sufficient, violent man who opposed Christ to the now humble, dependent, gentle man who was seeking Christ.

Saul remained blind and did not eat or drink anything for three days. God had humbled Saul, and Saul was devastated by this experience.

III. Ananias and Saul (10-19)

In the meantime, God continued to work behind the scenes. God does that. When God is working in your life, you’re not the only one. God is doing a thousand things you or I know nothing about. He is always working behind the scenes.

   A. Instruction from the Lord(10-12)

There was a disciple in the city named Ananias. God called out to Ananias in a vision and gave him specific instructions to go to Saul and restore his sight. Look at verses 10-12:

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” (Acts 9:10-12)

The focus shifts over to Ananias now. The Lord calls him by name, and he responds, “Yes, Lord.” This is similar to Samuel in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 3:1-10). God called Samuel by name, and Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Like Samuel, Ananias is ready and willing to obey.

God tells Ananias three things. He tells him exactly where Saul is staying—the house of Judas on Straight Street. He tells him exactly what Saul is doing—he is praying. And he tells him exactly what Saul has seen in a vision of his own—he has seen Ananias coming, placing his hands on him and restoring his sight.

The road called Straight Street is still there in Damascus today. The next time you’re in Damascus take a nice walk down Straight Steet. It is a long straight road running east to west. It was fifty feet wide in Saul’s time. Saul was praying, but we are not told exactly what he was praying. Was it a prayer of repentance? Was he asking forgiveness? Was he giving God thanksgiving and praise? We don’t know because the Bible doesn’t tell us.

What we have recorded here is a double vision. The Lord spoke to Saul in a vision, and now he speaks to Ananias in a vision. God is basically telling Ananias, “Saul is expecting you!”

   B. Objection and response (13-16)

Now, Ananias was a good man. He was a follower of Jesus. God was speaking to him in a vision. And yet Ananias still objected! Look at verses 13-14:

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” (Acts 9:13-14)

Ananias is not so sure about all this. He knows Saul’s reputation from Jerusalem. He knows why Saul has come to Damascus. What God is asking him to do is sort of like turning yourself over to the police, so he gives God all this extra information that God might be missing—just in case! Continuing in verse 15, we read:

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)

The Lord responds to Ananias, “Go!” God basically repeats his first command from verse 11. Apparently, Ananias didn’t change God’s mind.

However, the Lord does give Ananias more information this time around. He reveals to Ananias his plans for Saul. Saul is his chosen instrument. It was God’s sovereign choice to save Saul and to use him. We should always remember that we are just instruments in God’s hands. We should never take pride in the fact that we are serving God. God chose us; we didn’t choose him. It was the same way with Saul.

The Lord tells Ananias that Saul will carry his name before the Gentiles and others. This is the Lord Jesus talking to Ananias, just as he spoke to Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul will carry the name of Jesus forward, the very name that he had been reacting against all this time.

Saul will carry the name of Jesus before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel. It’s unusual for the Gentiles to be mentioned here first before the Jews, but remember, this will be Saul’s primary mission. God is calling him to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

The Lord will also show Saul how much he must suffer for the name of Jesus. How’s that for a job description? When Saul accepted this mission, he knew the cost up front.

   C. Sight restored(17-19)

We have seen Ananias’ instruction from the Lord. We have heard Ananias’ objection and God’s response. Now we come to Saul’s sight restored. Look at verses 17-19:

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. (Acts 9:17-19)

Notice Ananias addresses Saul as “brother Saul.” These would have been such comforting words as Ananias embraces Saul the persecutor as a brother in Christ. Ananias is saying, “Saul, welcome to the family! Welcome to the family of God.”

Ananias confirms that it was Jesus who appeared to Saul on the road. It seems this was more than just a vision. The risen Jesus appeared to him. This was one of the qualifications to be an apostle—to be a witness to Christ’s resurrection. Saul has now been a witness to Christ’s resurrection in preparation for his apostleship.

Ananias has come so that Saul might see and be filled with the Holy Spirit. He has come so that Saul will experience both physical healing and spiritual blessing. Something like scales fall from Saul’s eyes, and he is able to see again. He is immediately baptized into the faith, and only then does he eat again, regaining his strength for the new mission to which God is calling him through Jesus Christ.

CONCLUSION: This is the story of Saul’s conversion. There were certainly some miraculous events surrounding his conversion, but in many ways, this was a normal conversion experience.

There are three aspects of Saul’s conversion that are the same for any of us who come to Christ. 1) Saul was confronted with the truth about Jesus. 2) Saul responded in repentance and faith. 3) Saul was commissioned for service. That’s the same for any of us when we come to Christ. We are confronted with the truth about Jesus. We respond in repentance and faith. And then we too are commissioned for service. God has work for you to do as a Christian.

Saul’s conversion teaches us that God can save anyone. God took the greatest persecutor of the church—a man who hated Christians, who hated Jesus, a man who was obsessed with destroying the cause of Christ—and personally met him on the road to Damascus. He confronted him with the truth, humbled him, removed the blinders from his eyes and brought him to faith, baptism and commitment to Christ. God had a purpose for Saul’s life, and he would fulfill that purpose in Saul’s life.

Saul’s conversion story reminds us that we all need to be saved. We all have a pre-conversion story, which means we all need to come to Jesus. God can take the most unlikely person, knock him off his high horse and confront him with the truth about Jesus. God can do that anytime God wants.

Therefore, we should be bold in sharing the good news about Jesus with those around us. Like Ananias, you too may have objections. “God, I don’t know if this is a good time. God, I don’t know how they’re going to respond. God, what if I don’t know what to say?” Yes, Ananias had his objections too. But you will never regret obeying God in this matter. You never know when God is going to use you to bring someone all the way home to Christ.

My prayer is that as a result of this message:

1) You will thank God for your own salvation, for your own conversion experience. Even if you came to faith as a child, even if you can’t remember when you came to Christ, thank God for your salvation. Because there was a time when you didn’t know Jesus, and now you do. Praise God!

2) You will understand that God can save anyone, even the most unlikely person you know. Think about the most unlikely person you know to come to Jesus. It might be someone at work; it might be a friend; it might be neighbor; it might be a family member. You may have been praying for them for a long time. You may have shared the gospel with them before, and they don’t want anything to do with Jesus.

They are the most unlikely person, and you may think they could never come to Jesus. Oh yes, they can. Pray for them. Pray for the opportunity to share the gospel. Ask God to give you the wisdom to know the right words to say. If God could save Saul, if God could save you or me, he can save anyone.

3) You will be encouraged to share the gospel more frequently. How frequently do you share the gospel with people? How often do you tell others about Jesus? When was the last time? If you can’t remember the last time, then it’s been too long. The more we share Jesus with other people, the more opportunities people have to hear the gospel and believe.

So, I pray that you will be encouraged to share the gospel more frequently, knowing that the gospel is the power of salvation for everyone who believes. It was true for Saul. It’s true for you. It’s true for those around us.

© Ray Fowler

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