RESUMED RESUME: “PARACLETES and 180’s”
Acts 9:19-31
Intro: One-eighty is a term we use to describe an abrupt and total about-face. It’s a term that we can easily apply to Saul, the man who not only had a saving encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, but he had an encounter that completely changed the course of his life. Saul’s salvation is a reminder to us of a key fact of Christian living: grace. When we think of God’s grace, our minds immediately go to the fact that it is by grace that we are saved, through faith. This is good because God’s grace saved us. But we also have to remember that the same grace of God that saves us is the grace of God that changes us. I’m not sure if give that truth equal footing, but we should. The fact that God doesn’t save us by grace to leave us where we are, but to revolutionize our very lives, is the point of our text. Grace saves us, and grace also changes us. Observe:
I) A CHANGED MAN – 9:19b-22: Through solitude, God brought the Apostle Paul out of the bitter Saul…and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”
At first, it may seem strange that Luke includes the immediate reaction of Saul, but I think he was demonstrating the genuine nature of his conversion. Question: where did Saul go following the Damascus Road experience? Immediately (at once: eutheos) into the synagogues, which was his original destination. Instead of “you have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a Court of Sadducees,” he had a different message: “Jesus? He’s really, really, really the Son of God!” Can you imagine the shock of the Synagogue attendants? They thought the Christians among them were going to be taken away. Instead… Son of God, which could have meant a) the people of Israel generally, b) the King over Israel, c) Messiah from David’s linage. They would have understood clearly that he was proclaiming Jesus to be “the Messiah, the Promised One of Israel.” We know this as the verb that we translate preached or proved (sumbibadzo), literally means “placing together” the Scriptures that promised a Messiah.
Notice that the focus of Saul’s message was Jesus. John Stott wrote, “Testimony is not a synonym for autobiography.” In other words, if your message isn’t about Jesus, your message isn’t the gospel. If it’s about you, or about trendy techniques, or pithy pointers, or incredible ideas, or self-help soothing, or poignant panaceas, then it isn’t the gospel. If Jesus Christ isn’t at the fore front in your life and in your story, then it’s not the message of faith. Your testimony might be funny, interesting, it might rhyme or reason well; it might awe its hearers and captivate its critics. But if it isn’t about Jesus, then it isn’t God’s message. Saul proclaimed Jesus and proved Jesus, because to Saul, the message was Jesus, which produced a new effect. Saul understood that he was in debt as he emulated the axiom, “for God is with me.” Anointed presence had been given to him to produce a new result. Saul understood his obligation to stand before Jesus with the fruit of His presence. We are no different: we have become possessed with a promise and apprehended for a purpose.
The word “astonished or amazed (sunekunen)” in the original Greek meant something like: “dude!” Well, maybe not exactly, but what an effect. It was definitely different than what his hearers had anticipated. The leaders were amazed and disgusted. Believers in the Synagogues feared the very real possibility that Saul would have their lives for their belief. They knew that he had been sent to gather them up for the slaughter. Instead, He had become an advocate for Jesus. Saul also began to demonstrate a new strength with his growth in understanding.
Saul the new convert became an “immediate” proclaimer of Jesus. Was his belef system perfect concerning Jesus? Of course not. Even though God could have imparted facts to him supernaturally by way of a gift of knowledge, that wasn’t necessary or expedient. Saul had to learn just like the rest of us, as Holy Spirit gave him understanding through the normal course of learning over the next 13 years of his life. But the fact that he might not have known all that he eventually would know didn’t stop him from giving a report (witness) of what happened to him and why. The Damascus Road experience convinced him of a central issue: this Jesus whose followers he had persecuted was none other than the resurrected and living God the Son!
Saul also became a champion in apologetics. Let me define that word for you, because you’ll hear it with some regularity on the Radio. Even though it sounds like “apologizing,” it doesn’t mean an apology. Saul is not saying, “excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but do you think that there’s any chance that this Jesus fellow might be, like sort of in some way, uh, the Son of God?” The art of apologetics involves giving a reasoned, articulate defense of one’s position. Peter tells us that every one of us needs to be ready and able to give a reason for the hope that is in us. We do some of that in our Wednesday Bible studies, working our way through the Scriptures so that we could articulate the Bible’s teaching on Healing in Christ, End Times and Church History. Saul also demonstrated growth in his ability to articulate and defend. Saul was transformed by his new master with a new message: grace and mercy.
II) A MARKED MAN 9:23-25; 29b-30
After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall… He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
Persecuted by his co-conspirators
Let me ask you another question: does the Bible contradict itself? Today’s passage is grist for some who would say that it does. Saul, later Paul, gives some details of his conversion in Galatians 1, some of his own autobiography in defending to the Galatian church his position as God’s apostle. At first blush, the details of that account don’t line up with this story. The Bible’s wrong, right? No…what we must remember are a couple of things: Luke records certain events of history that are specific to his own purpose here, as Paul records certain events of history that are specific to his very different purpose in the book of Galatians. Luke in writing Acts and Paul in writing Galatians mentions or leaves out certain aspects of Paul’s story in concert with the things they wanted to emphasize.
9:23 “After many days had gone by” Luke is vague as he records this period of time, but we know from Galatians that this covered a period of three years, as Saul headed to the Arabian Desert. The reason for this trip is conjecture; some see it as a mission, but others as an extended time when Jesus revealed Himself much more fully to Saul. Saul spoke of the profound fact that Jews and Gentiles were one in the body of Christ as a “mystery,” specially revealed knowledge given to Saul by Christ Himself, as he connected the dots between Greek concepts and Christianity for communicative purposes. Some speculate that this extended time in Arabia might have been when this took place. Some even postulate that the three years Saul spent in the relative wilderness of Arabia corresponds to the three years that the other apostles spent directly with Jesus, that Saul and Jesus were playing “catch up ball” in Arabia. Maybe, but… he probably connected with a group of instructors in this desert wasteland who taught him. His instructors were not Apostles. This would give us a reason as to why he claimed his commission didn’t come at the hands of the apostles in Galatians. They were probably Essenes, or some other religious community that accepted Christ Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. They easily could have been influential in John the Baptist and Jesus young lives. I say this as the Arabian territory stretched from Syria to the Dead Sea, where the Scrolls were found.
Regardless, when this time was finished, some of the men who had gone with Saul to arrest believers, along with other Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus, were determined to stop to Saul. In 2 Corinthians 11 we learn that even the city manager, a secular individual who had grown to see Saul as a nuisance, was in on the plot as well. They weren’t messing around; they were playing for keeps, and murder was on their minds.
I want you to note the phrase: “his disciples (mathetes)” in the 25th verse. The term mathetes is used 7 times in Acts with an exclusive designation for disciples of Jesus, except here. Some commentators will say that this phrase speaks about the new, special relationship that developed between Saul and the Damascus believers. They say that he had such a endearing bond with them that they really connected to the point of master/disciple. I don’t buy this explanation. I think that these were some of the men who had accompanied Saul to Damascus. These disciples were some of his previous followers, just as he had been a follower of Gamaliel. Its what teachers did. Some of those who heard the “thunderous sound” followed Saul as he followed Christ immediately. As with Stephen earlier, Saul spoke after being filled with Holy Spirit to his listeners in a way that they: “could not resist the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke (6:10).”
III) AN ACCEPTED MAN – 9:26-27
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Welcomed by his former enemies
It’s easy to understand the initial reluctance of the Jerusalem believers to welcome Saul quickly into their circle. He may have just been putting up a front in order to find an even more effective way to bring down the whole house of faith, putting more followers of Jesus in jail or having them executed. Going “undercover” as an ‘agent provocateur’ might be an effective way of doing that. At any rate, a man named Barnabas, a “son of encouragement” came to Saul’s rescue. Barnabas most likely knew Saul before, knew of Saul’s integrity of character, and was utterly convinced of the genuineness of his conversion. Remember, they were both Hellenist Jews.
Acts gives us a portraits of a Paraclete (Acts 4:36-37; 9:19-30; 11:19-26)
Everybody needs a “Barney”! Fred Flintstone, that three fingered cartoon character of television’s first animated prime-time series, and now spokesperson for children’s vitamins and cereal, had a Barney. Barney Rubble, the next door neighbor who was always accompanying Fred. Whenever Fred went off on one of his hair brained schemes, faithful Barney stayed right with him. Then there’s the other Barney:
Barney Fife was the overeager sidekick to Sheriff Taylor. Barney was the bumbling idiot that Andy had to keep out of trouble. Don Knotts was on The Andy Griffith Show for five years and won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Barney. When Don Knotts left the show to pursue a movie career, many people say that the program just wasn’t the same anymore. Barney may have been bumbling, but he gave Andy sometime to do besides sitting around the sheriff’s office.
Let’s wade into several truths from this passage that illustrate that 180-turn that Saul made:
Barnabas took Saul to Peter and James (we know this from other Scripture) and convinced them that Saul was sincere. When Saul needed a true friend, he found one in Barnabas, and thus those whom Saul had so vigorously persecuted previously became his colleagues in faith and ministry. Saul also became a useful man (9:28-29a; 31), who would become very effective in Kingdom service. He found his place in history. To disregard our place in history would be foolish. If our understanding of humility causes us to shy away from our place to shape history, it is the wrong definition of humility. Humility leads us to our purpose in Christ, not away from it. We cannot ignore the hour we live in and miss our divine moment because of our focus on being unworthy due to the past, or mistakes or whatever you think you may lack. At some point, we have to believe that the blood of Jesus was sufficient and step into our Jesus testimony, doing a 180. We have been entrusted with something of great value: His presence, and we should (must) present to Him fruit equal to that gift (Bill Johnson).
The persecution that began with the martyrdom of Stephen died out temporarily with the conversion of Saul, and the church began to experience a respite from their trouble. Luke gives us a summary statement to wrap up the point. Luke makes his summary statement here to show us that Saul has now become a significant contributor to the progress of the gospel, and to the success of the church. This persecutor of the church has become tremendously useful in the Kingdom!
Conclusion:
Making a one-eighty: this is not too strong a term to use in speaking about the change in Saul’s life. A completely changed man, marked for harm by his former colleagues, accepted as a brother by his former enemies, useful in service to the Christ whom he had worked so hard against. If God is working in your life, it’s to accomplish that one-eighty in you as well.
When God changes us, He does so that He can make us useful instruments for His Kingdom. There is a purpose to the change, in other words; there is a reason that God is doing something new and different in our lives. It is so that we can become people who make a difference for Him here and now. Barnabas saw in Saul something that maybe even Saul didn’t know was there, and I see potential in some of you that maybe even you don’t know is there. That potential is there in part because of the power of God. The challenge for each of us is to allow God to transform us and use us according to His will and His plan.
HOME TEAM GUIDE
RESUMING THE RESUME
ACTS 9:19-43
Leaders Guide
Ice Breaker What are you more like? (Circle your preference.)
Sprinter or Distance Runner
Cheese Pizza or Supreme
Magnifying Glass or Telescope
A Ride or A Walk
Rustic Cabin or Fancy Resort
Action Movie or Comedy
Rushing Rapid or Placid Lake
Bridge or Tower
Mall or Costco
Dirt or Street
How did this week’s sermon add, change or confirm your definition of service?
From this weekend’s teaching, was there a statement, point or insight that was particularly helpful, challenging or confusing to you personally?
Bulletin Insert
Our Idea In our modern world and workforce, resumes are important. They track our accomplishments, communicate our priorities, and let others know who we are as worker bees. When a resume is written, every word counts, but some words count more than others: especially those that refer to soft skills. Soft skills are increasing in their place of importance in the workplace. 86% of employers today consider soft skills to be among their most important hiring priorities according to a recent survey by two University of Massachusetts economists. Acts 9:19-31 gives us the beginning resume bullet points for Saul of Tarsus (Paul) resume. Based on this passage of Scripture and any other information you may know about the Apostle Paul, discuss these top four ‘Soft Skills’ modern employers look at in hiring individuals. Decide whether or not you as a group would hire Paul at the end of your Home Team meeting.
Our Questions
1. ‘Teamwork’ Teamwork is always important in the workplace. The ability to work well with others to accomplish a common goal is vital for a exceptional workplace. Employees are often organized into teams to manage projects. A team player is an attentive listener, a cooperative colleague and is willing to help others.
2. Look up and read Luke 10:1-9. Do you think that Jesus valued teamwork?
3. How can you become a better team player at church and in the churches ministries?
4. ‘Flexibility’ The skills we need in life never allow us to only be good at just one thing. Being flexible and being able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously is what life is all about. We show others that we’re flexible by demonstrating a willingness to take on new and varied tasks and demonstrating an ability to handle changing priorities.
5. Paul once said that he became ‘all things to all men, in order to win some (to Christ). Does this attitude demonstrate flexibility as a quality?
6. How can we incorporate this approach to our life of faith, just like Paul did? “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22, NKJV).
7. ‘Detail-Oriented’ Employers want to know that they can trust workers to handle a project down to the last detail. Being “detail-oriented” means that we are organized and meticulous about our work. It also implies that you can work without constant supervision and act independently.
Read Galatians 1:15-24. This is Paul’s personal testimony. Do you think he demonstrated the ability to be self motivated and to work independently?
8. ‘Self-Motivation’ A quality that is always valuable anywhere is being a self-starter. It is important to generate your own ideas and bring them to fruition. Self-motivated people go the extra mile. Self motivation is when you take on tasks that may not be part of your job description. How self motivated are you?
9. Our place of worship (church) is where we demonstrate our ability to be self-motivated in God’s family. One of the way this quality is observed is by our ability to take on tasks just because there is a real need, even if it isn’t an interesting need for us.
10.Do you pitch in and help where the need is, even if it isn’t personally appealing? Discuss areas of need that you see in the church, and what you could do to help.
HOME TEAM GUIDE
RESUMING THE RESUME
ACTS 9:19-43
Leaders Guide
Ice Breaker In the list of songs, which one strikes you as the funniest? Why?
Our Idea: On a recent edition of ‘American Idolatry, the contestants were asked to sing their favorite Hymns they loved to Hum. The top ten finalists came up with these Lukewarm Hits: 1) Blest Be The Tie That Doesn’t Cramp My Style; 2) Pillow of Ages, Fluffed for Me; 3) I Surrender Some; 4) I’m Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives; 5) Sit Up, Sit Up For Jesus; 6) Take My Life and Let Me Be; 7) What An Acquaintance We Have In Jesus; 
Where He Leads Me, I Will Consider Following; 9) He’s Quite a Bit To Me; 10) Oh, How I Like Jesus; 11) Fill My Spoon, Lord; 12) It Is My Secret What God Can Do.
Christian Witnessing – We’re only called to share. Christian witnessing is merely sharing our heartfelt faith in Christ – what He’s personally done to change our individual lives! We’re not called to argue or debate anyone into heaven. We’re merely called to share! As in the courtroom, we’re called to be a witness for the Gospel, not to serve as the lawyer, judge or jury…
How did this week’s sermon add, change or confirm your definition of service?
From this weekend’s teaching, was there a statement, point or insight that was particularly helpful, challenging or confusing to you personally?
Bulletin Insert
1) According to Pastor Bill, a good witness uses his past as the main point of focus. T F
2) What do you think about his perspective on witnessing as we look at Acts 9:19-27 and the Apostles Paul’s focal point?
3) How do you share your faith? Christian Witnessing – The Power of our Story Rests in Jesus Alone. For me, Christian witnessing is all about revealing the unseen Jesus in our lives, making Him visible through us. How do you think we can make Jesus seen through our lives?
4) Christian Witnessing – It’s not just about intellect or debate skills, its about loving others as they are. In his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul addresses the heart of Christian witnessing. Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and answer the following questions:
5) Do you have to be a bold person to share your faith? Why or why not?
6) What is more important: having the right argument, or having the ability to demonstrate the power of God in a convincing manner? Why or why not?
7) In regard to your last answer, how can we better demonstrate God’s power and let our arguments be supplemental material?
Do you respect non-Christians? How do you show them that you love them and care for them?
9) How can you help people who are under conviction? When we’re under conviction there are the two possible reactions:
a) Seek God for forgiveness.
b) Try to squirm our way out of our guilt.
