From Terrorist to Witness

Acts 9:1–9 ESV

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

INTRODUCTION

You have heard people say before, “I have had no Damascus road experience.”

Certainly, some aspects of conversion are not typical.

The flash of lightning was all around him.

The voice calling Him by name.

Falling to His knees

temporarily loosing his sight.

Some features apply to all of us today.

We must experience a personal encounter with Jesus.

We must surrender to him with a humble, contrite heart.

We must be moved to action to serve Him and His kingdom.

In Paul’s conversion experience we see a perfect case study for conversion today. We see Christ issuing his greatest patience towards us. We read in 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is patient with us not wishing that any should perish.” Romans 5:8 “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners He died for us anyway.

We have seen in past generation of scholars try to take away from the supernatural aspect of Saul’s conversion.

Saul was overcome by a sun stroke or epileptic seizure.

Dr William Sargant in his book Battle for the Mind. Subtitled ‘a physiology of conversion and brainwashing’, the book’s object is ‘to show how beliefs … can be forcibly implanted in the human brain, and how people can be switched to arbitrary beliefs altogether opposed to those previously held’, while the book conclusion is ‘that simple physiological mechanisms of conversion do exist’.

Basing this view of Pavlov’s experiment with dogs and on his own wartime patients who had broken down under ‘combat exhaustion. Dr. Sargant suggests that something similar happened to Saul.

Basically his acute case of nervous excitement came to a total collapse, and hallucinations increasing a state of suggestibility, and even becoming more intense with the three days of fasting.

I so concede that the art of brainwashing has long been used by religions practices, whether it is rhythmic drumming and dancing by primitive religious cults or through other forms of manipulative, emotional evangelism.

However, there is no suggestion of any such pattern with Saul’s conversion.

Not only was Saul convinced of his conversion experienced but also others including the men who traveled with him that were dumbfounded by the experience, Ananias who laid his hands on Paul and Barnabas who confirmed him before the apostles.

9:1-2

Saul’s Purpose Before His Transformation

Everything Saul thinks, says and does is geared towards a total and complete inhalation of Christ's followers. He has now parted ways with his teacher and mentor Gamaliel, who warned the Sanhedrin to leave the Christians alone so that they might find themselves in opposition.

Not satisfied with Jerusalem, he sets his sights on other places to pursue Christians. Since some had escaped to other areas, Luke calls the Christians Disciples, for they are disciplined learners.

“He breathed out Words of Threat”

Note: this does not mean that he killed the Jews but, he did take them to up to places where death was a reality.

Note: notice that Saul sought out the high priest to request letters to the synagogue of Damascus so that if he found anyone claiming to be one of the way he might bring them back to Jerusalem.

What Happens When Jesus Enters The Story of Your Life?

a). He Wakes You Up

Conversion Is Like Waking Up to an Alarm Clock

Bible scholar N.T. Wright uses the analogy of waking up in the morning for how some people come to Christ through a dramatic, instant conversion and others come to Christ through a gradual conversion: Waking up offers one of the most basic pictures of what can happen when God takes a hand in someone's life.

There are classic alarm-clock stories, Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, blinded by a sudden light, stunned and speechless, discovered that the God he had worshipped had revealed himself in the crucified and risen Jesus of Nazareth.

John Wesley found his heart becoming strangely warm and he never looked back. They and a few others are the famous ones, but there are millions more.

And there are many stories, thought they don't hit the headlines in the same way, of the half-awake and half-asleep variety. Some people take months, years, maybe even decades, during which they aren't sure whether they're on the outside of Christian faith looking in, or on the inside looking around to see if it's real.

As with ordinary waking up, there are many people who are somewhere in between. But the point is that there's such a thing as being asleep, and there's such a thing as being awake. And it's important to tell the difference, and to be sure you're awake by the time you have to be up and ready for action, whatever that action may be.

Saul is a man on a mission. He is looking for those who belong to “the way,” as they are called. Speaking of the metaphor that there is one of two directions you are heading.

You are either following the way that leads to life or death.

You are either in the light or the darkness.

You are either a friend of God or His enemy.

Characteristic of an Apocalyptic Event

Jesus cautioned the Church to stay awake, because they do not know at what day or hour Jesus Christ will appear. 2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Jesus appearance to Saul was immediate and unexpected.

The light is so intense that it knocks Saul to his knees, where he remains until the encounter ends.

Unlike others, Saul experiences an intense emotion when Jesus enters the story of their lives. When Jesus uses Saul’s name twice, saying “Saul, Saul,” it indicates an intense sense of emotion. It’s like when sound asleep, someone calls our voice repeatedly until we wake up.

The Samaritan Woman at the Well.

Peter’s huge catch at the Sea of Galilee.

Zacheus climbed a tree to get to Jesus.

b) He Gives You Your Identity

Jesus asks why Saul is persecuting him; however, Saul does not know who is speaking. The curious remark is unexplained initially but points to Jesus’s corporate solidarity with the church.

The solidarity here expresses an intense identification between Jesus and his followers. If you are persecuting one of His own, you are persecuting Him as well.

John 10 Jesus is the good shepherd He knows His own and His own know Him.

Our culture is very interested in the journey of discovering individual identity. Personality tests and dream assessments are available everywhere you look. It seems like everyone is searching for something to tell them who they are, where they belong and how they relate to the world.

The Bible says that all men and women are created in God’s image. Humankind was created to reflect some of God’s attributes. You can look for your identity anywhere, but followers of Jesus are called to find their identity in Him.

WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR IDENTITY

Before you can understand your identity as a believer you must first understand how he see’s you.

i. You are Loved.

You were created with a purpose. You are not just a convenient carbon copy of someone else. You were created uniquely and with intention. God lovingly designed every detail of your person. Can you imagine the love involved with that intricate design?

ii. You are Chosen

God was not obligated to love you based on your performance or credentials. He chose you to carry out an intricate part of His bigger plan, which included the death of His own son so that you could be a part of His family.

iii. You are Forgiven

To be considered a child of the perfect Father, you had to be freed from your sins. You had to be perfect regarding what is right and wrong, which is an impossible task.

However, because Jesus, who is without sin, died for you, what you have done wrong is no longer counted against you, and all that Christ did that was right is counted for you.

iv. You are Redeemed

Christ’s sacrifice has brought you back from sin and death. When God looks at you, he no longer sees your former sin. He does not see you in light of who you were; He sees you as who you are and who you are becoming.

v. You are Adopted

You are now considered a legitimate child of the God of the universe, having all of the rights and standing that go along with your royal calling. “You are a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a People for God’s own possession. Once you were not a people, now you are God’s people.

Acts 9:10–18 ESV

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

What Happens When Your Spiritual Eyes Are Opened?

Saul arises from the ground only to realize that His face-down encounter with the resurrected Christ has rendered him blind.

When our earthly eyes, which seek after this world, go dark, our spiritual eyes, which see the kingdom of God, open.

Saul, who is now blind, is seeing better than he has ever seen in his whole life.

Everyone’s conversion experience is different. Some people who have grown up in the church may have a different path than that of someone like Saul.

Saul’s path was dominated by attempting to rid the world of Christian. Saul’s transformation is drastic and immediate. Some peoples Spiritual eyes are opened slowly over time, others like Saul is immediate and alarming.

Every new believer needs a spiritual guide.

ANANIAS CALL

Now we see God using someone who is not an apostle. Ananias is possible one of the key much forgotten instrument in Saul’s conversion to Paul.

Notice Ananias’s response when God calls him, “Here I Am.” The indication that he is ready to obey. The vision is very specific naming Saul of Tarsus as the one being sought, giving the location as Judas’s house on straight street.

ANANIAS MISSION

The mission was to go lay hands on Paul so that he would could see again. The mission is not so much about the healing itself but about the meeting.

a.) You recognize Whose Fingerprints are on Your Life.

We see Christ’s fingerprints all over every aspect of our lives.

ANANIAS REACTION

Ananias begins to try and explain to God about the kind of man that Saul was and in his mind still is. Saul has been trying to stop such faith. Ananias knows his reputation. The issue of the “name” for Ananias is obvious in verses 15-16 and 21.

Referring to the persecution and imprisonment that Saul has participated in as he gathered up and pursued believers.

God’s Response

“This one is my chosen Vessel.” The Lord implies that He alone knows the situation and has now changed Saul’s vocation.

b). You recognize the quality of the Vessel.

The word used for chosen is expressed in its “quality.” The Lord see’s the quality of the vessel he has chosen to use for His purposes. Saul now possesses a new purpose and cause for living.

This one is chosen to be my Chosen instrument to Carry My Name.

According to Church tradition, the Roman’s martyred Paul under the emperor Nero. The quality of this chosen vessel is to now bear the name of Jesus by identifying with him in His death.

Witnessing to Jesus can be costly and ironically, Saul will receive as much as he gave.

This one will be the one to carry Jesus work and ministry to all people.

Now his ministry will reflect the ultimate intent of Jesus’s work and ministry to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. The vessel refers to someone who has a specific function or role to perform.

Romans 9

Paul later writes from Rome towards the end of his life. “What shall we say then? Is there any injustice on God’s part? By no means … I I will have mercy on whom I choose to have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion… Has the potter no right over the clay … Can God not choose to use the vessel for whatever use he has intended for the vessel to be used? Can he not use one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use …   The end purpose is to make known the riches of the glory of God.

Note: Saul is now freed from every limitation that has bound him throughout his life. He is now truly free to see things as they are. After his baptism he immediately begins to go out into Damascus and preach Jesus boldly.

Acts 9:19–25 ESV

19 and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 And 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?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. 23 When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

What Happens When You Can’t Shake Your Past?

Paul now a new creation in Christ as he writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Paul immediately begins to proclaim the name of Jesus in the synagogue at Damascus, saying that He is the Son of God.

“Son of God,” is probably meant in terms of full sonship about his Damascus road seeing the glorified, risen Christ. He is the unique, only promised one of God.

THE RESPONSE

They were “Amazed,” because this man who is now proclaiming “the way” in the unique one and only son of God who only day’s earlier was on a mission to complete the ultimate destruction of Christians.

What happens when people throw shade and doubt on the legitimacy of one’s conversion.

a.) We Give the Proof of Our Conversion

When Luke writes that Paul is growing stronger, the term often means to “unite” something. However, the proposition has the sense of proving something to be so.

The best way to shake your past is to live out the proof that you have been transformed. Paul only grows stronger in his conviction and faith of what has happened in his life through Christ.

This is why new believers need to be nurtured, they need to be discipled. We need an Ananias to come alongside us and encourage, instruct, and pray over us.

Saul’s transformation was not rooted in his conversion as a sense that Saul somehow did something. It was the fact that He was overwhelmed by God’s Grace and initiative as God called him out of darkness into His glorious light.

Acts 9:26–31 ESV

26 And 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. 27 But 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. 28 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. 30 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So 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.

Now, Paul comes to Jerusalem to join the disciples. I wonder what reaction he expects to receive from them. I can imagine that at the point many of us were converted, we were expecting support and excitement from other believers.

Skepticism in Jerusalem

It is not clear whether reports of Paul’s conversion has made their way back to those in Jerusalem.

We are also not certain how long Paul remained in Damascus before he made his way back to Jerusalem. Some believe that this visit could possibly have been delayed for several years. This may have created an uncertain climate in an already tense atmosphere.

The minds of those who remember Paul as Saul and the extreme steps he had taken to get to persecute and imprison them.

Cultural Context

We must understand the intense situation the early church was in as wolves in sheep’s clothing was a very real threat.

Unfortunately today, we too easily welcome people into the fellowship of the Church who are not truly a part of the Christian community or have pure motives for desiring membership in the body of Christ.

b.) We Have the Advocate of Our Conversion.

Barnabas, a future travel companion with Paul, steps up to be his advocate. Luke writes that they are afraid of him. Have you ever had someone react to someone who is claimed to follow the way as fear?

It would be like Saddam Hussein walking into the room or Vladamier Putin.

Barnabas took him by the hand to the disciples, specifically Peter and James, according to Galatians 1:18-20.

An advocate is a person who comes to our aid or pleads our case to a judge. Advocates offer support, strength, and counsel and intercede for us when necessary. The Bible says that Jesus is an Advocate for those who’ve put their trust in Him

The expression we read of Barnabas is of one taking him by the hand and introducing him to the apostles. This has the force of taking him under his wing.

Scripture calls the work of the Holy Spirit as our advocate. The word advocate in reference to the legal court system as someone who speaks for the rights of his or her client. We call them layers because they have studied us well and our case and navigate through the difficulty of people testifying to the truth of our testimony.

Now John paints the picture of the ultimate advocate we now have before the Father in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus stands as the advocate between our repentant hearts and the law. He pleads our case as the righteous judge.

We may imagine the conversation going like this: “Father, I know this one has sinned and violated our commands. He is guilty as charged. However, you have said that my sacrifice is sufficient payment for the debt he owes.

My righteousness was applied to his account when he trusted in me for salvation and forgiveness. I have paid the price so he can be pronounced ‘Not guilty.’ No debt is left for him to pay” (Romans 8:1; Colossians 2:14).

Note: An external witness like Ananias and Barnabas can only attest to external evidence and witness as seen:

On the road to Damascus He saw the Lord.

The Lord spoke to him.

He preached boldly the name of Jesus in Damascus.

I think it is interesting that the new believer Paul spoke boldly outside of Jerusalem about Jesus Christ; however, the other disciples had yet to venture outside the supposed safety of Jerusalem.

An earthly advocate can only go so far as to plead our case from external evidence. However, our heavenly advocate knows our hearts and pleads our case from our hearts.

True conversion is always issued as membership into the gospel community of the local church. It is not only that it is expected that new converts with join and become a part of a local fellowship of believers but, that the Christian community must welcome and confirm the legitimacy of their conversion especially those from different religious and social backgrounds.

(this is why the Journey Church has our covenant membership class)

There is an urgent need Ananias’s and Barnabas’s in the church today who take initiative to take new converts by the hand and welcome them into the gospel community.

c.) We Experience the Peace of our Conversion.

CONCLUSION

The peace and growth the church experiences are part of the support that the Spirit gives to the community of believers.

COMFORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT = PEACE

Now that the threat of persecution is taken off of the table, the church showed substantial gains in its membership, and Christians openly confessed their faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  There are two important reasons for such increases.

Christians were living in the Fear of the Lord.

Christians were experiencing the Comfort that only the Holy Spirit could bring.

Philippians 4

“Gives us Paul’s assessment of the, real peace prepares us for ministry.”

4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always because the Lord is at hand therefore, we should not be anxious about anything but in everything with thanksgiving present our requests to God so that we might receive the kind of peace that passes all understanding.”

8-9 “Practice the things that are lovely, pure, excellent and praiseworthy and the God of peace will be with you.”

10-20 “Learning to be content in every circumstance, whether high or low Paul has learned what it means to be content.

Paul is more at peace than he has ever been before because he is more alive than he has ever been before.

The lips that once spewed out threats of death and chaos are now proclaiming Hope, Life, and Peace.

Bonhoeffer's Prayer Brings Prisoner Peace

Bonhoeffer opposed Hitler's government and was arrested and sentenced to death by the Nazi regime.

As Bonhoeffer lies in his darkened prison cell, he hears through the cement wall the weeping of a prisoner in the adjacent cell. Speaking through the wall, Bonhoeffer identifies himself as a pastor, assures the man that he is not alone, and asks if he would like to pray. The muffled reply comes back, "I don't believe in God."

When a German guard looks in and learns that Bonhoeffer is trying to pray with his neighbor, he responds, "Kitchner? It won't do any good. He's going to be shot any day now."

Undaunted, Bonhoeffer leans against the stark cell wall and calls out to the prisoner, "If you can hear me, put your hands on the wall as if we were touching. Mine are here too." No hands appear.

Bonhoeffer prays as the guard looks on through a peep hole, "Lord, it's dark in me; in you is day. I am alone, but you will stay. I am afraid; you never cease. I am at war; in you is peace." Slowly, we see a pair of hands reach up and touch the wall opposite of where Bonhoeffer's hands are.

As dawn breaks, a single rifle shot shatters the morning calm. The same German guard, now more somber and less cynical, appears at Bonhoeffer's cell. "I thought you might like to know. The boy from the next cell—he was very calm. It surprised everyone. He was executed this morning."