Prepare to Serve

Introduction

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is with great joy that we feast on the Word together as the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church. Our church exists by grace, for glory, in love.

If you harken back to the good year of our Lord 2017, there was a fad that was taking over America. All of us may not have been aware of this fad, but if you were around a child ages 5 through high school in that time, you’d know it well. I am referring to the meteoric rise of the fidget spinner.

If you haven’t seen one before or know what I’m talking about, this is it. *pull out spinner*

I know these things that don’t look like much, but a little plastic with some smooth ball bearings was a mesmerizing new experience. Back in the spring of 2017 I was a youth choir director, taking a group of 25 students on a music tour through the Southeast on their Spring Break, and I watched first hand how by the start of the week, I had no clue what a fidget spinner was and by the end of the week just about every student had used their souvenir money to pick one up at a gas station, or souvenir shop.

Practically overnight, these small, handheld toys were everywhere—kids were spinning them in classrooms, adults were using them to "relieve stress," and stores couldn’t keep them in stock. Some schools even had to ban them because they became too distracting. But by the end of the year, the craze had completely fizzled out, and now they’re mostly a nostalgic relic of that short-lived hype.

Through my years working directly with youth I saw a lot of different fads, from silly bands, to hover boards, to tomagotchis, these things come and go. If you don’t know what any of those things are ask your local millennial.

Other than parents wasting money on these every changing fads, they’re really no big deal and can be pretty fun for a few moments. We can pick up toys and amusements and move on no problem.

However, there is a major problem that I have witnessed, too often people have treated faith in Christ like a disposable fad. I’ve seen this in youth, but I’ve also seen it with countless adults. There is a seeming recognition of sin, some impassioned confession, a zeal for serving in the church, and then… nothing. The passion fades away and they move on to the next fad for self improvement or personal enjoyment. If you’ve been in the church long enough, you’ve probably seen this happen on multiple occasions.

First off, maybe that’s been you, my intention this morning isn’t to tear you down. I am so glad you are here or listening to message. I want you to know that God is greater than the ups and downs and that if you have stalled in your service or your participation in Christ’s Kingdom, today can be the day you get back to it. I say this all the time, but this church truly exists to help you grow in your service to God and encourage you along the way. While it is right to be upset over anytime we fall short of the glory of God, and in this case that can mean becoming distant from the God we say we love, the glorious truth of the gospel is that we don’t have to live in a continual state of beating ourselves up over our mistakes. By the grace of God we repent, that is turn away from our sin, and turn to, return to joyous service to the God who loved us enough to pay for our sins on the cross.

This morning we are going to be looking at Saul’s experience after the incredible conversion we looked at last week. If you would, open your Bibles to Acts 9. We’ll pick up in verse 19. As you are turning there, I want to give a reminder of something we said last week. As we read this, we are looking at the specific events that took place in Saul’s life. It is important to remember, you’re not Saul. We’re not seeking to have the same exact experiences in our lives that he had. Rather, we are looking at the case of Saul to better understand how God works in our lives and apply principles that undergird the specifics experiences to our own lives today. Let’s look to verses 19-22 and see Saul’s Fiery beginning in the Christian faith.

A fiery beginning

Acts 9:19–22 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.

In the section prior to where we are picking up, we read how Saul was on his the road to Damascus, he was trying to imprison Christians and squash this fledgling group. He was caught up in blinding light, confronted by Christ Himself, and then told to wait for Ananias to come pray with him before regaining his sight. Through these events, Saul comes to understand that he in his zealous persecution of the church, he was actually working against God. He comes to understand that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the One worthy to be served, and Saul’s life would take a drastic turn.

Where we pick up this morning, we see Saul getting off to a hot start. He’s gone from burning the church down, to burning with fire for the church. Notice in verse 20 that word, “immediately.” Saul get’s right to it! There is no delay. He is so overwhelmed by his new found knowledge of his Savior that he is compelled to share it with others! He goes to the synagogues, notice that that word is plural. Some estimate that there may have been as many as 30 synagogues, places of Jewish worship. They weren’t quite temples, because offerings weren’t made at the synagogues, but they were places of prayer. Places where Rabbis and teachers would instruct on the Law. And if you reference back to verse 1 in this chapter, they were the very places Saul had been writing to gain permission to round up Christians, now he goes to them proclaiming, verse 20, Jesus is the Son of God! We can only imagine how shocking this must have been for those who witnessed Saul’s message. We see in verse 21 they ask isn’t this the same guy who was binding Christians and bringing them up for trial? Undeterred by the questions, we read that Saul even increases in his strength, meaning he doubles down and presses on, blowing people’s mind proving that Jesus is the Christ, the promised messiah these folks had been waiting for all their lives.

Now that we have walked through the details and we understand that none of us will have the same exact experiences as Saul does here, we can find three principles that undergird this event and apply to our lives.

First, we see that Saul didn’t delay in spreading the truth that he had come to learn. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. You don’t have to know everything to share the gospel! Of course Saul had grown up a Pharisee, he had an excellent knowledge of what we now call the Old Testament as well as the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t wait to get his doctorate in the Sermon on the Mount before he told people who Jesus was! He just did it! He was excited to share with others the good news that he had finally come to understand! One pastor said, “Just minutes before his conversion, all that Paul could think of was what he could do to Christ, but immediately after, all he could think of is what he could do for Christ, which reveals the essence of his radical conversion.” This is a mindset that we would all do well to adopt! Do you think about what you can DO FOR Christ on a continual basis? Does your day revolve around how you might be used to glorify God wherever He would have you be? For Saul this meant sharing Christ in the synagogue. For you it might be sharing Christ at the gym, or the grocery store, with a coworker, with a niece or nephew. Revolving your day around glorify God isn’t exclusively gospelizing, it may be loving and honoring your wife or being upright in your business dealings, but while glorifying God is not exclusively gospelizing, it does include it! Church are you fired up enough about your salvation that you share it with others! Don’t delay! Begin immediately, even today!

The second principle we see in our text that people are amazed by a fiery testimony. Verse 21 says all who heard Saul were amazed, that is astounded, the folks were beside themselves over what they were witnessing in Saul. Now, these folks were really shocked because they knew Saul’s past and couldn’t wrap their minds around this man now professing Christ. But I would suggest to you that in our culture, it is similarly astounding to hear someone excited to share their faith. We’ve been conditioned to downplay our beliefs so that people who believe differently wont be offended. I’m not suggesting to you that we should force Christ on unwilling ears. I am suggesting, though, that people will take notice if we are actually excited about the God who loved us enough to BRING US FROM DEATH TO LIFE! It might freak some people out, they might be confused about what we’re going on about. But it also might entice some folks to ask questions so that they can have some of what we’re having! Church, we ought to be counter-culturally excited to talk about the God of our salvation!

Third, we see that Jesus being the Christ IS defensible. Paul PROVED it time and time again. As I mentioned, Saul was raised to be a Pharisee, a rabbinic scholar. He was well familiar with the Old Testament. When Saul is proving that Jesus is the Christ, he is likely using the Old Testament prophecies and showing how Jesus fulfilled those prophecies, even with a new understanding of everything Jesus had done in his earthly ministry. There are roughly 110 Old Testament Prophecies pointing to the first coming of the Messiah, the Christ. The life of Jesus fulfills every one perfectly. However, let’s assume that Saul hadn’t learned every detail of Jesus’ just yet. Let’s assume that he knew 8 big facts that he learned from the other disciples in Damascus while staying with them. 1. Jesus was born in Jerusalem. 2. John the Baptist preached to prepare for Jesus’s ministry. 3. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt. 4. Jesus was betrayed by Judas. 5. Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver for his betrayal. 6. Judas would try to return the money, it wouldn’t be accepted, and it would be thrown down on the temple floor. 7. Jesus would be tried and convicted to death, despite His innocence of any wrongdoing. and 8. Jesus would be pierced to the cross through his hands and feet. Every single one of these events is both recorded in the New Testament and predicted in the Old Testament. I can only imagine that Saul, knowing the Scriptures well, as he hears the other disciple talking about Christ, as he is growing in understanding of who Christ is by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, his heart is swelling with joy as he is making the connections to the various fulfillments of Scripture. He then sprints to share this with the those gathered in the synagogues so that they too might be delighted in the reality that Jesus is the Christ. Now, you might so Brad, that’s only 8 things. Some of those were kinda specific but still, do 8 facts really prove that Jesus is the Son of God? Well according to the mathematician Stephen Stoner, and verified by Executive Counsel of the American Scientific Affiliation group, just those 8 prophecies coinciding in one person has the statistical probably of 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That is 1 out of 1 followed by, 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0’s. And that’s just 8 of the roughly 110 total prophecies! If you’re getting lost in the numbers here, here’s the point, JESUS IS THE CHRIST. I’ve spoke in the past on how it is not even a debate that Jesus really lived. I’ve shared the evidence that He rose from the grave, and this morning we see that everything He did was in accordance with what was predicted in the Old Testament. We live in a skeptical world distrusting information, I get it. But you can take it to the bank that Jesus is the Christ who lived and died and rose again so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. You don’t even have to take my word for it. The numbers back it up. And most importantly, the Word of God proclaims it! That’s what Saul shared with those in the synagogue and that’s what I’m sharing with you this morning.

Now this fervor with which we see Saul gospelizing is certainly impressive and encouraging. It’s also not uncommon, at least in a lesser degree. We see people make professions and show excitement pretty regularly. However, as I mentioned in the introduction, we also see people’s excitement wane. This can happen for a variety of reasons, and often its when troubling times comes their way. Saul wouldn’t be immune from trouble. Let’s look at Saul’s first big bump in the road, recorded in verses 23-25.

The Bump in the Road

Acts 9:23–25 ESV

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.

There is an unspecified time gap between verses 22 and 23. Most scholars agree that this is the three year gap mentioned in Galatians 1. Regardless, after spending many days proclaiming the gospel and growing in faith through time with the Lord, for the first time now in verse 23, we see Saul receiving pushback. It is a bit ironic that it is the same kind of pushback he used to give to the Christian church before his conversion. The unbelieving Jews plot to kill him. He finds out about their plans and sneaks out of Damascus through a window in a home built into the wall of city, being lowered down in a basket.

This is the moment when those who are simply following the hype-train of Christianity fall off the wagon. It’s all fun and games until it isn’t. If Saul hadn’t really been sold out for Christ, now would have been the time he took his ball and went home. We’ll see what happens with Saul in a moment.

For our application, far too often, we see people flee from their faith they seem to profess when the bump in the road comes. Now, remember that we are looking for a principle in this passage, not the specific situation. I doubt we know anyone who was being chased out of Lexington, fearing for their lives, because of their proclamation of the gospel. But I think a lot of us do know people, or maybe this is even ourselves, who have put their faith on a backburner, or worse forsaken it all together when life starts to get shaken. Whether it be a medical diagnosis, a disagreement within the church, a financially stressful situation, far too often when professing believers are faced with controversy, the faith they say they profess goes out the window. They move on to the next fad that gives a momentary relief before being let down by the winds of life again, and try out the next one.

Our text this morning is a reminder and a warning to all of us. Living in a fallen world is difficult. Following Jesus does not exempt us from suffering. Maybe it’s a hole in the discipleship of the church in general, but people should not be surprised when trials and opposition come. Personal controversy does not negate the truthfulness of the gospel, faithful service through controversy validates it! This experience would humble Saul. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:30–33 “30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.” Saul was shown his dependence of the Lord for all things through the trials that he went through. That principle remains true today! Remember that Christ who begins a good work in us will bring it to completion at the Day of Christ. We spend our lives being sanctified, growing in Christlikeness, and God grows us through suffering. Controversy isn’t the time to tap out and try a new fad, its the time to dig in trust the ever true God.

Let’s see what Saul did after escaping over the walls of Damascus.

Working together

Acts 9:26–28 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.

So Saul escapes and heads to Jerusalem for the first time since his conversion. He’s met with some trepidation by the disciples in Jerusalem. It had been at least three years since Saul ravaged the church in the Jerusalem and cosigned the stoning of Stephen, but the believers in Jerusalem had not forgotten. They were suspicious and afraid that Saul was faking his conversion, likely in an attempt to harm them. But then enters the Son of Encouragement himself, Barnabas. He believes Saul, and vouches for him before the apostles. Through this good faith effort of Barnabas, Saul is accepted and get’s to work preaching boldly in the name of the Lord, now in Jerusalem.

What is the principle here? Well there are two I’d like to briefly highlight.

First, even believers who have seen the power of God in their own lives can doubt God’s ability to change others. In the case of the disciples at Jerusalem, they initially feared further persecution more than they revered the power of God in their initial assessment of Saul. Church, we ought to rejoice at the profession of a sinner claiming faith in Christ. We don’t have to rush them into positions of prominence or leadership in the church immediately, but we should accept them and encourage them in faithful service to the Lord rather than doubting God could ever save one of “those people”.

Second, and related, we need more sons and daughters of encouragement. That name Barnabas literally means son of encouragement or son of consolation. If you look back to Acts 4, you’ll see that it was a nickname and his given name is Joseph. It was a Jewish custom to give a nickname of sorts that describes the disposition of the person. James and John were the fiery sons of thunder. The betrayer Judas was the son of perdition. Here, Barnabas, is the son of encouragement. Later in Acts, Barnabas will be described as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. A great many people would be added to the Lord through his faithful service. As we read through the book of Acts, we don’t see Barnabas doing miraculous healings, what we see is his consistent encouragement to other believers and pointing folks to Christ. Church, we need more sons and daughters of encouragement, folks who are sold out to support the mission of glorifying God and evangelizing the lost. Those who are willing to take up for others, exuding grace, and fueling service. Which would you rather spread, dissension or encouragement? If you say encouragement, and I hope that is the case, what can you do today to be an encouragement? To aid another believer? To vouch for someone? To pick them up when they are down? And when the idea comes, do it! Let’s be a church full of encouragers!

Saul was certainly encouraged by Barnabas and the church as a whole would benefit. Saul, now accepted by the believers in Jerusalem, would continue professing Christ across them. Let’s check in on how that goes for him. Look with me at verse 29-31.

God is greater than the ups and downs

Acts 9:29–31 ESV

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.

What a rollercoaster for Saul! He was fired up for Christ, sharing the gospel in Damascus, then a plot arises to have him killed and he has to flee through a hole in the wall. He makes his way to Jerusalem, where he is at first rejected by the other Christians, Barnabas steps up, Saul is brought into the fold, he goes back to preaching, and then is once again met with a threat to his life. He’s been debating with the Hellenists, that is the Greek Speaking Jews. It is likely that Saul was a leader in the Greek-speaking Synagogue, and now he is disputing with the men who once followed his leadership over the Lordship of Christ! So they now plot to kill Saul. The plot is found out and Saul is sent away through Caesarea and back home to Tarsus.

As we walk through the book of Acts, we won’t come across Saul again until chapter 11. What we don’t always recognize as we read through this book, is just how much time all of these events take. By the time we see Saul in chapter 11, roughly 10 years will have passed. Verse 31 in our text this morning, is the author Luke showing us as readers that the timeline is skipping forward before we get into the next specific narrative. As we are focussing on Saul this morning, I think that many people, if they were in his shoes, would have walked away from the faith. “The fad was fun, but it wasn’t worth the hassle.” “I don’t want to be making enemies all the time.” But while we aren’t given the specific details of everything that Saul would do between this point and the 10 years before he would show up again, we can infer with careful reading that Saul used that time to remain spiritually sharp, growing in his understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was likely preaching, debating, and planting churches around Tarsus, as he had done everywhere else. Those 10 years may have been quieter than Saul’s first three since conversion, but they were no less faithful, and they are used by God to prepare him to serve on a variety of missionary journeys that we will see recorded throughout the end of the book of Acts.

You see, faith in Christ for Saul, was not a fad. He would come to see that serving Christ is full of ups and downs on this side of glory, but it is well worth it. From a personal luxury perspective, Saul had it made before coming to Christ, but none of the influence, power, or financial security, could hold a candle to what he found in Christ Jesus. Strictly following a list of religious rules to tally enough “good-boy” points in his own mind, fell way short compared to the surpassing glory that Christ had lived and died and rose again to pay for Saul’s sins of which there were many. Saul encountered Jesus and didn’t just buy into a fad for a moment, his life was changed forever.

Jesus is the verified Christ, the Savior. He is also the life-changer. He’s not a fad, He is steady rock of our salvation that prepares us to serve Him all the more through the ups and downs of life. In Christ there is hope and new-found purpose for the self-righteous moralist as was Saul. There is hope and purpose for the greedy tax collector as was Nicodemus in the book of John. There is hope and purpose for the wretch like me. And there is hope and purpose for you.

Church, let me leave you with this: Saul’s story is not just a historical account—it’s a challenge to us today. He started with fire, faced trials, and pressed on. He didn’t let difficulty deter him; he leaned into the calling God had placed on his life. And through it all, he had faithful brothers like Barnabas to encourage him.

So now, I ask you: Where do you stand? Have you been treating faith like a passing fad—excited one moment, distant the next? Have you let hardship push you away from the calling God has placed on your life? If so, today is the day to reignite the fire. Today is the day to press forward, not in your own strength, but in the power of Christ.

If you are in Christ, you have a mission! Don’t delay—step forward boldly, just as Saul did, knowing that the same God who transformed him is at work in you. Don’t let fear, doubt, or distraction hold you back. And if you need encouragement, if you need a Barnabas in your life, look around—this church is here to walk with you, to strengthen you, and to send you forward in faith.

Let’s not be a church of momentary zeal. Let’s be a people who burn with unshakable passion for Christ, who stand firm when trials come, and who proclaim boldly that Jesus is the Christ.

Let’s pray.