A Rough Start - Acts 9:19-31

© June 15, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts

It is often interesting to hear how someone arrived at the place in life where they ultimately end up. When we see people who become successful and influential, we assume they must have always been that way, but that is rarely the case. Michael Jordan was famously cut from his JV basketball team, but worked hard to improve, only to become one of the best players in history. Abraham Lincoln was born into a poor family, lost his mother at a young age, and lost several elections before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Walt Disney’s first animation studio went bankrupt. It was only later, after creating Mickey Mouse that he found success. This is a common theme for many who we think of as successful.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Saul, who would become one of the most prolific apostles and missionaries the world has ever known, would face similar trials and hardships as he prepared for the ministry to which God had called him. It is this “backstory” that we see in our passage today. Though we might assume that Saul immediately became the wise man who wrote much of the New Testament, we would be incorrect. I hope that you’ll find encouragement and instruction as we look at how God prepared Saul to carry out the ministry He knew lay ahead.

In Damascus

When we left off in Acts, Saul was traveling to Damascus to attack and arrest Christians there. On the road to Damascus, the Lord appeared to him and let him know he was playing for the wrong side. When Saul asked who was speaking to him, the Lord responded by saying, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” Saul was struck blind and was led by the hand into Damascus instead of storming in looking for Christians. Three days later, a Christian named Ananias came to Saul, restored his sight, and then baptized him. Ananias welcomed Saul as a fellow brother in Christ, recognizing there was a genuine change that had occurred in him.

That brings us to the next part of the story, where we see what Saul did immediately after his conversion.

Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. 20 And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!” (Acts 9:19b-20, NLT)

Luke tells us that after Saul regained his strength, he immediately began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues. At this point, Saul may not have had the finer points of his theology in place, but he was certain of one thing: Jesus was the Son of God!

This statement is significant, as it meant Saul had come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah who had been promised throughout the Old Testament. It seems likely that Saul may have even begun to change his understanding of what the Messiah’s purpose truly was—that He did not come to overthrow the Romans, but to establish a completely different (and superior) kind of kingdom that would last forever.

Whatever the content of these early messages, we know Saul immediately began to share the message with other people. Sometimes we believe we cannot our faith because we do not know enough. Someone may claim that they are a new believer and do not have the necessary knowledge to teach others about Jesus yet. Sadly, many conclude that they will never reach a level of being able to do that.

Saul’s example reminds us that every person is called to share the message. The new believer may not have all the information they will one day have, but they have enough information to tell someone what the gospel is all about. They may not be able to wax eloquent on the finer points of the theology, but they can introduce others to the Jesus in whom they have believed.

Later, the Apostle Paul would tell Timothy that a church leader should not be a new convert (1 Timothy 3:6), but that does not mean that a new believer cannot serve the Lord. They can. Saul did, and each of us should be engaged in sharing the gospel as well—no matter where we are in our faith journey.

Saul’s preaching was powerful, but it wasn’t only because of what he said, it was because people could see a change in him as well.

21 All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?” (Acts 9:21, NLT)

A genuine believer will live differently. There should be a clear difference between their life before Christ and their life after. That was the case with Saul. People could see a difference in him, which gave validity to the message he proclaimed.

There is a lesson for us—our conduct should bolster our ministry, not hinder it. We should carefully examine our lives and see whether the way we are living supports the gospel or provides obstacles to it. Our lives should be consistent with the message we proclaim.

A Gap

If the only information we had about Saul’s life was this passage, we would naturally assume that the events of vv. 22-25 occurred at roughly the same time as Saul’s conversion. But when we look at Saul’s own testimony of the early days of his ministry, it muddies the waters just a bit. Listen to what Paul said about these early days in the book of Galatians.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. (Galatians 1:16b-19, NLT)

So, before Saul went to Jerusalem, there was a three-year gap when he went to Arabia. Most scholars believe this gap occurred between vv. 22-23, though it could have been between vv. 25-26. Whatever the case is, it seems that this brief account in Acts spans a significant period, likely more than three years.

Why did Saul go off to Arabia? He doesn’t say, but he likely went to study, reflect, and grow in his faith. It is possible that he knew he was not yet ready to carry out the ministry God had called him to (to carry the gospel to the Gentiles), so he spent time preparing for this.

We see a similar pattern with many leaders in scripture. Joseph spent over a decade as a prisoner in Egypt before being made a ruler and being put in the place of being able to save God’s people. Moses spent 40 years being raised in Egypt, then 40 years in exile before being ready to serve in the capacity God had called him to. And David spent roughly 15 years waiting for God’s promise to make him king over all Israel to be fulfilled. These times of delay were often filled with disappointments, but those delays were also purposeful. God used these times to prepare these men for what He had for them. It seems the same was true of Saul.

Luke tells us about Saul’s ministry during this time,

22 Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. 23 After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. 24 They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. 25 So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall. (Acts 9:22-25, NLT)

Saul began to preach more powerfully about the Messiah. He made many convincing proofs of this. It would make sense that during Saul’s time of study in Arabia, that he had come to understand even more of what God was doing and how the scriptures all pointed to Jesus. The Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his arguments, so they sought to silence him a different way. They plotted to kill him. In 2 Corinthians, Paul tells us that the king had posted guards at the city gate, hoping to arrest (and ultimately kill) him. But it seems some Christians may have had houses that were part of the city wall (like we saw with Rahab in the book of Joshua), and they lowered Saul down in a basket so he could escape.

Nothing about Saul’s early days of ministry could be considered easy, but he continued to be effective and to share the gospel boldly. And God continued to use him each step of the way.

In Jerusalem

After being expelled from Damascus, Saul headed to Jerusalem. As we said, it is possible that it was after his escape from Damascus that this three-year period occurred, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that roughly three years after he became a Christian, Saul finally returned to Jerusalem.

You might expect that when he returned, the Christians would welcome him with open arms, amazed at how God had changed his heart, but that wasn’t what happened.

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

28 So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. 30 When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown. (Acts 9:26-30, NLT)

The Christians did not trust Saul’s story of conversion. It’s easy to imagine why. A common tactic for infiltrating and undermining a group is to pose as a member of the group, so you can take it down from the inside. This is a tactic used by undercover police and spies even today. As such, the Christians in Jerusalem were suspicious. They knew the kind of man Saul had been before, and they were leery of him now. No one was eager to take him into their homes or to turn their back on him, for fear of what he might do.

No one, that is, except for Barnabas. We were introduced to Barnabas back in Acts 4, when he had sold a field and gave the money to the apostles. We were told he was given the name Barnabas by the apostles, and that his name meant “Son of Encouragement.” That gave us just a glimpse of the kind of man he was. Now, we see this played out in the fact that he rallies to and supports Saul. And this will not be the only time we see Barnabas act this way—this was his consistent attitude.

Barnabas’ ministry was significant, because he saw potential in people. He was good at seeing a “diamond in the rough.” Saul may have still been rough around the edges, but Barnabas recognized that he was a genuine believer, and God could use him. So, he stuck out his neck for Saul and vouched for him to the apostles.

It is interesting that Barnabas told the apostles Saul’s story. How did he know Saul’s story? It seems likely that he’d taken the time to listen to Saul. He’d surely spent time getting to know him and learning what had happened in his life. Barnabas then provided the necessary introductions for Saul to meet the apostles in Jerusalem.

From Paul’s account in Galatians 1, it seems that he only spent 15 days in Jerusalem and only met with Peter and James (who would have been the two primary leaders in the church). Luke says Saul traveled around Jerusalem with them during this time. Undoubtedly, this was a time of growth and instruction for them all. Saul was fiery and intelligent, and that had to be abundantly clear to Peter and James. Surely, they were also able to fill in some of the details about Jesus’ teaching and ministry that Saul had not been privy to as well.

Nevertheless, Saul did not come to Jerusalem looking for the approval of these men. He knew the task God had called him to do. But he also seemed to have the desire to connect with the leaders of the church so he could be part of the ministry.

During his time in Jerusalem, Saul began to debate with some of the Greek-speaking Jews. He was a Greek-speaking Jew himself. He had been complicit in the killing of Stephen, who was killed for doing the exact same thing. Unsurprisingly, Saul’s attempts to proclaim the message were also met with stiff resistance. The Jewish leaders surely saw him as a traitor, who was in many ways even worse than Stephen. He had once violently opposed this message, and now he had come under its influence!

The result was that these Greek-speaking Jews sought to kill Saul, just as they had done with Stephen. The Christians in Jerusalem heard about this and knew Saul was in grave danger, so they got him out of the city. They took him to Caesarea and sent him back to Tarsus, his hometown. Without looking at a map, it is easy to underestimate just how much distance was involved in all of Saul’s travels. He covered a lot of ground, and when he headed back to Tarsus, it was far away, in what is modern-day Turkey.

Saul would spend another 7-10 years in Tarsus before God would call him out on his first missionary journey. This delay was purposeful though, as it surely helped mold him into the person God needed him to be.

At the close of this passage, Luke gives us one more update about the early church,

31 The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers. (Acts 9:31, NLT)

God was continuing to work through the early church. He is always active on multiple fronts. He was working in Saul as he was hundreds of miles away in Tarsus, and he was working in the church that was growing in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. But notice what caused this growth. The church grew “as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord.” This meant that they continued to be faithful to Him, and that they lived in obedience to Him. Fear of the Lord might also serve as a contrast to living in fear of men. The disciples were more concerned with how the Lord viewed their actions than with how the people around them did. That’s a pretty good focus for each of us to have. And when we do, we will find, like the early church did, that God can use us greatly.

Conclusion

So as we look at this passage that covers a wide geography and a significant period of time, what can we learn?

First, God has a purpose for you, wherever you are. Sometimes when things are hard or when they don’t go the way we expected, we imagine that God has abandoned us or forgotten about us. That isn’t the case. No hardship is ever wasted by God. In fact, I believe He has a purpose for every difficulty and delay we face in this life. Let me challenge you to change your perspective in the hard times. When things aren’t going the way you imagined, ask the Lord what lessons He wants you to learn, or what ministry He wants you to carry out. Wherever you are in life, God has you there for a reason. Choose to see the hard times as a training program or a new opportunity to serve Him, as every difficulty has a purpose.

Second, we often need to serve faithfully in less glamorous capacities before we are ready to serve in more visible ones. Sometimes people get frustrated, feeling like they aren’t using their gifts to their fullest potential. You may feel like you aren’t getting to serve the Lord in any exciting ways, and sometimes people get discouraged by that. But there are lessons that come from serving behind the scenes. Often, until we have labored faithfully in the shadows, we aren’t ready to step into the spotlight. This is a common theme throughout scripture, so we shouldn’t be surprised when it’s the theme of our lives as well. Remember that no service offered to the Lord is ever in vain. Just because no one seems to take notice of what you are doing does not mean that what you are doing doesn’t matter. It does! And God might be using this time to teach you things you didn’t know you needed to know.

Third, we need to be a “Barnabas” to others. Barnabas was someone who didn’t give up on people or write them off. Barnabas saw potential, when others only saw failures. Barnabas sought to grow other believers into leaders through encouragement, rather than abandoning those who made mistakes. Let me encourage you to rally around those who may still be a little rough around the edges. Look for someone you can take under your wing and encourage in the faith. They will make mistakes, they will fail, but each of us needs someone to believe in us and see our potential instead of only our past failures. A church that is full of people like Barnabas will grow many more leaders like Paul. Look around for those you can encourage to become all God created them to be.

This passage is a reminder to us that God’s timetable and plan often looks very different from ours. But that doesn’t mean He’s not working. Every step in the journey is purposeful. Wherever you find yourself in your journey today, I hope you’ll look for what God is doing in you, for you, and through you. If you will, you’ll find he can teach you and use you for His purposes.

© June 15, 2025 by Rev. Rick Goettsche SERIES: Acts