From Persecutor to Proclaimer

INTRO

I’m Bruce. Pleasure to be here.

Continue in our series through Acts, learning how we can be a people who turn the world upside down.

That can be a daunting task, filled with anxieties and hesitations.

When Young Adults in America are asked, “What keeps you from sharing the Gospel with others?” — you hear some common answers.

“I don’t want to come across as judgmental.” “I’m not confident enough — what if I say the wrong thing?” “My story or testimony isn’t that impressive.” “I’m still working through my own personal doubts.” “I’ve messed up too much to be taken seriously.”

Or “Honestly, I just don’t want to be labeled as one of those Christians.”

Sound familiar?

There’s a common thread throughout these responses, and it’s the quiet voice in your head that says, “I’m not ready. I’m not worthy. I’m not the right person for this.”

Maybe you feel unqualified — like your walk with Jesus is too inconsistent or too messy to talk about with confidence.

Maybe you worry that you’ll get something wrong or make things awkward. That you might say something that pushes someone away from Jesus rather than drawing them towards Him.

Maybe you look at your past and think, “Who would even listen to me?”

You feel the fear. The shame. The hesitation. You don’t want to be misunderstood. You don’t want to be mocked. You don’t want to be that kind of Christian.

Or maybe you’re just weary, tired, or distracted. Life feels full (there’s people to meet, places to go, things to do, shows to watch), and those jump to the top of your priority list in life, while faith might fade into the background. You love Jesus, but you don’t feel the urgency to share.

So you stay quiet. You play it safe.

And deep down, there’s a quiet soundtrack playing over and over again in your mind wondering if God could ever use someone like you.

But if that’s where you are — then it’s time to remember how the Kingdom of God works. UPSIDE DOWN.

God values the most what the world values the least. Where the world values résumés and reputations, God values a new heart. Where the world values capacity, competency, and charisma, God values character and surrender. And if we’re going to be a people who turn this world upside down, then we must, like God, learn to value most what the world so often overlooks.

So when you say, “I’m not ready.” God says, “I’ve made you new.”

When you say, “I’m not enough.” God says, “My grace is.”

When you say, “Use someone else.” God says, “I’ve chosen you.”

That’s exactly what we’re going to see in Acts 9 tonight. God chooses to use an unexpected man, to spread the Gospel in ways no one saw coming.

And as we walk through tonight’s passage, I want you to ask this question: If this is how God works — upside down from what we expect — what might He want to do through someone like me?

So open your Bibles to Acts 9 (LET’S GO!!!)

And let’s learn some cool things about God.

NEXT SLIDE

Scripture Reading

Acts 9:19–31 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. (NEXT SLIDE) 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.

So God chooses the most unexpected person — a violent enemy of the church — and sends him to be one of its boldest messengers. Saul had no spiritual résumé that qualified him for ministry. No credibility among Christians. But in God's upside-down Kingdom, that didn’t disqualify him — it positioned him. All he had was a transformed heart and a willingness to speak. And through him, the Gospel began to spread in ways no one saw coming.

And the same God who used Saul still uses unlikely people, like you, today.

NEXT SLIDE:

How? When God uses unlikely people, He empowers you to declare without delay. When God uses unlikely people, He sustains you through inevitable opposition. When God uses unlikely people, He carries you through community.

Those are the three truths we’re holding onto as we step into Acts 9:19–32:

Declare Without Delay

Saul doesn’t wait until he’s cleaned up or credentialed. He begins preaching Jesus immediately.

Acts 9:20 ESV

20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”

The world says, “Earn influence.” God says, “You’re mine — speak.”

Have you ever stumbled across one of those “TDIL” — Today I Learned — life hacks that instantly makes your day better?

TDIL: If you put a wooden spoon across a boiling pot, it won’t boil over. TDIL: If you microwave leftover pizza with a glass of water, the crust won’t turn into a rock. TDIL: You can track a flight just by tapping the flight number in a text (true for iPhone at least). TDIL: Ice cubes in the dryer can de-wrinkle your clothes. TDIL: Airplane mode makes your phone charge faster

And what do you do when you learn one of these? You don’t keep it to yourself. You forward it to someone else. You text your friends. You send it to the group chat. You interrupt someone’s lunch like, “Bro, wait, before you drink that… did you know that if you take the lid from your cup, your cup will nestle perfectly into it like a coaster?!”

You share these things with others, because you realized you were doing something either wrong, the hard way, or just not as efficiently as you could be.

Then you found something that doesn’t just work, you found something better. That’s why these things go viral. Because it’s too good not to share. It’s too good to keep to yourself.

That’s exactly what happens to Saul. He doesn’t have an education in Christology or Pneumatology. He’s not seminary trained. Saul would not have been able to explain the ontological nuances of the Trinitarian procession even if his life depended on it. He’s not yet polished. He’s not packaged. He’s brand new to following Jesus.

He JUST had a “TDIL: Jesus is Lord” moment… (3 days ago!)

Where he comes to terms with the fact that Jesus is Lord.

Now he knows that Jesus is really the son of God. He might have been confused about a lot still, but he’s crystal clear on one thing — Jesus is Lord.

And that’s enough for him to speak up.

He couldn’t keep it to himself.

He realized he was doing something the wrong way. And when he found the better way, he had to share it.

It was that quick.

The world says, earn a platform, get credentialed, clean up your image. Jesus says, You’ve seen the light — now share it.

Saul was a persecutor of Jesus, now he’s a proclaimer of Jesus.

The truth is, each of us were persecutors of Christ, we were enemies of God.

But despite that reality, God sent His only son Jesus to die on our behalf.

Despite us giving God every excuse NOT to love us, He decided to do the most loving thing possible, and exchange His Son’s righteous life for our brokenness, for our shame, for our sin.

And that news is too good not to share.

He takes the most unlikely people, His own enemies, and turns them into the very people who will advance His Kingdom.

Through His unfathomable love, He changes you.

God takes each of you and transforms you from persecutors to proclaimers.

When God uses unlikely people, just like you, He empowers you to declare without delay.

But when you do declare this good news, you can be sure that you’ll experience opposition along the way.

Next point:

NEXT SLIDE:

Opposition Is Inevitable

Acts 9:22–24 ESV

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,

As Saul continued to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah that they were waiting for, other Jews took it upon themselves to silence Saul.

It wasn’t just strangers lashing out against him. Saul, the one who persecuted the Christians is now a Christian experiencing persecution at the hands of his former peers, friends, and colleagues.

These were his former friends. Former allies. People he likely studied with, ate with, and respected. They turned on him.

Because he no longer fit their mold. His message no longer aligned with their ideology. His life now pointed to something — Someone — that exposed their need for change.

And for some of you, that hits close to home. Maybe you’ve noticed that when your faith in Jesus started growing, your friendships started shifting. That when you started living with purpose, some people started getting uncomfortable. That when you stopped partying, stopped sleeping around, stopped chasing approval, something changed. You didn’t even say anything yet — but your very presence as a follower of Jesus started to feel like pressure to people who weren’t ready to hear the truth yet.

Maybe they unfollowed you. Maybe they ghosted you. Maybe they confronted you, saying, “You’ve changed, and not in a good way.”

I want you to listen carefully — hear this — YOU. ARE NOT. DOING IT. WRONG.

Pushback doesn’t always mean you’re off track — in some cases, it means you’re finally on track.

And when you’re walking in the footsteps of your Master, Jesus.

You better expect pushback to come.

Jesus said in John 15:20, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

That’s what happened with Saul. Saul persecuted Christ and Christ’s followers. And when Saul became a follower of Christ, it didn’t take long for the backlash towards him to begin.

Just as quickly as Saul started preaching the Gospel, Saul’s friends started turning on him.

LAZY RIVER.

I’m not the biggest fan of getting in the water (like swimming pools, lakes, oceans). Kind of funny, considering I’m from California and grew up just a few miles from the beach. Recently, my family took a trip to Lake Michigan, and honestly, the only reason I got in the water was because I wanted to take Roman in. It was his first time getting into water that wasn’t a bath tub. It was so much fun. If it were just me? I’d be more than happy sitting on the beach, sipping a soda, reading a book, listening to music, and STAYING DRY.

There are only a few situations where I’ll enthusiastically get in the water:

Surfing? Love it. One of the hardest sports I’ve ever done — but also one of the most fun. Boating? Absolutely. Strap me into a tube and pull me behind a boat? I’m all in. Lazy River? Now that’s my kind of water activity. Give me a book, some headphones, throw on some Jack Johnson — I’ll float for hours.

But here’s the thing about Lazy Rivers: They’re designed for ease. It’s literally in the name. LAZY river.

They’re designed for you to be lazy on them. You don’t have to do anything. Just float, relax, and let the current carry you. No effort. No resistance. No friction. Just endless, circular comfort.

But try swimming against the current… and everything changes. You’ll immediately feel the pressure of the water pushing you back. You’ll bump into people who are just trying to float peacefully along. You’ll annoy the folks who think you’re “doing too much.” You’ll splash people, and they won’t like that.

And that’s what following Jesus often feels like.

You’re no longer floating along with the values, assumptions, and behaviors of the world. When you’re in this upside down kingdom, you’re swimming upstream — with conviction, with purpose, with boldness. And that will create friction.

Another way to think about it is with airplanes.

We don’t necessarily like turbulence, it can be scary and uncomfortable.

But at the same time, Turbulence Means You’re Flying.

You don’t experience turbulence when you’re sitting at the gate.

You hit it when you’re moving forward and gaining altitude.

Friends, if the world is not pushing back, it’s probably because you’re not pushing forward.

Now, this isn’t permission for you to go and be as abrasive as possible to the people around you to create as much friction and turbulence and pushback as you can.

No, that’s not it.

Yes, God calls you to speak truth clearly and courageously, but He also calls you to do it with grace, gentleness, and respect.

Colossians 4:5–6 ESV

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

1 Peter 3:15 ESV

15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

But even when you do preach it with gentleness and respect, you’ll still experience opposition, that’s just the nature of it.

So don’t be surprised when the pushback comes.

A world that is opposed to Jesus is a world that will be opposed to those who follow Jesus.

And in the upside-down Kingdom of God, faithfulness often looks like friction.

Whether you’re Saul, Billy Graham, Pastor Nate, or Joe Schmoe who just came to faith five minutes ago, you will inevitably experience opposition of some kind from the world and from those around you.

But trust in this, that when God uses unlikely people (like you), He will sustain you through that inevitable opposition.

Whether that’s from former friends, former colleagues, family members, or sometimes even other Christians.

But here’s the good news — when you face opposition, you’re not left alone. God has designed His Church to carry one another.

Brings us to our last point.

When God uses unlikely people, He carries you through community.

Carried by Community

Saul didn’t just experience opposition by the Jews he was preaching to.

He experienced some opposition from fellow Christians too.

Acts 9:26 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.

Saul wasn’t welcomed right away — and no matter how much he would have liked to, he couldn’t force his way in.

The disciples would not let him in, because they feared that he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Saul needed someone to open the door for him.

And this is where Barnabas steps in.

Acts 9:27

Acts 9:27 ESV

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.

Barnabas put his own credibility on the line to establish Saul into the family of believers.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

It’s kind of like Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He’s young, gifted, and full of potential — but no one takes him seriously, none of the Avengers take him seriously. The Avengers won’t let him in the fight. He’s constantly being told to stay out of the way. But then Tony Stark steps in, Iron Man himself. Tony gives Peter a suit, a mission, and he gives Peter credibility. When Tony says, “He’s with me,” everything changes. Peter wasn’t accepted because everyone saw what he was capable of — he’s accepted because someone with influence stood beside him.

That’s what Barnabas did! Saul wasn’t trusted — until Barnabas stood up and said, “He’s with me.”

That’s the kind of community the upside-down Kingdom creates —

That’s the kind of community by which God carries you as He uses you to advance His kingdom!

A place where advocacy gives access, and relationships open doors that credentials never could.

A place where someone trusted lends you their voice, someone stronger lends you their strength, someone seen stands beside someone invisible, someone overlooked, someone ignored or standing on the outside — and says, “They’re with me.”

And that’s not just what Barnabas did for Saul. That’s what Jesus did — and still does — for you.

Because at the deepest level, you and I don’t just need community. We need someone to advocate for us! We need someone to step into the courtroom of heaven and say, “They’re with Me.”

You don’t have the résumé. You don’t have the reputation. Your sin disqualifies you! But Jesus — the only one with a perfect record — stepped in, stood beside you, and gave you His résumé, reputation, righteousness.

Romans 5 says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Not when we cleaned up. Not when we had it together. He stepped into our place, bore our sin, and opened the door for us to come home to God.

Jesus is the greater Barnabas. He’s the one who doesn’t just bring you into the family — He gives you the right to call God your Father.

And maybe that’s exactly where you find yourself tonight.

Maybe you’ve always felt like the outsider. Like no matter how close you get to the door, you’re still just outside the circle. Maybe you’ve felt invisible in church spaces. Like you don’t quite fit. Like you’re too late. Too far gone. Too different. Like your past is too heavy or your present is too messy.

Maybe you’ve been trying to earn your way to God — stringing together your best days like a spiritual résumé, hoping that maybe one day He’ll look at you and say, “Okay. Now you’re worthy.”

You’ve been trying — to pray more, to clean up, to feel something again, to silence the voice in your head that keeps saying, “Not yet. Not enough. Not you.”

But hear this: You can stop striving. You don’t have to beg for God’s attention. You don’t have to build a case for your worth. You don’t have to prove anything.

Because Jesus has already said the words your soul has been aching to hear: “You’re with Me.”

Not because you earned it. Not because you nailed the theology test.

But because He chose to stand in your place, bear your shame, and bring you home.

Jesus has spoken; He has advocated for you. And He has opened a door for you that could not be opened any other way. And He’s not just inviting you in, He’s walking you all the way in, with His arm around you, saying: “He’s with me. She’s with me. I’m with them. And they belong here.”

Conclusion

So what does all this mean for you?

It means that you don’t have to wait until you’re “ready” to be used by God — because in His upside-down Kingdom, readiness isn’t about being impressive. It’s about being willing and available.

It means that when you experience pushback — from friends, from culture, even from within yourself — you’re not doing it wrong. You’re walking in the footsteps of the One who was opposed first. And He is with you.

And it means you don’t have to do this alone. Because in the Kingdom of God, no one walks forward without someone walking beside them. Whether it’s a Barnabas beside you, or Jesus standing in front of you saying, “This one’s with Me.” You are surrounded by a community by which God will carry you, protect you, and love you.

So here’s the question I want to leave you with tonight:

If this is how God works — upside down from what we expect — what might He want to do through someone like you?

You don’t need a new résumé. You need a new response.

Before we leave this space tonight, I want to speak directly to the different kinds of hearts in the room…

For some of you, tonight is the night you stop trying to earn God’s approval — and you receive Jesus as your Advocate, Savior, and King.

For others, tonight is the night you stop holding back and finally speak up.

And for others still, maybe tonight is the night you step out of isolation and into community — or maybe you become a Barnabas for someone else who’s still standing on the outside, looking for an opportunity to be brought into this community God has brought to them.

Jesus is still calling unlikely people to make His name known. Still using messy stories to advance His kingdom. Still turning the world upside down — and He’s not done yet.

So what about you? Will you join Him?

Will you float quietly with the current — or will you trust Him enough to swim upstream?

Let’s Pray

Discussion Questions

What hesitation resonated most with you when we listed the common reasons people don’t share the Gospel? Why do you think that one hits home for you?

Have you ever experienced relational tension or opposition because of your faith? How did it affect your walk with Jesus?

Barnabas used his influence to advocate for Saul when no one else would. Who has been a “Barnabas” for you — or who might God be asking you to advocate for?

How does knowing that Jesus is your ultimate Advocate — the one who stands with you and says, “You’re with Me” — change the way you view yourself and your purpose?