Radical Reach of Grace PART 1 (Acts 9:20-31)

Acts 9:20–31 ESV

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 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?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 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. 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. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 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.

THIS IS THE WORD OF THE LORD

THANKS BE TO GOD

(ADDRESS THE DARKNESS. ADDRESS THE LIGHT. PRAY.)

John 1:5 ESV

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Introduction: The Radical Reach of Grace

The thing we find hardest to believe about God is not His power or His holiness—it’s His grace.

Power we understand. Holiness we can imagine. But grace feels too good to be true. And we don’t trust things that are too good to be true.

Because it’s not how the world works. We trust what we can earn. We can earn money. We can earn respect. We can earn influence. But we cannot earn grace. Grace is unearned, undeserved, unrepayable favor from God. And only the Spirit of God can break down the walls of distrust and suspicion we build around our hearts. And when He does and allows grace to finally break through, it changes everything.

That’s what we saw last week as Brother James opened this story of Saul of Tarsus. He was a murderer, a persecutor, and an enemy of the church who was confronted by the risen Christ on a Damascus road. In a blinding moment, the light of the world overcame the darkness in Saul, and changed his position, his vision, and his identity. That’s what grace does. It humbles us, empowers us, and redirects us.

But it doesn’t just convert Saul in this one miraculous moment and then leave him alone. No, Grace keeps pursuing. Grace keeps reshaping, and it does this through ordinary believers who show up even when it’s hard.

And that’s what God shows us with Ananias. He doesn’t get the attention we give Saul. He didn’t write half the New Testament. He wasn’t a great apostle. He was just a follower of Jesus who obeyed when he was called.

And because he did, Saul’s life was changed forever. Without Ananias, Saul doesn’t get his sight, Saul doesn’t get baptized, and Saul doesn’t get welcomed into the faith as a brother.

And this has been how grace has moved since we began the book of Acts:

In Acts 1, grace moved through fearful disciples praying in an upper room.

In Acts 2, grace moved through believers breaking bread and sharing their possessions.

In Acts 6, grace moved through deacons making sure widows weren’t forgotten.

In Acts 7, grace moved through Stephen’s faithful witness, even as he was stoned to death.

In Acts 8, grace moved through nameless Christians scattered by persecution, gossiping the gospel wherever they landed.

No fame. No platform. No spotlight. Just ordinary people showing up. Praying. Serving. Giving. Witnessing. And through their steady faithfulness, the Spirit of God changed the world.

Because incredible movements of the kingdom, have always hinged on ordinary believers who just keep showing up even when it’s hard.

And our broken world needs that more than ever right now. While we sit here comfortably in this church, we cannot ignore the pain of our current moment. This past week has been a heavy week for this nation:

We saw the assassination of Charlie Kirk—as political divisions are yet again boiling over into violence.

We grieved the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska— a refugee from Ukraine stabbed to death on a subway in North Carolina.

We mourn the school shooting in Colorado— as innocence was stolen, and families were shattered.

And we do all of this in the same week that we look back on the horrific events that took place September 11, 2001. An event fueled by the same hatred, and anger and senseless evil plaguing us right now.

And that’s only what we’ve been allowed to see. Think of all the darkness we’ve been shielded from.

Our world aches. As violence spreads and fear rises. And sometimes in all of this, grace feels absent. But I proclaim today—this is where God’s grace always shines brightest.

Grace humbles us when pride tempts us to answer hate with hate.

Grace empowers us when despair whispers that nothing will ever change.

Grace redirects us when the path ahead feels poisoned by anger, division, hatred and death.

And just like in Acts, the Spirit still moves—not just through great leaders and dramatic conversions, but through people like you and me who just keep showing up even when we don’t have the words or the wisdom or the strength to move forward. But by God’s grace alone, we know the one who does.

So hear me today: don’t underestimate what God can do through your simple obedience. Don’t write off the power of just showing up. God has always used ordinary faithfulness to change the world.

So as we step back into Acts 9, let’s not only look at Saul’s dramatic story. Let’s look at how grace keeps showing up—through Ananias, through Barnabas, through rope-holders, through people like me and you.

Let’s read.

1. Grace Transforms the Fiercest (vv. 20-22; 23–25)

Acts 9:20–22 ESV

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 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?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Imagine this scene. Saul immediately begins proclaiming Jesus as Christ in the same city he was heading to silence people proclaiming Jesus as Christ! And as they stare at him in awe, they’re saying to one another: “Is that really him? The one who dragged our friends from their homes? The one who approved of Stephen’s death?”

But it says that Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived there. The fiercest opponent of Christ has become a fearless witness for Christ, and this is not because he worked hard and got his act together, as we so often tend to live. It’s because grace alone has humbled him, empowered him, and redirected him.

But notice—that grace doesn’t just make his life easier. Very quickly, opposition rises.

Acts 9:23–25 ESV

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Now picture that. This man used to be the reason that these people hid and ran away. And now he is relying on those he persecuted to lower him down safely. Saul was humbled by grace.

And Paul gives us some context for this moment years later in 2 Corinthians 11:

“At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window and escaped his hands.”

You might ask why is this important? And there are a few reasons.

First, it grounds the story in history. This isn’t a myth. It’s a real story with real people. King Aretas ruled in Damascus until AD 40. And Jesus died in Jerusalem around AD 30–33. Historically this event would have happened shortly after the resurrection.

Second, it reminds us that the mission of grace is not to make our lives easier, but to make much of the name of Jesus, which can often make our lives harder.

Think about this. Saul was on his way to Damascus to help solve their Christian problem. To make life easier for his friends, and harder for his enemies. But grace flipped his story. He became the very problem he was sent to eliminate. His friends became his enemies, and his enemies became his family—all because of Jesus.

Grace didn’t erase his mission; it redeemed it. Not for his comfort, but for his good. And Paul tells us what that “good” actually means in Romans 8:28–29: God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. And that good is not ease, not wealth, not safety—it’s that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus.

That’s what grace does. It doesn’t promise ease, but it redeems every moment—humbling us, empowering us, redirecting us—so that we look more like Christ.

So here’s Saul, lowered in a basket, his life literally in the hands of the very people he once tried to destroy. Unnamed believers—no spotlight, no credit—but without them, the mission doesn’t move forward.

And let’s be real—they must have had some strong feelings about Saul. But their trust in Jesus was stronger. So they held the ropes, and God used their simple obedience.

I talk to so many people who feel the same way those disciples must have felt: tired, scared, inadequate. And the question is always the same: “Who am I to do something like this?”

Moses asked that too. In Exodus 3:11 he said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God’s answer was simple: “But I will be with you.”

You are right to feel inadequate. Because you are. But remember who is with you. Remember the grace of God that moves forward through your obedience, not your abilities.

Just keep showing up.

So who is your Saul? The person in your life that feels unreachable? Keep praying for them. Don’t pray for comfort—but pray for grace to break them, change them, and make them new in Christ. (I was somebody’s Saul once—and grace broke through because people prayed.)

(Put up picture of Baily’s rock)

Who needs you to hold the rope? Maybe someone in crisis, someone weary, someone searching. Sometimes you just need to listen, share your story, and remind them of Jesus. It may feel small—but in God’s hands, it matters more than you know.

2. Grace Works Through People (ENCOURAGERS AND ROPE HOLDERS) (vv. 26–30)

Luke tells us what happens next:

Acts 9:26–27 ESV

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. 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.

Now pause here. Between verse 23 and verse 26—three years have gone by. How do we know? Because Saul himself tells us in Galatians 1:

Galatians 1:15–18 ESV

But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

So three years of faithful preaching, three years of following Jesus, three years of a transformed life—and still, when Saul finally comes to Jerusalem, the disciples don’t believe him. And who can blame them? The last time Saul was in Jerusalem, he was approving the execution of Stephen. The scars were still fresh. They had heard stories of his conversion, but they hadn’t seen it. And so their instinct was to protect the church, and that fear feels reasonable.

But here’s the warning for us: fear not tethered to faith in who God is and what He can do, becomes a barrier to the Spirit’s work. So we must be discerning, we must be prayerful and we must continually ask, am I elevating my fear over my faith? Fear builds walls. Grace tears them down.

And that’s where Barnabas steps in. The Son of Encouragement. We first met him back in Acts 4 when he sold a field and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. Now he steps forward again—risking his own reputation—for Saul. Saying, “Brothers, it’s real. I’ve seen it. This man has been with Jesus.”

And that’s all it took. One Spirit-filled encourager willing to stand in the gap. Through Barnabas, grace tore down the wall that fear had built. We need more Barnabases.

As I was answering the call to plant this church, so many were skeptical, including me. But throughout my journey the Lord gave me several like Barnabas who stepped in and risked their reputation to tell others that I really had met Jesus and been transformed, and their faith helped me believe it! I praise God for their faith and encouragement. And because they vouched for me, doors were opened that never would have been otherwise.

Barnabas shows us what discipleship really looks like: advocating for someone the Spirit is transforming, even when it’s risky. Sometimes the most powerful ministry isn’t preaching, or hosting bible studies, or creating and implementing processes and procedures—it’s standing beside one person who’s been written off and saying, “I believe in what God is doing in you.”

Don’t underestimate the power of encouragement. Don’t underestimate how God might use your voice to unlock someone else’s calling.

So who in your life needs a Barnabas right now?

A new believer stepping out in faith?

Someone with a messy past who needs someone to vouch for them?

A brother or sister overlooked, who needs you to say, “I see God’s hand in your life”?

Grace moves forward through brothers and sisters like Barnabas who just keep showing up, even when it’s hard.

And the story doesn’t stop there,

Acts 9:28–30 ESV

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

Saul went from preaching boldly in Damascus to preaching boldly in Jerusalem and opposition rises again. A plot is formed against his life again.

And what happens next? More ordinary believers step in. They organized an escape and sent Saul off to Tarsus. Where we will not see him again until Barnabas goes there to tell him that his preaching actually worked.

It’s easy to miss these small acts of faithfulness happening all around Saul—but without them, the mission doesn’t move forward. Just like in Damascus, there were rope-holders in Jerusalem. Unnamed disciples who put their necks on the line to keep Saul alive and keep the mission moving forward. No spotlight. No credit. Just steady faithfulness.

Think about every missionary standing on foreign soil preaching Christ today. We praise God for them and their calling. But they are there because of rope-holders—those who give, those who pray, those who encourage, those who send. Without them the mission doesn’t happen.

Maybe God hasn’t called you to do some big thing in some big way. But I guarantee He has called you to hold a rope. To serve in unseen ways. To do the faithful, ordinary things that keep gospel work alive.

Grace has always moved this way—faithful disciples showing up when no one’s watching. Humbling us. Empowering us. Redirecting us. Advancing the kingdom of God.

3. Grace Produces a Healthy, Multiplying Church (v. 31)

Luke ends this section with a summary: “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.”

That’s what a healthy church looks like. It has peace when the world is losing its mind. It is being built up while everything else is falling apart. And it walks forward holding both the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit.

Fear of the Lord is a holy awareness of the might of our God. It is a reverence for His holiness, and a seriousness about His mission. It’s understanding that following Jesus costs us something—and taking that cost seriously. We’ve seen how people standing up for Jesus costs them something. TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY.

And just as real is the Comfort of the Spirit. It’s the nearness of God’s presence, the tenderness of His care, the assurance that He is with you, guiding you, strengthening you.

And here’s the thing—you can’t separate them. If we only want comfort without fear, we end up with cheap grace. If we only fear without comfort, we end up with crushing despair. But when a church walks in both—the holy weight of God’s majesty and the tender nearness of His Spirit—that church becomes unstoppable.

That’s when the church multiplies. In number. In power. In grace.

Conclusion

Church, our world is aching. We’ve wept this week over violence, hatred, and loss. And this won’t be the last time we have to do that. But the story of Saul reminds us—grace is never absent. It humbles the proud, empowers the weak, and redirects the broken for God’s glory.

And the same grace that met Saul on the Damascus road is here for us today. Comforting us, and calling us to keep showing up—even when it’s hard, and the world feels dark. Because this is how God has always multiplied His church: through ordinary people walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Spirit.

And that’s who we are. Ordinary people made ambassadors of an extraordinary King.

That means every prayer we pray, every rope we hold, every word of encouragement we speak—is not small. It’s God Himself making His appeal through we. We are His ministers of reconciliation in a broken world.

So let’s be the kind of church who remembers who we are in Christ. A church that abides in His presence, and trusts in His grace to keep showing up, even when things are hard—until the day He makes all things new.

Gospel-Centered Closing Invitation

LET’S PRAY

And so we come to the table. The supper is a mysterious means of grace. The bread reminds us of His body broken for us. The cup reminds us of His blood poured out to cover every sin. This meal is proof that God’s grace goes all the way down to our deepest need.

SO BRING YOUR WORRIES AND LAY THEM DOWN.

BE COMFORTED BY THE NEARNESS OF THE SPIRIT.

COME IN THE FEAR OF THE LORD, NOT THE FEAR OF THE WORLD AND RECEIVE WHAT HAS BEEN FREELY GIVEN.

Sending/Blessing

2 Cor 5:20

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Church, by the radical reach of His grace God is making His appeal through you. You are sent from here as an ambassador for King Jesus. Go in peace.