Remain Focused

Introduction

Welcome back to our series Built to Last, Season 2. In Season One, we took a journey from Jesus’ ascension to Paul’s conversion and that is exactly where we will pick up the narrative, looking at Paul’s introduction to Christian ministry and will end at the point of Herod’s death in chapter 12. Open your bibles to Acts 9 and join me at verse 19b as I highlight some of the challenges faced by this new convert to Christianity as he wasted no time in jumping into ministry. Remember that the sermon outlines are available to assist you in your note taking and can be accessed via our website under the latest sermon tab or you can conveniently use the sermon notes tab on the mobile app to make use of the interactive notes in a digital format right at your fingertips. Let’s pray and then get into the text. (Pray/read)

The portion of scripture seamlessly continues from the previous verse where Saul was baptized, ate some food and was strengthened. The writer tells us that Saul stayed in Damascus for some days after his life changing encounter with Jesus and His servant Ananias. It is presumed that he continued to enjoy the hospitality in Judas’ house. While there, it was not some well-earned vacation, Saul responded to salvation with a sense of urgency. Most of the translations I consulted used the word ‘immediately’ while the KJV used the word ‘straightway’ to reflect Saul’s entry into the preaching ministry. The Message translation puts it beautifully and I quote, “Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God.”

As we will explore in the coming verses, Luke emphasizes how Saul was no sooner converted and called to be a witness to Jesus Christ than he began to fulfil his commission, associating himself with the existing Christians in Damascus and preaching to the unbelieving Jews. Before long, however, his work aroused opposition.[1] It is against such responses that I want to encourage you to be like Saul and to Remain Focused on the mission that God has called you to. I will present three instructions for you to note and embrace that would help you to be effective in your God-given ministry.

Here is the first instruction.

1) Remain focused in the face of skepticism (9: 21 – 22)

Take a look at vv21. All who heard him were not only amazed but started asking questions. Let’s explore the two questions recorded in this paragraph. (1) “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name?” and (2) “Has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” These questions would both fall into the skepticism section. Skepticism is generally a questioning attitude or doubt towards one or more instance of knowledge. It involves questioning the authenticity or usefulness of something. It is noteworthy that the ones posing these questions were not Gentiles but rather Jews in the Damascus area. Here is how I arrived at that conclusion. Saul was proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues (20) and it was also the Damascus Jews who were confounded (22) by the teachings of Saul.

Clearly, these people knew of Saul and his mission to prosecute the Jews but was now experiencing his mission of taking the gospel to the Gentiles. The fact that he immediately began to act as a missionary instead of a persecutor would have confounded those who witnessed his new work. There wasn’t a time of preparation in seminary nor an introduction by the leaders of the church in Jerusalem that would have caused the Jews in the Diaspora to readily accept this man. Saul simply recognized the importance of the message he was trying to silence, and he got engaged with a sense of urgency. One can argue that the level of skepticism directed to this man was justifiable, but it didn’t distract him from his mission. Saul remained focused in the face of skepticism. The writers tells us that he increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

Are you encountering skeptics in your daily life who question the authenticity of the message you are bringing? Are you faced with those religious folks who are so bent on being pious that they doubt the sincerity of the message? Take a page out of Saul’s book. Saul confounded the Jews with proof wherever he went. He didn’t cower and resorted to strong arming them, which he could have easily and effectively done. Saul continued to speak the name of the one he met on Damascus Road. He was too focused to be distracted by skeptics.

Here is how you can remain focused in the face of skepticism. (1) Present undeniable evidence of Jesus the Christ. (2) Pray for boldness to proclaim Christ. (3) Ignore the voices of skepticism.

Let’s continue and explore the second instruction this morning. As God’s servants we must also …

2) Remain focused in the face of intimidation (9: 23 – 25)

The next three verses reveal a recurring theme in the book of Acts – persecution. This time the persecution is directed to the former Chief Persecutor himself, Saul of Tarsus. Look at them with me. When many days had passed the Jews[2]plotted to kill him, but their plot became known the Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,”

The many days of Luke’s account will correspond to the time mentioned in Galatians 1:18, [3] which Luke does not mention in this text, when Paul visited Arabia, after which he returned to Damascus to face death plots. What we are reading and studying here isn’t just some rantings or idle threats. These Jews (Ἰουδαῖος – loudaioi), religious leaders and others under their influence who opposed the Christian faith were even lying-in wait to ambush the Gentilic Apostle and kill him when he passed through the gates. Can you remember the description of the Straight Street in Damascus? The street stretched from the east wall to the west wall of Damascus[4]. The street was 26 meters (85.3. feet) wide with arcaded sidewalks and shops on both sides. The central carriage way was 14 meters (45.9 feet) wide, and the approximate length of this street was about a mile, forming the principal thoroughfare in the city.”[5] No one got in or out without passing through either the east or west gates and here it was that the Jews of Damascus were watching these gates for when Saul returned from Arabia. I believe that this equates to some serious intimidation.

Intimidation is the act of making someone else timid or fearful by real or implied threats. The word timid is in the middle of intimidation and aptly describes the state of nervousness caused by it. Intimidation can produce an unhealthy fear that can control us, but I am comforted with the words of Paul to his protégé Timothy as recorded in 2 Tim. 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (NLT).

They could have set up ambush sites all day and all night, but Saul was a focused man. He remained focused in the face of intimidation. Note this, their plot became known to Saul. In Paul’s own account, the watch is kept by the governor of King Aretas of the Nabataean Arab kingdom (2 Corinthians 11:32),[6] but their murderous plans were thwarted when Saul escaped in a basket through the window of a house built on the city wall.

I am here to tell you today how you can stay focused in the face of intimidation. (1) Know who is at your side (Psalm 118:6) - The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (2) Walk (live) with confidence (Psalm 23:4) - Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (3) Be as bold as a lion when on the side of righteousness (Proverbs 28:1). (4) Know that you will be victorious (Romans 8:31) – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Remain focused in the face of skepticism and intimidation. I have one more instruction for you before I close, so let’s look again at the text focusing on vv.26 (read). Here is the third thing…

3) Remain focused in the face of cynicism (9: 26 – 31)

This one verse highlights four things. (1) Saul went to Jerusalem, the place he left with letters to persecute Christians. (2) He did not return to the High Priests or the Council, he attempted to join the disciples of Jesus Christ. (3) The disciples were afraid of him. (4)The disciples did not believe he was a disciple. In other words, the disciples were cynical toward Saul. Let me first unpack this word cynicism. Cynicism is a behavioral trait where a person lacks faith and shows distrust towards others and their motives. A cynic believes that people are only motivated by personal need, greed, desire, ambition, and self-interest.

When Saul arrives in Jerusalem, he finds that the church members are gravely suspicious of him, and I can quite understand why the disciples felt the way they did about Saul.

Do you remember the story of the Trojan Horse which was gifted to Troy in Greece? It was disguised as a peace offering, and yet it was a cunning ploy that resulted in the destruction of the entire city. Maybe this was the thinking of the disciples in Jerusalem, that Saul was up to something untoward -something fishy. The church still remembers, even after three years, how Paul dragged its members off to prison and had them flogged and beaten. Maybe this cruel persecutor is pretending to have converted so as to build the trust within the circles of Christianity then to launch an attack on them.

Paul puts the feelings of the church regarding his turnaround in these words: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy” (Galatians 1:23). The church cannot deny Paul is preaching Christ, but perhaps they are not quite sure of his motives, so they behave in a cynical way.

Ponder this; when you were converted, did you ever have a hard time convincing people it was true, that you really had encountered Jesus? Or perhaps you’ve been the cynic and not believed someone else’s story about their encounter with Jesus. Whether you fall into the first category or the second one, there is good news for you. There is a Barnabas in the house. We met this Barnabas back in chapter 4 when he sold a field and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet (36). He took it upon himself to befriend this rejected man and to introduce him to the apostles. He stood as a character witness on Saul’s behalf and testifies how Saul met the Lord on the Road to Damascus and how he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus while in the said Damascus. Why Barnabas did not share the fear of the other Jerusalem Christians is not specified. Perhaps he had learned of Paul’s conversion through some of his fellow Greek-speaking Christians who had come from Damascus. In any event, Barnabas fulfilled his mediating role, securing Paul’s acceptance in the apostolic circle,[7] though it would take some 14 years before he is fully accepted (Gal. 2:1). I want you to take a mental note of this guy as he will be featured along the Gentilic apostle in upcoming episodes of Built to Last.

Even in the face of cynicism, Saul remained focused. Watch his actions – he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. At Jerusalem Saul took up a ministry to Jews in the Hellenistic synagogues there as reflected in verse 19 which states that he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. These are the same people that Stephen had a running with, in chapter 6. These are the same people who were cynical toward Saul on his arrival, and he will soon face the same opposition Stephen had faced.[8] They clearly wanted to do to Saul what they did to Stephan. (What an irony it would be if they had stoned him).

Again, the people are plotting to kill this man, but the brothers, who learn of it spoils the plans by shipping Saul off to his hometown, Tarsus. Saul is becoming renowned for escaping death. Let’s keep an eye on this fella.

Here are a few ways to help you deal with cynical people. (1) Prayerfully discern if the person wants to find a solution or just need a sounding board to voice opposition (1 John 4:1). (2) Be wise in your reaction (Proverbs 26: 4 -5). (3) Demonstrate love as posited by Paul (1 Cor. 13). (4)Practice personal soul care – set boundaries and guard them.

Saul remained focused throughout his ordeals and for now, he goes off stage until he reappears in Acts 11:25. But an important point has now been achieved in Luke’s story. All the preparations have been made for the decisive step forward in the mission of the church which took it to the Gentiles, and I can’t wait to share those studies with you.

Conclusion

As I conclude, I want to draw your attention to verse 31. The narrative tells us that the church throughout 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.

Luke pauses to give a general summary of the situation. Despite the opposition raised against Paul, active persecution of the church ceased with his departure from the scene, and for the time being the church enjoyed a period of peace. [9] The Lord brings his people through a time of crisis. Through his deliverance the church finds peace and continues to flourish. In this case the respite would last until a fresh outbreak of persecution occurred under Herod in chap. 12.[10]

As we continue on this discipleship journey this week, I want to remind you to remain focused. None of us know what opposition we will face in the coming days nor to the extent of that opposition. Nevertheless, if it comes as skepticism, press through and remain focused. If it comes as intimidation, dig in and remain focused; and if it comes in the form of cynicism, be resolute in your focus on Christ and His mission for you and I assure you that you will enjoy the peace of God that passes all understanding.

Let’s pray together as a family, an uncommon community of believers that live for and with each other.

[1] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 182. [2]The Greek word Ioudaioi refers specifically here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, who opposed the Christian faith in that time[2] [3] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 184. [4] Jan H. Nylund, “Straight Street,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016). [5] M. G. Easton, Easton’s Bible Dictionary (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893). [6] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 184. [7] John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 243. [8] Richard N. Longenecker, “The Acts of the Apostles,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: John and Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 379. [9] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 186–187. [10] John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 244–245.