Introduction: Do you know people who are so hostile to the
gospel that you think they will never change? Perhaps you are
wrong. This week we study a person who hated the gospel so
much that he made it his mission to imprison or kill
Christians. Yet, God turned him completely around. We should
never doubt the power of God! Let’s dig into our study of the
Bible and learn more!
- Destroyer
- Read Acts 26:1-5. Paul is now on trial here. How
does he describe his early life? (He was in the
strictest Jewish sect, he lived as a Pharisee.) - Read Acts 26:6-8. Isn’t it obvious that a story
about raising the dead to life is questionable on
its face? - Why does Paul say it should not be “incredible?”
(Paul may be saying that if he could be changed
from the strictest sect of the Pharisees to
being on trial for believing in Jesus, then
raising the dead is not that incredible. Perhaps
he means that pagans could believe that gods can
raise humans to life.) - Read Acts 26:9-11. Were the actions Paul took
against the Christians lawful? (He says he did them
under authority. His reference to his “vote” sounds
like some sort of democratic group decision.) - Read Acts 7:54-58. Recall when we studied the
stoning of Stephen, did we think this was done
lawfully? (The account sounds like the actions of an
uncontrolled mob. “Saul” is later called “Paul.”) - Read Acts 9:1-2. Is Saul acting under legal
authority here?
- Why would religious leaders in Jerusalem have
legal jurisdiction in foreign cities like
Damascus? (The commentaries that I read say that
the Romans gave the High Priest and the
Sanhedrin jurisdiction over Jews in foreign
cities. Thus, this was legal.) - Conversion
- Read Acts 9:3-5. Why would Saul call the voice
“Lord?” (There is some debate over whether this
should be better translated “Who are you sir?” Saul
thought this was some exalted power.) - Tell me what you think went through Saul’s mind
when he is told this exalted speaker is Jesus? - Read Acts 22:10 for an additional detail left out of
chapter 9. What does this additional detail tell us
about Saul’s state of mind at the moment? - Read Acts 9:6-9. Why didn’t Saul eat or drink
anything for three days? (This reflects the shock to
his system. Not only is he now blind, but he finds
that he has been opposing God, not doing God’s
will.) - I frequently hear calls for believers to get
back to the “pillars of faith,” “the roots,” and
the “foundations.” What would Paul say about
calls like that? (We need to be sure that the
“foundations” and “pillars” are properly
constructed. The fact that we formerly believed
something does not make it right. We need to be
sure all our beliefs are firmly grounded on the
Bible.) - Ananias
- Read Acts 9:10-12. What task is Ananias given? Is it
very precise? - Would you want to know what Saul is praying
about? - Read Acts 9:13-14. Is Ananias concerned that God has
not been reading the news? Is he concerned that his
knowledge about the local situation is more complete
than God’s knowledge? - Read Acts 9:15. What do you like best about God’s
response? (The great God of heaven does not say, “Of
course, I know that!” Instead, He reveals to Ananias
His plans for Saul. What a gracious God!) - This text is remarkable for several reasons. Do
you think that God has a specific plan for
everyone? - If not, why did He have a specific plan for
Saul? - If God has a specific plan for everyone, why do
so many people seem to be unaware of God’s plan
for their life? - Why did God so directly intervene into Saul’s
life, but no so directly intervene in the lives
of others? (I think the answer to these
questions turns on Saul’s early decision to be
completely devoted to the work of God. He did
not understand God’s work, he did not understand
that he was actually resisting God’s work, but
he was completely devoted. If you are completely
devoted to advancing the work of God, then God
will let you know what He has in mind for you.) - Read Acts 9:16. Why is this part of the message to
Ananias? (Ananias is concerned about all of the
suffering that Saul has caused. He is concerned that
Saul will make him suffer. God assures Ananias by
telling him that just the opposite is about to start
happening.) - When God revealed to Saul that he would suffer
for the gospel, what do you think was Saul’s
response? (I assume Saul felt terribly guilty at
this point, and that made it easier to accept
his future because he could see the “justice” in
it. Others would have a wrong view of his work,
just as he had a wrong view of the gospel in the
past.) - Read Acts 9:17. Ananias trusts God! Why do you think
that Ananias spoke of the in-filling of the Holy
Spirit? If you look back at Acts 9:12, Jesus only
gave a vision of restoring Saul’s sight? (To have
true “sight,” you need the Holy Spirit. I think
Saul’s blindness turned to sight symbolizes Saul’s
journey to being filled with the Holy Spirit.) - Read Acts 9:18-19. Why is Paul eating again? (He
understands his mission. He has resolved the crisis
in his life.) - The Mission
- Read Acts 9:20. Does Saul waste any time on his new
mission? - Read Acts 9:21-22. Why do you think Saul “grew more
and more powerful?” - Read Acts 9:23-25. What remedy do the Jews have in
mind for Saul? (Once again, we see that they are not
satisfied with debate, they want to kill the
opposition. This is always an important indicator of
who has the better argument. Failed arguments turn
to violence.) - Read Acts 9:26, Galatians 1:11-12, and Galatians
1:15-19. Saul’s time line in Acts 9 omits a
reference to his three years in Arabia before he
went to Jerusalem. Based on Saul’s statements about
a direct revelation from Jesus, to what do you think
he is referring? (It seems hard to identify God’s
direct intervention on the road to Damascus as the
“revelation from Jesus Christ,” since we have
Ananias “consulting” with Saul then, and that time
period was brief. Saul may mean that Jesus revealed
Himself in Arabia.) - Why would this matter? What is wrong with being
taught by one of the apostles? (This distinction
is important to me because I would likely have a
different view of righteousness by faith if we
eliminated Paul’s writings from the New
Testament. The Holy Spirit has an easier time
teaching me about grace when I’m reading Paul!) - Read Acts 9:28-30. Once again, Saul’s life is in
danger. Do you see the hand of God in this? (Just as
God used Saul’s persecution to spread the gospel
outside Jerusalem, so He used the persecution of
Saul to direct his message to the gentiles.) - Has something that you considered to be a bad
thing, turned out to be a good thing in your
life? - Read Acts 9:31. How does all of this turmoil work
out? (A time of peace comes to the Church.) - Friend, if you are praying for the conversion of an
enemy of God, do not despair! Saul’s conversion
shows us that there is hope for the most ardent
opponent. Saul’s conversion shows us that God takes
bad things and makes them good. Why not determine
to trust God no matter the circumstances? - Next week: The Ministry of Peter.
