SAUL'S CONVERSION

Acts 9:1-43
Key Verses: 9:15,16

     "But the Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! This man is my chosen
     instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their
     kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how
     much he must suffer for my name.'"

     In the last passage we studied Stephen's martyrdom. We learned from
St. Stephen the sense of God's history and martyrdom spirit. Among those
who carried out Stephen's martyrdom was a young man named Saul. Saul
gave approval to Stephen's death. Saul shed the blood of a righteous man,
Stephen. Godly men mourned deeply for Stephen. Then a great persecution
broke out against the church in Jerusalem. As the persecution against the
church mounted, the dispersion of Christians increased in proportion. When
the people of Jesus ran for their lives, they took the gospel of Jesus
with them wherever they went. When they did so, the gospel of Jesus
spread to Samaria and the coastal region from Gaza to Caesarea.

     Meanwhile, Saul was breathing out murderous threats against
the Lord's disciples. He was not content with persecuting the church
in Jerusalem; he determined to wipe from the face of the earth all
Christians, those who were known as the Nazarene sect of Jesus. Saul
received from the high priest credential letters to the synagogues in
Damascus, so that he could arrest Christians there and bring them as
prisoners to Jerusalem. On the way, Saul met the Risen Jesus and was
converted. The story of Saul's conversion may be the most famous in all
Bible history. In this passage we mainly learn what kind of person Saul
was, and how he was converted. We learn several things about how his
conversion was possible.

First, Stephen's prayer (7:59,60). As we studied, Saul was in charge when
Stephen was stoned to death. At the moment he was executing Stephen, he
undoubtedly thought that he was right and that Stephen was wrong. Needless
to say, Saul thought he was righteous, upright, wise and holy--even
while he was committing murder, for this pride is innate in all sinful
human beings. To this arrogant man something unusual had happened. He
saw what Stephen did when his body was being mangled and bloodstained
by the stoning. He saw that Stephen was praying. It was incredible to
him to see Stephen praying. He heard Stephen's prayer in extreme anguish:
"Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (7:60). It was indeed incredible
to him to hear Stephen's prayer. Saul had condemned Stephen to death,
but in Stephen he could see God. After murdering Stephen, Saul must have
been just like Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment." Saul
must have hardened his heart not to think of Stephen's prayer. Then
he was befuddled all the more by Stephen's prayer. The more he tried
to efface Stephen's prayer from his memory, the more it resounded
in his soul. He found no respite from the anxiety of his conscience,
for he was made in the image of God. So he redoubled his efforts to
convince himself that he was right and that Stephen was wrong. But
he failed to extricate from his mind the constant sense of crime and
punishment. Saul was a high-ranking official of the Jewish people.
He must have tried to look strong and brave. But when he saw Stephen,
he didn't understand how Stephen could face such peril, suffering and
death absolutely unafraid. Moreover, he couldn't understand how Stephen
could pray for such bitter enemies. Probably he said to his fellow men, "I
defeated Stephen. I am the champion, and Stephen is a loser." The problem
was that he could not convince himself that he was the champion. His
inner man told him, "You are not really the champion." In a sense,
he had won a battle, but it was a physical battle. As history attests,
a physical battle does nothing but damage and kill others. Therefore,
there is no true victory in a physical battle.  There is true victory
in a spiritual battle, because it is a battle against Satan; it is a
holy battle to win people over to God.

     Saul won a physical battle, but lost the spiritual battle to
Stephen. Stephen was a warrior of faith. He had a potent weapon; it was
his prayer. While Saul had mangled Stephen's body with stones, Stephen
pierced Saul's heart with his prayer; his prayer was at work within
Saul. We remember Monica, who prayed and prayed for her son Augustine for
many years until her son, who had been sick with intellectual hedonism,
was converted into a true man of God. We must pray for the conversion
of others.

Second, the Risen Jesus visits Saul (1-5). Saul was a promising young man
in the Jewish world. He studied the philosophies of East and West. He also
studied the Law of Moses under Gamaliel. He knew Judaism well. But he did
not know God personally. As Saul did not know God, so he really did not
know himself. He was ambitious, as others were. By persecuting Christians
in Jerusalem, he became very popular among Jewish rulers. Again, he seized
the opportunity to make a big success in Jewish society. It was through
stamping out those early Christians who had scattered to remote places.

     Saul decided to take a 140-mile journey from Jerusalem to Damascus.
Damascus was an ancient city, an important junction en route from
Palestine to Assyria and Babylon. As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground
and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who
are you, Lord?"  Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he
replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you
must do" (6). Up to this moment, Saul had lived before people's eyes. He
did everything to feed his pride and satisfy his selfish ambition. In
the course of living in this way, he became a man who should not exist
in the world. He became a man whom no one wanted to see again. King
David was a man after God's own heart. But because his son Absalom had
killed his brother Amnon, David not only refused to visit Absalom, but
refused even to see his face when he came back to Jerusalem from exile
(2 Sa 14:24). But the Risen Jesus visited Saul first and said to him,
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The Risen Jesus visited him so
that he might come to know God and know himself. Jesus is God. But he
humbled himself and visited this murderer Saul first. It is truly amazing
that he visited such a person. This one visit reveals more than enough
that Jesus is God (Jn.1:14).

     When the Risen Jesus visited him, he did not condemn him; rather,
he gave him a command. Look at verse 6. "Now get up and go into the city,
and you will be told what you must do." Before meeting Jesus, Saul did
not know his chief purpose of life. So he lived to fulfill his selfish
ambition. Through this visit Jesus told him to live for God's great and
glorious purpose for him.  Peter also did not know his chief purpose in
life. So he lived to fulfill his selfish dreams. He had dreamt of becoming
the top man if Jesus had established an earthly messianic kingdom. The
Risen Jesus also visited Peter and said, "I tell you the truth, when
you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but
when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will
dress you and lead you where you do not want to go" (Jn 21:18).

     The Risen Jesus also forgave all of Saul's sins unconditionally. The
Risen Jesus embraced him with the grace of God. This is God's one-sided
grace. This is God's unconditional love. Saul could not resist
this grace. He surrendered himself to this grace. His conversion was
surrendering himself to God's grace. By meeting Jesus personally through
his visit, Saul realized that Jesus is God himself. He also realized that
he was a sinner who was destroying the work of God for world salvation
just as it was beginning.  Before meeting Jesus personally, he called
himself "Saul," meaning "the Greatest." But after meeting the Risen Jesus
personally, he came to realize that he was not the greatest one, but a
small one. So he changed his name from "Saul," "the Greatest," to "Paul,"
"a small one." So from now on, let's call him Paul. After meeting Jesus,
Paul could see himself with God's eyes and said, "Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst" (1 Ti 1:15b). In the
past he had tried hard to pretend to be a bold and happy man. But after
meeting Jesus personally, he was free indeed. He did not have to cover
himself with a bushy beard or a Pharisee's robe. He admitted freely
that he was a sinner and that Jesus is the Savior. He said in Romans
7:24-25, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of
death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" After meeting
Jesus personally, God's grace was the meaning of his existence. He said,
"By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor.15:10).

     Paul's meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus was truly a great moment
in his life. By meeting Jesus personally, he was changed from a chief
sinner to St. Paul. Let's pray that many souls in our nation may meet
Jesus very personally and be converted into St. Pauls for this generation.

Third, Ananias' help (6-19a). After listening to the Risen Jesus,
Paul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see
nothing. So into Damascus he went as a blind and helpless man, instead
of being an avenging fury. He needed someone's help. The Risen Christ
called to Ananias in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered. The
Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a
man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a
man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight"
(11,12). Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard many reports about
this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And
he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all
who call on your name" (13,14). Ananias was afraid to go to Saul because
he knew who Saul was. But the Risen Jesus commanded him to go and help
him. He said to Ananias in verses 15,16, "Go!  This man is my chosen
instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and
before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer
for my name." In this we learn two things.

     Firstly, Jesus had a great hope for Paul. Paul was the last person
Jesus could put hope in, because of his proud mind and misconduct in
the past. But Jesus saw in him the greatness of God and was ready to
use him for the work of world evangelization.

     Secondly, Jesus had a definite plan to fulfill world salvation work
through the apostles. The world was very dark and hopeless. The early
Christians were helpless to do anything because of fiery persecutions. But
Jesus believed that the world salvation plan of God would be accomplished
in the course of time. Jesus believed that God's will would be done
on earth as it is in heaven. When we look at the present situation,
we only despair. We must not despair, but have hope in God.

     What did Ananias do when he was told to go and help Paul? He went
to Paul in obedience to God's command. When he placed his hands on Paul,
immediately something like scales fell from Paul's eyes and he could
see again. Paul got up and was baptized and after taking some food, he
regained his strength. Ananias had an obedient heart toward God. He was
very fearful to go to Paul but when he was willing to obey God's word,
God gave him strength to overcome fear. In this way, Ananias helped
Paul see again. We learn from Ananias that we must overcome our fear
and visit our sheep.

Fourth, Paul's internship training (19b-43). What did Paul do after his
conversion? At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the
Son of God. It was not easy for him to preach the gospel of Jesus after
his conversion. He had to overcome fellow Christians' distrust. Look at
verse 21.  "All those who heard him were astonished and asked, 'Isn't
he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this
name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief
priests?'" Also, it was not easy for him to preach the gospel because
of his old Jewish friends' persecution. The Jews conspired to kill him
(23). Paul was in a conflicting situation. He could not go back to Jewish
society since he had been converted to Christianity. Also, he could not
gain the trust of Christians since he had done so much harm to the people
of Jesus.

     Paul was at the end of his rope, but he did not give in to the
situation.  He did not take a neutral stand. Those who always take a
neutral stand are selfish and suspicious people. Paul was great because
from the beginning he stood on Jesus' side clearly and preached the
gospel. Paul preached the gospel of Jesus, so God could work mightily
through this person, Paul. Look at verse 22. "Yet Saul grew more and
more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that
Jesus is the Christ." When Paul preached the gospel wholeheartedly,
he was in danger of being killed. But his followers rescued him. Look
at verse 25. "But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a
basket through an opening in the wall." He became like a basketball to
preach the gospel. In this way, he passed internship training.

     When Paul went to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a
disciple. When everyone else was steering clear of Paul, suspecting that
he was an agent of the Jewish rulers, Barnabas did his best to persuade
the disciples that Paul's conversion was genuine and real; he spoke of
his fearless preaching in Damascus. Paul was fearless because he feared
God. Paul also spoke boldly in the name of the Lord in Jerusalem. So the
unbelieving Jews tried to kill him. When the brothers learned of this,
they took Paul down to Caesarea and sent him to Tarsus. In the midst of
distrust and persecution, Paul proved himself to be the future leader
of world evangelism. In this way, the stage was set for the gospel to
spread all over the world.

     Look at verses 32-43. What were the apostles doing during these
times?  The author speaks in understatement only of Peter. He traveled
about the country. When he came to Lydda, he found a man named Aeneas,
a paralytic.  Peter healed him of his paralysis. When Peter went to Joppa,
he found that Tabitha, a faithful woman of God was dead. In the name of
Jesus, Peter raised her from the dead. Outwardly, the Christian church
looked as if it were in for trouble. But in reality, God was working
mightily in and through Peter and Paul. Look at verse 31. "Then the
church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It
was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers,
living in the fear of the Lord."

     In this passage we learn that we must meet Jesus personally so that
we may know God and his grace through his Son Jesus Christ. We must pray
that many Sauls of this nation may meet Jesus very personally so that
they may come to know God and his grace through his Son Jesus Christ.


STUDY QUESTIONS

1.  Read 7:58-8:3; 9:1-2. What effect did the death of Stephen have on
    Saul? How might Stephen's prayer have contributed to his conversion?
    What was Saul's purpose in going to Damascus?

2.  Read 9:3-9. What happened to him as he neared Damascus? Describe
    his encounter with the Risen Jesus. How does Jesus' visit show God's
    one-sided grace? (1Ti 1:15b; 1Co 15:10)

3.  Read 9:10-19a. Who was Ananias and what did the Lord tell him to do?
    Why did he hesitate? What did the Lord tell him about Saul? How did
    Ananias help Saul? What does this show about his faith? About God's
    great purpose?

4.  Read 9:19b-31. What did Paul do after his conversion? What
    happened? How did Saul escape? Why was it hard for Christians in
    Jerusalem to accept him? Who helped him? Why? What are some ways in
    which his encounter with the Risen Jesus changed him?

5.  Read 9:32-43. In the meantime, what were the apostles doing?  Describe
    Peter's ministry in Lydda. Who was Tabitha? How did Peter minister
    to her? How was God building up his church through these events?