Acts 10:9-23

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9 About noon the next day as they came near Joppa, Peter was going up to the roof to pray. 10 He was hungry and wanted to eat, but while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11 He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to Peter, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “No, Lord! I have never eaten food that is unholy or unclean.” 15 But the voice said to him again, “God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ‘unholy’!” 16 This happened three times, and at once the sheet was taken back to heaven. 17 While Peter was wondering what this vision meant, the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house and were standing at the gate. 18 They asked, “Is Simon Peter staying here?” 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Listen, three men are looking for you. 20 Get up and go downstairs. Go with them without doubting, because I have sent them to you.” 21 So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. Why did you come here?” 22 They said, “A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, an army officer and a good man; he worships God. All the people respect him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to come to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.” 23 So Peter asked the men to come in and spend the night. The next day Peter got ready and went with them, and some of the followers from Joppa joined him. ~ Acts 10:9-23

Today, we continue our study of Acts 10 where for the first time the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will be presented to a Gentile. In one breath the gospel offends and encourages. It offends because when we look into it we must come face to face with our own wickedness. Then, after confessing our sinful  wickedness, we discover the gospel opens our eyes to the joy of letting go of seeking our own way. It is the gospel that reveals to us the One who by His grace laid down His life that we might be made whole.

In v.9-13 of today's passage we read, "9 About noon the next day as they came near Joppa, Peter was going up to the roof to pray. 10 He was hungry and wanted to eat, but while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11 He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a big sheet being lowered to earth by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to Peter, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'"

With the servants of Cornelius on their way to Joppa about 35 to 40 miles away, Peter, at about noon time, went up on the housetop to pray. The housetop was a place people would go for various reasons, including worship. It was at that point that Simon Peter became quite hungry. It was in that context that Peter had a vision. The message he received stems from symbolism going back to the book of Ezekiel, and it carries with it information that could only be conveyed to a person like Peter after the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross in fulfillment of the Law of Moses.

In this vision, Peter sees a big sheet coming from heaven with unclean animals in it. This sheet had been bound at its four corners. Under the law of Moses, animals were specifically divided into clean and unclean. The Lord very clearly was telling Peter the dietary laws of the Law of Moses had been fulfilled. And, since the dietary laws were fulfilled, then the entire Mosaic Code was being annulled. At the cross, through the death of the Lord Jesus, the Law was fulfilled on the behalf of those who could never measure up to its requirements. This is the gospel, the good news that Peter had yet to fully understand.

In v.14-16 of today's passage we read, "14 But Peter said, 'No, Lord! I have never eaten food that is unholy or unclean.' 15 But the voice said to him again, 'God has made these things clean, so don’t call them ‘unholy’!' 16 This happened three times, and at once the sheet was taken back to heaven."

After the Lord had told Peter to eat the unclean food, Peter balked at the idea. The idea was so foreign to this observant Jew, he could not conceive of doing what he was told to do. And so, in response, he said, "No, Lord!" Peter probably thought this was a test of his faithfulness to the Lord. The law of Moses had made certain animals unclean but with the death of the Lord Jesus and Peter's faith in Him as his Savior, these animals are not to be considered unclean any longer. In his negative response Peter did what we have done a thousand times. In dogged determination he was not going to eat meat that God had declared unclean and he thought he was impressing God. Listen, stop trying to impress God and live out of the worthiness the Lord Jesus earned for you. And, when you fail and sin, do not confess that sin to gain God's approval because you already have it through the Lord Jesus. Oh, confess your sin so that your heart doesn't become hardened toward God. But, do not confess it to gain something you already have in Christ.

This event happened three times to ensure that Peter was fully aware of what God was revealing to him. The number three in Scripture points us to what is real, essential and substantive. This is the point of our sanctification that we go deeper in fellowship with the Lord. It is through our justification that we have a relationship with the Lord and it is through our sanctification that our fellowship with the Lord deepens. God wanted to bring an end of the prejudice in the heart of Peter who was an apostle. This just illustrates that we can be born again and operate in an important role but yet be oh so wrong.

The Old Testament informs us that God has separated the Jews from the rest of mankind. He did not choose them because they were superior in any other way to anyone else. In fact, God tells us that He chose them because he wanted them to be a demonstration to all the other nations of the relationship God wants to have with every nation and every people. In other words, the Jews were to be the pattern of God's relationship to every people. Only in that sense were they called or chosen.

But in typical arrogant human fashion, the Jews distorted their call from God and they began to believe that God had called them because they were superior people and that God was their exclusive possession. The hatred for the Jews today is partly due to the arrogance they still possess thinking themselves to be more than they really are. In addition to revealing to Peter that unclean meat could be eaten, God spoke to Peter in this obvious way in order to communicate something else, something much deeper as we will see in our next blog and podcast. 

In v.17-23 of today's passage we read, "17 While Peter was wondering what this vision meant, the men Cornelius sent had found Simon’s house and were standing at the gate. 18 They asked, 'Is Simon Peter staying here?' 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Listen, three men are looking for you. 20 Get up and go downstairs. Go with them without doubting, because I have sent them to you.' 21 So Peter went down to the men and said, 'I am the one you are looking for. Why did you come here?' 22 They said, 'A holy angel spoke to Cornelius, an army officer and a good man; he worships God. All the people respect him. The angel told Cornelius to ask you to come to his house so that he can hear what you have to say.' 23 So Peter asked the men to come in and spend the night. The next day Peter got ready and went with them, and some of the followers from Joppa joined him."

Peter was having a hard time working this encounter with God out in his mind. It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit spoke with him again. And, right after this the men sent by Cornelius arrived at Simon the Tanner's house. With their arrival Peter was able to conclude his vision was real and it was from the Lord, especially since Cornelius' story was the same and corroborated his. After this the Spirit of the Lord told Peter to go with these men to the residence of Cornelius. Since it was so late in the day they obviously decided to travel the next morning to Caesarea where Cornelius lived.

For Peter, the walls of bigotry were caving in as he invited these unclean Gentiles to be his guests overnight and he decided to visit a gentile in his home. This was the first step in the dismantling of this wall within Peter's soul. Once the wall came down, Peter was positioned to enjoy God's culture of liberty. Real freedom is the ability to live as a slave to Christ from the heart. When we believed on the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we were delivered from the penalty of sin. As we grow in our personal relationship with the Lord we will be more and more delivered from the power of sin. This is what is known as sanctification. It is our justification in Christ that gets us into heaven while it is our sanctification that is getting heaven into us now. 

Acts 10:1-8

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1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, an officer in the Italian group of the Roman army. 2 Cornelius was a religious man. He and all the other people who lived in his house worshiped the true God. He gave much of his money to the poor and prayed to God often. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at the angel. He became afraid and said, “What do you want, Lord?” The angel said, “God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you. 5 Send some men now to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is also called Peter. 6 He is staying with a man, also named Simon, who is a tanner and has a house beside the sea.” 7 When the angel who spoke to Cornelius left, Cornelius called two of his servants and a soldier, a religious man who worked for him. 8 Cornelius explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa. ~ Acts 10:1-8

Today, we transition into Acts 10 which is a significant chapter in the book of Acts because for the first time the gospel is taken to a Gentile household. The Jews have always thought that God was just interested in saving them but even all the way back to the beginning God has had a heart for all ethnic groups in the world. I find it most instructive to remember that before Abraham was a Jew, he was a Gentile from Mesopotamia. We shouldn't be surprised when we read the words of the Lord Jesus who said, "God loved the WORLD so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life."

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, an officer in the Italian group of the Roman army. 2 Cornelius was a religious man. He and all the other people who lived in his house worshiped the true God. He gave much of his money to the poor and prayed to God often."

Cornelius was a gentle centurion in the Roman army. He was a captain over a hundred men. Centurions were military-minded, rugged and often cruel. But, Cornelius was different. His devotion was marked by his practice of seeking God with his heart which translated into him being a generous man to others. Having been converted to Judaism, Cornelius was a god-fearing man who recognized the wisdom in seeking the face of his Creator. He was moral, but he was not born again. There are many people today who are like Cornelius, they are moral but they lack a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Just because one is moral doesn't mean he is born again. You see, morality is a prelude to eternal life but it doesn't mean one is right before the Lord. No amount of goodness that you and I can muster up will ever justify us in the eyes of God. God has never based our acceptability before Him on the basis of our morality or our good behavior. No, this is why the Lord Jesus said, "You must be born again."

The Lord Jesus said those words to Nicodemus who was one of 600 Pharisees in first century Israel. Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin who saw after the religious affairs of the nation of Israel. The Pharisees spent their lives studying and applying the Old Testament law to situations of life for those who wanted to know and live God's culture. Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus one night asking what he needed to do to get to heaven. The Lord Jesus cut right into Nicodemus' religious heart by saying to him, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." The Lord Jesus knew Nicodemus believed wrongly that he could earn God's favor through his good behavior. Nicodemus did not understand that he could not be good enough. This is why the Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be "born again." In addition to our natural birth which left us all opposed by God since we were all born sinful, we have to be born again by God's Holy Spirit in order to go into His presence. 

In v.3-6 of today's passage we read, "3 One afternoon about three o’clock, Cornelius clearly saw a vision. An angel of God came to him and said, 'Cornelius!' 4 Cornelius stared at the angel. He became afraid and said, 'What do you want, Lord?' The angel said, 'God has heard your prayers. He has seen that you give to the poor, and he remembers you. 5 Send some men now to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is also called Peter. 6 He is staying with a man, also named Simon, who is a tanner and has a house beside the sea.'"

Cornelius had accepted the idea that there is a God, and in response, God responded to his honest heart by granting him a vision. Even though God spoke to Cornelius through an angel, Cornelius was still not saved. Cornelius' prayers, devotion, faith and his goodness had caught the attention of the Lord but it was not his goodness that saved him. It is only the goodness of God that saves anyone. The Bible is consistent throughout that sinful man is only saved through his faith in the gracious God of the Bible. It is only our faith in the Lord Jesus that pleases God to the point of forgiving us. God forgave us on the basis of our faith in the veracity of His Son's death on the cross on our behalf.

God told Cornelius to send some of his men to Joppa in order to bring back Simon Peter who was lodging at the house of Simon the Tanner. God didn't share the gospel with Cornelius but he required him to send for Simon Peter whom God was positioning to receive this visit and request from Cornelius' men. The fatherly love of God was set into motion in the life of Peter when Cornelius' servants arrived in Joppa. As this chapter will unfold, God was not only doing a work through Simon Peter, He was also doing a work in Simon Peter.

In v.7-8 of today's passage we read, "7 When the angel who spoke to Cornelius left, Cornelius called two of his servants and a soldier, a religious man who worked for him. 8 Cornelius explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa."

As always faith, real faith in the God of the Bible leads to obedience. It is not our obedience that justifies us in the eyes of God. No, it has always been faith that makes us right before Him. Obedience is a sanctification word, meaning the more we respond to the revelation God gives to us the more He will give to us. It is His self-revelation that causes our faith in Him to grow. Real faith, the sort of faith that justifies and saves us, is like a seed when planted and watered: it produces fruit; it produces a life in which one’s heart is growing to love the things of God and desires to walk in obedience to the will of God. It doesn’t produce perfection, but it does result in passion for God and a pursuit of what is right according to God.

The Lord had Cornelius to send his men to Peter because He was working in the heart of Peter. God never works in our lives in isolation. He rarely blesses us with us only in mind. Repeatedly we are told in Scripture that the Lord kept the promises made to Solomon’s father, the man after his own heart. I am personally convinced that so many of the blessings of God in my own life are the direct result of the faith and faithfulness of my parents and my grandparents and my great grandparents. Every young man like Solomon must remember that he is building on a foundation that someone else laid. God doesn’t bless us for us to simply enjoy the blessings; He blesses us to make us a blessing to others. In the same way that Cornelius was about to enter into a personal relationship with God, the Lord was delivering Peter from some misconceived ideas which were really steeped in prejudice.

Acts 9:36-43

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36 In Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas, which means “deer.” She was always doing good things for people and had given much to the poor. 37 But she got sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Joppa wasn't far from Lydda, and the followers heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to say to him, “Please come with us as quickly as you can!” 39 At once, Peter went with them. The men took Peter upstairs into the room. Many widows were there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was still alive. 40 After Peter had sent everyone out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said, “Tabitha, get up!” The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from death. 42 Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened, and many of them put their faith in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on for a while in Joppa in the house of a man named Simon, who made leather. ~ Acts 9:36-43

Today, we conclude our study of Acts 9 where the Lord Jesus continues to build His church made up of people from various walks of life. The church is the unique group of people called out of the world for the sake of knowing God for ourselves. God builds His church by using ordinary people to share the gospel and to teach them His ways. God uses flawed people to accomplish His unthwarted plan. Every believer in Christs finds his confidence in the holiness of Christ alone. Historians estimate the total number of Christians at the end of the first century was about 7,500. And, by A.D. 300 that number multiplied so that nearly half of the population of the Roman world had confessed faith in the Lord Jesus.

In v.36-37 of today's passage we read, "36 In Joppa there was a follower named Tabitha. Her Greek name was Dorcas, which means “deer.” She was always doing good things for people and had given much to the poor. 37 But she got sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room."

Peter was still in Lydda but in Joppa a girl with the name of Tabitha died. Joppa or Jaffa, as we know it today, is a port city mentioned four times in the Old Testament and ten in the New Testament. Tabitha was her Aramaic name and her Greek name was Dorcas both meaning "deer." This woman was full of good works and her charitable deeds were many. It is important that Luke described Dorcas this way because she was full of good works that were not self-serving. This is what the imputed holiness of Christ produces in us: a heart motivated to love others selflessly.

Dorcas died in Joppa and her body had been washed. This was a traditional part of the burial process, and, it also included an anointing to fit her for her burial. After this they laid her in an upper room out of sight of any who came by the house except for those who would purposefully go up to view her one last time. The custom in the Middle East was to always bury a person as quickly as possible, usually within the same day. 

In v.38-39 of today's passage we read, "38 Joppa wasn't far from Lydda, and the followers heard that Peter was there. They sent two men to say to him, “Please come with us as quickly as you can!” 39 At once, Peter went with them. The men took Peter upstairs into the room. Many widows were there crying. They showed him the coats and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was still alive."

Two unnamed men were sent from Lydda to Joppa in order to fetch the Apostle Peter. They called for him hoping for a miracle. This is why they implored him to come so quickly. It is obvious that the word of Peter healing Aeneas had gotten out to all of the surrounding area. The anticipation was that the Lord Jesus, through the Apostle Peter would raise her from the dead. Peter went with them completing the journey in about 4 hours.

When they arrive there were there many widows crying. It appears that these widows showed to Peter her works as they wore them. Due to the usage of the middle voice, it is implied that Dorcas had made their coats and clothes just for them. This reveals the heart that Dorcas had for others. We are most like God when we are giving. God's greatest act of charity was demonstrated at the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is the centerpiece of what we call “the good news” or the gospel. It is foundational to our faith and the classic expression of God’s saving plan for all humankind. Out of His loving heart God gave His Son and all who believe in Him receive the gift of eternal life.

In v.40-41 of today's passage we read, "40 After Peter had sent everyone out of the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body of Dorcas and said, 'Tabitha, get up!' The woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Peter called in the widows and the other followers and showed them that Dorcas had been raised from the dead."

Peter excused those who were in the room in order to have his full attention just as the Lord Jesus had done with the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue in Matthew 9:25. Peter then assumed the posture of humility and spoke with the Lord Jesus about the situation. Peter yielded himself to God through prayer, not claiming any authority of his own. With that, Peter turned to Tabitha and ordered her to rise. The miracle that was hoped for had come to pass. Dorcas had been brought back to life by the power of God. Not only was she brought back to life, she was brought back to a state of vigor that enabled her to rise up on her own. It was then that the widows and the other believers could see that Dorcas was alive.

We must never credit ourselves with the Lord's victories. When we attempt to take credit for that which God alone has accomplished, we are actually attempting to steal God’s glory from Him! When we encounter human praise, we do well to be like signposts pointing everybody to God. When we encounter human praise or a manifestation of the presence of the God’s glory, we should be like signposts pointing all the glory back to God for He is the only source of all true glory!

In v.42-43 of today's passage we read, "42 Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened, and many of them put their faith in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on for a while in Joppa in the house of a man named Simon, who made leather."

The main purpose of Dorcas being brought back to life is given in the words, "Everyone in Joppa heard what had happened, and many of them put their faith in the Lord." Here was a woman whose ministry of love and selflessness was interrupted by death. But now, by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, she was restored to ministry and she resumed her good works. 

Peter stayed many days in Joppa with Simon, a tanner which was an unclean profession among the Jews. Tanners were looked upon with distaste because they handled the skins of dead animals. As a result, they were ceremonially defiled. God had Peter stay with Simon in order to underscore that with the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus the legalism of religion had no place among His people. In the next chapter here in Acts, Peter will be given a vision from God about unclean animals underscoring this very point. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross and we believed that His death procured the forgiveness of God on our behalf, every sin that we have ever committed or will ever commit has been forgiven and He has applied His very holiness to us so that when we stand before we will be perfect. We are perfect in His righteousness.

Acts 9:32-35

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32 While Peter was traveling from place to place, he visited the Lord's followers who lived in the town of Lydda. 33 There he met a man named Aeneas, who for eight years had been sick in bed and could not move. 34 Peter said to Aeneas, “Jesus Christ has healed you! Get up and make up your bed.” At once he stood up. 35 Many people in the towns of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas and became followers of the Lord. ~ Acts 9:32-35

Today, we return to our study of Acts 9 the focus has turned from the conversion of the Apostle Paul to the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria. In fact, in today's passage the focus turns to the Apostle Peter who was traveling to Lydda which is about 30 miles northeast of Jerusalem. Peter traveled there because he was the recipient of the heart of the Lord for the lost when he became a believer. Heaven, rejoices when a lost sinner recognizes his need for salvation and cries out to God for help. God, by nature, is in a league of His own because of His heart for His creation. His heart of love is what sets Him apart from all other manufactured gods of this world. He is, by nature, kind, gracious, loving and forgiving. And, He rejoices when one sinner is brought home.  

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "While Peter was traveling from place to place, he visited the Lord's followers who lived in the town of Lydda."

Peter and the apostles had been inculcated with the love of God and His truth. This is why they traveled throughout Israel risking their lives in a hostile world. They ran a huge risk because they had gained the Lord's heart for the eternal welfare of others. In our culture of moral relativism, the statement that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to God rubs a lot of people the wrong way because the statement itself seems narrow and dogmatic. And, in a way, it is. But it was the Lord Jesus who said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." His perfect life, death and resurrection underscores the veracity of the fact that He is the Only Savior. 

During this trip, Peter traveled down to Lydda which was situated on the road from Jerusalem to Caesarea Philippi. Lydda, today, hosts the airport for the area and it is situated just outside Tel Aviv. Lydda, also known as Lod was one of the cities conquered by the tribe of Ephraim in the Old Testament. In Lydda there were believers in the Lord Jesus. They arrived there having been thrust out of Jerusalem due to the impending persecution. I always find it amazing when I realize the Lord either caused or allowed something negative in my life only to discover it produced something good later. The Bible is full of examples of this: be it Joseph being sold by his brothers and being sent to Egypt or be it Paul's thorn in the flesh, God has been known to turn our setbacks into comebacks.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "There he met a man named Aeneas, who for eight years had been sick in bed and could not move."

While in Lydda Peter met a man who had been paralyzed for eight years. This man's name was Aeneas and we know very little about him. When Peter arrived in Lydda, Aeneas may have been living in the streets. He may have been staying with a believer. Or, he may have been in a house where Peter stayed that night. He may not have been a believer at the time. Despite our lack of knowledge of him, it is certain that Aeneas had been told about the Lord Jesus already because, in the next verse, Peter called him by name, implying they had already met. Aeneas was lying paralyzed on a poor man's mattress for eight years. One wonders if he was ready to give up on life since he had it so bad for so long. 

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "Peter said to Aeneas, 'Jesus Christ has healed you! Get up and make up your bed.' At once he stood up."

Unlike the many faith healers in this world today, the Apostle Peter never said that he had the power to heal anyone. In fact, he said, "Jesus Christ has healed you." Peter was fully aware that the Lord Jesus had healed this man, thus he gave Him the credit. We should be leery of any human who tries to take credit for the miracles that God performs. The Lord performed this miracle in order to authenticate the message that the apostle was preaching. Faith or unbelief, for that matter, are not the result of proofs. We are mistaken when we say that if people saw more miracles of the Lord Jesus they would believe. The religious leaders of first century Israel saw most of the Lord's miracles, yet, they did not believe. Faith in the Lord Jesus is not an automatic result of witnessing His miracles. 

For eight years the paralysis in this man's body held him unable to move as he desired. In the spiritual realm this has happened to all of us. Every human being ever conceived after the Fall suffer from paralysis of the spirit. We were all born dead to God spiritually. The Lord Jesus Christ says to all sinners, "Rise and begin to truly live by entering into a personal relationship with me." This is why the Lord Jesus came in order to rescue us from more than paralysis of our spirit, He came to rescue us from being dead to God.

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Many people in the towns of Lydda and Sharon saw Aeneas and became followers of the Lord."

Literarily, there is an article before the word "Sharon" in this verse. Literally, it reads "the Sharon" which was a large district or a region. The name Sharon is found only here in the New Testament, but it is mentioned seven times in the Old Testament. The healing of Aeneas impacted not just people in a couple small towns, his healing impacted people in a vast area. The people saw the man and the miracle, and they believed in the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. So, with a single healing in a small town, an entire district received the gospel and believed. With the change in Aeneas, the gospel message had been confirmed and the Lord added to the number of believers in that area. The eight years were all worth it once Aeneas discovered how God used him to draw so many to Himself. Aeneas was given a story about the goodness of God and his story bridged the vast divide for so many to the glory of God.

Acts 9:26-31

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26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a true follower. 27 Then Barnabas helped him by taking him to the apostles. He explained how Saul had seen the Lord and how the Lord had spoken to him. Barnabas also said when Saul was in Damascus, he had spoken bravely in the name of Jesus. 28 Saul moved about freely with the followers in Jerusalem and told everyone about the Lord. 29 He was always arguing with the Jews who spoke Greek, and so they tried to kill him. 30 But the followers found out about this and took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus. 31 The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now had a time of peace and kept on worshiping the Lord. The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow. ~ Acts 9:26-31

Today, we return to Acts 9 where the Apostle Paul has become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unlike Paul, most people do not experience a bright flash from the heavens along with a radical encounter with the Lord Jesus Himself. For most, our faith in the God of the Bible was formed in a moment in life when we realized we needed help and so we turned to God for that help. At that point we began to learn of His faithfulness through which our faith in Him grew. We do not grow in our understanding of God's great faithfulness without facing our fears head on. When we are found avoiding our fears, we are found avoiding God. In 1 John we learn that perfect love casts out all fears. Only God has perfect love. So, getting to know God and His love for us and walking daily with Him, enables us to be defined by something much greater than our fears. It is then that our fears serve us rather than we serving them.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the followers. But they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a true follower."

Many would think that the change that came about in the Apostle Paul happened over night. It didn't. As is noted in Galatians 1, three years elapsed before Paul started preaching about the Lord Jesus. After he came to faith in the Lord Jesus as his Savior, he immediately went to Arabia where he spent three years. Then he returned to Damascus and preached the gospel as we have seen. Then he went to Jerusalem as we will see in today's passage.

In Galatians 1:15-18 we read, "15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days."

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried over and over to be a part of the fellowship there but the fear of the believers there prevented it. Their fear had debilitated them. This is ironic since Paul was going everywhere to preach Christ to the lost, even at the greatest of peril. We are really good at allowing the Lord to come into our lives through the pleasant experiences of life. We are reluctant to welcome His blessings through the not so pleasant experiences of life. It is the Lord Jesus who is the best antidote to our fears. The Bible reminds us that "fear is the beginning of wisdom." This type of fear is "the fear of the Lord" which is the healthiest emotion because it brings us to the place of understanding the greatness of our God. The more we experience His faithfulness, the more we will see how we can depend upon Him. Depending on God brings wisdom. So, we are wise to expose ourselves to our fears because through them we see Him more clearly.

I find it quite instructive that the Lord addresses our fears in the Bible more than anything else. Of course, the answer is the fear of the Lord which includes the terror of being away from Him. We do not grow in our faith in the Lord until we address our fears head on. It was the Lord who forced Israel while in the desert to face their greatest fear by looking at the serpent on the pole. The Apostle Paul had been converted for three years and was a changed man, but the fear of the past wouldn’t allow the believers in Jerusalem to believe that he was a changed man. Rather, they probably thought it was a ploy to get them to let their guard down, and then they would all be rounded up and arrested. Their faith was wrongly in their ability to evade Paul.

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "Then Barnabas helped him by taking him to the apostles. He explained how Saul had seen the Lord and how the Lord had spoken to him. Barnabas also said when Saul was in Damascus, he had spoken bravely in the name of Jesus."

The fear of the Apostles in Jerusalem opened the door of opportunity to Barnabas whose name means "son of encouragement." Barnabas was introduced to us in Acts 4 where the apostles gave him the name Barnabas. He had land in Cyprus which he sold and he gave the proceeds to the church. Through his generosity, Barnabas encouraged the church. He, as the son of encouragement, took Saul of Tarsus in and then he took him to the apostles. After telling the apostles about his conversion, the apostles changed their approach to Paul. Barnabas befriended Paul at just the right moment. In similar fashion to how Ananias did earlier in this chapter. Somebody once said, "A friend is one who comes in when the rest of the world goes out." 

In v.28-30 of today's passage we read, "28 Saul moved about freely with the followers in Jerusalem and told everyone about the Lord. 29 He was always arguing with the Jews who spoke Greek, and so they tried to kill him. 30 But the followers found out about this and took Saul to Caesarea. From there they sent him to the city of Tarsus."

The word of Barnabas was sufficient to convince the Apostles that Paul was no longer a threat but rather a true brother in Christ and a defender of the faith. From this point onward Paul was accepted among all of the believers. Paul had become a defender of the name he once tried to destroy. Many of those in Jerusalem would surely have known him personally. His life as a Pharisee gave him great and detailed knowledge of the Scriptures. Paul used the many oratory skills the Lord had given him to talk with the unbelievers about the Lord Jesus. This man who once stood and guarded the garments of those who stoned Stephen became the greatest defender of the gospel. His was a story only given by God. The Jews were so threatened by Paul, the believers in Jerusalem saw it fit to send him away to safety in Tarsus.

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria now had a time of peace and kept on worshiping the Lord. The church became stronger, as the Holy Spirit encouraged it and helped it grow."

With Paul sent off to Tarsus, the narrative in Acts now focuses on the believers in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria who found great rest out of their worship of the Lord. It was at that point that the emperor of Rome, Caligula, set up idols in Jerusalem. This made the Jews so angry that they concentrated their efforts against Caligula and consequently left the Christians alone for a period of time. With the departure of Paul and the Jews' preoccupation with Caligula pushing his idols, the church experienced some much needed rest. 

As a result, the Church grew both spiritually and numerically. People always wonder how a church is built. Man does not build churches. Oh, he builds buildings but only God builds the church. He does so by building believers. He builds believers through spiritual edification. He does this through the study of His Word and Prayer. Then multiplication as God sees fit happens. Most people become a part of a body of believers because of the changed lives of those whom they know there. This is the only way God ever intended the church to grow. Rick Warren once aptly said, "There is no growth without change, no change without fear or loss and no loss without pain."

Acts 9:20-25

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20 Soon he went to the synagogues and started telling people that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 Everyone who heard Saul was amazed and said, “Isn't this the man who caused so much trouble for those people in Jerusalem who worship in the name of Jesus? Didn't he come here to arrest them and take them to the chief priests?” 22 Saul preached with such power that he completely confused the Jewish people in Damascus, as he tried to show them that Jesus is the Messiah. 23  Later some of them made plans to kill Saul, 24 but he found out about it. He learned that they were guarding the gates of the city day and night in order to kill him. 25 Then one night his followers let him down over the city wall in a large basket. ~ Acts 9:20-25

Today, we continue our study of Acts 9 where we learn of the dramatic conversion of Saul of Tarsus who was later named the Apostle Paul. Acts 9 opens with Saul of Tarsus breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. He traveled 150-miles from Jerusalem to Damascus to round up and imprison any believers in the Lord Jesus that he could possibly find. But, as he traveled on the road to Damascus the Lord Jesus intercepted him. After being made blind for three days and being able to see after, Saul emerged as a different man. It was on that road to Damascus that Saul became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saul was blinded so that he could come to the place where he could truly see. After Saul lost his eyesight the Lord sent a man named Ananias to him and Saul was given his eyesight back. But, this time he saw everything differently. 

In v.20-21 of today's passage we read, "20 Soon he went to the synagogues and started telling people that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 Everyone who heard Saul was amazed and said, 'Isn't this the man who caused so much trouble for those people in Jerusalem who worship in the name of Jesus? Didn't he come here to arrest them and take them to the chief priests?'"

After spending some time with the believers in Damascus, Saul set out on the road seeking to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the unique things about becoming a believer in the Lord is that we often experience a sudden and dramatic break from our past. When this happened to me way back in 1981 my friends thought I had lost my mind. After his conversion, Saul preached the gospel everywhere he went. This man who was once convinced the Lord Jesus was not the Son of God was given a heck of a story so that he would be more believable. In fact, everyone who heard him was amazed at his change. When we come to the Lord, there will be changes in our lives but we must be careful to not base our acceptability before the Lord on the basis of any change He brings into our lives. No, it is only through the cross of the Lord Jesus are we made righteous in the eyes of God.

In v.22 of today's passage we read, "Saul preached with such power that he completely confused the Jewish people in Damascus, as he tried to show them that Jesus is the Messiah."

The word translated "power" is used to describe the effects of what Saul preached. It became more and more evident that he had a newfound ability to speak with authority which blew the minds of his hearers. Since Saul was a Pharisee, he was fully versed in the Old Testament Scriptures. But, he had wrongly viewed those Scriptures through the wrong lens. It wasn't until his eyes were opened spiritually and he entered into a personal relationship with God through His Son that Saul could see that all of the Bible has one central figure, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Saul spent hours “showing his hearers that the Lord Jesus is the Messiah.” This word translated "showing them" gives the sense of walking in one accord. Saul took the Scriptures and showed the people that it consistently spoke of the Lord Jesus. The idea behind this word brings with it the idea to compare and to examine as evidence, and to so prove it to be true. All of the Old Testament pictures given point us to the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether it was the sacrificial lambs of the Passover or if it the Tabernacle where the sacrifices were made, it all points us to the sinless One who came to remedy our sin problem. 

Another one of these Old Testament pictures is found in Psalm 22:6 which reads, "But I am merely a worm, far less than human ..." This Psalm begins with, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" This of course was the fourth of seven sayings of the Lord Jesus while He hung on the cross. The Psalmist wrote, "But I am merely a worm." The crimson worm is a bit different than any other worm because it’s actually an insect with a shell and six legs. God created the crimson worm to live in the land of Israel, and have a life cycle that points us to one event: the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. When a mother crimson worm is ready to lay her eggs, she finds her way up a specific type of oak tree. She makes the long and difficult ascent up the side of the tree, knowing that she will not come back down again. She goes there to give life to her children by laying down her own life. Once she reaches her spot and secures herself against the wood, her shell turns into a hard, crimson shelter. It’s under this covering where her eggs are hatched. For three days, she provides protection for her children. She also provides life for three days as her babies feed on her body until she dies. Once she is dead, she produces a crimson dye that stains the tree and the children underneath her. It is at that moment that the babies become crimson worms for the rest of their lives.

In v.23-25 of today's passage we read, "23  Later some of them made plans to kill Saul, 24 but he found out about it. He learned that they were guarding the gates of the city day and night in order to kill him. 25 Then one night his followers let him down over the city wall in a large basket."

Life in Christ is one of hope and faith in what lies ahead. During this life we will encounter much pain and suffering. We do not have testimonies without tests. In order for our faith in the Lord Jesus to grow we must encounter challenges to our faith in Him. Our lives are in the Lord's hands and the time for our departure from this earth will happen when the Lord has determined it to be so. Paul’s letters repeatedly speak of suffering by those who are in Christ. In 2 Timothy 3:12 we read, "... all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Our willingness to endure persecution is in direct proportion to how sure we are of the gospel message.

Acts 9:10-19

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10 A follower named Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. Ananias answered, “Lord, here I am.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. When you get there, you will find a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. Saul is praying, 12 and he has seen a vision. He saw a man named Ananias coming to him and putting his hands on him, so he could see again.” 13 Ananias replied, “Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem. 14 Now the chief priests have given him the power to come here and arrest anyone who worships in your name.” 15 The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen him to tell foreigners, kings, and the people of Israel about me. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for worshiping in my name.” 17 Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, “Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18  Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized. 19 Then he ate and felt much better. ~ Acts 9:10-19

Today, we return to our study of Acts 9 where the antagonistic Pharisee apprentice named Saul had been persecuting Christians throughout Judea, Samaria and on up into Damascus. Saul's hatred was fueled by the day the religious leaders of first century Israel stoned Stephen for preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The more Saul breathed out threats of murder the more he was bent on doing the work of the devil without even knowing it. In fact, he was fully convinced he was doing the bidding of the God of the Bible.

In v.10-12 in today's passage we read, "10 A follower named Ananias lived in Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision. Ananias answered, 'Lord, here I am.' 11 The Lord said to him, 'Get up and go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. When you get there, you will find a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. Saul is praying, 12 and he has seen a vision. He saw a man named Ananias coming to him and putting his hands on him, so he could see again.'"

Saul had been in Damascus without sight for three days and during that time he neither ate nor drank. It was then that the Lord Jesus appeared in a vision to a man who lived in Damascus. His name was Ananias which means "the LORD is gracious." The name Ananias appears about 30 times in the Old Testament. In the New Testament it is the name of the husband of Sapphira in Acts 5. The Lord chose Ananias for the specific purpose of being a reliable testimony to the Lord having chosen Saul for his apostolic ministry.

The Lord told Ananias to go to the house of a man named Judas who lived on Straight Street which is still in Damascus to this day. In addition, the Lord told Ananias that he would find Saul of Tarsus at Judas' house praying. He then told Ananias that He will give Saul a vision of him coming to help him to see. I find it interesting that the Bible mentions the word "pray" about 400 times throughout. Even though God already knows the future, prayer includes us in on what God will do in conjunction with history. This is why prayer is so important. It includes us on what God is doing in this world. It was Mother Teresa who once insightfully said, “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

In v.13-14 of today's passage we read, "13 Ananias replied, 'Lord, a lot of people have told me about the terrible things this man has done to your followers in Jerusalem. 14 Now the chief priests have given him the power to come here and arrest anyone who worships in your name.'"

Ananias balked at the request of the Lord because deep down inside he believed he knew better than the Lord. In essence his problem was the clashing of his will with God's. This is a big part of the purpose of prayer that our will would be lost in the will of God. Ananias, thinking the Lord Jesus was not aware of what Saul had done to believers, balked at His request. In this, Ananias lacked in his theology. Once again we discover that everything in our lives comes back to our theology. When we lack trust in the Lord, we have a disconnect with proper theology. This disconnect is not with God, but with us. The sooner we understand that all of life is all about Him, the more to Him will we render control over our lives. It takes a decisive choice to yield control over our lives to the Lord, especially when we believe great danger is involved. 

In v.15-16 of today's passage we read, "15 The Lord said to Ananias, 'Go! I have chosen him to tell foreigners, kings, and the people of Israel about me. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for worshiping in my name.'"

The Lord informed Ananias that He had big plans that involved Saul. Of course, Ananias had to exercise great faith because Saul had been persecuting Christians at every turn. Ananias' willingness to do as the Lord had commanded led to Saul, whose name will be changed to Paul. It was this same Paul who wrote in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." Long before the Apostle would agree to be a drink offering, he saw Ananias run the risk accordingly. We never know how our choices in this world will impact others for eternity. Had Ananias rebelled the story would not have unfolded as it did. Ananias' willingness to run the risk and go to Saul was a huge risk. This resulted in Saul seeing once again with his eyes but also to see with his heart.

In v.17-19 of today's passage we read, "17 Ananias left and went into the house where Saul was staying. Ananias placed his hands on him and said, 'Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me. He is the same one who appeared to you along the road. He wants you to be able to see and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.' 18  Suddenly something like fish scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see. He got up and was baptized. 19 Then he ate and felt much better."

Once Ananias arrived at Judas' house and he placed his hands on Saul, it was quite clear that the same Lord Jesus had carefully orchestrated the events for the both of them. Each man would be able to bear witness that the outcome was shown to them in advance and that it occurred just as it had been revealed to them. It was after Ananias had placed his hands on Saul that Saul received the Holy Spirit. It is significant that this happened without the apostles being present. Confirmed here is that Paul's commission would be considered one directly from the Lord Jesus as an apostle, and one bearing the charge that would follow. 

But before that would happen, the scales had to fall from Saul's eyes. Great men debate as to whether the scales were physical or metaphorical. The miracle was that Paul had been given his eye sight back along with a heart that could see God. With that Saul was baptized. He had already received the Holy Spirit  when Ananias prayed for him and he had been born again. But the Lord had commanded that an outward sign be demonstrated for those who wondered if this Saul had ceased to persecute the church. After his baptism Saul ate some food and was strengthened in his body. I find it quite instructive that it was in Damascus just outside of Israel’s borders that Saul came to faith in the Lord Jesus. So appropriate since he would be later called "the apostle to the Gentiles." 

Acts 9:1-9

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1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord? Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. ~ Acts 9:1-9

Today, we transition into Acts 9 where we witness a major turning point in the history of the church. It was the Lord Jesus who told us in advance that the gospel would move in three stages: First to Jerusalem, then to Judea and all Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. During the first and second periods of time the gospel was being systematically preached throughout Jerusalem and every village of Samaria and Judea, all the while the Lord was preparing a man through whom the gospel would move into the third stage. Today, we come to the conversion of the Apostle Paul who will be that man whom the Lord will use to take the gospel into the third stage.

In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."

When Saul witnessed Stephen being stoned to death back in Acts 7, it had an effect upon him. Saul seemed to go into overdrive with regard to persecuting Christians. It just goes to show that when we feed the flesh or the evil desires within us, the flesh will become stronger and more demanding. This explains how Saul got to the point of breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. Saul was so driven by his flesh that he went to the High Priest to ask for permission to hunt down those who were of "the Way." Very early on, these words "the Way" were used by others to describe Christians. It was in John 14:6 where the Lord Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me." Perhaps this is why the world referred to believers as those in "the Way."

Saul set out to persecute Christians 160 miles away in Damascus. He was so dedicated to his teachers that he was willing to commit violence and murder. Later on in Acts 26 Saul, whom we know now as the Apostle Paul said, "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And I did so in Jerusalem; I not only shut up many of the saints in prison by authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme; and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities." 

In v.3-5 of today's passage we read, "3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' 5 And he said, 'Who are You, Lord? Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'"

While on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, Saul was intercepted by the Lord Jesus. Suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. The word translated "shone" is the same word used in the Greek language to describe the light that comes with a bolt of lightning. This light was so strong that Saul was knocked from his horse to the ground. The enormity of the moment never left Paul’s consciousness. This transformative event not only changed Saul, it changed the course of human history as we know it.

The phrase, "It is hard for you to kick against the goads," was a famous biblical metaphor. When the Lord Jesus spoke those words to Saul on the road to Damascus, He was pointing out that resisting God's will is a painful exercise that ultimately ends up hurting the rebel more than anyone else. A "goad" was a sharp stick farmers used to prod and steer oxen. If a stubborn ox kicked back against the sharp point in defiance, it would only drive the goad deeper into its own flesh. 

When the Lord Jesus asked Saul why he persecuted Him the Lord gave him his first glimpse into the great doctrine of Christians being in Christ. The word translated "compassion" in the New Testament comes from a word meaning "to suffer with." When the Lord Jesus took on a human body, He revealed a brand of compassion that no religion knows. This is why the cross is the central symbol of Christianity. The vertical and the horizontal bars meet and become inextricably linked. Suffering entered the world because of sin. The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth to save us not by eliminating suffering but by transforming suffering, using it to grant us a vehicle to go deeper with Him and with others. This means our pain serves our ability to be honest and transparent resulting in a deeper level of intimacy with God and with others. 

In v.6-7 of today's passage we read, "6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do?' Then the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.' 7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one."

Through this encounter the Lord Jesus privileged Saul with a fearful amazement of Himself. Saul experienced conversion that day which is a change from thinking that we can run our own lives to an acknowledgment that God is the only one who can do that. In fact, God is the only one with the right to tell us what to do. This was the first thing Paul experienced when he became a Christian. 

The next word translated astonished gives the idea of being perplexed or amazed. Saul was both terrified and he was unable to mentally grasp the enormity of the situation. The realization that he had fallen upon was that the One he had been pursuing and persecuting was not the followers of the Lord Jesus but the Lord God Himself. The word translated "speechless" is found only here in the Bible. It pictures a man who was mute. He couldn't say anything because the moment was too big for him. In addition, the men who accompanied Saul were silent from a state of complete astonishment. They saw the light but they could not see the Lord nor could they hear Him. 

In Acts 22:9 Paul wrote, "And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me."

To see and to hear the Lord Jesus is a privilege for anyone. The Lord purposefully revealed Himself only to Paul even though he had companions with him that day. The others were given enough information to know that something took place, but not enough to allow them to be converted. For those of us who are saved, this happened for us. Oh, we didn't see Him with our eyes nor did we hear Him with our ears. No, we experienced something much deeper, we saw Him and we heard Him with our hearts. 

The Lord Jesus had told the disciples earlier in John 20:29, "So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing." 

In v.8-9 of today's passage we read, "8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank."

Saul had to be blinded in order to truly see. Religion had done a number on him. For three days he could only see in one direction, inward. Saul, later named Paul was a Christian-killer before he was a Christian leader. Like him, we all have assumptions about the Lord Jesus. We think we know Him. Even after getting to know Him for the 45 years, I have just begun to scratch the surface. It is the Lord Jesus who is known as the One who helps the blind to see. He blinded Saul in order to help him see what was most important. Thankfully, the Lord Jesus has been known to use the circumstances in our lives in order to stop us in our tracks and cause us to look more intently at Him. The Lord Jesus blinded Saul as an act of His grace. It was just what Saul needed to learn to listen to the Lord and to also to learn to hear Him for himself. 

Acts 8:34-40

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34 So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. 36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” 37 Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” 38 So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him. 39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea. ~ Acts 8:34-40

Today, we conclude our study of Acts 8 where Philip, one of the seven chosen to be a deacon in Acts 6 is witnessing to a man who was clearly prepared to hear the gospel. This man was a man of great responsibility. He was the Secretary of the Treasury of Ethiopia. This man had arrived upon a nice paying job, yet, he searched for more. This man had come to Jerusalem to worship at the temple. He was a man searching for truth. As he was returning to his home he read the book of the prophet Isaiah. It was then that Philip came running to his chariot asking him if he understood what he was reading.

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "So the eunuch answered Philip and said, 'I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?'"

As with the Ethiopian eunuch, within each of us is a deep desire to know what is real. This is why our greatest pursuit is God. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 we learn that God has placed eternity in our hearts. This eunuch whom we have been considering for the last couple blogs had it all, yet, he was empty. It was his emptiness that propelled his pursuit. And, our pursuit of God requires great patience as we learn to hear His voice in the busyness of our lives. It was J.I. Packer who said, “Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.” 

When I was a kid there were some railroad tracks on the other side of about 200 yards of dense woods. When we would walk down those tracks on foot, it was a priority for us to know whether a train were coming or not. If a train were to come while we walked down those tracks, our lives would have been in the greatest of danger. So, to determine whether a train were coming we would put our ear to the track to identify the pinging noise that the train would announce miles in advance. We had to listen intently for those pings. We put our ear on the track and there could be no background noise. It had to be silent. We do well to learn from this true life story as we seek to hear God in our daily lives. Learning to listen to God is arduous work but it is oh so rewarding.

That day as the Ethiopian Eunuch rode back toward his home, he was readingIsaiah 53. Along came Philip prepared to identify the subject of Isaiah 53. When we seek God through His Word, which is the source and the foundation of all truth, we will discover the secrets to life. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Pursuit of the Lord through His Word means reading it and allowing it to transform and shape us. But, if this pursuit is not of God Himself, we will not only miss God but we will miss truth, as well. The Scriptures must be the lens through which we see everything else. Our pursuit of God must be greater than our pursuit of anything else.

In v.35 of today's passage we read, "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him."

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not simply a collection of ethical principles, moral platitudes, or abstract life lessons. Imagine a single, unfolding, thrilling drama; a story of epic proportions that is more fascinating than your favorite fairy tale because it is true. That’s God’s Word. And, the main character in the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no part of the Bible that cannot be used to tell us about the Lord Jesus because it is all ultimately pointing us to Him. It has been accurately said that if the New Testament is Jesus Christ revealed, the Old Testament is Jesus Christ concealed.

In v.36-37 of today's passage we read, "36 Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?' 37 Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' And he answered and said, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'"

The eunuch then brought Philip's attention to something unexpected in the desert as he literally said, “Behold! Water!” Right in the barren desert there was water which made it possible for the new believer to immediate comply with the Lord’s command to be baptized. So, the eunuch immediately utilized the outward ritual of water baptism to demonstrate the inward change that had occurred in his heart. This is why the Lord Jesus commanded us to be baptized after we have believed in Him because if we are not quick to make such a declaration our faith isn't bolstered like it should be. Our faith is strengthened when we boldly declare Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

Many down through the centuries have failed to understand the structure, intent, and message of the book of Acts by placing too much of an emphasis on baptism. While studying the book of Acts, we do well to remember that it is a descriptive account of what occurred in the early church. In his response to the request of the eunuch, Philip made sure that he fully grasped the gospel that had been presented to him. In doing so, Philip let the eunuch know that an outward display of water baptism wasn’t a must to be saved. Oh, we should be baptized because the Lord commanded it. But, it is not a requirement for salvation. Just ask the thief on the cross to whom the Lord Jesus said, "Today, you will be with me in Paradise."

In v.38 of today's passage we read, "So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him."

After stopping the chariot, Philip and the eunuch got down out of the chariot and they went "into the water." To "baptize" means to submerge. The going down into the water and the coming up is like death, burial, and resurrection. Baptism symbolizes the reality of what the Lord Jesus has done for the saved believer. In baptism we identify with the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection. In the Scriptures water baptism always follows justifying faith in the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. To do anything else defeats the imagery of Christ. 

In v.39-40 of today's passage we read, "39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus. And passing through, he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea."

After the baptism, the Ethiopian Eunuch went on his way overwhelmed with the joy that flooded his heart. His joy was the product of entering into a personal relationship with the living God. All of the answers for which his tortured soul had sought for so long had suddenly been provided in believing on the Lord Jesus. Philip, on the other hand, traveled to Azotus, on the coast road. There he began systematically to preach in the towns all the way up the coast to Caesarea. 

I experienced something much the same as this. After receiving the Lord Jesus as my Savior in 1981, my life changed so fast. Just 4 months after becoming a believer I witnessed a young girl trust the Lord Jesus in a bar in Brunswick, Georgia and then she immediately left the band she had been in for some time. And then, 1 1/2 years later, I found myself at Columbia Bible College and so much has happened in the last 42 years of ministry. This is what happens when we enter the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who brings into our lives an adventure that is worth living every day as we seek His leading moment by moment of everyday.

Acts 8:26-33

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26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” ~ Acts 8:26-33

Today, we return to our study of Acts 8. The book of Acts opens with an emphasis on three symbols which characterize the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The three symbols are the rushing wind, the tongues of fire and the gift of tongues. In today's passage the focus shifts from the conversion of Simon the Sorcerer to Philip. Like Stephen, Philip had been appointed as a deacon. He was also like Stephen in that he was quick to share the gospel with others. It was Carl H.F. Henry who said,“The gospel is only good news if it gets there fast enough.”

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, 'Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is desert."

Throughout the Bible the word "angel" means messenger. In both Acts 8:29 and Acts 8:39, the Holy Spirit is mentioned as communicating with or physically transporting Philip. It may be that the "messenger" of the Lord came to Philip in a dream or a vision. He very well may have come to him physically and directly. Since it is not explicitly mentioned, we only speculate. Regardless, Philip was given a direct communication from the Lord through a messenger.

Interestingly, the last time Philip was mentioned was in Acts 8:13. He may have received these instructions while he was still in Samaria. Due to his faithfulness in evangelizing, he was personally selected to fulfill the role he had in today's passage. It happened accordingly because he had responded to the previous revelation from God. This is the way it works with the Lord, the more truth we respond to the more truth we are given. If someone identifies their Christianity as boring they have themselves only to blame. This life God has called us to is an exciting adventure only if we are willing to entertain God.

The message from God to Philip began with: "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." God provided specific directions for a specific purpose. The conversation to come will fit a pattern that goes all the way back to the early Genesis narrative. The Lord is purposefully directing Philip to represent this pattern for the New Testament. Since there were several roads from Jerusalem to Gaza, Philip was given exact directions and instructions. The phrase, "This is desert" proves it. Of course, it is just like God to bring forth new life out of such a context. This story pictures the endearing nature of the gospel. We do well to remember the words of the late Tim Keller who once said, "The gospel says you are simultaneously more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope."

In v.27-30 of today's passage we read, "27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go near and overtake this chariot.' 30 So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, 'Do you understand what you are reading?'"

The message from the Lord led Philip to a man who was "a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians." This eunuch was a man who had been set apart for the purpose of guarding the treasury of the Ethiopian Queen. He had come to Jerusalem to worship God. Worship of God prepares us best to receive the truth of God. After worshipping God at the temple and on his way back home, this eunuch was reading a passage out of Isaiah 53. It was in that moment the Holy Spirit told Philip to chase after the chariot. When Philip got close enough to the eunuchs chariot, he just so happened to be able to hear him reading the words of Isaiah 53.

This was a divine encounter that was prepared by the Holy Spirit. Philip was quick to obey God's call. Since the eunuch was reading Isaiah 53, it was evident that God had been wooing this man to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. I met a young lady in a bar in Brunswick Georgia back in 1982 who was much like this eunuch. She was like the eunuch in that God was wooing her. She was sick of the life she had been living and she had been watching Christian programming on TV. As I sat there in that bar with my friend, I struggled whether to share the gospel with her because she was beautiful. I wanted to be led by the Lord not by my lust. To make a long story short after she and her band had completed their gig in that bar she trusted the Lord Jesus as her Savior. It was electric and I was only four months old in the faith. She left the band and the last I checked she was walking with the Lord. The Lord is always wooing people to believe on His Son. We do well to quickly seize every opportunity we get to share the gospel with the lost.

In v.31-33 of today's passage we read, "31 And he said, 'How can I, unless someone guides me?' And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 The place in the Scripture which he read was this: 'He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 33 In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.'"

After Philip asked the Ethiopian Eunuch if he understood what he was reading, the eunuch asked, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" The eunuch just so happened to be reading the most important chapter in the whole book of Isaiah about the cross of the Lord Jesus. After being invited to come up into his chariot the eunuch asked Philip to help him understand. As a result Philip described the substitutionary atonement of Christ as He was led as the silent sacrificial Lamb of God to the slaughter. This man could not have been better prepared to hear and believe the gospel. He had been to Jerusalem to worship and Philip was anxious to obey the Lord. And then, God led him to be reading Isaiah 53 when Philip happened to come along. One day, I want to be shocked at the numbers who trusted the Lord Jesus due to my faithfulness to His call on my life. My friend, how about you?

Acts 8:14-25

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14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” 24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” 25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. ~ Acts 8:14-25

Today, we return to our study of Acts 8 where we discover God sowing the blessing of the light of His kingdom. As always, God's work is always met with the counterfeit that the devil always brings forth. Despite the adversity, the early church grew like crazy. It was the late Mike Yaconelli who once said, "The power of the Church is not a parade of flawless people, but of a flawless Christ who embraces our flaws. The Church is not made up of whole people, rather of the broken people who find wholeness in a Christ who was broken for us."

In v.14-17 of today's passage we read, "14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."

Oddly, when the Apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people in Samaria had believed on the Lord Jesus, they sent Peter and John who came and prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. Many of the Samaritans believed on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. As a result, they experienced the joy of the Lord. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and this kind of joy can never be produced except by the indwelling Holy Spirit. They had been baptized in water as a testimony to that very regeneration which had occurred within their hearts.

Now, it is obvious these brand new believers had not received the Holy Spirit, even though they had experienced the effects of having believed on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. When Peter and John arrived in Samaria these brand new believers received the Holy Spirit. This is one of those unique moments in the book of Acts where things did not transpire as they normally do for those who believe on the Lord Jesus as their Savior. This happened in order to galvanize the apostles in the eyes of the people as God's representatives. Of course, with the death of each of these apostles things have changed. Today, when a person trusts in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, they are immediately indwelled with the Holy Spirit. Today, there is no need for an Apostle to be authenticated because we no longer have apostles.

In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, 'Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Even though Simon had believed on the Lord Jesus, he was yet confused. He actually thought that God's power could be bought with money. So he inquired of the apostles about the power of God. It was then that Simon suggested that the apostles give him this power in exchange for his money. This revealed the immaturity of Simon's theology. I say this because who is expected to be perfect in their theology just after believing on the Lord Jesus? Clearly, Simon believed the gospel. This is what saves us. We are not saved as a result of not making stupid errors concerning life in Christ after being saved. If such were the case, not a person who has ever been saved would continue to be saved.

In v.20-23 of today's passage we read, "20 But Peter said to him, 'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.'"

Peter, in response to Simon's request, rebuked him strongly and boy did he get it wrong. I believe Peter was a little over the top here with this brand new believer. I do find it refreshing that he responded as he did to Simon's offer of money. Many today limit the working of the Holy Spirit among us when they make ministry about money. In many cases believers are known to trust in money than God. 

It was then Peter reminded Simon that he had neither part nor portion in this matter. This "portion" of which Peter spoke belonged to the office to which it had been assigned, meaning that of the apostles. This is obvious because Philip, not being an apostle, had preached the gospel and the people had believed, but the Holy Spirit had not come upon them until the apostles had come and placed their hands on those who had believed. Further, this portion is not something that was required at all times, as has been seen earlier in Acts and as will be seen later in our study of the book of Acts. We must not build doctrine on historical narrative such as today's passage. We must derive our theology from the epistles for therein do we find proper theology. And, since we have no apostles among us today, the office of apostle no longer needs this type of approval.

In v.23 Luke used the word, "bitterness," which is one of the many negative traits that believers still wrestle with. Even though we have been born again, we still wrestle with sin. The Bible calls this "the flesh." And, it takes time for God to change us from the inside out, and He is not in a hurray to change us because the change isn't about what we think it is. It's really about us getting to know Him and trust Him more deeply. When this happens, we allow Him to define us. It is to be noted that throughout the New Testament there are saved believers who are highlighted for their worldliness in their choices and in their attitudes, but God does not call us to question their salvation. 

In v.24-25 of today's passage we read, "24 Then Simon answered and said, 'Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.' 25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans."

I love the humility shown here by Simon the former Sorcerer. When he asked both Peter and John to pray for him, it revealed he had an understanding of the value and power of prayer. It also reveals that he understood that his sin was not consistent with God's definitions and therefore wrong. This further implies that he was looking for freedom from the sin that bound him. Then, Simon drew attention to the ultimate when he referenced that it is only the prayers of the Lord Jesus that matters. He asked Peter and John to speak on his behalf with the Lord Jesus. This reveals Simon was a changed man who had believed on the Lord Jesus. He just needed to be taught and patience was required of the apostles to do just that.

Quietly tucked away in our final verse today is that on their way back to Jerusalem Peter and John and Philip preached the gospel in the many villages in Samaria. The Jews absolutely hated the Samaritans because the Samaritans were half Jewish and half Gentile. In John 4, these apostles had learned a lesson from the Lord Jesus and His ministry to the Samaritan woman. Instead of traveling back to Jerusalem with cold hearts toward the Samaritans around them, the apostles demonstrated hearts toward the Samaritans by sharing the gospel with them. Oh, God had not sifted all of their prejudisms out of their souls just yet but their attitudes towards the Samaritans had been profoundly changed. They then saw the Samaritans through the compassionate eyes of the God of the Bible.