The Conversion of Saul
Acts 9:1-31
Acts # 11
At the end of chapter seven and the beginning of chapter eight we have been introduced to Saul. Saul was very religious and very zealous for his faith. He had the very best training in the Jewish religion. We was very zealous of his faith. He was not going to stand back and let any one tell him that his faith, his religion was no extinct, or does not mean anything any more. (This is not what the Christians were doing but this is what he thought.) So he became the chief persecutor of Christians. He gave approval in the death of Stephen, and after this the Jewish religious leaders gave their approval and authority to him to arrest all the Christians that he could find. He went from house to house with in the city of Jerusalem and arrest anyone that called upon the name of Jesus. He even received permission from the High Priest to go to Damascus to arrest the Christians there.
This is where we find Saul in chapter nine getting ready to go to Damascus to arrest Christians. It is in this context we will see the conversion of Saul.
I. The description of Saul’s experience with Christ.1-16.
A. The request of Saul. 1-2
1. The attitude of the requests was an attitude of anger.
2. The reason for the request was the same.
3. The request was to go to Damascus to arrest Christians.
B. The appearance of Jesus to Saul. 3-6
1. The place of appearance. Just before getting to Damascus.
2. The shock of the appearance.3b-4a
3. The question of Jesus. 4b (Why are you persecuting me?)
4. The question of Saul. 5a (Who are you?)
5. The response of Jesus. 5b-6
a. The answer of Saul’s question.
b. The instructions given to Saul. (Go into the city and wait)
C. The witness response. 7
1. They heard a voice.
2. They saw no one.
D. The blindness of Saul. 8-9
1. The type of blindness was that his eyes were open but could not see.
2. The blindness lasted three days.
E. The attitude of Saul. (He did not eat or drink)
II. The introduction of Ananias. (He was a disciple in Damascus.)
III. The vision of Ananias. (The Lord appeared to him in a vision)
IV. The instructions given to Ananias.
A. Go to Saul.
B. Go to a place.
C. The reason is because Saul is praying and has seen a vision of healing by Ananias.
D. The complaint of Ananias. 13-14
1. Saul does harm to the Saints.
2. He has authority to imprison the Saints
E. The assurance from Jesus. 15-16
1. Saul is His chosen instrument.
2. Saul will be a witness to the Gentiles.
3. Saul will suffer for God.
V. The salvation of Saul. 17-19
A. Ananias arrives at the house.
B. Ananias lays hands on Saul for healing.
C. The laying on of hands also brought the Holy Spirit on Saul.
D. Saul’s sight was returned. (Something as scales fell from his eyes.)
E. The baptism of Saul.
F. The recovery of Saul’s health.
VI. The results of Saul’s conversion. 20-31
A. Saul started to proclaim Jesus was the Son of God.
B. People were confused about Saul. (Salvation will always bring confusion to the ones that do not understand.)
C. The power of Saul’s preaching.22 (Proving that Jesus was the Messiah, Christ)
D. There was a plot by the Jews to kill Saul. 23-24
E. The disciples intervened. 25.
F. Saul returns to Jerusalem. 26a
G. The disbelief and the fear of the believers in Jerusalem. 26b
H. The witness of Barnabas 27-28 (This witness involved what Saul’s conversion)
I. The witness of Saul in the city of Jerusalem.
1. He was walking freely in the city preaching.
2. He was confronting the Hellenistic Jews
J. The second plot for the death of Saul. (This was by the Hellenistic Jews.)
K. The second intervention of the Disciples. 30
1. They seen him to Caesarea.
2. They then sent him to Tarsus.
VII. There was more grow for the church.
(The chief persecutor was now a believer so there was a time of Peace and growth.
NOTE: In Galatians 1:15-24, Paul gives and account of his salvation experience. This account is different then the one that Luke gives in Acts. Some will try to say that one of these accounts is wrong so that proves the bible is not reliable.
I believe that the Acts account is a general account given by Luke. Paul gives a more specific account. Paul went to Arabia, and then he went back to Damascus and stayed there three years and then went to Jerusalem.
Application for church growth today:
1. One way we can apply this is to realize sometimes God uses the most unlikely people or I could even say methods to accomplish great works for HIM.
2. A second way that we can apply this to church growth today is that there are times when it seems that God is putting his children in dangerous situations.
3. The third way that we can apply this is that conversions bring for new witness for Jesus. (There is no better witness then your changed life.)
4. We need to remember all people are blind with out Christ.
