Spiritual Growth Requires Faithfulness

To the Ends of the Earth, Part 13

Spiritual Growth requires Faithfulness

Acts 9:23 – 9:31

Introduction

- Welcome to Seasons Church & 2024 sermon series, “To the Ends of the Earth”

-- In 2023 we unpacked the beginning of all history (Creation/Fall/Promise)

-- And we looked ahead, anticipated the coming & victory of Jesus (Revelation)

-- But, in order to get to the end, we have to be busy doing the work now (Acts)

- Last week we unpacked the miraculous conversion of the murderer, Saul

-- He was, in a word, a literal one-man wrecking machine against the Gospel

-- Coming face to face with Jesus, he has realized something: he is not in charge

-- Even his doubters could see he had changed: What changed him? Jesus!

-- He has gone from a murderous blasphemer … to a messenger of grace!

-- Lesson for us: Even the farthest one from Christ can be redeemed

- Today, I’d like us to dig a little deeper into this man and the road ahead of him

-- It is an interesting story, one that could easily parallel any believer’s today

-- We will also take a quick look at what a healthy church looks like

- Why is this important? You may know that today is Palm Sunday

-- The day that signifies Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah prophecy)

-- But that day of joy came at a cost for believers who wanted to be faithful

-- Jesus had to go through the good and the bad in order to redeem us of sin

-- In this same way, we can see that our life can also experience ups and downs

-- APP: Even Saul’s life can be a great encouragement, if we will see it

- Read Acts 9:23-31 / Pray

- TR: Starting off this morning, let’s dive deep into our first point …

Point 1 – Examining the growth of a Disciple

- Teaching point here to allow us to take a deeper dive

- Want us to examine a peculiar translation in verse 23’s wording

-- Most scholars agree there is a 2 or 3-year span of time here

- However, many versions (other than the KJV transliteration) don’t highlight it

-- KJV: “And after that many days were fulfilled; the Jews took counsel to kill him”

-- Note the words – “after many days”; Greek: eplerounto; many days had passed

- This lends credibility to the time spent in Arabia to learn and grow

-- Galatians 1:15-18 is the reference: “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus. Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days.”

- However, the NLT translates it into: “after a while”

-- Admittedly, it could minimize/skew the time, which is why I want to highlight it

-- This is not an argument for or against one version over another

-- There is a still a recognition of time passing, but not the whole scope

-- However, even in that it does do something very interesting for us

- We’ve unpacked this same backstory in Acts:

• Ananias prayed for/healed Saul

• Saul stayed with him for several days to help regain his strength

• While he was there he preached to anyone who would listen

• As he did– he was pressed into the understanding that he needed more

• He needed to find a place where he could grow and learn more

• It would be in the quietness of the desert that he communed and grew

• THEN: “After many days” (2 to 3 years), he returned to Damascus

- Saul comes back more mature, with a deeper understanding of Christ

-- But it was still 12 more years before he launched his missionary journey

- FACT: Fleeing Damascus saved his life (due to the plot to kill him)

-- But it was in that time away that he was able to draw closer and learn

-- UNDERSTAND: Knowledge is not automatic … even Saul had to study

- REM: He is an educated man, a Pharisee, but even this was not enough

-- It did not arm him to handle the stress of share the ministry; he needed more

-- APP: He had to draw closer to Christ in order to be an effective witness!