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Part 1, Acts 9:1-19a
Acts 9:1-19
Now, if you are reading a version of the bible that is not the ESV or a modern translation, I want to take you by the hand as your pastor for a moment and lead you through this. One commentator said it this way:
The insertion of “it is hard for you to kick against the goads” and “Lord, what do You want me to do?” in Acts 9:5-6 is accurate, but not in Luke’s original text. They were added by scribes, based on Acts 22:10 and 26:14, who thought they were doing God a favor by putting it in here. We never do God a favor by misrepresenting His word. Thank God we learned this as a church and stopped this nonsense.
Introduction:
Acts 9 shows us something every praying mom hopes for: that even when someone seems far from God, no heart is too hard, no path too far gone, for Jesus to break in with love and purpose. Moms, your prayers matter. Your tears matter. You’re not the Savior, but you can keep pointing to Him. Here’s the main point I want to remind you of today: When Jesus calls your name, everything changes.
Because look at how we start in verses 1 and 2. Saul is still breathing threats and murder against the disciples. What an intense way to describe someone so vehemently opposed to the things of God. Breathing threats. Breathing is rarely a conscious effort. So he isn’t even thinking about the death and destruction he is causing because it is so natural to him. The bible teaches us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. That’s what we are seeing here. Saul is speaking death against the disciples of the Lord. Today, what kind of power do you choose to wield? Do you want to speak death or life? I choose to speak life. He was asking for letters from the high priest so that he could drag more Christians out of Damascus and imprison them in Jerusalem. He is completely opposed to God and is fighting against it. I remember being in this stage of life. I was a teenager and I thought Jesus was not just a waste of time, but I was done with my mom and everyone trying to shove Jesus down my throat. It was like, give me a break with this church and Jesus stuff. I thought that I just didn’t like it and it was boring. But if I would’ve sat with that thought a little longer I would’ve realized that I didn’t think it was just boring or I don’t like it. I hated feeling like people were fake around me and that they don’t think the way I think. I can’t help but to believe that Saul didn’t just not like these people or was against Jesus, it’s that he truly believed that they were fake and leading people away from God and they don’t think the way he thinks.
Saul isn’t just persecuting a group of people with different opinions, he’s targeting ‘the Way.’ That phrase isn’t accidental. Early Christians weren’t primarily called ‘Christians’ yet. They were known for a way of life. Christianity was, and still is, not just a belief system or a set of doctrines. It’s a whole way of living that flows from following Jesus. It’s a path based on a position we receive in Christ. A lifestyle led by a label: His. The Way means that the Gospel changes not only what we believe, but how we walk, how we treat others, how we forgive, how we live. Are you following the Way or just your own way? That’s the question I want to ask you today if you’re here in church and you don’t know Jesus. Are you willing to reconsider what you believe about Jesus? And I ask this with all love and sincerity: Could you be wrong about Jesus? Could you be wrong about His Church? Saul was absolutely convinced he was right until he met Jesus face to face. And in that moment, everything changed.
The turning point in Saul’s story is right here in verses 3 through 6. Not when he loses his sight, it’s when he hears his name. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” -Acts 9:4 A light from heaven knocks him to the ground, but it’s not the light that breaks him, it’s the voice. This is the moment when everything he thought he knew begins to unravel. Jesus doesn’t say, “Why are you persecuting my people?” He says, “Why are you persecuting me?” This tells us something staggering: Jesus so closely identifies with His people that to harm His people is to hurt Him. That’s how deeply Jesus loves His church. And Saul, stunned and broken, responds with a question that may be the most honest, most urgent, most spiritually significant question anyone can ask: “Who are you, Lord?” -Acts 9:4 There is no more vital question in all of life than that. Not What should I do with my life? or How do I fix my past? But Who are you, Lord? And here’s the beauty of the Gospel, Jesus loves to answer that question. He reveals Himself to the humble and seeking.
To the one who finally lets go of trying to control everything. To the one who’s been walking in darkness but is now face-down in the light. Maybe you’re here today because your mom asked you to come. Maybe you’ve been walking a path that looks nothing like Jesus. But here’s the good news: if you’re willing to ask the question, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Jesus won’t leave you in silence. He is not playing hide-and-seek with your soul. He stands ready to reveal Himself. Jesus reveals Himself to Saul, and He gives a command: “But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” (Acts 9:6) And Saul listens. The man who just moments ago was storming toward Damascus with authority and fury is now blind, humbled, and completely surrendered. He came seeking permission from the high priest to act on behalf of God. But now, having truly encountered God, he lays down his own agenda and listens to the only voice that matters. This is what obedience looks like. This is what conversion looks like. When you come to know who Jesus truly is, as we talked about last week, it means nothing if it’s not met with submission and obedience. We hear the voice of God through the Word of God. And when Jesus speaks, we don’t negotiate, we obey. We don’t delay. We move. We don’t just admire the light. We walk in it. Saul’s life shifts in this moment from self-assigned vocation to God-given mission. Why? Because, When Jesus calls your name, everything changes.
Verses 7 through 9 give us a glimpse into the aftermath of Saul’s encounter with Jesus. The men traveling with him heard the sound but saw no one. They couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. But Saul? He was undone. Blinded, shaken, and silenced, he had to be led by the hand into Damascus. And for three days, he sat in the dark. No sight, no food, no drink. Just silence. Just surrender. This isn’t only physical blindness, it was spiritual. It’s all connected because he’s a human like you and me, we are all connected. Saul was dying to everything he thought he knew. This was the unraveling of self-righteousness, the collapse of pride, the death of self.
In that quiet darkness, God was doing deep soul work. And after three days, just like our Lord, Saul would rise with new eyes and a new mission. Now listen, not everyone’s journey involves three days of silence and blindness. That work has already been done in full by Jesus on the cross and in the tomb. But, Everyone who hears His voice is called to the same pattern: to die to themselves, to rise with Christ, and to be led into a new way of living. And don’t miss this: Saul, the man once charging ahead in strength, now had to be led by the hand. That’s humility. But, that’s also a good picture of discipleship, isn’t it? And that’s our calling. If you’ve heard His voice, if you’ve been changed by His grace, you’re called to take someone by the hand and lead them where Jesus is calling them to go.
In verses 10 through 12 and in the middle of Saul’s dramatic transformation, we’re introduced to someone who, at first glance, might seem like a background character, but Ananias is anything but secondary in God’s story. He’s a disciple. He’s already heard the voice of Jesus. He’s already walking in the Way. And when the Lord speaks to him in a vision, his response is immediate and beautiful: “Here I am, Lord.” -Acts 9:10 It’s simple. But it’s everything. This is the posture of a true disciple: willing, submissive, obedient. I love that God uses Ananias here. He didn’t have to. He also doesn’t use an Apostle or Prophet, or Evangelist, or Shepherd teacher. He uses an ordinary man. Why? Because He’s making the claim that everyone can be used by the Lord.
And the truth is, we are all just ordinary people. Our positions, power, prestige, all of this means nothing if we don’t know the Lord. Look at Ananias here: He doesn’t lead with questions, conditions, or hesitation. He doesn’t say, “What do you want first?” or “Can we talk about this later?” He just says: Here I am. That’s the difference between knowing about God and walking with God. It’s not just that Ananias has good theology, it’s that his heart is yielded. His will is surrendered. He’s available. And that’s often what Jesus is looking for, not the most gifted or the most experienced, but the most available and willing. The Lord could have healed Saul with a word. He could have sent an angel. But instead, He chooses a man like Ananias, a follower of the Way, to carry out His mission. Why? Because this is how the kingdom moves forward: Jesus calls your name, transforms you, and then sends you to lead others to Him.
In verses 13 and 14, something happens. In verse 10, we see the ideal response of a disciple: “Here I am, Lord.” But just a few verses later, we read these words: “But Ananias…” Ananias had heard God’s voice. He was willing and available. But when the specifics of God’s assignment were revealed, when it meant facing real danger, risking personal safety, and extending grace to someone who absolutely didn’t deserve it, he hesitated. Let’s be honest: his concerns are rational. His hesitation is human. Saul wasn’t just some cranky critic, he was a religious terrorist. And he had official backing to continue his violent campaign. The believers in Damascus were probably terrified. So when God tells Ananias to go straight to the very man they’d all been avoiding, his objection isn’t rebellion at face value, it’s fear wrapped in logic.
We do that sometimes, don’t we? Wrap fear up in logic so we can explain things away. I’m afraid of death, I’m afraid of the unknown, I’m afraid that this might be true and I’ll have to respond. We do that. I’m guilty of doing this. Fear wrapped in logic whispers hesitation. It disguises itself as discernment but is really distrust. And that’s exactly where Ananias finds himself. His logic is right, but his lens is wrong. He’s viewing Saul through what Saul has done, not through what God can do. But here’s the deeper issue: Ananias presumed that God might not be aware of the situation. That maybe, just maybe, God needed a little help understanding how bad this guy really was. This is what we so often do, we assume we see the whole picture, and we subtly begin offering God our advice instead of our obedience. Ananias knew Saul’s reputation. He had heard the stories, knew the threat, and understood the consequences. What he didn’t yet see was what God was about to do. And that’s the contrast: “But Ananias…” will soon meet “But the Lord…”
I love how verse 15 starts, but the Lord: This is The Great Contrast:
Ananias sees a threat; God sees a vessel.
Ananias sees Saul’s past; God sees Saul’s purpose.
Ananias sees persecution; God sees proclamation.
What a powerful reminder: God doesn’t call people based on their résumé, He calls them based on His redemptive plan. God had already written Saul’s future. Even though Saul didn’t yet know the assignment, God revealed it first to the one He was sending to restore him. That’s grace. God not only redeems Saul, He invites a witness, Ananias, into the restoration. This is a sobering call. Saul, who once enjoyed religious privilege, social clout, and authoritative power, would now walk a path marked by hardship, persecution, and pain. But he would walk it with purpose and with Jesus. Notice God’s call on Saul’s life was:
- Personal: “He is a chosen instrument of Mine.”
- Missional: “…to carry My name…”
- Cross-Cultural: “…before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.”
- Costly: “…how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
And here’s the truth: every genuine call from God carries those same four marks. It’s for Jesus, it’s his mission, it crosses cultural boundaries and it costs, truly costs us something. The question you’ve got to face is What has the Lord spoken over your life? Not, “what do you see?” Not, “what do others say?” But what has He spoken? To press in a bit deeper, are you letting what you see define your future, or are you trusting what He has said? Can I encourage you today? Know that God’s word over your life is more powerful than your failures, more enduring than your fears, and more true than your feelings. You get to trust in Jesus today.
Verses 17-19 are some of the most beautiful words showing us that this is where the story shifts from calling to confirmation. From brokenness to restoration. From blindness to clarity. From isolation to family. The first words Saul hears from another believer are not suspicion or fear, but family. Brother Saul. Acts 9:17 That’s gospel. The man who once hunted Christians is now welcomed as one of them. This is what the grace of Jesus does: it reconciles you to God AND it reconciles you to God’s people. This is part of the change in Jesus’ name. This Ananias makes it clear to, don’t look for the healing. It’s about the one who brings healing. He doesn’t say, “I came to help,” but, “The Lord Jesus sent me.” He grounds Saul’s healing and filling in the authority of Jesus, the same Jesus who met him on the road.
This is both physical and spiritual restoration. Saul doesn’t just need his eyes opened. He needs a new heart, a new power, and a new identity. No delay. No ceremony. No extra steps. Immediately our text says, immediately something like scales fall off his eyes. When Jesus calls your name, transformation happens. The scales fall. The blindness lifts. The man who once refused to see now sees everything clearly. And what’s his first move? Obedience. He is leaving behind Saul the persecutor and embracing Paul the apostle-in-process. His old identity is buried. His new life has begun. After dying to himself for three days, Saul rises, filled with the Spirit, surrounded by believers, baptized, nourished, and strong. He is the perfect picture of when Jesus calls your name everything changes.
Conclusion:
So here we are. We’ve walked with Saul. From fury to silence. From blindness to sight. From self-made religion to Spirit-filled transformation. And all of it began with one thing: Jesus called his name. That’s not just Saul’s story. That’s the Gospel. And the Gospel is not just good advice, it’s good news. It’s the news that Jesus Christ died for sinners (ALL of us), was buried, and rose again on the third day, so that we, like Saul, can rise with new eyes and a new mission. Today, we respond to that Gospel the same way Saul did: We fall before the Lord in humility. We ask, “Who are you, Lord?” And when He answers, we obey.
And this is where we come to communion. You might want to think Communion is a religious ritual, fine. It is far more than this. it’s a relational reminder. A declaration that Jesus broke His body and poured out His blood so that we could be made new. It is a visible, tangible proclamation that we believe in His death and eagerly await His return. This Saul becomes Paul and later writes in 1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” But let me be lovingly clear: You cannot proclaim a death you have not trusted in. If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, if you’re still holding onto your own way, this table is not yet yours. But it can be! If today is the day you, like Saul, heard Jesus call your name, then respond. Repent. Believe. Step into the Way. Because when Jesus calls your name, everything changes. And maybe today is the day everything changes for you. Let’s prepare our hearts now for communion. Come grab the elements and I’ll come back up and lead us in taking them together.
Part 2, Acts 9:19b-31
Acts 9:20-31
After rehabilitating my knee, they said something has to happen. You have to learn how to trust that knee again. It’s new, it’s healthy, you can rely on it. Walk it out and trust the process. That’s the truth, but your mind doesn’t know that yet. Today, we’ve got to do the same thing as we talk about What do we do when we come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ?
V19b-22
When we come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, we proclaim. And how do we proclaim? We actually open our mouths and say it. I know, that sounds like a novel idea today. But it’s essential. You’ve got to share the hope that is in you. You can’t hide behind the idea of a “personal relationship with Jesus” as if that excuses you from going public. That phrase, personal relationship, was never meant to mean private. Proclaim Christ. Announce it. Declare it. Officially. Publicly. “I am Christ’s, and He is mine.” Would say that with me today as a first step in this direction? “I am Christ’s, and He is mine.” Now, let’s be honest, proclaiming Jesus can stir up all kinds of emotions. Shame. Guilt. Embarrassment. You might think your past disqualifies your voice. That your story is too messy for ministry. But that’s exactly why God gives us Saul’s story in the bible.
Look at Acts 9:21 “All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem…?’” In other words: Isn’t this the guy who destroyed lives? The guy who carried pain and pride like a badge? Maybe you know what that’s like. I do. Some people knew me before Jesus. They could easily say, “That guy? The guy who used to brag about his sin? Who picked fights at the bar and slept with anything that had a pulse? He’s talking about Jesus now?” But that’s the power of grace, isn’t it? At some point, you’ve got to step into the new creation God has made you. You’ve got to leave the old man behind. Let it die. Here’s what the bible says about it.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. -Romans 6:12-14
That’s what proclaiming Jesus does, it separates you from your past by anchoring you in your new identity. Be anchored in your new identity in Christ, it’s what we do after we come to a saving faith, we strengthen ourselves by His grace. Look at verse 22 “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.” Don’t miss this: His strength didn’t come from hiding. It came from proclaiming. His boldness built him. The more he shared, the more he grew. And the more he grew, the more he confounded those who thought they knew who he was. So if you’ve plateaued in your faith, if you’re “just not feeling it” like you used to, maybe the issue isn’t your quiet time or your lofi playlist. Maybe you’ve just stopped proclaiming. Can I challenge you today? Take time this week to open your mouth. Tell someone what Jesus has done. Preach the gospel to yourself. Speak it over your family. Text a friend. Write the post. Proclaim the name of Jesus. Because that’s what new creations in Christ do. That’s what Saul did. That’s what we do when we come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
V23-25
Remember what Jesus said about Saul’s life? That he would suffer for the sake of His name? (Acts 9:16). Well, this scene is the beginning of that promise being fulfilled. Saul, who was once the one dishing out the suffering, is now experiencing it, because of Jesus. And let me be honest: so will you. Every believer is called into this same tension. Why? Because when you live for Christ, you become a reminder to the world that they are not okay without Him. That’s offensive. That’s disruptive. And that kind of truth-telling doesn’t usually come with applause. Think about Saul’s assignment: to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God (v. 20), and that everyone needs to turn from their way to His way. That’s not a nice gig. He’s walking into synagogues full of people who feel spiritually secure and telling them they’re wrong and that the one they rejected is actually the Messiah. That’s not fun. That’s not safe. But it is powerful. Because nothing compares to watching someone turn from death to life, from rebellion to redemption, from self-reliance to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Here’s the hard truth that no one posts about: everyone suffers. Everyone. If you’re breathing, you’re bleeding somewhere. The difference for the Christian isn’t if we suffer, but how we suffer, and who we suffer for. You can suffer for selfish reasons. You can suffer in bitterness. Or you can suffer with purpose, in Christ. In this story, the Jews are plotting to kill Saul, and yet God makes a way. His friends lower him in a basket through a wall. It’s a dramatic escape, yes, but don’t miss the bigger picture: Saul didn’t avoid suffering. He learned how to walk through it. Can I ask you, Do you know how to suffer well? Or did you think that was just for apostles and missionaries? No, this is for you. The Christian life is not a pain-free life; it’s a purpose-filled one. I actually believe this might be one of the most neglected, yet vital teachings in the church today. Not because we want to suffer. Not because it’s fun. But because it’s necessary. For us, for the world, and for the story of redemption God is telling through His word and through us. Suffering is unavoidable, but for the Christian, it’s transformational. And that’s why I want to park here for a moment, because what you believe about suffering will shape how you walk through life.
Some of you were told that following Jesus meant comfort and calm and control. That’s not what Scripture teaches. The Christian life is not all cheesecake and rainbows. If you’ve walked with Jesus longer than a week, you know this already. Let me point you to a passage that helps define how we suffer: Romans 5:1–5, Paul writes:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Do you see it? We’ve been justified by faith and we now stand in grace. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God: what He has done, what He’s doing now, and what He will do. But it doesn’t stop there. Paul says we also rejoice in suffering. Why? Because suffering does something in us. It produces endurance. That’s spiritual grit. That endurance, in turn, forges character which is Christlikeness. And that kind of character births hope. Not a shallow optimism, but a confident assurance in God’s goodness. And that hope doesn’t leave us ashamed; it reminds us we’re deeply loved by God. So here’s the bottom line: Suffering for Christ is never wasted. Let me say that again for the weary soul in the room: your suffering is not wasted. Not in the hands of Jesus. It becomes a megaphone for God’s love, a classroom for Christlike maturity, and a testimony to a watching world that hope isn’t a concept, it’s our reality and it’s founded upon the person of Jesus Christ.
For Saul, suffering didn’t mean God had abandoned him; it meant God was shaping him. It meant he was being made useful. God didn’t deliver him from suffering; He walked him through it, and brought others around him to carry the weight with him. Don’t miss that. Even Saul needed help being lowered in a basket. You don’t suffer alone. You suffer as part of the Body of Christ, with the help of others and under the watchful care of your Shepherd. And here’s what we have to understand: suffering is not the opposite of the Christian life; it is a part of the Christian life. Jesus Himself was a suffering servant (Isaiah 53), and He told us clearly, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Paul says in Philippians 1:29, “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” You see that? Not just belief, but suffering. That word “granted” means gifted. It’s a gift. That’s not how we usually think of pain. But in God’s economy, suffering becomes the soil where endurance grows, character deepens, and hope blossoms. That’s not just theology, that’s how we live and for this we rejoice. That’s what turns fair-weather faith into storm-tested faith. That’s what makes a believer into a disciple.
Church, we’ve got to get this right. The world doesn’t need to see Christians escaping pain or denying reality. They need to see a people who know how to suffer well. A people who, like Saul, press on even when it’s hard. A people who endures because their hope isn’t in this world, it’s in the One who overcame it. So I ask you again: Do you know how to suffer well? Here’s a quick test: When life presses in, do you lean into Jesus or lash out at others? Do you draw near to the Body of Christ or isolate in pride or shame? Do you allow hardship to grow you, or do you let it harden you? Because here’s the truth: your suffering might just be someone else’s salvation.
Saul’s persecution became someone else’s proclamation. His basket escape turned into someone else’s boldness. And your pain, your endurance, your witness through the storm, it might be the very thing that causes someone else to say, “I want what they have.” So may we be a church that knows how to preach and praise in the light, but one that knows how to suffer well in the dark. And in doing so, we display a kind of faith that shines like a beacon, anchored, alive, and full of hope.
This is my prayer for us: that we don’t shove our suffering into some dark corner of our hearts and just “fake it ‘til we make it.” That’s not what it means to suffer well. Suffering well isn’t slapping on a plastic smile and saying, “I’ve got cancer, but praise God!” and pretending you’re healed or “We lost the baby, but hey, at least I read my Bible today!” No. That’s not real. That’s not the kind of faith God calls us to. The truth is, suffering hurts! It’s gut-wrenching. It’s lonely. It’s the kind of ache that reminds us this world is not how God intended it to be. Sin has fractured everything, and grief is now part of our story. But here’s what I need you to hear: that deep ache you feel? That longing for things to be made right? That cry for the pain to stop? That’s not weakness. That’s eternity calling. That’s the echo of heaven in your soul. Because heaven is real.
And for those who belong to Jesus, it’s not just our comfort, it’s our destination. It’s where every tear will be wiped away. Every sickness healed. Every injustice undone. Every heart made whole. Until that day, suffer well. Suffer well, my friend. Don’t run from it. Don’t numb it. Sit in it, with Jesus. Sit in the weeds of your grief and pain, and invite others in. Let the people of God surround you. Let them carry you like Saul’s friends carried him in that basket. Don’t be afraid to say, “I need help.” You are not weak!! You are human. And in Christ, you are fully accepted, fully forgiven, and fully loved. You don’t have to hide. You don’t have to pretend. Your suffering is real but so is your Savior. So, no, we don’t fake it. We walk through it. Together. With Christ. Until the day He makes all things new.
V26
And after we learn to suffer well, the next step in what we do after we come to a saving faith is often this: we go back and face the wreckage we left behind. We begin the slow, humble work of restoration. That’s what Saul does next. When Saul arrives in Jerusalem, in verse 26, the disciples are afraid of him, and for good reason. They don’t believe he’s truly been changed. And you can’t really blame them. His past had a loud reputation. But part of what we do after coming to a saving faith in Jesus is this: We take ownership of the mess we’ve made, and we start, by grace, to make right what we can. I have a few cities in my past that, to be honest, feel stained by my sin and stupidity. But there’s one in particular, the place where I met Jesus, where I knew I had to return and try to make things right. It was a little beach town in Mexico where I had lived for about a year. I didn’t go back as some spiritual hero. I went back with humility to the very church my mom used to drag me into: ready to serve, ready to repent, and ready to seek forgiveness. And here’s the beautiful part: that same church ended up sending me to Bible college. That’s where Pastor Mike saw something in me that I didn’t yet see in myself. That’s grace. That’s restoration. That’s what God does. There’s a powerful truth in Saul’s story that’s true for us too: when you come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, you are not only made new, you’re also commissioned. Commissioned to be an agent of reconciliation. To do what you can to bring peace where you once brought pain. Sometimes that happens quickly. Sometimes it takes years. And sometimes, it may never fully happen this side of heaven. But we still confess it to the Lord, we bring it to our mentors and accountability partners, and we carry on in the grace of God. Let me also say this: You cannot force your healing on someone else. We’re not called to bulldoze people with our transformation story. Restoration involves not just what we’re trying to say, but how we’re received. And if someone isn’t ready to receive us yet, that doesn’t mean our growth isn’t real. It just means we leave the door open, walk in humility, and trust God with the outcome.
V27
But thank God for Barnabas. Because while the rest of the disciples were afraid and unsure of Saul, Barnabas stepped in. Acts 9:27 says, “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord…” Barnabas didn’t keep his distance. He didn’t wait for popular opinion. He drew close. He listened. He believed the work of Jesus was real in Saul’s life and then he stood in the gap to vouch for him. That’s not just being friendly. That’s being a true friend. We live in a culture full of friendliness but starving for friendship. A friendly person will smile, nod, and maybe throw a “praying for you” in your direction. A true friend will get in the boat with you during the storm. A true friend puts their reputation on the line to stand beside someone others have written off. A true friend sees who you’re becoming in Christ, not just who you used to be. Barnabas models what it means to be a son of encouragement, to speak life when everyone else speaks fear. To advocate when others step back. To walk with people through their past into God’s future for them. And that’s part of what we do after coming to a saving faith in Jesus too: we become that kind of friend. Not just someone who receives grace, but someone who extends it. We become the kind of person who helps others take their next step in the Kingdom. Barnabas didn’t just believe Saul’s story—he helped Saul get planted, accepted, and trusted in the church. That’s discipleship. That’s friendship.
So let me ask: Who are you a Barnabas to? Who have you come alongside when others stepped away? And who has been a Barnabas to you, someone who vouched for you, walked with you, believed in what God was doing in your life when it was just getting started? Because the church doesn’t grow through lone rangers. It grows through relationships like this: truth-filled, Spirit-led, grace-covered friendships that walk each other forward in Jesus’ name.
V28-30 From the very beginning, Saul started proclaiming Jesus. That was the first thing he did after coming to faith (v. 20). And now, in verses 28–29, he’s still doing it. But this time, with deeper roots, stronger relationships, and even more boldness. Verse 28 says, “So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.” His ministry didn’t stall, it matured. He’s no longer preaching alone. He’s now planted in the church, empowered by gospel friendship (thanks to Barnabas), and partnered with other believers. This isn’t just a new convert excited about Jesus, this is a disciple who has suffered, reconciled, walked in true community, and now speaks with the kind of boldness that only comes from a tested and rooted faith.
And what does he do? He steps into one of the most difficult arenas: the Hellenists. The same crowd Stephen once preached to and who stoned him. Saul debates and reasons with them, proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. And just like with Stephen, the response is fierce. They seek to kill him. But this time, Saul doesn’t run in fear. His boldness is unwavering, because his identity is secure. So what do we do after we come to saving faith in Jesus? we keep proclaiming Him! Louder, Clearer, Bolder-even when it costs us. That’s the trajectory of true discipleship. And Saul is walking it. step by step. All the way back home to Tarsus.
Invite the worship team up
V31
And now we arrive at this beautiful moment, verse 31, where we zoom out and see the wider impact.“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” Did you catch that? The church, singular, is mentioned across multiple regions: Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. Different locations, same Spirit. Different people, same mission. They were one. And what marked them? Peace. Strength. Reverence. Comfort. Growth. That’s not the result of slick systems or superstar pastors. That’s not because they finally got the right structure or strategy. No, it was the result of faithfulness.
They walked in the fear of the Lord: a deep awe, reverence, and surrender to God’s authority and holiness. And they walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit: the daily assurance that God was with them, empowering them, sustaining them. And that is what caused the multiplication.
Not a program.
Not a personality.
Not a polished performance.
But a people, walking. Walking through suffering. Walking in restoration. Walking in friendship. Walking in boldness. Walking in unity. And above all, walking with God. It’s not a ritual to replicate, it’s a life to live.
You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to keep walking. Walk in the fear of God. Walk in the comfort of the Spirit.
That’s what builds the church.
That’s what brings peace.
And that’s what causes gospel multiplication.
So, what do we do after we come to saving faith in Jesus?
We walk. We walk in worship. We walk in boldness. We walk through suffering. We walk toward restoration. We walk with gospel friends. We walk into the mission. And we walk by the Spirit.
And as we walk, God builds.
As we walk, God multiplies.
As we walk, God gets the glory.
Let’s be that kind of church today.
Part 3, Acts 9:32-43
Acts 9:32-43
When I had started in ministry I thought to be fully prepared for ministry, I needed to have a trade. I thought God would send me out on the mission field somewhere and like most, I would need to be bi-vocational and work two jobs to be able to church plant and get the ministry running. My grandfather was a blacksmith and so I figured I’d work with metal and I had a friend who owned his own fabrication shop. He taught me so much! I had the opportunity to work with him and learn while I was in bible college and doing ministry with Rod early on. This was just over 10 years ago now. Every now and again I still get a call from a friend asking if I’ll come help weld something up. I am not the best welder by any means but I’m pretty certain if it isn’t a structural project I could get the job done. Right? If you need a fence panel or something cracked and you want it fortified I could totally jump in and help. Here’s what I’ve realized, and if you work in a trade I think you’d agree, if I walked into a job just to do the welding, it wouldn’t take that long at all. But if I’ve got to do all the prep work, man we are in for it. It’s one thing to weld two pieces of perfectly cleaned and perfectly beveled pieces of metal to each other. It’s an entirely different thing to grind all the crud off of it, get the rust off, make sure everything matches up and then get to the welding. We did a set of stairs for this apartment complex and I would’ve given anything to rip out all of the stairs and build the thing brand new from scratch. It is easier to build from scratch than to try and remodel or repair something, amen? Well, the end of Acts 9 is the same thing. God is preparing the people to receive just as much as He was preparing Saul to go. Here’s our main idea and focus for the day: The Spirit of God prepares the people of God for the mission of God. This piece is split into 2 movements. The story of Aeneas and the Story of Tabitha.
V32
It seems like God has now dealt with Saul, he’s back home in Tarsus, and now we are switching back to Peter. That is only partly true though, why? Because remember, Acts is not the Acts of the Apostles, it is the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has now focused on Saul and his conversion, his calling, his mission (which is God’s mission) and now he is preparing the mission field. What is that mission field you might ask? It’s the gentiles. That’s what your bible will say. In the language of the Bible and most Jews of that day, the idea was you’re either Jewish or your not. If you’re not Jewish there’s only one category, gentile. That’s a lot of people and a lot of nations. I can’t help but to think of Jesus’ ministry recorded in Matthew 9 in this section where He’s healing and doing the work of the ministry and it says this,
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
It seems to me that Jesus is preparing Saul in the beginning of Acts 9 to be the shepherd He called him to be and now Jesus is preparing a plentiful harvest among the gentiles for the kingdom of God at the end of Acts 9. In verse 32 Luke says, “Now as Peter went here and there among them all…” You could read that and skim right past it, but don’t. What’s Peter doing? He’s moving among the believers, the saints, the churches. He’s not just preaching to the masses, he’s shepherding. He’s checking in. He’s available. And you know what that tells me? Peter isn’t just preaching revivals, he’s pastoring relationships. A shepherd has to smell like his sheep which means he’s got to be around the people. We forget that the Spirit-led mission isn’t always about a platform. Most times it’s about presence. Just showing up. Going here and there among them all is often how God positions you to be exactly where you need to be when He’s ready to move. Now don’t miss this: This is the same Peter who healed a crippled man at the temple gate, who preached at Pentecost, who stood before the Sanhedrin, now, he’s walking the dirt roads again. Just being faithful. I love that. Peter is going here and there and he comes to the saints who lived in Lydda.
Now, this is not a main point but it is a precious point. Notice that they are referred to as saints who lived in Lydda. Who they are is not defined by where they live. Who they are is defined by Christ, they are saints, where they live is Lydda. I think this should matter to us. They probably love Lydda the same way I love where I live. But where they live isn’t defining who they are, Jesus has already done that. It is hard to be a people who live on mission if we forget an essential truth to our faith and who we are: it is Christ’s mission above my mission. It is the kingdom of God above any other kingdom here on earth. I’ve got to get that straight in my head at all times. It’s so easy to fall into thinking that other kingdoms have a priority over the kingdom of God. Some seem right until we realize that it can contradict or hurt the mission if I don’t put the kingdom of God first. The kingdom of my life: My marriage, my family, my home, my things, my people, my nationality, my ethnicity, my education, my experience, all of these things, when aligned with the mission of God and under the authority of the kingdom of God and its Ruler can be beautiful things.
But if we get the mission and the kingdom mixed up, meaning when it becomes Aaron’s mission and Aaron’s kingdom and not the mission and kingdom of God, I fall headlong into idolatry. Let’s not mince our words, when I put whatever it is that I want before what God wants that is idolatry. The only solution is repentance and return to the mission. I’m not here to hurt you today, but to tell you sincerely if this is you with all love and all hope, repent of idolatry and return to Jesus and His mission.
Back in Acts 9 notice one key fact, there are already saints there! This is what I mean when I say the Spirit of God prepares the people of God for the mission of God. You might be showing up to work, to school, to your family dinner table, thinking nothing significant is going to happen but the Spirit has already gone ahead of you. He’s already stirring hearts, laying groundwork, getting things ready. You’re just walking into what He’s already been preparing.
V33-35
Now we get into the meat of this movement verses 33–35. Peter comes into this little Gentile-adjacent town called Lydda, and there he finds a man named Aeneas. Here’s what we know: Aeneas was bedridden and paralyzed for 8 years. That’s a long time. 8 years of watching life pass by. 8 years of being dependent. 8 years of likely wondering, “Why me?” or “Where is God in this?” Maybe that’s you today maybe not physically paralyzed, but spiritually stuck. Emotionally stagnant. Faith fatigued. You’ve been laying there so long, the pain turned numb.
But Peter walks into that space and doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t offer a lengthy prayer, or start with a diagnosis, or ask for backstory. He says, with all the clarity and boldness of heaven: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you.” Notice who Peter attributes the healing to—not to himself, not to the Father, not even to the Spirit—but to Jesus Christ. Why is that important? Because Jesus is the agent of the mission. The Father wills the mission, the Spirit empowers the mission, but Jesus, the Son, is the agent through whom healing, salvation, and redemption flow. Colossians 1:19–20 says,
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” -Colossians 1:19-20
Not around Him. Not apart from Him. Through Him. Jesus is not just our message; He is the method. This is a crucial piece of what it means to be prepared for the mission of God. You cannot carry the mission of God apart from the name and person of Jesus Christ. And Peter is making that perfectly clear: “This is not my power. This is not my ministry. This is not my kingdom. This is Jesus’ work.”
And then look at what Peter tells him to do: “Rise and make your bed.” I love this. If you are a parent going into this summer and you need a verse to wrench out of context, I highly recommend this one! No, I’m kidding, but look at it; not just rise, but make your bed. Yes, this is a practical instruction; but it’s so much more to a paralyzed man of 8 years, it’s a commissioning. Peter’s saying: “You’re not going back there.” You’re not coming back to that mat. That bed has been your identity for 8 years, but today, Jesus gives you a new one. He gives you legs and purpose and freedom and responsibility. Clean it up. Fold it up. You’re done with that season.
I needed to hear this today, I will not be like the Proverb talks about a dog returning to its vomit. Let dead things die. Move into your new identity in Christ, take on the mission of God with vigor, and all that you have! Don’t go back there, rise, and make your bed. Though it’s powerful, this isn’t the main point of the text.
The main point is verse 35. Now this, right here, is what gets me. “And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.” -Acts 9:35. Notice the text doesn’t say they admired Peter. It doesn’t say they were amazed at the miracle. It says they turned to the Lord. The healing of Aeneas wasn’t the finish line, it was just the starting gun for what God is doing. This one act of healing prepared the soil of the whole region. The miracle wasn’t the end. It was the means.
We need to ask ourselves something here: “What if the miracle in your life was never meant to stop with you?” What if the breakthrough, the healing, the story of how Jesus met you was all meant to ignite faith in someone else? God healed one man, but it led to the turning of many to the Lord. This is what it means to be prepared for the harvest. The Spirit of God prepared the people of God. He prepared Peter to be available. He prepared Aeneas to be healed, and now the region is being prepared for Gospel reception.
It reminds me of what Jesus said in John 4 to His disciples as they approached the Samaritan village: “Lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” -John 4:35 The miracle was simply the tool the Spirit used to turn attention toward the real message- Jesus. A healed body pointing to a resurrected Savior.
So here in Lydda and Sharon, we see a man restored and a region awakened which is proof that when the Spirit of God prepares the people of God, the mission of God moves forward with power. But if you thought healing was something, get ready, because just down the road in Joppa, the Spirit isn’t finished. What He restores in one town, He’s about to resurrect in another.
V36-43
In verse 36 we are introduced to Tabitha. And Luke the author of Acts says she is full of good works and acts of charity. Luke is a careful and intentional writer, especially when describing the character of believers. This is a deliberate duality two distinct but related qualities that reflect the internal maturity and external fruit of a Spirit-filled disciple.
Luke is showing us that the Spirit’s preparation for mission includes women, includes widows, includes ordinary saints who give their lives away in quiet faithfulness. She is the only disciple mentioned in the bible to be written in the Greek as a female disciple. Tabitha is a godly woman. Her life is full of holiness and mercy. And can I say this gently? The Spirit of God isn’t just preparing preachers for the mission, He’s preparing disciples like Tabitha. If God’s mission will reach everyone, including the widows, the poor, and the lost, He will often do it through disciples who already live for others.
So, after being introduced to this remarkable woman, full of good works and mercy, what happens? She became ill and died. Just like that. No dramatic build-up. No explanation. No “why.” Just the painful simplicity of a death we weren’t ready for. Sometimes the most Spirit-filled people leave us the soonest. That’s what makes this so hard. Tabitha wasn’t a cautionary tale or a prodigal returned. She was faithful. She was fruitful. She was loved. And yet, she died.
You see, in Jewish culture, washing a body after death was an act of love and dignity. They honored this woman. But then, they do something unusual. They place her in the upper room. Why? Because hope hasn’t completely died yet. It reminds me of Elijah with the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17, or Elisha with the Shunammite’s son in 2 Kings 4 both laid in upper rooms as God prepared a resurrection. Luke is quietly connecting us to a long tradition of divine reversals.
Now notice: they don’t ask Peter to preach a funeral. They don’t call for comfort. They’re calling for intervention. That takes faith. That takes urgency. Sometimes faith doesn’t mean knowing what God will do. It just means you believe He’s not done yet. This verse grips me. “All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.” Acts 9:39 Just broken-hearted women holding up the garments she made. Physical reminders of her faithfulness. they’re showing proof that she loved them.
This is a theology of legacy. The kingdom of God leaves thread marks visible, practical evidence that someone loved deeply and lived generously in the Spirit. This is how you know someone was prepared by the Spirit: when their absence is mourned because their presence was a blessing.
Let me ask you something, if your name were taken from the story today, what would people hold up as evidence that your life mattered? Would they hold up kindness? Sacrifice? Faithful presence? Would they say: “She was there when I needed her.” “He prayed with me through the night.” “She gave when no one else noticed.” “He always pointed me to Jesus.” Or would they say: “He was funny.” “She was successful.” “They had a nice house.” Because hear me, only one of those legacies builds the kingdom.
Tabitha’s hands stitched mercy into cloth. The challenge today is, what are your hands stitching into the fabric of the kingdom? What is being prepared in your life by the Spirit of God? The Spirit of God, who had been preparing the people for the mission, is about to show that He’s not finished with Tabitha’s story. Let’s keep reading because what happens next isn’t just about raising Tabitha from the dead. It’s about raising a whole town to new faith in the Lord, her greatest legacy is the harvest preparation.
V40-42
Peter walks into this room full of grief and memory, and what’s the first thing he does? He clears the room. There are moments when you need to remove the crowd so you can hear clearly from the Lord. And then look at Peter’s posture: He kneels. He prays. Before he turns to the body, he speaks to the Lord and listens.
This passage isn’t giving us a how-to guide for resurrection. This is not a formula to manipulate the miraculous. But if you look closely, I believe we’re being shown a healthy pattern for how to prepare ourselves for what God wants to do personally and missionally.
A Holy Pattern of Preparedness-
- We kneel – submit to the Spirit.
- We pray – align our hearts with God’s will.
- We speak – with kingdom authority.
- We reach out – offering tangible help in Jesus’ name.
- We invite others in – because what God does is for all to see.
- We present our lives as living testimonies – evidence of the power and presence of Jesus Christ.This is how the Spirit of God prepares the people of God for the mission of God.
If you remember the story of Jonah, this is where Jonah fled from sharing the gospel and where Peter is led to reap a gospel harvest, another divine reversal in scripture.
Conclusion
When I first started in ministry, I thought I had to learn a trade to be useful for God, so I learned to weld. And here’s what I discovered: welding itself doesn’t take long… It’s the prep work that takes everything. Cleaning the metal. Grinding the rust. Lining everything up. That’s what makes it hold. That’s what makes it last. It’s the same with the mission of God. The Spirit of God doesn’t just ignite revival, He prepares for it. He grinds away what’s been rusted. He aligns lives. He clears space. He gets people ready. We saw it with Saul: the Spirit prepared the messenger. Now in Peter’s story, we see the Spirit preparing the mission field. Aeneas is healed, yes, AND all Lydda and Sharon turn to the Lord. Tabitha is raised from the dead yes, AND all Joppa believes. God didn’t raise Tabitha just to keep making tunics. God raised her so that her life and legacy would become faith for others, and so that her city would turn to Jesus.
The question I want to leave with you is this: What is the Spirit preparing in you right now? Not just for you, but for the sake of others? You may feel like nothing’s happening. You may feel like it’s just grinding, cleaning, and prepping. But the Spirit prepares the people of God before the welding spark ever flies.
So kneel. Pray. Speak. Reach. Invite.
And present your life, alive in Christ, for the world to see. Because in the hands of Jesus, prepared by the Spirit, there is a great harvest to be had for the kingdom of God.
