Lechem Panim #162 "Saul Begins His Ministry” (Acts 9:23-31) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to the show today! As you know, we have been talking about the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9. Saul encounters Jesus; and that encounter forever changes the course of his life. And we see that right after he leaves the presence of Ananias, through whom God gave Saul the Holy Spirit. Saul goes out and (as anybody who truly encounters Jesus is always compelled to do) he immediately begins sharing the Good News of the Gospel. It says…

Acts 9:20-22 (NKJV)— 20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. 21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

The Jews— Now the phrase [The Jews does not mean all Jews, of course, since many Jews had believed in Jesus and Paul himself was a Jew. But from this point forward in the book of Acts, Luke often uses the phrase “the Jews” as a shorthand expression to refer to Jewish people who opposed the gospel (see esv footnote; see also 12:3; 13:45,50; 14:4; 17:5,13; 18:12; etc.). Often it is the leaders of communities who are involved in this rejection.] But after these unbelieving Jews are confounded by Saul’s witness and testimony, it says…

Acts 9:23a (NKJV)— 23 Now after many days were past,

Saul’s Arabian Ministry— And that period of many days was very likely a period of 3 years; a period Paul writes about in his epistle to the Galatians. And many believe this period of three years actually took place between verses 21 and 22. Saul, rather than immediately traveling to Jerusalem to be instructed by the apostles, instead went to minister in Nabatean Arabia, which was a wilderness desert that stretched east of Damascus all the way down to the Sinai peninsula. Now why God wanted him to go there, we don’t really know fully. But it seems that God wanted to get him to a quiet place where He could teach him His Word through the new lens of Christ Jesus; to instruct him and prepare him to be an effective apostle. And he did this to Saul directly, because Saul says very clearly of this experience in…

Galatians 1:16b-17 (NKJV)— …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.

A Time of Preparation— So the first part of Saul’s Christian education seems to have been given by God Himself. And this was because God knew that Saul was not yet ready for ministry. No, he had to re-process the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus. Until he did that, he was not ready for the full ministry that God had called him to. And you know, that is a lesson to us as well. While Saul did not wait to evangelize, there was a time of preparation that was necessary to his overall ministry. That is why if you want to go into full-time Christian ministry, you will most likely want to go to seminary. That’s not to say God can’t use a non-seminary grad. But you will never be able to give people what you don’t already know and what you haven’t already experienced. That is why it is so important for Church leaders to be educated. And I’m telling you, you don’t know what you don’t know. When I got to seminary, I was blown away with how little I actually knew and how much more there was for me to learn in order to be not just a Christian leader, but even just an informed Christian. I remember feeling (as I sat in those classes) “There is not a Christian alive who doesn’t need to hear what I am hearing right now.”

Church Education— And that is why it is so critical that the Church as a whole re-capture an emphasis on Christian education; even (and especially) inside the Church itself. Church is supposed to be more than just a place of worship; it is to be a place of teaching. You ought to come to Church and not only be fed, but taught how to be able to find nourishment and strength in God’s Word yourself. You ought to be taught how to do Bible Study; how to apply your Christian worldview to your understanding of the times and the culture; how to witness and contend for the faith. Church was (and is) just as much a place of the mind as it is the heart. In fact in Hebrew you cannot separate those two concepts. Heart and mind always go together. This is why Paul, in writing to the Philippian Church, writes in…

Philippians 1:8-9— 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

Love To Learn— You see, if you want to be an effective Christian, you need to cultivate a love for learning, which always always always accompanies a Christ-like faith. There is a transformation; a renewal of the mind that accompanies the renewal of the heart (which Romans 12:2 talks about). And that is something Saul definitely experienced in his own life; and in a special way during his wilderness experience.

In The Wilderness— Now it is possible that during this time Saul went to the area near Mount Sinai (Gal. 4:25), which was a journey that would have taken a considerable amount of courage and strength. It may have been during this time that he experienced the “perils of robbers” and “perils in the wilderness” that he writes about 2 Corinthians 11:26). We don’t know for sure. But it seems likely that he also did some evangelizing because when he returns to Damascus after that 3-year period in Nabatean Arabia (and wherever else he journeyed during that 3-year stint), we find that he is already a marked man. So once again I want to emphasize that while there is a time of preparation, we should never wait to share the Gospel. Saul was sharing the Gospel from the moment he first received Christ (Immediately); and he started doing so right where he was, first in Damascus and then in the wilderness. And that is what we are to do as well. Don’t wait to share the miracle of what Christ has done for you. Yes, God may call you somewhere else; He may call you into the ministry or as a missionary (both of which require a lot of prep); but we can also begin sharing Christ right away. In fact we have to. If we don’t, our faith will always wither. It is often when we are sharing Christ (participating with Him in His ministry) that we are most growing in our walk with Christ.

Now at this point Saul returns to minister in Damascus; and the narrative in Acts picks up here in verse 23. It says…

Acts 9:23-25 (NKJV)— 23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.

Basket— And this [“Basket” was a large woven hamper suitable for hay, straw, or bales of wool.] It’s an unusual but effective means for his escape. And after this we are not sure about the time gap. Some actually place Saul’s 3-year stint at this point (between verses 25 and 26) instead of earlier. But regardless, it is not until 3 years after his conversion that Saul finally makes it to Jerusalem. And it says…

Acts 9:26-30 (NKJV)— 26 And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. {And we know from Galatians 1:18-19 that he actually only met two of the apostles at this point; and these two apostles were Peter and James. And it says} And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. {And after hearing this, they receive Saul into their fellowship, which is made clear in verse 28, which says} 28 So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out. {And Galatians 1:18-19 also reveals that this was a period of only 15 days. But in that time, Saul is witnessing. It says in…} 29 And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. 30 When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus.

Caesarea— Now Caesarea was [An important port city on the Mediterranean located 30 mi. N of Joppa. As the capital of the Roman province of Judea and the home of the Roman procurator, it served as the headquarters of a large Roman garrison.] And so it was a safe place for Saul to withdraw to. And then from there it says the disciples sent him out to Tarsus. And it is at this point that [Paul disappeared from prominent ministry for several years, although he possibly founded some churches around Syria and Cilicia (15:23; Gal. 1:21).] And then it says in…

Acts 9:31a (NKJV)— 31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified.

A Time of Peace— And this was due in large part to Saul’s conversion (which in itself greatly reduced the persecution the Church had been facing); but also there were a number of key political changes that also contributed to this time of peace and rest. You had a stricter Roman governor and also Herod Agrippa’s authority also was extended; and both of these served to help restrict the persecution. And this just shows how God can use evil people to work out His plan in the world. But even if the political climate didn’t change, the early Christians would not have been phased a bit. For it says in…

Acts 9:31b (NKJV)— And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Our Shield— You see, it was the Spirit of God who was their comfort and strength; not what was going on in the world. And that is why they thrived even when times weren’t so good. And you know, the same ought to apply to us even today. As bad as this world seems to be getting, for we who fear the Lord, we don’t have to be worried. We don’t have to pull our hair in anxiety and fear. We know that God has not abandoned His Church and that He will preserve and keep us. And that goes for the Church as a whole, which we see here in the book of Acts, but it also goes for us as individuals, which we see also here in the book of Acts. You and I may have to crawl into a few baskets ourselves here and there. But God will be faithful to be a shield and fortress for us as we continue to do His work.

Meet With Jesus— And so what we need to learn from this is that if we choose to strive for anything, we must strive for the experience that Saul had in this chapter. We need to strive to meet Jesus in every possible way; to meet Him in song; to meet Him in prayer; to meet Him in Church; to meet Him in our Bible Study; in our devotions; to meet Him in ministry to those who need His touch. If we meet Jesus, our lives will forever be transformed; and the world just might be impacted and forever changed because of you. And so let us be intentional to, as often as we can, meet with Jesus. Let’s do so. Amen.