Acts 9 describes how God converted a zealous persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ, Saul, into one of her greatest defenders, Paul. Before getting into this bit of church history and Paul’s ministry, let us first consider our ministry at Southside Church. Glorify, Grow, Go is a theme that our elders developed several years ago. We glorify God in our salvation. We grow together as we minister to one another; “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10) God continues to build His church as we go into the world with the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.  This year our focus is on Go.

Based on the traditional church calendar, we are in a time of the year known as ordinary times. Christmas, Easter and Pentecost are all behind us, and we are now in ordinary times. We often think of Saul’s conversion and ministry as extraordinary times, but God wants us to see that this is the way that He normally builds His church. He calls people to salvation, equips them for ministry, then sends them into the world. God chooses us personally to give the gift of salvation, the gift of adoption, the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, and a new identity in Christ, all to the glory of God, the Father. God gives us varied gifts that we are to use in building up the church. God doesn’t just save us; He gives us the grace gifts that we might pass them along to others.

In this sermon we will examine the lives of four men God used in building His church: I. The Zealous Teacher, II. The Devout Disciple, III. The Generous Encourager, and IV. The Faithful Companion. These men are Paul, Ananias, Barnabas, and Luke.

The first mention of Paul, previously known as Saul of Tarsus, is found in Acts 7:58 where it is stated that the men who stones Stephen to death “laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.” Acts 8:1-3 continues, “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.” Acts 9 begins with Saul “still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.” The oxygen that kept Saul motivated was a hatred for the followers of Christ, whom he considered to be blasphemers of Yahweh.

How did Saul develop such hatred for the followers of Christ? We know that God is sovereign, and  that He made Saul; He ordained all of Saul’s experiences and all of his emotions. God ordained all that Saul was when he was Saul, and He ordained all the Paul was when he became Paul. Saul was a prodigy; he was a leader. He was a Hellenistic Jew, a Roman citizen by birth, he received an excellent secular education at the university in Tarsus and was taught Jewish law by the highly respected rabbi, Gamaliel. Saul was well-versed in both secular and religious literature.

Saul was a staunch biblical conservative, deeply concerned with upholding God’s Law and with personal holiness. He thought he was loving God with all his heart and with all his soul and all his might, as commanded in Deuteronomy 6:5. Saul had great zeal for God. Saul knew and loved the Great Shemai, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) Saul knew that Jesus had claimed to be God, and to him this was a great heresy. Saul’s zeal, in an effort to stop the growth of the church, was motivated by his zeal for God. As Israel was subject to Roman oppression, Saul believed that this was God’s judgment on the nation because many Jews were believing on Jesus. Saul was convinced that this false religion had to be stamped out, then God would restore his nation.

From the example of Saul, we learn that we can have great zeal for God’s precepts; we can have a deep knowledge of God’s Word, we can be advanced in the service of God and miss Him entirely! A passage of Scripture that should frighten us is Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'  23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” This was Saul; he knew Scripture; he knew the law; he revered the law; he was zealous for God. Saul knew he was blameless under the law. We, too, can have all this and be lost. If we don’t have Jesus, we have nothing.

If we expect to go to heaven, God requires that we be found righteous. Our righteousness will never be good enough; we must have the righteousness that can only be found in Jesus Christ. We can know of God, we can know about God, we can attend a good church for many years where we hear God’s Word preached, where we fellowship together and sing songs together, where we give our tithe, where we are a leader in the church and, still, not know Jesus. This is reality. We need to ask ourselves: Do I know Jesus? Does He dwell with me? Is He my oxygen? Am I consumed by my need for Him? Does my heart demand that I worship Him? Do I come to church to worship Him? Do I want to be conformed into the image of Jesus? Do I want my mind to think like Jesus? Do I want my heart to beat in rhythm with His?

We praise God that Saul, the violent oppressor of the church was reborn Paul, the zealous teacher of the church. After his conversion, in defending salvation by grace, not law, Paul said in Philippians 3:4-6 “If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5  circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6  as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, under the law blameless.” Based on the law, Paul was nearly perfect, but he continued in verses 7-12, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10  that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Transitioning from a man who wanted to kill everyone associated with Jesus to a man for whom Jesus was the only thing that mattered is a dramatic conversion!

A dramatic conversion occurs whenever anyone has a personal confrontation with the risen Lord Jesus. Salvation is the first gift that God gives His children, and this is a personal confrontation. In verse four of our text today, Jesus said to Saul: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” A relationship with Jesus is personal. We might recognize that sin abounds, and that Jesus died to save sinners, but you must believe that your sin abounds, and that Jesus died to save you – personally. Saul was terrible wrong in his understanding of God’s standards. Maybe you think you know it, maybe you think you have it because you understand it, but you may be terribly wrong. You may profess Christ, you may be able to explain to someone who He is, but, unless you possess Him, you are in grave danger. 

Every sin is against the Creator of the universe. Saul was persecuting the church, but Jesus took it personally; He asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting me?” Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Everything in the universe is dependent on Jesus holding all things together by His Word. When Paul wrote to the Ephesian church regarding marriage, he said that the bride and bridegroom become one flesh. In Ephesians 5:32 he said, “This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” The church is the bride of Christ, so when Saul was persecuting the church, he was really persecuting the Bridegroom, Jesus; believers and Jesus are one. If we are one with Jesus, we must also be one with fellow believers.

Things done to and for the church are things done to and for Jesus. If we are cruel, dismissive, uncaring, gossiping, slandering, or impatient with another believer, we are all these things to Jesus personally. In describing the final judgment, Jesus said, “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'  40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'” (Matthew 25:37-40) Jesus words recorded in Matthew 10:42 are, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." And in Matthew 18:5, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” We must treat fellow believers well because things done to and for the church are things done to and for Jesus. As we serve each other, we serve Christ.

The King requires that we submit to His authority, but this is not what the natural man desires. We are willing to submit to a savior as long as his requirements don’t conflict with our ideas, plans or comfort. We just want a little bit of Jesus; we are easily satisfied with an unholy contentment. It is anti-kingdom if we are satisfied with our spiritual growth, or lack thereof. We need to understand that Jesus is Lord. Paul recognized that the Person speaking to him on the road to Damascus was Lord, even before he knew he was being spoken to by Jesus. When confronted by God, you will either surrender to Him like Paul or, like the rich young ruler in Luke 18 who would not surrender his wealth and went away to destruction. There is no third option; there is either total surrender or ultimate destruction. Jesus holds three offices: Prophet, Priest, and King. We are very happy that He is Priest, for He offered the perfect sacrifice for us. We can tolerate Him as Prophet as long as He says good things to say about the future; however, we balk at having Him as King. These offices cannot be split. For you He is either all or none. 

God had an assignment for Saul, but He had to first make him weak. Saul had been very self-sufficient but now, being struck blind, He had to be led by hand to Damascus. Saul had to learn helplessness and dependency because self-sufficiency and independence are dangerous traps. We want to be our own king and not rely on anyone for anything, but we must rely on Jesus; we must abide in Him. Only broken, empty vessels are useful to the King. Only empty vessels can be filled with God’s good treasure. God restored Paul’s sight but left him with an affliction in order to keep him humble. Three times Paul pleaded with God to remove the affliction, but God said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) Later Paul could say, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Paul’s first assignment was to go to Damascus and wait. Waiting is hard. We have to wait for the salvation of our children, we have to wait for deliverance from oppression, we have to wait for healing, and sometimes we have to wait for the next world. When Saul reached Damascus, God sent Ananias to restore Saul’s sight. Ananias was fearful of doing so because he was aware of Saul’s reputation and his mission. “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.’" (Acts 9:15) This is God’s pattern: He called Saul to salvation, equipped him for a particular task, then sent him out. But first, he had to be ministered to by Ananias.

Ananias was a disciple of Jesus – and this is all we know about him, other than the fact that he was a mature, devote disciple, who was sensitive to God’s leading, and obedient in the face of danger. There are two other men named Ananias in the Bible, but one was the High Priest who presided over the trial of Jesus and the other was killed by God when he lied to the Holy Spirit. Paul needed a man who was a devote disciple of Jesus, sensitive to God’s leading and obedient in the face of danger – and only Ananias would do. God wanted someone who was completely anonymous to minister to Paul. If we think Ananias was obscure, what about Judas? All we know about him is that Saul’s companions had taken him to the house of a man named Judas who live in a house on a street named Straight.

Some people have means and can provide a house; they can shelter the gospel and provide for the needy. So, if you have a house, you should give that house generously for the work of the ministry. God uses obscure people like us in the building of His kingdom. We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10) Ananias was a man with real feelings and fears. When God gave him an assignment to restore Saul’s sight, Ananias experienced great anxiety, for he was aware of how Saul was ravaging the church. When we have anxieties, we are to cast them on Jesus, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) Paul was a chosen instrument, Ananias was a chosen instrument, you are a chosen instrument: Go! When Ananias entered the house, he said “Brother, Saul”. Can you imagine how much faith it took for Ananias to address as brother the man who had been the most notorious enemy of the church? Prior to Pentecost, this is faith that even the apostles lacked. When Ananias laid his hands on Saul, he became filled with the Holy Spirit, he regained his sight, then he arose and was baptized.

Paul was a chosen instrument, Judas was a chosen instrument, Ananias was a chosen instrument, and you are a chosen instrument. Barnabas was also a chosen instrument. Paul remained in Damascus where he preached Jesus in the synagogue and was strengthened.  However, after many days the Jews sought to kill him, but Paul escaped from Damascus and fled to Jerusalem. But, when he tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem, they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. “But Barnabas brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” (Acts 9:27) We don’t know Barnabas’ testimony, but we see his service to the King; it was generous and kind and truly encouraging. 

We are first introduced to Barnabas in Acts 4:36-37 “Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.” The fledgling church was struggling; believers were being ostracized and persecuted by the Jews; many lost their source of income; people were starving to death. Barnabas’ generosity in the face of persecution was a real encouragement to the believers. However, when he brought Paul to the apostles, they thought it was a trick. Barnabas was bold enough to hear Paul’s testimony, and he believed that Paul was the real deal. A man who would love Jesus enough to love Paul, a man who would risk his reputation for another, a man who would consider God’s kingdom more important than his own personal ambition or reputation, that man is an encourager.

In Acts 11 we read that because of persecution of believing Jews in Jerusalem, the gospel had spread to Antioch, but only to Jews. Some men from Cyprus brought the gospel to gentiles in Antioch. The church in Jerusalem learned of this and they sent Barnabas, a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith to check it out. Barnabas was encouraged by the work he witnessed, so he returned to Jerusalem in order to bring Paul to Antioch to teach the gentile believers. Acts 12, 13 and 15 describe how the ever-encouraging Barnabas never gave up on John Mark, even though he had failed and written-off by Paul. We see how Barnabas’ belief in John Mark paid off, for later Paul would ask that John Mark be sent to him because he was useful to his ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). Remember that the church wouldn’t accept Paul without a chosen instrument preparing the way, and Barnabas was that man. Barnabas was a true encourager.

The last man to consider is Luke, the physician. Luke’s name is not found in this Scripture, but he was a faithful companion; he was with Paul when he sailed to Rome near the end of his life. At the time when he wrote 2 Timothy, Paul said that only Luke was with him (2 Timothy 4:11). Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. He was a diligent and careful researcher of facts; he recognized what was important, what was needed by the church then, and what is needed by the church today. He began his gospel this way: “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2  just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1-4) Luke was driven by the desire that we would have a permanent record of his investigation. 

Luke began the Book of Acts as follows: “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” (Acts 1:1-2) Not only was Luke documenting what the apostles did, but he became a part of the narrative in approximately Chapter 11, where the pronoun becomes we rather than they. He was a faithful companion to Paul, a chosen instrument prepared to record the facts for us. Luke remained with Paul to the end.

Paul was a chosen instrument, and behind Paul was the church, and behind the church is Jesus. Without an Ananias, a Barnabas, and a Luke, there would be no Paul. Other than the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus did more to advance the gospel than any other event. The church is built on two pillars: the teaching of Jesus and the exposition by Paul. No Paul – no apostle to the gentiles – no you. Paul was arguably the greatest evangelist ever, he planted many churches, and he spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. Paul’s teaching is half of the New Testament.

Where would we be today if Saul had been left blind, ostracized, and unknown in Damascus? Think about the wonderful Scriptures we would be missing! However, to think there would be someone else to takes Paul’s place is a subtle attack on God’s sovereignty. God is sovereign and we don’t live in a world where God reacts to circumstances. Jesus is King; He created all that exists, and He rules over all that exists. Each of the men we have considered was a chosen instrument of God and obedient to the King. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11-16, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,  12  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

God made you at this time, with your unique background and gifts – for His glory. Use your gifts to love Jesus as only you can. Use your gifts to love your family as only you can. Use your gifts to love those you interact with as only you can. Use your gifts to love this congregation as only you can. If you need help with this, Southside has a minister, Matt Guthrie, who is dedicated to helping you use your gifts. He will shepherd you. 

Selah:

1. What are you unwilling to surrender to Jesus?

2. How are you using your possessions to serve Jesus?

3. How do you gain courage to take on tasks of which you are fearful?

4. How are you encouraging others? Your family? Your fellow members at Southside?

5. How confident are you in the veracity of Scripture recorded by Luke and the other authors of the Bible?