Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him…
…The Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 9, NIV)
Acts 9.1-31 is a pivotal chapter in the New Testament, showing the dramatic transformation of Saul from a persecutor of Christians to one of the most influential figures in Christianity. It also emphasises the power of God's grace and the role of believers in supporting and accepting one another.
Saul's Persecution of the Church (Verses 1-2): Saul, a devout Jew, is described as persecuting the followers of Jesus, arresting them and seeking to bring them back to Jerusalem for trial.
Saul's Encounter with Jesus (Verses 3-9): While on his way to Damascus to continue his persecution, Saul encounters a blinding light and hears the voice of Jesus asking him why he persecutes Him. Saul is struck blind and led into Damascus.
Saul had an experience with God – he had met God through that blinding light – and that light came into HIM, transforming HIM, and now God takes him and commands HIM to do the impossible! This experience Saul had with God was so powerful, he could not refuse to obey! If only our encounters with God were as powerful and life-changing as this!
Like Saul (Paul) I have met with God. I know God. I have seen the fire. More than that, the fire is in me, burning in my soul. There is a power that transforms me when I preach the Gospel so that I am not the ordinary David Hathaway. I have a power, yes a fire – from God. That is why, when I declare the Word of God, miracles happen. It’s not me, it's God. He wants you to know, to see the evidence of His fire and power!
‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do,’ (Verse 6): This has been the way the Lord has led me all my life: I have heard a voice behind me saying, this is the way walk in it. Walking step by step with the Lord, go this way, do that. From childhood, I wanted every day and every part of my life to be under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit, I wanted to work according to God’s Strategy. Now when I look back over more than 70 years of ministry, I know with absolute certainty that there has been both purpose and direction in my life. God has been in control of all my days and all my experiences. Everything that has happened in my life was foreknown in His plan. The Scripture says of Abraham, ‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going’ (Hebrews 11.8, NIV). Often God will not tell us the destination, rather He will lead us step by step, testing our obedience.
Ananias's Vision (Verses 10-16): In Damascus, a disciple named Ananias receives a vision from the Lord instructing him to go to Saul and restore his sight. Ananias expresses concern because of Saul's reputation, but the Lord reassures him.
'I will show him how much he must suffer for my name,' (Verse 16): We mustn't be afraid of suffering for in the moment of your greatest tragedy, in the moment of your greatest suffering, when you’re hurting more than you’ve ever hurt before, Jesus is there. He’s not forgotten you, He’s walking nearer to you. Jesus said, ‘I will be with you always.’ Every day, every hour, in the middle of every storm, in the middle of every sickness, even in a hospital bed, Jesus will always come. Whatever the crisis, there’s never a moment when He’s not there.
Suffering is identification; in taking up our cross, we identify with Jesus, and He identifies with us. Jesus said, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.'
Saul's Healing and Conversion (Verses 17-19): Ananias lays hands on Saul, who regains his sight and is filled with the Holy Spirit. He immediately begins preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, proclaiming Him as the Son of God.
Saul's Escape from Damascus (Verses 20-25): Saul's bold preaching leads to a plot against his life by the Jews in Damascus. However, his disciples help him escape by lowering him over the city wall in a basket during the night.
‘After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him,’ (Verse 22): Under communist persecution, the Christians in the former USSR became strong in their faith. A pastor from Georgia told my grandson, who was attending one of my evangelistic meetings in that nation, “We must never run from persecution, but from deception and lies that destroy our faith. The foundation of our faith is the Word of God. We regard men who went to prison, like our own Georgian pastors, like Pastor Georgi, and your grandfather David, as ‘heroes of faith’, an example of the faithful love of God from generation to generation.”
Let us rejoice in persecution, because in those nations where the Bible has been destroyed and Christians persecuted - more blood has been shed in Siberia than in any other part of the world, and the blood of the martyrs cries out to God - God will answer and a great Revival WILL come. I believe these persecuted lands WILL see the Glory of God. I know it so strongly. I seek God for the fulfilment of this vision. During the 1990s, a Russian pastor said to me, ‘Do you know why you are here? For many years Christians were sent to the labour camps in Siberia; they died for their faith. But they didn’t die angry or bitter at God, rather, they died praying that God would send someone to preach the Gospel in Siberia.’ I was there in answer to those prayers.
Saul's Reception by the Apostles (Verses 26-30): Saul travels to Jerusalem, but the disciples there are initially afraid of him because of his past persecution of the church. However, Barnabas vouches for him, and Saul begins preaching boldly in Jerusalem.
Saul's Departure to Tarsus (Verse 30): When a plot against Saul's life arises in Jerusalem, the believers send him to Tarsus for his safety.
The Growth of the Church (Verse 31): The chapter concludes by noting that the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experiences a time of peace and growth, being strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit.