The Power of the Gospel (Acts 9:1-18)

Bible Passage: Acts 9:1-18

In this passage we see one of the biggest turning points in the history of the church. Saul, who had been an increasingly prominent persecutor of the church was apprehended by Jesus. We see his repentance, conversion and commissioning to ministry. As well as showing the power of the gospel at work, this story show the way God works through his obedient people.

Persecution of the Church: One of the big themes in the early chapters of Acts is the persecution that the early believers faced. They were opposed by powerful leaders in Jerusalem, had been forced to flee and scatter, and had even seen Stephen martyred for his witness to Jesus. Saul was one of the ringleaders of the persecution. He was present when Stephen was killed and by the time this chapter starts he is on his way to Damascus to look for believers to oppose there. At different moments in history and different parts of the world, opposition to Christianity takes different forms, but we should not expect that following Jesus will always be an easy ride.

A Trophy of God’s Grace: Though Saul was on his way to persecute Christians, he was stopped when Jesus appeared to him and confronted him on the road. The purpose of this confrontation was not to bring judgement to Saul, but to see him changed. Jesus is out to save even those who have set themselves as his enemies, and there is nobody who is so far away that the love and power of Jesus cannot reach them. This applies both to those in the room who might think that they are too ‘bad’ for Jesus, or those around us who we might be tempted to write off.

God Working Through Ordinary People: An instrumental figure in Saul’s narrative is Ananias. He was an ordinary believer who had not been mentioned in the story up to this point, and God asked him to go to a man who was known as a persecutor of the church. This was a big ask for Ananias and took a lot of bravery to obey. God worked through what he did and set in place a chain reaction of events that led to the gospel spreading through the Mediterranean and much of the New Testament being written. As we obey what God is calling us to do each day, it can lead to results beyond what we might ever imagine.

Potential Applications:

• This is a great opportunity to share the unconditional love of Jesus for those far off and offer the opportunity to respond in repentance and faith.
• In the passage we see God working though a follower of Jesus who is obedient to his promptings and active in evangelism. You could challenge people to ask who God is telling them to share the gospel with and to be ready to respond to the opportunities before them.