Acts 9

December 9 - From Persecutor to Proclaimer

Read: Acts 9:20-25

And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:20 ESV)

The story of Saul of Tarsus is incredible. He first came onto the scene of scripture as a persecutor of Christ's first generation of followers. But after a roadside experience with the resurrected Jesus—Saul was irrevocably ruined as a Pharisee.

No longer could he stomach the jealous hatred that drove his order to dog the early church. He began immediately to demonstrate a powerful understanding for the scriptures from the Prophets and other Old Testament writings. He used his established position as a Pharisee to leverage opportunity to speak in the local synagogues, where he declared Jesus to be the Son of God.

Saul the persecutor became Paul the Apostle. His conversion is even cited as one of the largely held evidences supporting the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus. He would go on to write the majority of the New Testament, and his disciple Luke would write most of the rest. Not everyone makes the impact in life that he made, but when Jesus saves us we do change.

December 8 - Saul & Jesus

Read: Acts 9:1-19

And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4 ESV)

Saul was on his way to arrest Christians in Damascus. He was hoping to stop the followers of Jesus from spreading their message beyond Jerusalem. But everything changed for him when Jesus intervened.

A blinding light stopped him in tracks. And Jesus Christ spoke to the young Pharisee, charging him with carrying on the very same message he had set out to destroy. Saul was blinded by the light, but carried out the instructions of The Lord and was healed.

Saul's conversion story is incredible. He had an amazing encounter with Jesus—someone whom Saul believed to be dead. But the risen Christ appeared to Saul on the road. And though his journey took him to the same destination his course was forever changed the day that Saul encountered the powerful truth of Jesus.