Acts Episode 19: Saul’s Changed Life and Peter’s Powerful Ministry

Wes

Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study Podcast. This podcast is just one of the many resources available to you for free from Two Journeys Ministry. If you’re interested in learning more, just head over to twojourneys.org. Now, on to today’s episode.

This is Episode 19 in our Acts Bible Study Podcast. This episode is entitled Saul’s Changed Life and Peter’s Powerful Ministry, where we’ll discuss Acts 9:19-43. I’m Wes Treadway and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis.

Andy, what are we going to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?

Andy

Well, first of all, we’re going to see lived out the statement Paul himself would later write in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creation. The old is gone; behold everything is new.” So, he’s going to start acting entirely differently. He’s going to be boldly, courageously preaching the gospel of Christ. He’s going to be persecuted. He’s going to be determined to continue. He’s going to be eventually welcomed into the church in Jerusalem though with some hesitation on their part. We’re going to see just the way he’s going to grow more and more as a Christian and more and more powerful in the Spirit.

How there was no time to waste, that God got him going immediately preaching. It was his preaching and his ministry that proved to everyone that the conversion was genuine, and then made him the number one human being on the hit list for Satan. I really believe Satan, all the demons, and then their henchmen, Annas, Caiaphas, any of the others, their number one priority was shutting him down. So, we’re going to see his changed life.

Meanwhile, we’re going to go back to Peter. There’s a bit of a transition here. This chapter and Acts 10, 11, will focus on Peter, and 12 as well. Then he will drop off, and then we’re going to focus on basically Paul, the rest of the book. This begins the last Peter stretch. We’re going to see some of the effects of Peter’s ministry as well. So, these two great apostles, Paul and Peter, we’re going to see them at work in this chapter.

Wes

Let me go ahead and read Acts 9. I’ll pick up in the middle of verse 19-43.

For some days, he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? Has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and 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. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. He spoke and disputed against the Hellenists, but they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which translated means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those, days she became ill and died. And when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” So, Peter rose and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then, calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.

Andy, what’s the connection between this section and the Lord’s statement about Saul’s life in verse 6 or in verse 16?

Andy

So, he’s got work for Saul to do. It’s right away. That work is going to involve a significant amount of danger for him and persecution. So, we see pretty much right away the forces that are hostile to the gospel turn on him and want to crush him. This is just interesting. It just shows fundamentally what some have called institutional sin. Sin that’s woven through social structures that if one individual gets converted, it’s still there. They’ll turn on that guy and crush him.

So, you can imagine some CEO of a company that’s been doing unethical, immoral sweatshop type thing. Individual gets converted, all that stuff’s going to still go on. They’ll just turn and destroy him. So, we see that Paul is going to start preaching boldly. His former allies, and cohorts, and friends I guess, are going to turn on him and want to kill him. His life is going to get hard immediately.

Wes

What does verse 20 teach us about Saul’s life immediately after conversion?

Andy

He began preaching. He started preaching right away. So, here’s a man that has a wealth of biblical knowledge. We’re going to see in his writings just the incredible depth of understanding that he had of the word of God, but he needed the light of Christ to make it all make sense because the Spirit of Christ is the testimony of prophecy.

So, for him to be able to see finally in the words of Isaiah, or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel or any of these, or the Law of Moses, to see Christ in all of that, now it all made sense. So, remember, he’s fasting for three days. God is speaking to him. The Holy Spirit is poured out on him, and he starts making sense. He starts preaching it in the synagogue in Damascus. This is the beginning of his to the Jew first ministry, to go reason with them.

He also had a great mentor, though he didn’t think of him at the time in Stephen. He’s heard Stephen reasoning powerfully from the scripture, and no one was able to stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. So, he’s basically carrying on Stephen’s ministry.

Wes

Now you mentioned this ministry pattern, the Jew first and then to the Greek. How did Saul’s ministry in the synagogues set a pattern for his future ministry, and what was the initial reaction to Saul’s preaching in the synagogue?

Andy

Okay. So, synagogues were gathering places for Jews. Obviously, they had that one place of worship called the temple, but most of the people throughout their lives who were going to be in their own communities, and they needed a place to gather, and read the Scripture, and pray together, and worship together. That’s what the synagogues were.

They were really just congregationally led. So, individuals would come. Any Jewish man there could get up and make a statement, or encourage the brothers, or say something. He had that freedom as a Jew, and he gets up and starts talking about Jesus. He’s proving that Jesus is the Son of God, and they’re like, “We didn’t see this coming.” They had heard about Saul too. They fully expected a zealous Pharisee and just in the pattern of legalistic Judaism that they knew. They expected that. Instead, they’re hearing things they never thought were coming.

So, he begins testifying and proving from scripture that Jesus is the Son of God. Again, it must have blown their minds up. Yet I believe in every place, there’s always some that listen and some that are converted. So, he probably had some conversions right away.

Wes

What does it mean that Saul increased in strength? How might his ministry in verse 22 also remind us of Stephen like you mentioned a few moments ago?

Andy

Okay. So, he grew in strength. He grew in power. I would say there’s a certain confidence that’s in him. He already feels the surging power of the Holy Spirit within him. Things are getting clearer and clearer from Scripture. His arguments are getting more forceful. His confidence is going up. His fearlessness is going up. So, he’s becoming more and more powerful in the Lord and in this ministry God has given him to do.

Again, just because I’m memorizing Ezekiel right now and going through it, but God tells Ezekiel, “I’m going to make you as hardened and obstinate as they are. I’m going to make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint, and you’re not going to yield. So do not be afraid of them, though you’re surrounded by briars, and thorns, and live among scorpions” (Ezekiel 3:9). So, that’s hostile Jews who do not want to listen to Ezekiel.

I think the same thing is going to happen to Paul. So, he begins his ministry there in the synagogue, and they’re amazed. They’re stunned, but that’s not going to last long. The same thing with Peter and John. The first time they hear them speaking, they’re like, “Wow, they were astonished and took note that these men have been with Jesus.” That’s the initial response. By the next chapter, they’re overtly persecuting. So, at this point, they’re marveling. They’re amazed. They don’t know what to make of it, and Saul’s just more and more confident and powerful in his knowledge of the Lord and of the Scripture.

Wes

Like you mentioned, it doesn’t take long for an extreme reaction to Saul. We see that in the reaction he experiences in Damascus. Why does Luke include Saul’s escape from Damascus, and what image does it give of Saul and the outcome of his ministry there?

Andy

Well, again and again we see this. Jesus says very plainly to his enemies in John 8:44, “You’re of your father, the devil.” That’s an incredible thing for him to say, but he said, “You’re of your father, the devil. The reason I know this is you want to kill me. The devil was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. He’s a liar and the father of lies.”

So, the combination of doctrinal lies and murder is going to haunt Paul the rest of his life. They’re immediately going to want to kill him. This urgency to kill him, we’re going to see as a major theme in the rest of the Book of Acts. The various attempts made on his life, the assassins, the ones that are going to fast until they can finally kill him. You get this sense of almost a demonic panic to shut this guy up like, “Do you not understand?” You could see the demons saying within themselves in their demon meetings, “What kind of damage this guy is going to do to our dark kingdom?” He did incredible damage to their dark kingdom, but they couldn’t stop him.

So fundamentally here, they’re conspiring to kill him, and he has to escape. He learned of their plan and we’re going to see that also when he’s arrested after Acts 22. I guess a nephew finds out about the plan to assassinate. So, there’s always just enough information to keep this man alive. So, he learns of their plan. It says day and night, they kept close watch in the city gates in order to kill him. So, he didn’t know what to do, and he’s got to get out of the city. So, how he’s going to get out? So, he ends up getting lowered down in a basket by night.

So, I picture this. I picture a basket. I picture ropes tied to the basket. I picture these guys lowering him down at night. It’s very undignified. It’s not a glamorous, spectacular exit. It’s not like some cool mission impossible thing or where he’s entering with a parachute or something and landing right on the X or something like that and then gets out. It’s not cool, actually. It’s very humiliating.

Paul is going to be physically humiliated. Physically humiliated again and again, but that humiliation is going to be the basis of his powerful ministry.

This is the whole thing. Paul is going to be physically humiliated. Physically humiliated again and again, but that humiliation is going to be the basis of his powerful ministry.

Wes

So, he goes from there, it says in verse 26, to Jerusalem and attempts to join the disciples. What role does Barnabas play in Saul’s life at this early stage? What does this teach us about gifts and different roles in the Body of Christ?

Andy

Sure. So, he comes to Jerusalem and he’s trying to join them. He’s like, “Hey, I want to be part.” It’s like, “No, no, no.” Well, I mean because again, the last we saw him in Jerusalem, he’s destroying the church. He’s the very same one. So also, I would imagine there was a certain amount of secrecy to where and when they met in order that they not get arrested. So, I would imagine it’s pretty hard to believe, but Barnabas is the one who puts an arm around Paul and says what happened in Damascus, and how he boldly preached, and how he faced persecution. No, he’s the real deal.

So, remember, Barnabas, isn’t even his name. Joseph was his name, but it’s his nickname and that’s what he was known as, Son of Encouragement. He’s an encouraging person. He’s like a glue person that holds everything together and just sweetens things. So, without Barnabas, Saul isn’t joining the church at Jerusalem. He’s not fellowshipping with them there. It also created a tremendous bond of affection and friendship between Paul and Barnabas that we’ll see in the first missionary journey in Acts 13 and on into 14.

So, he told everyone what had happened, Saul’s conversion story and how the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So, they opened their hearts to him, and they believed Barnabas.

Wes

Now, we almost have this out of the frying pan into the fire situation here because he goes from the Jews plotting to kill him in Damascus to hear the Hellenists seeking to kill him. So, we see that in verses 28-30, this next trial in Saul’s life and how the Lord delivers him. Why do you think people are constantly trying to kill Saul?

Andy

I just go back to that statement I just made in John 8. I think it’s Satan. Satan is on this. He’s a murderer, anyway. The image I’ve used before from my growing up years. I don’t know, I haven’t noticed this in recent years. Maybe they still do it, where post offices will put the pictures, the mugshots of the top 10 most wanted. So, these are people on the lam from the FBI or something like that. I’ve always pictured in the demonic post office all 10 pictures would’ve been Paul. He’s priority number 1 through 10. The number one thing we need to do on earth right now is to kill this man. We’ve got to shut him down. That’s how they are.

Also, it just shows the evil of Satan’s lying kingdom. Here is Jesus showing great power and raising Lazarus from the dead. So, they plot to kill Lazarus. They’re just murderers. Instead, they should be repenting and listening and learning and being transformed, but they want to kill. So, that’s fundamentally the nature of Satan. I think Satan’s behind that murder.

Also, they have it in their hearts as well. They have a debate with the Grecian Jews, my guess is the same group of people that Stephen had debated with. Only then, Saul was part of the group. Now he is debating against them, and they want to kill him.

Wes

So again, this becomes known to those around Saul, and they send him off to Tarsus. What effect did Saul’s removal to Tarsus have on the church of Judea, and what descriptors does Luke give of the church’s life at this point?

Andy

Right. I think an important verse we need to understand, I think is in Matthew 10:23, where Jesus sends out his disciples two by two. He says, “When you’re persecuted in one place, flee to the next.” It’s true that you should rejoice and be glad when you’re being persecuted. You don’t have to stand there and take a beating. So, the idea is wherever and whenever you can not get beaten or killed, do it, try to stay alive.

So, we’ll see this later also in the Book of Acts, where in Jerusalem, the Roman seizes Paul from the rabid fanatical crowd and stretches him out to beat him. Paul’s not like, “Oh good, another chance to store up treasure in heaven.” No, no, no. He’s like, “Wait, wait, wait. Is it lawful for you to be beating a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried yet?” That stopped it right there.

So, the point is, wherever you can avoid getting crushed, and beaten, and arrested, do so. So, the brothers shipped Paul out and send him off to Tarsus. Later we’re going to see Barnabas in chapter 12 going to get Saul, so that he can help teach in Antioch. In the meantime, the church has a break. It’s like I almost read verse 31 like a sigh of relief.

Paul’s a massive catalyst. Everywhere he goes, things really get juiced up. Conversions are happening, persecutions happening, revivals happening, just teachings happening. Then, he leaves. It’s like, “Huh.” It’s a great, great time when he’s there, but the persecution was ramping up.

So, the church had a time of peace, but then it says so very sweetly it was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and it grew in numbers living in the fear of the Lord. What a great statement of how the church was healthy and growing.

Wes

Now verse 32 is where we see this significant shift of focus back to Peter. Like you mentioned, that’s really through chapter 12. Anymore that needs to be said about why Luke arranges his work this way going from Peter to Paul, back to Peter, and then focusing on Paul to the end?

Andy

Right. Well, one of the movements that’s happening in the Book of Acts that we’ll see. It’s not the central theme but it is I think an important theme, is the movement of the body of Christ, of genuine believers in Jesus from Jew only, to Jew plus gentile, to predominantly gentile. That’s the movement we’re going to see in the Book of Acts.

So, we already see this here. Peter is the apostle to the circumcision. He’s the apostle to the Jews. Paul, now converted here in this chapter, will be the apostle to the gentiles. So, the preaching is still focused on Jewish work only. The expansion is going to happen in chapter 10 with Peter the apostle to the Jews. He’s the one that’s going to go lead Cornelius, the Roman centurion and his family to Christ. Then, it’s all like he’s going to hand the baton off of the gentile work over to Paul.

So, we’re going to go meanwhile back at Peter, and we’re going to follow Peter for a while. It’s the way the Holy Spirit led Luke to write the Book of Acts.

Wes

All right, so picking up in verse 32 then. What does this account teach us about Peter’s lifestyle and ministry in those days? What’s the significance of the fact that the believers here were called saints?

Andy

So, we don’t have a lot of information about Peter’s life. Paul, when he talks about his rights as an apostle says, “Don’t we have the right to take along with us a believing wife, as does Cephas or Peter?” (1 Corinthians 9:5). So, she’s not mentioned, but it could be that Peter whose home base was Caesarea had left fishing now, physical fishing, and was now just doing ministry, traveling about from place to place, preaching, teaching, and in this case doing miracles. Again, we don’t have any mention of his wife, but he’s moving around from place to place. So, in this case, he’s in place called Lydda. Then, he’ll be in Joppa and just different places. So, he’s just going around ministering.

It says that he’s going to visit the saints. Now the saints are just those that are set apart unto God to be holy. Specifically, the word saint means holy one, set apart for holiness. So, he’s visiting the believers there. So, some of the work is evangelistic, but some of the work is going to be discipleship and pastor-teacher type work. So, we see that even at that early stage.

the word saint means holy one, set apart for holiness.

Wes

How does Luke describe Aeneas’s plight and the method by which Peter heals him? What’s the significance of Peter’s statement, “Jesus Christ heals you?”

Andy

So, Aeneas is paralyzed. He’s a paralytic. He’s been bedridden for eight years. Peter says to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat,” and Aeneas gets up. So, just giving full glory and credit to Jesus. So, the same thing that he did earlier when asked in Acts 4 about the healing of the lame beggar in the temple gate called Beautiful in Acts 3.

So, he says,

If you’re asking us how this miracle was done, then know this, you and all the people of Israel. It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, by whom God raised from the dead that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:10-12).

So, he wants to get the name out there.

“So, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. I don’t just want you Aeneas to be physically healed. I want you to be spiritually healed. I want you to rise up physically, but I also want you to rise up spiritually and walk in your new faith in Jesus Christ.” Well, I think that’s why he says, “Jesus Christ heals you.”

Wes

Now, we’ve talked before about the ultimate purpose of signs and wonders, miracles, healings in the Book of Acts. What is the outcome of this healing in verse 35 remind us about the purpose of healings in this book?

Andy

Well, again and again in the Book of Acts, we’re going to see healings open the door for preaching and for conversion. So, it displays the authority of the preacher, in this case Peter. Even more importantly, the authority of Jesus Christ, the one who did the healing, and of the message of the gospel, which is the only power of God for the salvation of those who believe. This is it.

So, the miracle gathers a crowd, displays power, authenticates the messenger, and even more importantly authenticates the message and its Lord, Jesus. So, that’s what the miracle achieves.

Wes

Now verse 36 to the end of the chapter, we turn from this interaction with Aeneas to Peter and Tabitha or Dorcas. What does Luke tell us about Tabitha or Dorcas and her ministry?

Andy

So, the name means gazelle, my footnote tells me. I wouldn’t know that any other way. I think Tabitha sounds prettier than Dorcas, just my thought. At any rate, what we learn about this lady is that she’s one of those women, one of those people in a church that’s an unsung hero. The kind of person that everyone loves, but she’s not an upfront person. She’s not a leader of the women’s ministry there or any of that kind of thing.

So, she’s not like Priscilla, Aquila’s wife, who is just very knowledgeable in the Scripture. Now she’s the kind that does hidden good works, working with her hands, making clothes, making garments for people. Just the kind of person that when she’s taken, everyone deeply misses her. So, she got sick and died. Her body, it says was taken upstairs and prepared for burial. She’s being prepared, but then they also go get Peter.

They’re like, “I wonder if the same apostle who could do these miracles, maybe there’s a possibility that he might be able to raise her from the dead?”

Wes

It’s interesting. That brings a question to mind. What is the fact that the disciples in Joppa sent for Peter, rather than raise her from the dead themselves, show about the limitations of miracles in the apostolic era?

Andy

Right. I just don’t think that there was anywhere near the number of miracles that there was in Jesus’ day. I think Jesus is just unique in terms of the quantity definitely and the quality of the miracles, but quantity especially. It was just a river, just thousands of people healed. The workload was amazing because he tended to do them one at a time. That was Jesus. I think with the apostles, it’s more occasional. I would call it occasional. The Spirit would be there. The time was right. The circumstances were right, and a miracle would happen.

Remember, death is the final enemy. So, there’s going to be sickness, and injury, and death right on through. It just wasn’t even Jesus’ purpose to banish sickness, and death, and injuries forever. That will come at the end of the world at the resurrection. So, also it seems that signs and wonders marked them as apostles. You can’t mark someone with something that everyone’s doing. If you get a population of 50,000 people and all of them have red hair. It’s like, “Well, go see the guy with red hair.” It’s like there’s no marking.

Wes

Which one, how do I know?

Andy

Which one? They’re all like that. If you have a very unique individual, they’re marked out. So, I would say that this points to the general exclusivity of miracles to apostles. Exclusive maybe too strong because we already know that Philip did miracles and he was not an apostle. So, it does happen from time to time, but normally it’s apostles and even then not that common.

Wes

What does verse 39 demonstrate about the effect of Dorcas’s ministry on the people? How might this highlight the significance of all Christians and their ministries, male and female, young and old?

Andy

So, people are called to do different things. So, Peter’s called to get up in front of thousands of people and preach the gospel. Dorcas is quietly behind the scenes, making garments for poor people, and loving them, and caring for them, just working with her hands and doing things. So, the widows in particular. You think about the way that healthy churches minister one to the other. Widows gather together. Here’s this woman who was constantly working hard for them and making things for people. So, they were weeping, and they missed her. They didn’t want her to be gone. So, they’re sad, and they’re showing Peter evidence of her good work. She’s well-remembered.

Wes

What actual procedure does Peter follow in praying for Dorcas, and how would you characterize Peter’s behavior in dealing with the believers in Joppa and with Dorcas?

Andy

Right. So first he sends them all out of the room, and this is similar to Jesus. Actually, in that case, he did take Peter, James, and John with him when he raised that little girl. He said, “Talitha koum,” but her parents, but everybody else is sent out. So, going out. So, this is a private, quiet moment. This whole thing reminds me also of both Elijah and Elisha who raised the dead. So, there’s that sense. There’s a very strong feeling of Elijah and Elisha here for me. So, he gets down on his knees and he prays. It’s just very, very dignified and quiet.

The getting on the knees is something that’s mentioned. Also, Paul in Ephesians 3:14 says, “For this reason, I kneel before the Father.” So, the kneeling and praying is important. Also, Daniel in Daniel 6. Three times a day, he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God just as he had done before. So, at any rate, he prays. Then, he just simply turns toward this dead woman and talks to her.

So, in the midst of that prayer time, God told him what to do. He followed it, and then the power of the Lord was there to raise her from the dead. He said to her, “Tabitha, get up.” It was just that simple, and she opened her eyes and got up.

Wes

Once again in the final two verses, Luke shows the outcome of this healing. How’s it similar to the other accounts of healings we’ve already seen, and what final thoughts do you have for us on this passage we’ve looked at?

Andy

Well, the miracle is spread around. Everybody hears about it. Same thing in verse 35 with Aeneas’s miracle. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord. So again here, this became known all over Joppa. Again, many people believed in the Lord. So, Peter’s there to continue, and he stayed for some time in the home of a tanner named Simon. That’s going to be the basis of the ministry we’ll see in the next chapter.

So, what do we learn from it? We just see the power of God in the miracles, little glimpses into what the early church was like with the apostles and the apostolic age. Again, always the word is spreading, spreading, spreading, more, and more, and more, and more people coming to the Lord.

Wes

Well, this has been Episode 19 in our Acts Bible Study Podcast. We would invite you to join us next time for Episode 20, entitled The First Gentile Converts to Christ, where we’ll discuss Acts 10:1-48. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.