Acts 9 - Paul’s Salvation Experience (notes)

Acts 9 - Paul’s Salvation Experience

Salvation Is the most important event in the life of anyone. There are many terms the church uses, born again, saved, converted, knowing Jesus, becoming a follower of Jesus, What we call it is not as important as to have a genuine salvation experience with Jesus Christ.

What Saul Was Like Before Being Saved:

• 9:1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.
• He had an extreme hatred for the followers of the Lord.
• What Saul did was sincere, but he was sincerely wrong!

The Background of One of the Greatest Christians of All Time:

• Acts 8:1 Saul was one of the witnesses and was in agreement with the killing of Stephen.
• Acts 8:3 Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men & women to throw them into prison.
• Saul event went to the high priest & requested letters for the synagogues in Damascus requesting help in arresting Christians.

God Confronts Saul

• 9:3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from Heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?”
• When God says enough or when God wants to stop someone He has all the resources to do so. Saul had no recourse but to submit. Who are you Lord?
• I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.
• The men with Saul were speechless, Saul picked himself up off the ground but when he opened his eyes he was blind.
• Saul is led by the hand to Damascus. He didn’t eat or drink for 3 days.

A Believer

• Named Ananias has a vision and God called him. Yes, Lord, he replied. Go to Straight Street to the house of Judas. Ask for Saul of Tarsus, he is praying to me now. I have shown in a vision of a man named Ananias coming & laying hands on him so he can see.
• Ananias protests, I’ve heard of this guy. God tells him that Saul is a chosen instrument to take my message to the gentiles & to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.

God Says

• That Saul (named Paul) would suffer much for the name of Jesus.
• Ananias goes and lays hands on Saul and tells him that Jesus who appeared to him on the road sent Ananias that Saul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
• Instantly the scales fell from Saul’s eyes and he regained his sight. Saul is then baptized. Then Saul eats & regains his strength.

Saul

• Stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days.
• Immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God.”
• Amazed all who heard because they had heard that this was the one who was devastating the church.

Saul’s

• Preaching became more and more powerful and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was the Messiah.
• Some of the Jews plotted together to kill Saul. They watched for him day & night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.

Saul Arrived In Jerusalem and tried to meet with the believers there but they were afraid of him. They didn’t believe he had truly become a believer. But Barnabas brought him to the apostles & told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus & how God spoke to him. He also told them how Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus there.

Saul

• Stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching bodily in the name of Jesus. He also debated with some Greek speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. So when the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.
• The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, & Samaria and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.