The Greatest Conversion in History (Acts 9:1-18)

• What's your conversion story? This is my magical mystical supernatural conversion of experiencing God for the first time.
• Is the conversion of Saul intended to be a model of Christian conversion today? Yes, but only if we distinguish between the dramatic outward accompaniments and the essential inward experience.

1. * Why would Saul/Paul seem most unlikely to be converted? Read Ac 7:58; 8:1, 3; 9:1-2; 22:4; 26:10; 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13. Why did he go beyond Jerusalem to Damascus [136 miles, a week's journey]? Read Gal 1:14; Phil 3:5-6; Ac 8:1. How far away is that?
2. * What is this "light from heaven"? Read Ac 9:3; 26:13; 7:55-56; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:6; Exo 3:2; 13:21-22; 24:16; 40:34-35; 1 Tim 6:16; 1 Jn 1:5; Mt 17:2; Mk 9:3; Lk 9:29.
3. What happened to Saul and why? Read Ac 9:4a; Ezek 1:28; 3:23; Dan 8:17; Rev 1:27. Why the repetition of Saul' name? Read Ac 9:4b; Gen 22:11; Exo 3:4; Lk 10:41; Mt 23:37. Why does Jesus say "persecute me"? Read Ac 9:5; Eph 1:22; 4:12; Col 1:18, 24.
4. Read Ac 9:6. What does this order say about who is now in charge? How did this affect Saul's companions? Read Ac 9:7; 26:14. How did this affect Saul? Read Ac 9:8-9. What might Saul have done during those 3 days?
5. How might Ananias have become a disciple? Ac 9:10; 2:41? Why were his instructions very hard to obey? Read Ac 9:11-14, 1-2; 8:1-3.
6. * Read Ac 9:15; 22:14-15; 26:16. Why does God choose people? Read 1 Pet 2:9; Jn 15:16. Are you chosen? What was God's purpose for Saul's life? For your life? Why suffering? Read Ac 9:16, 22-23, 29; Lk 21:12; Jn 3:19. What is your suffering as a Christian?
7. Read Ac 17-18. What was the result of Ananias meeting Saul?

The most famous conversion in church history happened to one who seemed most unlikely to be converted. Saul's conversion is the high point and most important event in the NT, as there are 4 versions of it with 3 by Luke from 3 slightly different angles [Acts 9; 22; 26; Gal 1 (Ac 9:1-19; 22:3-16; 26:4-18; Gal 1:11-16)]. The great antagonist of the gospel will become its outstanding protagonist. The persecutor will become the persecuted and suffer like Jesus (Ac 9:16). A Pharisaic persecutor of Christians becoming a Christian apologist and missionary is a paradox so profound that it requires multiple retellings, with each version bringing out further nuances of significance. The Book of Common Prayer says that we should always "have his wonderful conversion in remembrance." This is monumental both in Acts and in church history, as it was the pivot on which the future of the church turned. It is one of the critical steps for the universal mission of the church.

Paul's commissioning to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Ac 9:5; 22:14-15; 26:17-18, 20; Rom 1:1, 5, 13; 11:13; 15:15-18; Gal 1:15-16; 2:2, 7-8; Eph 3:1-8; Col 1:24-29) is like the call of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekial. It is an instructive case study in Christian conversion, which shows Christianity to be a divine revelation.

How is Paul's conversion and commissioning applicable to Christians today? We can and must:

1. Experience a personal encounter with Christ.
2. Surrender to him in penitence and faith.
3. Receive his summons to service.

In meeting Jesus, Saul encountered a:

1. Divine contact (Ac 9:3). As with the Ethiopian salvation is always the sovereign will of God that comes about by God's power, purpose and determination. God answered Stephen's prayer. God sovereignly makes contact with the sinner who is the object of his divine grace and sovereign regenerating power–not always this dramatically, but always this sovereignly. Anyone and everyone's salvation is always initiated by God.
2. Divine conviction (Ac 9:4; Jn 15:25). Repetition implies a rebuke: Martha, Martha; Jerusalem, Jerusalem; Simon, Simon; Saul, Saul.
3. Divine conversion (Ac 9:5; 22:8; 1 Ti 1:15; Phil 3:7-10). The 1st evidence of true conversion is submission (Ac 22:8), compliance, obedience.
4. Divine communion (Ac 9:9). For 3 days he communed with his Lord. It's the blindness not of darkness but of the light. But he is stunned, helpless, friendless. He has friends who are now enemies, and enemies who don't know they are to be friends. This is a magnificent picture of salvation in all it's beauty and glory. It is sudden, unexpected, explosive, a miracle in a moment, but it must embody [1] that sovereign work, [2] that conviction of rejecting Christ as the great sin, [3] that conversion of submitting and saying, "Lord, what will you have me do?" And [4] the contemplation and communion that thinks deeply about this miracle.

Paul was unique as was his conversion because:

• by birth, he was a Jew, 
• by conviction, a Pharisee, 
• by citizenship, a Roman, 
• by education, a Greek, and then 
• by grace, a Christian.

He then became a:

• missionary, 
• theologian, 
• evangelist, 
• church planter, 
• pastor, 
• teacher, 
• preacher, 
• leader, 
• thinker, 
• statesman, 
• fighter, 
• an organizer / administrator, and
• lover all at the same time.

"The Way" occurs 6x in Acts (Ac 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It refers to both a type of behavior and to those who exhibit it (Ac 22:4; 24:14), and which means "the way of salvation" (Ac 16:7; 18:26). Damascus, a commercial center, was an important city 135 miles N-NE of Jerusalem, lying on the main route from Egypt to Mesopotamia. It was part of the league of cities known as the Decapolis and had a considerable Jewish population.

From persecutor to preacher evangelist. Saul of Tarsus (Ac 9:11; 22:3), later called Paul (Ac 13:9), was previously connected with the death of Stephen (Ac 7:58; 8:1) and then identified as the leader in a campaign of devastating persecution against the early church. Ac 9:1 continues from Ac 8:3 when Paul was vehemently and violently opposed to the Jesus movement (1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13-14, 11-23; Phil 3:5; Ac 22:4; 26:10). But on the road to Damascus, the arch-persecutor met the glorified Lord Jesus and was transformed (1 Cor 9:1; 15:8; Gal 1:15-16). By the end of the account in Acts 9 Saul is evangelizing in Damascus (Ac 9:19-22) without the direction or permission of the Jerusalem church, as was with Philip in Acts 8. This brought a period of peace for the church and led to a whole new phase of growth (Ac 9:31). Also Acts 9 connects to Acts 10 for recounting a crucial conversation narrative involving 2 visions leading to the future primary missionary to the Gentiles and the conversion of a prominent Gentile, Cornelius.

References:

1. Osborne, Grant. Acts. Verse by Verse. 2019. Saul's Conversion and Peter's Mission (Ac 9:1-43). 
2. Witherington III, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles. A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. 1998. Saul as the Salient Jewish Convert (Ac 9:1-31).
   
3. Stott, John. The Message of Acts. 1990. Through the Bible through the year, Daily reflections from Genesis to Revelation. 2006.
1. Saul himself: his pre-conversion state in Jerusalem (9:1-2).
2. Saul and Jesus: his conversion on the Damascus Road (9:3-9).
3. Saul and Ananias: his welcome into the church in Damascus (9:10-25).
4. Saul and Barnabas: his introduction to the apostles in Jerusalem (9:26-31).
4. Peterson, David G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar NT commentary. 2009. Saul's Conversion and Commissioning (9:1-19a).
1. Meeting the ascended Lord (9:1-9).
2. Accepted into fellowship of the persecuted church (9:10-19a).
5. Marshall, I. Howard. Acts. Tyndale NT commentaries (TNTC). 1980. The conversion and call of Paul (9:1-19a).
6. Wright, N.T. Acts for Everyone, Part 1. Chapters 1-12. 2008.
7. Fernando, Ajith. The Message of Jesus in Action. 2010.

Saul's Conversion by Chat GPT (1/25/23):

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, As we read in Acts 9, we see the incredible story of Saul's conversion to Christianity. Saul, also known as Paul, was a devout Jew and a fierce persecutor of the early Christian church. He was on his way to Damascus to arrest and bring back to Jerusalem any followers of Jesus he found there, when he was struck by a bright light from heaven and heard the voice of Jesus asking him, "Why do you persecute me?" In that moment, Saul's life was forever changed. He was blinded by the light and had to be led into Damascus by his companions. There, he met with a disciple named Ananias, who laid his hands on Saul and prayed for him. Saul's sight was restored, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul, now Paul, became one of the greatest Christian missionaries and leaders of all time. He preached the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, establishing churches and spreading the word of Jesus Christ to all who would listen.This powerful story of conversion reminds us that no matter how far we may have strayed from the path of righteousness, there is always hope for redemption and forgiveness. Just as Saul, who was once an enemy of the church, became one of its greatest advocates, so too can we be transformed by the power of God's love and grace. Let us remember the words of Paul himself, who wrote in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are offered the gift of salvation and the opportunity to live a new life in him. Let us all strive to follow in Paul's footsteps, spreading the good news of the gospel to all we meet and living our lives as true followers of Jesus Christ. May God bless us all in our journey of faith. Amen.

• 6:1-9:31. The Church begins to Expand.
• 9:1-31. Saul as the Salient [main, principal, major, chief, important] Jewish Convert. Augustine said, "We owe the conversion of Paul to the prayer of Stephen."
• 9:1-19a. The Assaulting of Paul. Saul's conversion and commissioning.
• 9:19b-31. Saul's Early Efforts.
• 9:32-11:18. The Petrine Passages. The conversion of Cornelius.
• Peter heals Aeneas and raises Tabitha (9:32-43).
• Peter is sent for by Cornelius (10:1-8).
• Peter receives a vision (10:9-23).
• Peter preaches to Cornelius' household (10:23b-48).
• Peter justifies his actions (11:1-18).
• 11:19-15:35. The Antioch Chronicles.