Acts 9:19 – Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. 20 And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”
21 All who heard him were amazed. “Isn’t this the same man who caused such devastation among Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem?” they asked. “And didn’t he come here to arrest them and take them in chains to the leading priests?”
22 Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. 23 After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. 24 They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. 25 So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall.
26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.
28 So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him. 30 When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.
31 The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and 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. (NLT)
In this passage, Saul (Paul) is fresh from his conversion experience on the Damascus road. Verse twenty tells us that in short time he began preaching that Jesus is the Son of God. There is nothing like new coverts to Christianity, they are so full of energy! They want everyone to know about the difference that Jesus has made in their life! Sadly, many churches do their best to curb the enthusiasm of new converts because their methods of evangelism are too radical for the status quo. A careful study of the New Testament tells us that this may have been the case with the Church and Paul.
In verse twenty-six we are told that the believers in Jerusalem did not believe that Paul could have changed so radically. It was Paul, however, who later wrote, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) This power that so radically changed the life of Paul is the same power that can change things in our own lives. Paul, an enemy of the cross, became its greatest crusader. There may be things in our own lives that we hold onto that go against the cross, yet we have the power to change.
Let us ask ourselves what is it that we hold onto? Is it anger, a grudge, prejudice? Is it refusing to forgive, or refusing to become involved in a causes that God has put onto our heart? Perhaps it is a behavior or an addiction. Maybe you think that there is no way that you can overcome, but consider Paul. No one thought that this great Pharisee whose life work was to destroy the Church could ever become the great evangelist that he became, but he did. We can, indeed, do everything through Christ.
Posted by Ramón Torres