The Messenger: Converted and Called

Transcription

1 SESSION 7 The Messenger: Converted and Called Summary and Goal Saul, later known as Paul, collided with God on the road to Damascus. More precisely, it was the God who sends who collided with Paul, and this Pharisee s life was never the same. Paul s story reminds us how God can transform even the hardest of hearts and what it looks like to become a converted, called messenger of the God who sends us on mission with His Son. Main Passage Acts 9:1-25 Session Outline 1. Saul is confronted by the Savior he opposes (Acts 9:1-9). 2. Saul is served by a believer who obeys (Acts 9:10-19). 3. Saul is compelled to proclaim Jesus as Messiah (Acts 9:20-25). Theological Theme Conversion to Christ comes with a calling to ministry. Christ Connection The conversion and calling of Saul, later Paul, is a demonstration of God s power to save. Through an encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus, this once-hardened persecutor of God s people began his journey to becoming the greatest missionary the world has ever known. Only the gospel can transform a public opponent of Christ into a fervent witness to His salvation. Missional Application God calls us to pray with full confidence that God can transform even the hardest heart. Date of My Bible Study: LifeWay Christian Resources. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute within the license agreement with purchaser.

2 Session Plan The Messenger: Converted and Called Pack Item 1: The Church on Mission Display this poster in a place that will help group members follow the storyline of Scripture, to remember where we ve been and where we are going. For Further Discussion In what ways would others say your life has changed most noticeably since becoming a Christian? How have your relationships with both Christians and non-christians been affected by your faith in Christ? Introduction Share the two stories about people who experienced dramatic life change (leader p. 94; PSG p. 74). What stories of dramatic life change have you heard of or experienced? Summarize this session about Saul s conversion (leader p. 94; PSG p. 75). 1. Saul is confronted by the Savior he opposes (Acts 9:1-9). Mention Saul s involvement with Stephen s death (reference Pack Item 8: Paul s Life when making this point). Then read Acts 9:1-9. Describe Saul s collision with Jesus (leader pp ; PSG pp ). How might Saul s thinking about Jesus have begun to change in that moment? How might his thinking about himself have begun to change? God used a pretty unique collision with Saul to get his attention. In what ways do you see Jesus colliding with people today? Show how Saul arrived in Damascus not as a protector of the Jewish faith but as a blind, humbled man (leader p. 97; PSG p. 77). Speak to how churched people can fall into the same trap as Saul (leader p. 97). What are some of the ways we can be blind and confuse religious obedience with what truly pleases God? 2. Saul is served by a believer who obeys (Acts 9:10-19). Read Acts 9: Note the difference in how Saul and Ananias responded to the Lord. Explain why Ananias would hesitate to meet with Saul (leader p. 98; PSG pp ). 92 Leader Guide

3 Have you felt that God called on you to do something that didn t make sense or that you didn t want to do? What did you do? Ananias needed courage to obey Jesus and go to Saul. How can we have courage to obey God no matter what? From where does this courage come and what is it based on? Relate how Ananias obeyed the command to open his heart to a man who should have been his enemy but who was now his brother an act for which we should be grateful (leader p. 99; PSG p. 78). We normally think of being sent by God as being sent to share the gospel with unbelievers. How does God send us to other believers too? How have other believers come alongside you like Ananias did for Saul? 3. Saul is compelled to proclaim Jesus as Messiah (Acts 9:20-25). Ask a volunteer to read Acts 9: Highlight the surprise people would have experienced upon hearing Saul proclaim that Jesus was the Son of God (leader pp ; PSG p. 79). State that evangelism does not rest on how compelling your story is but how compelling Jesus story is (leader p. 100). What are some of the challenges we often face when it comes to sharing the gospel with others? What can we do to overcome them? What is at the heart of your story of following Jesus? How can you tell your story in a compelling way? Present how we, like Saul, have been confronted by Jesus and sent by Him. Look at John 1:11-18 for how Jesus mission helps us consider our mission (leader pp ; PSG pp ). Which of the four ways Jesus was sent in John 1 connects the most with you? Why? Conclusion Reiterate that no one is outside the scope of God s generous grace. If the gospel can transform Saul, it can transform anyone (leader p. 101; PSG p. 81). Apply the truths of this session with His Mission, Your Mission (PSG p. 82). Pass out cards from Pack Item 9: True Conversion to help group members remember what conversion and a life of faith will involve willful obedience. Point 3 Option Prior to the group meeting, enlist a volunteer to read the article No Saul the Persecutor Did Not Become Paul the Apostle. com/2017/02/23/no-saulthe-persecutor-did-notbecome-paul-the-apostle/ Ask the volunteer to summarize briefly the article for the group. Then ask the group to discuss the following questions: How does the article show the need to read the Bible carefully? Why is it easy for us to read our assumptions into a passage, especially one we have read many times? Christ Connection: The conversion and calling of Saul, later Paul, is a demonstration of God s power to save. Through an encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus, this once-hardened persecutor of God s people began his journey to becoming the greatest missionary the world has ever known. Only the gospel can transform a public opponent of Christ into a fervent witness to His salvation.... Missional Application: God calls us to pray with full confidence that God can transform even the hardest heart. 93

4 Expanded Session Content The Messenger: Converted and Called the Church Within each of us exists the image of God, however disfigured and corrupted by sin it may presently be. God is able to recover this image through grace as we are conformed to Christ. 1 Alister McGrath Church History We who formerly hated and murdered one another and did not even share our hearth with those of a different tribe because of their customs, now, after Christ s appearance, live together and share the same table. Now we pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us. 2 Justin Martyr (circa ) Introduction Carlos was hired by a Fortune 500 company fresh out of grad school with every intention of climbing the corporate ladder. But then a friend shared his dream of creating a non-profit to help the underprivileged in their city. Soon after, Carlos resigned his position and helped birth a clothing company that provides funds for several community agencies and employs men and women recovering from enslaving addictions. Dylan and Kara could have continued enjoying the insulated comfort of their trendy-gray, renovated home on their gorgeously regentrified street with top foodie hot spots. But then one Sunday, their pastor preached on the gospel and racial reconciliation and shared about a new partnership with a church whose building was five blocks from their house. The couple committed to help, opened up their home, and started translating the gospel into relationships with the people of their extended neighborhood. We have all heard stories like these: men and women who were on one path but then something changed and their lives were never the same. What stories of dramatic life change have you heard of or experienced? The most meaningful changes in life are the ones that move us closer to fulfilling our God-given purpose starting with being converted as new followers of Christ. We don t change and grow to be better people with better lives with the goal of feeling better about who we are. We grow to become faithful Christ-followers sent by the God who sends. Session Summary In this session, we will encounter Saul, later known as Paul, colliding with God on the road to Damascus. More precisely, it was the God who sends who collided with Paul, and this Pharisee s life was never the same. Paul s story reminds us how God can transform even the hardest of hearts and what it looks like to become a converted, called messenger of the God who sends us on mission with His Son. 94 Leader Guide

5 1. Saul is confronted by the Savior he opposes (Acts 9:1-9). Let me take your coat. Normally a hospitable greeting, but for Stephen, it was a horrific goodbye. Those wanting to stone Stephen for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus laid their coats at the feet of a young and zealous Jewish leader named Saul. As they began to throw stones, Stephen stood tall as he saw Jesus standing up, and Saul stood by overseeing the death of the first Christian martyr (see Acts 7:54-60). Stephen s death did not satisfy the bloodthirstiness of these opponents of Jesus, though. Severe persecution of the church in Jerusalem erupted with Saul at its forefront. Saul was deeply disturbed by what he perceived as a start-up band of blasphemous followers of a rebellious Rabbi named Jesus who had claimed to be the Messiah. They were now declaring His resurrection, something Saul would later write about as both fact and foundational for life (1 Cor. 15). But for now, all this talk of Jesus being the resurrected Son of God needed to be stopped, so Saul would lead his colleagues on a hunt to persecute and eradicate those allegiant to Jesus of Nazareth. Stephen s death pushed those who loved him into a tailspin of deep mourning and also caused the followers of Jesus to scatter throughout the region (Acts 8:1-2). Chapter 8 of Acts gives several brief accounts of how believers went north, south, east, and west taking the gospel with them. For those fleeing, Damascus would have been one of the closest major towns just a few days travel away. The Damascus Collision Damascus has been in the news for years, especially recently. The city is filled with an abundance of rival factions producing ongoing conflict with tragic consequences. A friend from Damascus described his home as a densely populated, religiously defined, ancient-mixed-with-modern, unstable city declining toward ruin unless peace comes. In Saul s day, Damascus was one of the ten cities of the Decapolis a league of cities in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire ruled by Rome but filled with a melting pot of Semitic ethnic groups from across the Middle East. Roman and Greek culture were laid like a Roman road on top of ancient layers of eastern, religious identities. Travel and trade between Jerusalem and Damascus were common, so when the disciples of Jesus scattered, Saul probably eyed the nearby city as a likely destination for many of them. Therefore, Saul turned his fury from Jerusalem toward Damascus. Further Commentary What would Paul have thought of Christianity before he met Jesus? He would have thought that it was wrong, of course. That is clear enough. He was a monotheistic Jew. Christians were claiming that Jesus was God. He would have regarded that as polytheism. If Jesus is God and if Jehovah is God, there must be two gods at least. Christianity would have been incompatible with Judaism. But there would have been more to his rejection of Christianity than this. Not only would Paul have considered Christianity wrong, he would have considered it deceptive. This is because it made such great claims. It claimed not only that Jesus was the Son of God, but that he also had proved this by his resurrection from the dead. If Christianity was wrong, as Paul believed it was, then Jesus had not risen from the dead and was not God. Those who were going about saying that he had been raised from the dead and therefore was God were obviously and consciously trying to deceive the Jewish community. 3 James Montgomery Boice 95

6 Further Commentary The question, Why do you persecute Me? (cf. Acts 9:5) is filled with significance for it shows the union of Christ with His church. The Lord did not ask, Why do you persecute My church? The reference to Me gave Saul his first glimpse into the great doctrine of Christians being in Christ. This same truth was implied earlier by Luke when he wrote that the Lord continues His work on earth in the church (1:1). Also Ananias lie to Peter was a lie to the Holy Spirit (5:3). Luke, with Paul, saw Christ and the church as the Head and its body. 4 Stanley D. Toussaint 99 Essential Christian Doctrines 67. Calling The calling of God to salvation happens in two ways: externally through the proclamation of the gospel and internally through the Holy Spirit working in the heart of the person who hears. Both of these callings are essential, and both work together to bring someone to faith in Christ (2 Tim. 1:8-10). the Church In every true conversion the will of man comes into line with the will of God. 5 Billy Graham 1 Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 5 Who are you, Lord? Saul said. I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting, he replied. 6 But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink. The collision occurred as Saul approached Damascus. He planned on capturing and eliminating those troublemakers who followed Jesus of Nazareth as though He were the expected Messiah. But his own heart was captured instead. Jesus collided with him in the form of a bright light and a question. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? The question confounded Saul. He did not recognize the voice as coming from Jesus because he did not know Jesus. But Saul knew it was a divine messenger whom he needed to heed with reverence. But why would an angelic messenger from the one true God confront him about his righteous effort to get rid of those blaspheming God? Saul wasn t persecuting God; he was trying to serve Him! The Pharisee couldn t answer the divine messenger s perplexing question, so he responded with a question of his own. Who are you, Lord? Jesus identified Himself as the One being persecuted because Saul was persecuting His followers. What Saul was doing to the disciples he was actually doing to Christ Himself. At this moment, humiliation and humility began to set in. The world as Paul knew it was about to change, and the world as we now know it was about to begin its formation. 96 Leader Guide

7 How might Saul s thinking about Jesus have begun to change in that moment? How might his thinking about himself have begun to change? God used a pretty unique collision with Saul to get his attention. In what ways do you see Jesus colliding with people today? Blindness That Gave Sight Saul s marching orders from the high priest were about to be usurped by orders from the Great High Priest go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. Sounds simple enough, but it was easier said than done. When Jesus said this, Saul s traveling companions were stunned by what they could hear but could not see. But they weren t the only ones who couldn t see at this point. Saul was now blind. Luke, described Saul this way: though his eyes were open, he could see nothing, a clear reference back to the teachings of Jesus when He had called the Jewish religious leaders blind guides in Matthew 23. The men led Saul by the hand and he arrived in Damascus not as a protector of the Jewish faith as he had intended but as a blind, humbled man waiting to hear from the very One he had come to persecute. Broken for the first time in his life, Saul did not see or eat or drink for three days. Some may think the story of Saul only relates to the way Jesus can collide with and transform arrogant, non-religious, hostile opponents of God atheists and skeptics but what happens here is comparable to one of the lessons in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The challenge in the parable is not only for the self-indulgent, wandering younger brother who clearly rejected his father, left home, and wasted his inheritance. It s also for the self-righteous, lofty older brother who stayed home and worked hard for his dad, believing he had earned his father s love. Saul was like the older brother because he too sincerely believed he was obeying God and pleasing Him. We can fall into that same trap. If you have been churched your whole life, beware. It is easy to become convinced your religious ways are the same as Christ s ways when instead they are actually opposed to His righteous purposes. Jesus doesn t collide with us to produce superficial, religious obedience. That was what Saul excelled at before his collision. Instead, Jesus collides with us to show us who He is and to transform our hearts, leading to loving, genuine obedience. Jesus encounter with Saul shows us that He can soften even the hardest hearts of people full of themselves. Church History The deceitfulness of the heart of man appears in no one thing so much as this of spiritual pride and self-righteousness. The [subtlety] of Satan appears in its height, in his managing persons with respect to this sin. And perhaps one reason may be that here he has most experience; he knows the way of its coming in; he is acquainted with the secret springs of it: it was his own sin. Experience gives vast advantage in leading souls, either in good or evil. 6 Jonathan Edwards ( ) Further Commentary Damascus was a Hellenized (dominated by Greco- Roman culture) city by this time. The city was no longer the political center of Syria Still, due to its strategic situation, it has retained considerable economic and cultural influence in the area. From the Jewish historian of that time, Josephus, we learn that Damascus had a large and influential Jewish population. Although many were ethnic Jews of the Diaspora (Hellenized Jews outside the Jewish homeland), quite a number were probably proselytes. 7 D. Paul Smith, Biblical Illustrator What are some of the ways we can be blind and confuse religious obedience with what truly pleases God? 97

8 Further Commentary Ananias wasted no time in expressing reluctance. Saul s reputation had preceded him to the Christians in Damascus; they even knew his mission. We should read no rebuke nor critique of Ananias by Luke or by Jesus in this passage. This normal human response seems no more negative than that expressed by the Jerusalem church later in the chapter. Ananias did not say (like Jonah) that he wouldn t go, simply that he had a few reservations about his safety in answering this call Verse 15 holds the key to the chapter, for it identifies not only the fact of God s call but its intended purpose. One could argue that in one verse Luke has laid the foundation for everything he will tell us in the remaining chapters of this book. Some may think that Paul later deviated from the plan of proclaiming salvation in Jesus only to Jews when he dashed out on a mission to the Gentiles. We see here in Acts 9:15 that God himself changed the church s strategy of evangelism, and that a humble Christian by the name of Ananias knew it before Paul had the slightest inkling of what lay ahead in his life. God had chosen a vessel (Rom. 1:1,5; 9:24; Gal. 1:15-16; Eph. 3:7-13), and that vessel would carry the name of Jesus and his message to Gentiles, as well as to Jews. 8 Kenneth O. Gangel 2. Saul is served by a believer who obeys (Acts 9:10-19). Have you ever sensed God clearly leading you to be that guy? You know, that guy who has to overcome fears and insecurities and muster up the courage, by the power and presence of God s Spirit, to say what must be said and do what none of us wants to do but must be done? A guy like Ananias. 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. Here I am, Lord, he replied. 11 Get up and go to the street called Straight, the Lord said to him, to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight. 13 Lord, Ananias answered, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name. 15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. 17 Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. Notice the difference in how Saul and Ananias responded to the Lord. Saul wanted to know who He was; Ananias wanted to know how he could serve Him. Here I am, Lord, Ananias declared, unaware of the great risk God was about to call on him to take. The instructions were straightforward, though. Ananias was to go to Straight Street to the house of Judas to give marching orders from Jesus to Saul. Saul the persecutor, imprisoner, and murderer of guys like Ananias. Jesus said Saul would be expecting him. Ananias began trying to process this baffling instruction from God. His fellow Christ-followers and he had heard of Saul and were not planning on having bagels with him any time soon. His reply was basically, Maybe you have the wrong guy and wrong address, Lord. This was not about Ananias questioning the authority of Jesus. Ananias wanted to understand why Jesus would call on him to run straight toward danger, but Jesus was adamant: Go. Ananias had to step out in faith and fulfill his mission by serving the man who had come to his city to kill him. 98 Leader Guide

9 Have you felt that God called on you to do something that didn t make sense or that you didn t want to do? What did you do? Ananias needed courage to obey Jesus and go to Saul. How can we have courage to obey God no matter what? From where does this courage come and what is it based on? Ananias obeyed and his heart was opened to a man who should have been his enemy but who was now his brother. Saul s eyes were opened to the gospel of Jesus and he was filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized as the sign of being a true disciple of Jesus. The former Christ-persecutor was now a Christ-follower, who, like Ananias, would be called on to step out in faith to share the gospel even when things would come full circle and he would be persecuted for his faith (Acts 9:16). We should all be so very grateful for the obedience of this Damascus resident whom God used to encourage the man who would become perhaps the greatest missionary and theologian of the church. We normally think of being sent by God as being sent to share the gospel with unbelievers. How does God send us to other believers too? How have other believers come alongside you like Ananias did for Saul? 3. Saul is compelled to proclaim Jesus as Messiah (Acts 9:20-25). Saul s tune changed quickly. He went where he was originally planning on going the synagogues but with a much different message: 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: He is the Son of God. 21 All who heard him were astounded and said, Isn t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests? 22 But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him, 25 but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall. Further Commentary Ananias fulfilled his commission, going to Paul and laying his hands upon him as he had been instructed. Ananias s greeting is striking: Brother Saul. He could have said this as a fellow Jew, but it was surely as a brother in Christ that Ananias greeted Paul. Something of a conversion had taken place in his own heart through his vision of the Lord, so that now he could receive as a fellow disciple the one whom he so shortly before had feared and distrusted. 9 John B. Polhill Church History Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering The love of God did not protect His own Son He will not necessarily protect us not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process. 10 Elisabeth Elliot ( ) 99

10 Further Commentary In the synagogues ; the very synagogues (v. 2) to which the letters of the high priest were addressed, empowering him to arrest either man or woman who called upon the Name of Jesus, and bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem to be tried before the Sanhedrim. No wonder they were amazed. 11 A. C. Hervey Church History Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that. 12 Charles Spurgeon ( ) He is the Son of God! Imagine the surprise of those who knew of Saul, the zealous persecutor of the church, when they heard him proclaim the very thing that had been grounds to execute Stephen. Furthermore, imagine the surprise of Jews beginning to believe Jesus was the Messiah because of the message from this fledgling preacher who had just recently collided with Jesus the Messiah on his way to Damascus. Saul preaching Jesus confounded the Jews (Acts 9:22), meaning, Saul was so convincing and clear that his listeners were at a loss as to how to refute him. But this was not Saul the religious leader trying to perform well for God. This was Saul the new believer, empowered by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, sharing what had changed his life the gospel of Jesus Christ. This confounding ability of Saul did not sit well with the Jewish leaders of Damascus, so they made a plan to kill him. The Damascus believers knew the calling of Jesus on Saul s life. He was to be sent by the God who sends! So they protected Saul and invented the first elevator to sneak him out of the city to safety, reminiscent of Rahab helping the two spies escape out of Jericho (Josh. 2). You may feel like your story of how you became a follower of Jesus is not as compelling as Saul s or other stories you have heard. You may consider your story of trusting Jesus as Messiah as perhaps boring and maybe even insignificant. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is not about how compelling your story is. It is about how compelling Jesus story is. It is His amazing story into which we have been invited, by which we have been identified, through which we have been secured, and for which we have now been purposed sent as disciples of Jesus who make disciples with Jesus! What are some of the challenges we often face when it comes to sharing the gospel with others? What can we do to overcome them? What is at the heart of your story of following Jesus? How can you tell your story in a compelling way? Sent for Jesus and with Jesus Like Saul, all of us who have been confronted by Jesus and changed by the gospel are sent by the God who sends. Most of us are familiar with the sending call on our lives known as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20), but we often miss the significance of Jesus saying He will be with us as we go. He is not just sending us to make disciples of Him. He is sending us to make disciples with Him! This matters so much that God even named His Son Immanuel God with us. In John 1:11-18, John described how Jesus was sent, which helps us consider our sent mission with Him. 100 Leader Guide

11 1. Jesus loved first (John 1:11-13). John wrote that the Word, Jesus, came near, but the ones who considered themselves His people didn t even recognize Him. Jesus knew that the very people to whom He was sent would reject Him, but because He loved first, He came, offered them grace, and invited them to join in on His mission anyway. Likewise, love must compel our mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. 2. Jesus came near (John 1:14). God put on skin and moved into the neighborhood. He valued presence, not just presentation, or else giving the law and sending the prophets would have been enough. He valued engagement not extraction, walking into the mess of our world instead of pulling us out of it. That is what Jesus invites us to join Him in doing still today stepping into the lives of those who need the gospel of Jesus to be up close, not far off. 3. Jesus highlighted truth embodied in grace (John 1:15-17). Jesus came to deliver the truth of what God had been communicating all along that we are securely and forever loved, and He wants us near in His presence and His goodness. But Jesus didn t just coldly speak truth, He delivered truth clothed in grace. God has sent us to do the same to speak the truth of Jesus the Messiah with boldness, confidence, love, and grace. 4. Jesus explained the Father to us (John 1:18). Jesus came to explain and show who God really is. This is our mission too as we grow and change to be more of who God has made us to be in Christ, we are sent with Jesus to explain the Father so that others might discover their identity in Christ, their security from Christ, and their purpose with Christ. the Church Christian disciples are sent men and women sent out in the same work of world evangelism to which the Lord was sent, and for which he gave his life. Evangelism is not an optional accessory to our life. It is the heartbeat of all that we are called to be and do. 13 Robert E. Coleman the Church All change comes from deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ and living out the changes that understanding creates in your heart. 14 Timothy Keller Which of the four ways Jesus was sent in John 1 connects the most with you? Why? Conclusion Most of the early church probably saw Saul in just one way as an enemy of the gospel to be avoided at all cost. But God taught them, and us, a vital lesson through the conversion of Saul. No one is outside of the scope of God s generous grace. No one is beyond the reach of Jesus Christ. God s power to save has no limit and can even extend to one of the world s most militant persecutors of Jesus Christ Saul of Tarsus. If the gospel can transform Saul, it can transform anyone. CHRIST CONNECTION: The conversion and calling of Saul, later Paul, is a demonstration of God s power to save. Through an encounter with the crucified and risen Jesus, this once-hardened persecutor of God s people began his journey to becoming the greatest missionary the world has ever known. Only the gospel can transform a public opponent of Christ into a fervent witness to His salvation. 101

12 Additional Resources The Messenger: Converted and Called References 1. Alister McGrath, quoted in Over the Top: Discover God s Extravagant Love by Margaret Feinberg (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010) [ebook]. 2. Justin Martyr, First Apology 67, quoted in The Early Christians in Their Own Words, edited by Eberhard Arnold (Rifton, NY: Plough Publishing, 2011), James Montgomery Boice, Acts: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007) [WORDsearch]. 4. Stanley D. Toussaint, Acts, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament Edition, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Victor, 2003) [WORDsearch]. 5. Billy Graham, in Billy Graham in Quotes, eds. Franklin Graham with Donna Lee Toney (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2011) [ebook]. 6. Jonathan Edwards, A Treatise concerning Religious Affections, in The Works of President Edwards, vol. III (New York: Leavitt & Allen, 1851), D. Paul Smith, Saul in Damascus, Biblical Illustrator (Spring 1993): Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, in Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2005) [WORDsearch]. 9. John B. Polhill, Acts, vol. 26 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2013) [WORDsearch]. 10. Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ s Control (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), A. C. Hervey, Acts, in The Pulpit Commentary (Georgetown, TX: WORDsearch, 2012), [WORDsearch]. 12. Charles H. Spurgeon, She Was Not Hid, in The Complete Works of C. H. Spurgeon, Volume 34: Sermons (United States: Delmarva Publications, 2013) [ebook]. 13. Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Revell, 2009) [WORDsearch]. 14. Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith (New York: Penguin, 2008), Steve R. Parr, Sunday School That Really Works (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2010), Study Material Get expert insights on weekly studies through Ministry Grid at MinistryGrid.com/web/TheGospelProject. Grow with other group leaders at the Group Ministry blog at LifeWay.com/GroupMinistry. -- Genuine Conversion Chapter 2 from Tell the Truth by Will Metzger -- The Lesson of Ananias Article by Tim Challies; find a link to this article at GospelProject.com/AdditionalResources --Previous Biblical Illustrator articles, including Saul in Damascus, can be purchased, along with other articles for this quarter, at LifeWay.com/BiblicalIllustrator. Look for Bundles: The Gospel Project. Sermon Podcast Micah Fries: Confronted & Transformed Find a link to this at GospelProject.com/AdditionalResources Tip of the Week Participate in Existing Church Outreach Does your church have a weekly outreach ministry or visitation ministry? Set up a rotation to ensure that your group is represented each week. Does your church provide evangelism training for members? Be sure that your group members are participating. If your church is sponsoring an outreach event for your community, then make sure your group is involved. If your church does not provide these avenues for outreach, then be proactive and make some, and invite other groups to be a part Leader Guide

13 About the Writers The Gospel Project Adult Leader Guide CSB Volume 6, Number 2 Winter Eric Geiger Vice President, LifeWay Resources Ed Stetzer and Trevin Wax General Editors Brian Dembowczyk Managing Editor Daniel Davis Content Editor Josh Hayes Content and Production Editor Ken Braddy Manager, Adult Ongoing Bible Studies Michael Kelley Director, Groups Ministry Send questions/comments to: Content Editor by to daniel.davis@lifeway.com or mail to Content Editor, The Gospel Project: Adult Leader Guide, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN ; or make comments on the Web at lifeway.com. Printed in the United States of America The Gospel Project : Adult Leader Guide CSB (ISSN pending; Item ) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President LifeWay Christian Resources. For ordering or inquiries, visit lifeway.com, or write LifeWay Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, orderentry@lifeway.com, fax , or write to the above address. We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. To review LifeWay s doctrinal guideline, please visit Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Unit: 1 Mike Cosper is the founder and director of Harbor Media, where he develops podcasts that help Christians navigate a post- Christian world. Previously he served for 16 years as one of the founding pastors of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where he oversaw Sojourn Music a collective of musicians writing songs for the local church. He is the author of four books, including (most recently) Recapturing the Wonder. Katie Orr (special session), creator of the FOCUSed15 Bible study method, is passionate about equipping busy women to experience God daily. She is a teacher, speaker, podcaster, and prolific writer for blogs, magazines, and Sunday School curriculum. A former Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) staff member and mother to three young children, she and pastorhusband, Chris, are part of the church revitalization movement. Unit: 2 Jason C Dukes (sessions 7-9) has been a church starter, a church renewer, and tries to be a disciple-maker. He s currently the Multiplication Minister with Brentwood Baptist Church near Nashville, Tennessee. He has authored books and periodically blogs, which you can learn more about at LiveSent.com. He and his wife, Jen, are thankful for their seven children. Daniel Im (sessions 10-12) serves as the Director of Church Multiplication for NewChurches.com at LifeWay Christian Resources. He is also a teaching pastor at The Fellowship in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts That Will Transform Your Ministry and Planting Missional Churches. He is married to Christina, and they have three children, Victoria, Adelyn, and Makarios. WRITERS