Week 5: February 27 March 5, Scripture: Information about this may be provided at a later date.

Transcription

1 Week 5: February 27 March 5, 2017 Scripture: DAY 21: Acts 9:1-20, Saul s Conversion DAY 22: Galatians 1:10-24, Saul s Enduring Testimony DAY 23: Philippians 3:1-11, The Worth of Saul s Credentials DAY 24: Acts 9:20-31, Saul s Ministry Begins DAY 25: Acts 9:32-43, John 14:12, The Miracles of Peter Information about this may be provided at a later date. In our readings last week, we were introduced to the character Saul. He enters the scene at the stoning of Stephen, in an approving role, if not one of the orchestrators. After Stephen s death, Saul is bent on destroying the church, literally going from house to house to round up Christians. His efforts to stop the movement only cause it to grow, as Christians who flee Jerusalem are faithful and preach the gospel where they go. Determined to snuff out this heresy, Saul hears of the spread of the message and leaves Jerusalem to search out those fleeing Christians, to bring them back to Jerusalem and justice. It is on this journey to Damascus that Saul comes face to face with Jesus, and he and the Christian church will never be the same. Lloyd Ogilvie calls Saul/Paul the most important human being who ever lived! High praise, indeed, especially when you look at how his story starts off in the book of Acts. However, his conversion will lead to great things for the church: a worldwide movement and a theology for the Christian church spelled out in his letters. The conversion of Saul will shape the destiny of the church! DAY 21: Acts 9:1-20, Saul s Conversion This passage is the account of the conversion of Saul. (If you look back at the last time we see Saul in Acts, you can see his conversion as an answer to Stephen s prayer. Stephen prayed that those who persecuted Him be forgiven, just like Jesus prayed on the cross. Saul was there, responsible for it at some level. It is because of the grace of Jesus Christ, which Stephen asked Him to give, that Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus.) This momentous event of Saul s conversion is told on three different occasions by Luke throughout the book of Acts chapters 9, 22, & 26. We ll look more closely at the accounts other than chapter 9 in a later week of ACTS CHURCH. Paul also refers to it often in his letters. We ll look more closely at two of those instances Galatians 1 and Philippians 3 in the next two days. He also talks about it in I Corinthians chapters 9 & 15. Saul s testimony serves to validate his claim that he is an apostle - one who had seen Jesus face-to-face and been given the mission, responsibility, and authority to spread the gospel. When he speaks of this encounter, Paul is very aware of the grace God showed to Him. He not only shared the good news of the gospel, his testimony demonstrated he EMBODIED the message. This event also marks a turning point in the ACTS CHURCH story, which will now begin to focus primarily on the spread of the message of Jesus among the Gentiles rather than just among the Jews. Saul was a devout Pharisee who was vigorously opposing this new movement built around faith in Jesus. Saul was at the center of the persecution of the church, seeking to destroy it and going house to house, dragging off men and women and putting them in prison (8:3). He is breathing out murderous threats against the Lord s disciples (9:1) and is on his way up to Damascus with permission from the high priest to take any followers of Jesus with him to Jerusalem to put in prison. But there is a change to occur in him. He will go from being filled with hostility to being filled with the Spirit. On his way to Damascus Saul miraculously encounters the risen Jesus and is left blind. Saul s actual encounter with Jesus is brief but paramount. It is reminiscent of powerful scenes in the Old Testament, as the bright light (or lightning) would have been a signal in the Old Testament of the presence of God

2 manifesting itself in a strategic natural phenomenon. Saul s response is to fall to the ground. It could have been in response to the bright light, or it could have been an act of reverence, an acknowledgement he was on holy ground. In the Old Testament, the repeating of someone s name was a significant way for God to get their attention. It happened dramatically at Mt. Moriah when Abraham lifted the knife to slay Isaac. It happened in a small, still way when God called to Samuel three different times in the middle of the night. The best comparison might be when God called to Moses out of a bush that would not burn up. In Acts 9, the voice asks Saul, Why do you persecute me? He repeats this to Saul. In other words, Jesus is telling Him that He is alive, not dead, proof of the message of the gospel! Also, he tells Saul that He feels the persecution of His believers. In other words, he has heard their cries, which was part of the message that God gave to Moses out of the burning bush. Saul has a personal encounter with Jesus, and he becomes a witness to the reality of a resurrected Savior. In one respect, it is not as big of a leap as the scene suggests. Saul already believed in God, and he was a faithful Jew, and a leader in the movement. His need is to recognize the risen Jesus. He is blind to this reality, and God gets his attention by making him physically blind. When Saul opens eyes later, he will not just see physically, but spiritually as well. And, he will be called to share his testimony and preach the gospel. So, this conversion story is one of HEALING (physically and divine) and COMMISSION. He tells Saul to go into Damascus and wait. In other words, God has a purpose for Saul going to Damascus, but it was the exact opposite of what Saul thought it was. Saul s conversion was a dramatic one. Most are not this way. But whenever a person accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, it is no less significant. God s encounter with Saul and his subsequent conversion speaks to how it works in our lives: Life begins with a divine encounter with Jesus, when we have questions that won t go away or issues that we can t resolve or we come face to face with the reality we are going in the wrong direction. God loves us to the end, and pursues us because of His grace. A question here is how receptive was Saul when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. A later telling of this story by Paul in Acts 26 suggests he may have questions. The phrase It is hard to kick against the goads is added to the words Jesus says to Saul when the light shone. The meaning is that it s hard to move cattle with prods. When said to Saul, it could have meant Jesus was saying to him that it is difficult for Saul to resist Him and oppose God s purposes. Was God prodding at Saul? Saul very well knew of Gamaliel s words to the Sanhedrin, telling the group that this movement would die like the others if it was not legit and the leader died. Gamaliel was Saul s teacher, and this could have been openness by Gamaliel that affected Saul. Plus, Saul watched a leader of the movement die (Stephen) and yet he was traveling to Damascus because the movement was getting larger, not going away. Plus, this leader he had watched get stoned to death had prayed for his forgiveness while he was being pelted with the stones. God, in his prevenient grace, may have already been goading Saul before this encounter. And, when Saul accepted this and believed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he discovered God had a plan/mission/call for his life. It s the same for all who believe in Jesus, although it likely does not happen all at the same time, as it did with Saul. Another element we ll see in today s reading and in one later this week is that God uses others to confirm our decision and to encourage us. Conversion is not meant to be an independent act, but done in the context of living life in a community. When he gets to Damascus, Saul does not eat or drink for three days. The conversion experience is a traumatic one that causes Saul to seek penance and fast in an effort to receive divine instruction. In other words, he was doing some serious soul searching! We are told later in the passage he is praying, anticipating God to act, much like the believers waiting for the Spirit at Pentecost. Enter a follower of Jesus named Ananias. His only appearance in the Bible is here. God tells him in a vision to go to Saul. This double vision (to Saul and to Ananias) serves to heighten the role of divine intervention and guidance here. Both visions create a level of panic Saul with a bright light and blindness, Ananias with the prospect of coming face-to-face with a person who traveled there to imprison him and even kill him. Understandably, Ananias is reluctant to go to this man who had a reputation for persecuting Christians. But, assured by Jesus that he is to go, Ananias obeys and becomes a key person that God uses in Saul s conversion and the restoration of his sight. GOD GIVES ANANIAS AN ALTERNATIVE VISION OF SAUL and Ananias accepts this from God and uses it to confirm to Saul what has happened to him. He calls Saul brother, representing the love and forgiveness of Jesus, and letting Saul know that he sees and believes in who Saul can be. Ananias baptizes Saul, lays his hands on Saul for him to receive the Holy Spirit, and introduces him to the other believers in Damascus. Ananias reminds us how important it is that we faithfully obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

3 Saul emerges as a powerful preacher and teacher of Jesus. In the conversion of Saul, he realizes Jesus is alive, not dead. His life is transformed persecutor to persecuted.. We see these marks in the conversion experiences of Christians today. After accepting that Jesus died for our sins, a person believes also that Jesus rose from the dead. A person who gives their life to Christ repents, or turns and goes the other way God s way, not theirs. (It should be noted that not every conversion experience will be as dramatic or as public as Paul s. Particularly for those growing up in the church, it may be more about small steps as that person grows up in the church, always aware of the need for a Savior, and is discipled in this way.) Then, for all who believe in Jesus and are saved, there is a call placed on their lives, to serve God in some specific way. After he is converted by Jesus, Saul is immediately given a mission. So, in this remarkable story, we see Saul repent of his sins (represented by his fasting and praying and waiting on God), filled with the Holy Spirit, and given a call. It will likely not be in as dramatic of a way as this, but these are the three big things God desires to do in the lives of all who turn to Him. We leave this passage reflecting for a moment on the role of Ananias. He was called by God for a specific task. And, he was obedient to it. How does God call people today? Sometimes it can be the result of a dramatic experience, like Ananias had. But other times it can come from reading Scripture, praying or receiving wise counsel from other Christians, all of which are ways we can hear the still small voice of God s guidance. (1 Kings 19:12) But regardless of how the call comes, the most important thing is how we respond. Ananias s simple Yes, Lord (Acts 9:10) is a model for us today. We ll talk more about the role of the Christian community in Saul s conversion and the beginning of his ministry later this week. DAY 22. Galatians 1:10-24, Saul s Enduring Testimony Through Paul s letter to the church in Galatia this week, we will look at one of two major moments when Paul s speaks of his conversion in his letters. In this letter to the Galatians, Paul s main theme is the transition to what he was formerly, to what he is now. And, he desires to see this happen in the lives of those in Galatia as well. But there are false teachers who are jeopardizing this, and one of the attacks is on the validity of his message. Did it come from God or men? Paul will use his conversion story to demonstrate that his apostleship and message are of DIVINE origin, and out of that conversion came a very specific call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. He wants the Galatians to move from being led by flesh to be led by Spirit; he wants them to move from law to grace; and, he wants them to move from slavery to freedom. These are themes he will expound upon throughout his letter. In the first chapter, he sets up his authority to do so by testifying of his move from his former way of life in Judaism to preaching the gospel of a resurrected Christ. Paul s immediate point in our passage of the day is that this gospel he is preaching was not mediated to him by any man (or woman), but he received it directly from Jesus Christ. Does this mean that Paul sat down while Jesus taught him everything from the gospels, so that he had the CONTENT of the message? No, I don t think so. The fact is that Paul already had the main content. He was an accomplished Jewish Pharisee, which we will talk about more in our passage from Philippians. He also knew the content of the gospel before he received it, because he was persecuting believers. The issue Paul had with the content of the gospel is that it hinged on a resurrected Messiah. Paul says that he received the gospel by REVELATION from Jesus Christ. The word revelation is only used here in this Galatians passage to describe Paul s conversion. It s used to get across Paul s point he is preaching this gospel because the resurrected Jesus Christ REVEALED himself to Paul, face-to-face. Yes, he would see Ananias later, but Ananias simply confirmed the revelation, he didn t mediate the contents of the gospel to Paul. Since the reality of a resurrected Christ became real to Paul, he believed and was ready to preach the contents of the gospel he had just days before considered heresy! Paul goes on to speak of his former way of life in Judaism. This refers to the religion and lifestyle of the Jews. For Paul, there is both a genetic (his parents were Jews) and a political (he was a Jewish religious leader) association with the Jewish nation. His words here are not to say he is forsaking that. No, he considers the church to be a continuation of the Old Testament covenant God made with Israel, beginning with Abraham. Out of his zeal as Jew, Paul says two things. First, he was winning the competition with his peers to be the best Jew possible. Second, he was so zealous for his Jewish heritage that he tried to destroy the church. His zeal for Jewish self-preservation led to him being narrow-minded and near-sighted. This makes his conversion experience all the more powerful, which Paul will point out at the end of this passage. But, there is another point Paul desires to get across here: he was an

4 accomplished Jew. He had no reason to espouse another faith because he was not getting it done as a Jewish leader. In other words, he did not turn to Christianity because he was a failure. It seems there were false teachers who were trying to discredit Paul s motivation for turning to Christianity and preach the gospel, and Paul wants to squelch those rumors. He states that God set him apart from birth to preach this gospel. This statement would put Paul in the Old Testament prophetic tradition with men like Jeremiah, who was set apart before he was born (Jeremiah 1:5). This is because of God s grace, a prevenient grace that reaches out to us before we even respond to Him. We might see this as an example of predestination, in the sense that human salvation and vocation originate in the delight of God, not in decisions of humans. Humans still must decide to accept this salvation and vocation that come from God s prevenient grace. For Wesleyans, this is the basis for the Biblical doctrine of predestination. Paul goes on further to say that this revelation of Jesus Christ not only led him to repentance, but it also came with a call to preach the gospel. It was a specific call Paul would preach this gospel among the Gentiles. This call is counter to his call as a Jewish Pharisee, since Gentiles were considered unclean. And, he says the call was to preach it among the Gentiles. He was called to go into their lands, not just locate Gentiles in Jewish synagogues who were receptive to that faith. Just like we see in Acts, Paul immediately responds to this call. And, he wants to reinforce once again that this call did not come from man. So, Paul says that he did not immediately consult any man or go to Jerusalem to get some kind of blessing to do so. He says he went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus. Arabia is not mentioned in the Acts account. What is this about? Some commentators believe Paul took some time after his conversion to head to Mt. Sinai (where Moses received the law) for reflection and mediation, in order to reformulate his theology in light of Jesus as the Messiah. (In Galatians 4, Paul refers to Mt. Sinai being in Arabia.) Paul did need to rethink his theology, in preparation to preach the gospel. But, as symbolic as it would have been to travel to the place where Moses received the Jewish law, Paul did not have to go to Mt. Sinai to do it. Another more likely scenario is that Arabia represented the nearest center of non-jewish population to Damascus at that time, so Paul went there to immediately being fulfilling his call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. And, there s a good chance this was part of what got him in trouble at Damascus and the Samaritans who still considered themselves Mosaic Jews. Paul then says he goes to Jerusalem after 3 years. He does not say why, but we know from our Acts account later this week, it s because he got in trouble with Jewish leaders there. In that Acts account, it says it was after many days, he went to Jerusalem. This could easily match up with this account in Galatians, because writers back then would have counted any part of a year in their estimation of the number of years. So, three years could represent just over a year. But the purpose for telling this is not chronological, as if it is a history lesson. Paul is telling this story to demonstrate that his encounters with church leaders were late, infrequent, and brief - as it relates to his receiving of the gospel, and his call to preach it to the Gentiles. He only sees two people in Jerusalem for a brief amount of time. The churches in Judea had no direct contact with him (how we would interpret the personally unknown phrase). But news of his conversion caused the churches to praise God because of Paul. Paul s conversion did not empty him of his pre-christian zeal. Armed with a gospel rooted in his heart because of a faceto-face encounter with the risen Jesus Christ, Paul redirected his passion from enforcing the law to preaching this gospel. DAY 23: Philippians 3:1-11, The Worth of Saul s Credentials Our other major passage from Paul s letters, where he speaks of his conversion experience, is in Philippians 3. This passage speaks of his conversion in more of an indirect way, as Paul goes into more detail about what he was before the encounter on the road to Damascus, and how this conversion changed Him. He speaks of his credentials prior to his conversion, demonstrating his elite status as a Jew. False teachers are among the Galatians, telling them they must be a practicing Jew in order to be a Christian. This is an issue that will be dealt with by church leaders in Acts 15, when they tackle the question, What are Gentile Christians required to by the leaders of the church who are Jewish? These false teachers are supplementing the Christian faith with a need to submit to Jewish law. Paul speaks against this not Judaism in general, but the supplementing of the Christian faith. He says obedience to the Jewish law can be an avenue to putting confidence in the flesh, which he used to do. Paul is okay with a practicing Jew being a Christian; however, he is not okay with forcing a Christian to be a practicing Jew. So, Paul wants to encourage the Philippians, who are facing this kind of opposition as well as opposition for being Christians, which is leading to suffering. Paul s aim here is to do more than speak against them having to obey the Jewish law. Paul desires to help the Philippians as they try and understand and deal with the suffering. He does

5 this by encouraging them to follow his example: renouncing those things which are contrary to the gospel of Christ, understanding that suffering comes with that confession, resting in the hope that we will participate in the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the end. Paul comes out with both barrels blazing as he addresses these false teachers. He called them dogs. They were not man s best friend back then, but unclean scavengers. He called them evildoers, a word used for those who failed to obey the Torah in the Old Testament. Ironically, Paul uses a word commonly designated for Gentile outsiders to describe these Jewish false teachers. And, he calls them mutilators, referring to their insistence that Christians get circumcised. Paul states they are already the circumcision, implying they have experienced a circumcision of the heart. In the Old Testament, this was a sign of being God s people. Now, instead of that sign being the physical act of circumcision, it is accepting Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! He then speak of confidence in the flesh, a condition he uses other places in this letter and other letters. It means being apart from God, doing things on our own, or being sinful. Paul explains further the concept of confidence in the flesh by saying that he has reason more than any of these false teachers to do so. He was born a Jew, not a convert, since he was circumcised on the 8 th day. Benjamin was the favored son of Jacob, and his tribe was the origin of the first king of Israel. (Ironically, his name was SAUL!) He was taught Hebrew in his home, even though he lived in Greek-speaking territory. Paul states he was a Pharisee, pointing to a great understanding and obedience of the Torah. He speaks of his zeal to destroy the church, not in the sense of his sinfulness and the power of his testimony, but to demonstrate his level of devotion. It was because of this zeal that he persecuted the church, fighting for Jewish purity. All of this Paul would come to understand was off base, but it was not because he wasn t committed to being a Jew. In other words, Paul is saying I was in these false teachers same position and was even better than they were, and I saw it did me no good. I chose the gospel instead. This was all I was about on my way to Damascus. When I came face-to-face with the risen Jesus, I realize it is all worth nothing. He actually calls it all rubbish, a strong word back then that would have referred to human excrement! Everything, all things, anything that can be a source of human confidence and take the place of faith in Jesus Christ has no value when compared to knowing Christ. The OVERWHELMING value of knowing Christ makes everything else worthless. It reminds me of the parables in Matthew that speak of the value of the Kingdom of God. (13:344-46) Whether it was treasure buried in a field or a found pearl, all was sold so that the field or pearl could be purchased. When Paul speaks of knowing Christ, it is about more than intellect or facts. The word here reflects an intimate kind of knowing, a response of loving obedience to God s revelation of Jesus Christ. It points to a deep, personal relationship. Because of God s grace and call on our lives, and our response to Him, a righteousness we seek to create on our own is replaced by a righteousness that is from God and is by faith. Paul speaks in this passage of the difference in these two: our own righteousness is about our upright behavior being the way we are right before God. It leads to confidence in our own background or performance. Righteousness from God, received by faith, is a gift from God to believers, which enables His people to act rightly. Through faith in Christ means that we rely completely on God s saving work through Jesus Christ, and not on anything we can do to deserve God s grace. When Paul speaks of knowing Christ, he says it in three ways: -Power of His Resurrection (spiritually now, in all ways in the future) -Partnership in Sufferings (part of Paul s call, and Paul tells the Philippians it is part of theirs too) -Becoming like Him in his death (cross-shaped lifestyle: humility, obedience, self-emptying love) Sometimes, we can buy into a Christian lifestyle (or preaching) that does not put these together. In that case, we can get power without weakness, success without suffering, prosperity without sacrifice, salvation without discipleship. Paul intentionally puts these together; it s the whole package of what it means to be in relationship with Jesus Christ. And, our means to this knowledge is the grace of God. This is our identifying mark as believers. Regarding these false teachers insistence on these Gentile Christians being practicing Jews, Pau is saying that is not part of their identity. We can add supplements to our identity as well, expecting people to be certain ways or do certain things to be Christian. Some examples of this could be expecting everyone to interpret the Bible in a certain way, or worship in a certain way, or view end times in a certain way, or think a certain way politically. Paul s words to the Philippians should speak to us today, about what it means to know Christ. The identity and accomplishments Saul took with him to Damascus ran full steam into a risen Jesus Christ. Saul was able to see how

6 his zeal has been misplaced. He believed, and his zeal remained, except now it was to spread the gospel. Paul s testimony here is powerful, because of what he was before his conversion and what he became. It is also powerful because the believers in Philippa, and the readers of Acts and all of Paul s letter, know that Paul was faithful to what he preached. He turned away from those things from before that gave him value, because he understood the ultimate value in knowing Christ. DAY 24: Acts 9:20-31, Saul s Ministry Begins In Galatians, Saul stresses that the gospel was not mediated to him by any man. He accepted the gospel solely because of his encounter with a risen Jesus. And, his call to go to the Gentiles was also from God himself. However, it would not be accurate to say that Saul was a renegade, who did this all alone. He needed Ananias to confirm the revelation. Ananias was the conduit of Saul s baptism and infilling of the Spirit. Then it says that Saul spent time with the disciples. They were there for support and encouragement, although they were likely cautious as well! Saul immediately begins to preach the gospel there in the synagogues in Damascus. Despite his miraculous conversion and how he could identify as a fellow Jew, the reception is not as strong as you d expect. At first they express amazement and ask questions, seemingly ambivalent to the message. Then, Saul started to get in trouble. Did he travel to Arabia during this time and preach to Gentiles, and that didn t set well with the Jews there in Damascus? Perhaps. What we know for sure is that Saul s message becomes more and more powerful, and he has the ability to speak to Jews as one of them, so they had to come face to face with a strong Jew like Saul accepting and now preaching the gospel message. It doesn t take long for Saul to suffer for Jesus name, as the Jews there look to kill him. The HUNTER has become the HUNTED. Based on the reference in II Corinthians 15, it seems the Jews there worked with the political leaders to try and get Saul. Although they kept watch to make sure Saul didn t get away, the church community helped Saul escape. Ironically, Saul has to flee Damascus in the same way the believers fled Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen. Saul travels back to Jerusalem where the church there is reluctant to receive him because of his former persecution of the church. They probably were worried Saul was using some covert way to find Christians. They have a hesitation similar to Ananias. As stated earlier, Ananias came around because he believed in an alternative vision of what Saul could be. Someone else is needed to do this for Saul in Jerusalem. Enter Barnabas, the son of encouragement. He stood up and vouched for Saul. The way he tells Saul s story in front of the disciples leads us to believe he sought out Saul to find out firsthand what has happened. No doubt there were stories that came with Saul from Damascus. Barnabas was the one to take the step and believe God could be doing something here, and approach Saul to verify it. Barnabas had a call from God to be a reconciler, a peacemaker; and, he accepted it. It worked. Saul stayed in Jerusalem for a while and preached the good news and debated with the Hellenistic Jews there. (Note: These were the same guys who opposed Stephen, and we know how that turned out!) Soon, Saul was in the same boat as in Damascus people wanted to kill him. The believers sent him away, where he will continue to preach the gospel. Saul s life seems to have become more difficult and complicated when he came to faith in Jesus death threats and rejection by other Jews and even Christians became frequent occurrences in Saul s life. Becoming a Christian does not necessarily make our lives easier often coming to Him in faith makes our lives harder. We should stop and take note of the courage of men like Ananias and Barnabas in this passage, and the role of the Christian community. They helped Saul as he began this ministry and experienced these difficult times. Ananias confirmed the revelation, and invited Saul into the community through baptism and the laying on of hands. The believers in Damascus supported and protected Saul. Barnabas helped Saul gain credibility with the church leaders in Jerusalem. What they were willing to do was no small feat, since Saul s reputation was known as being one who successfully persecuted Christians; plus, to assist Saul would not have been looked at favorably by their peers. It should cause us to be aware that God may call us to have the courage to do something, even in the midst of fear and rejection. The world at this point of chapter 9 is much different that the world at the beginning of the chapter. In the beginning, the church is in crisis because a man named Saul is bent on destroying it. At the end of chapter 9, the church is experiencing peace and is being built up. After all, one of their biggest opponents, Saul, is now on their side. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the church once again experiences growth, and it s not just in Jerusalem.

7 DAY 25: Acts 9:32-43, John 14:12, The Miracles of Peter The last time we saw Peter, he was in Samaria (in chapter 8) speaking some hard truth to Simon the Magician. He and John had gone where Phillip was preaching, to give the apostolic checkmark on the spread of the gospel to the Samaritans. The passage ends with Peter and John returning to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to the Samaritans on their way back. Peter once again enters the book of Acts, and he is traveling around Jerusalem preaching the gospel. In our passage for today, this journey will take him to Lydda and Joppa, back into Samaritan country. In these two places, Peter performs two miracles, very similar to miracles of Jesus that Luke records in his gospel. (Hence our verse from John 14:12, when Jesus told his disciples in the upper room that they would do the same things he did!) But these miracles are not the main course. They are a precursor to something greater. Much like Saul s conversion, we are being setup for Peter, as an apostle, giving authenticity to the call on the Christian church to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Luke wants us to know that the same God who works through Peter to perform these miracles is the same one who will speak to Peter in the next chapter about the mission of the church. (Note: In our reading for today, we see two miracles performed by Peter. Their intent is to bring glory to God. Explicitly in the healing of Aeneas and implicitly with Tabitha, Peter gives the credit to Jesus. In Acts, we see Peter continue to seek God s power and salvation by calling on the name of the Lord. Any healings that take place (medical or supernatural) should not put too much attention on the human vehicle God uses to act. Healing should be a way to point to who God is and turn people to Him, if they believe beyond the miracle itself. For more on miracles, check out Appendix A at the end of this study aid, an excerpt from a study aid from our Essential Jesus series last year.) More detail is given to the second miracle (the raising of Tabitha) versus the first miracle (healing of Aeneas). The second miracle does more to setup the Peter and Cornelius story, beginning in chapter 10. There are some similarities of this first miracle to the one Peter performed in Acts 3 and Jesus performed in Luke 5. The one big difference is the response. In the prior miracles, there is controversy stirred because of Jewish leaders. In this miracle featuring Aeneas, people turned to the Lord. Luke does not tell us whether they were Jewish converts or Gentile converts or both. Some of the language used here is similar to earlier in Acts when referring to Jews turning to God. However, at the least, there is ambiguity, which is likely intentional by Luke. The gospel is spreading out beyond Jerusalem and the Jewish faith. We have already seen Saul receive his mission to preach to the Gentiles, and there is a chance he has already been doing it. However, this is a crucial part of Acts, as Peter represents the apostles, giving authenticity to this mission. We are provided more details on the second miracle. The scene is Joppa, a port city with a large Gentile population. It will be the scene of Peter s vision in Acts 10. Tabitha (also called Dorcas) is a female disciple, and likely a leader in the church there. She had money and helped the needy, fulfilling the mission of the church from Acts 2 & 4. Because of her wealth, she had a larger house (she was laid in a room upstairs) and there is a chance the believers met in her home for church. The presence of widows indicates that Tabitha likely had no family, adding to the sense of loss. Also, these widows were ones that Tabitha helped cared for and/organized into a sewing ministry, as they make it a point to show the clothing Tabitha had made to Peter, expressing how special she was. This miracle has striking similarities to the raising of Jairus daughter in Luke 8: someone seeks out Peter/Jesus and tells Him to come quickly because someone is dying, there are mourners, there is a clearing of the room, there is a command to get up and the offering of a hand to help, and there is a powerful response by those who witness it. The story ends in a non-dramatic way, so it seems. Peter stayed in Joppa with a tanner named Simon. However, this would be a disturbing image for a Jew. As a tanner, Simon would handle dead animals, animal blood, and urine all which scream UNCLEAN! We are left with Peter staying with someone of ambiguous purity, who is connected to the people of God. It gives us a hint that something is different, and we will learn more. Indeed, Joppa will be the scene of an event as pivotal as the conversion of Saul!

8 (passage is in parenthesis) (Note: The Acts Small Group Guide by N.T. Wright contains questions that can assist you as you lead your small group. Below are some additional questions you might find helpful.) (Acts 9:1-20) What got Saul s attention on the road to Damascus? What can we learn from how he responded to what happened to him? (Acts 9:1-20) What does this passage teach us about God? About people? How was God s power revealed in Saul s life? How do we need this power in our lives and in the church today? (Acts 9:1-20) The Damascus Road for Paul was a burning bush moment? God got his attention, and revealed what He wanted to do IN Saul s life and THROUGH Saul s life. What have been significant burning bush moments in your life? (Acts 9:1-20) Saul was passionate for God, but his passion caused him to work against God s purposes. Can you think of examples of this from history, or in our current world today? How do we, as believers, avoid this? (Acts 9:1-20) Why is it helpful to share our stories with others? What is your story? How does it fit into God s story? (Acts 9:1-20) Describe your own conversion experience. Was it sudden, more of a long-term process, or are you still trying to figure it out? Where are you in your journey with Jesus? (Acts 9:1-20) What stands out about Ananias? In what way did Ananias minister to Saul? How does this speak to our role as believers in the church community? (Acts 9:1-20) Think of a time when God used you to minister to someone else. What did you do? How can you minister to someone who has not yet experienced God s saving power? (Galatians 1:10-24) In verse 10, Paul talks about the difference in pleasing people vs. pleasing God. How does our passage demonstrate his desire was to please God? In what ways can we look at our life and figure out if we are seeking to please people or please God? (Galatians 1:10-24) Why is it important that Paul came to believe because he saw a resurrected Jesus? Is it the same for us as believers today? (Galatians 1:10-24) Paul describes his experiences, prior to receiving the gospel, as his former life. How has the gospel made an impact on your life? Can you distinguish your former life from your time in Christ (v 13)? (Galatians 1:10-24) People are often deceived to think they are serving God, when in reality they are serving man (v13-14). What traditions must we be weary of, and how do we keep from becoming zealous for things that don t fall in line with Christ s gospel? (Galatians 1:10-24) Paul went from persecutor to preacher, and people glorified God because of this change. Has the Holy Spirit s changes in you life led others to glorify God? (1:24) (Philippians 3:1-11) In chapter three Paul addresses the value of human achievement. What is one of your biggest achievements? Or what is one skill that that you could brag about? In what ways do you feel like you are a strong Christian? How can you know if these are becoming a form of your own righteousness?

9 (Philippians 3:1-11) Paul describes what he was passionate about prior to his conversion and then he considered those things rubbish now. What were you passionate about before surrendering your life to Christ? What does it mean to say that you now view these things as rubbish? (Philippians 3:1-11) The false teachers were saying that the Philippians need to do things like circumcision, because they should be practicing Jews. Are there ways that we tell people in the church they should be that are not necessary pieces of being a Christian? What kinds of things can we make as important as believing in Jesus, and supplement our faith in way that makes it our creation or about what we do? (Philippians 3:1-11) What does Paul mean by knowing Christ in this passage? How do you think your life would be different if knowing Christ was your primary goal? What does it mean that it is about power, suffering, and surrender? Do we sometimes make it just about the power and success? How do we keep from doing that? (Acts 9:10-31) Who have been the most helpful spiritual mentors to you? Why? What would you say are the qualities of a good spiritual mentor? (Acts 9:10-19a) (Acts 9:20-31) Are there people who have rejected or opposed you because of your Christian faith? What happened? What do you think is the most effective response to being rejected for being a follower of Jesus? Share some examples. (Acts 9:20-31) Where do we need to be a Barnabas in the world around us? Where is there hostility or misunderstanding that can use reconciliation and peace and understanding? (Acts 9:32-43) Why is it significant that Peter performed miracles like Jesus did in the gospels? What do these miracles say about God? What do they say about Peter? (Acts 9:32-43) What do you think about healing today? Does it still happen? How can we know if a healing ministry is legitimate, that is, truly of God? You can use the following questions for any of the passages. They can help to get discussion moving on a passage, sum up the message for the week, and help tie things off for your small group time. -What stands out to you from this passage? -What questions do you have after reading the passage? -Pick a person from the passage or think about the reader: What would it feel like to be in their shoes? -What do we learn about God from this passage? -What do we learn about ourselves this passage? -How might God be working in a similar way today as He is in the passage? -How might we be acting in a similar way today as the person or persons in this passage? -What should be our response after reading this passage? -How does the Scripture we have read and our discussions speak to us about current events and issues?

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11 (References for this material include the a Study Aid for Week #3 of our E100 New Testament Series, plus, The Essential Jesus: 100 Readings Through the Bible s Greatest Story, by Whitney T. Kuniholm.)