Saul was headed to Damascus to shut down Jesus's Church in that city by arresting all the followers of "The Way". By this point the prisons must have been full. He personally wanted all these "Christians" dead. His anger toward their treacherous ways ran deep in him. God knew Saul's heart. He knew that Saul just needed a new perspective to do the right thing. He knew that once Saul had that new perspective that he would be an unstoppable force for "The Way".
While he was on the road a sudden flash of light came from Heaven. It encased Saul and fell to his knees. For the moments that Saul was encased in the pure light, Jesus spoke to him. Jesus asked Saul why he was persecuting Him? Jesus ordered Saul to enter Damascus and wait for instructions.
Saul came undone in those moments. Everything he knew came lose and had to come back together differently. This all happened in a matter of a few seconds. His men were wordless. They had no idea what really happened. All they knew was it looked like Saul was struck by lightning and now could not see. They heard a voice of some sort, but saw no one. It was all just too bizarre to comprehend.
Saul was blind for three day forcing him to rely on other people. For a proud person, that is very difficult thing to do. He had to be led into the city. Once he was settled he refused to eat or drink. It was a fast of desperately seeking guidance, maybe more detailed answers, from God. However, God had given Saul all he was going to give at the time of the encounter. Now the rest would need to be played out through faith.
God sent Ananias to him to answer some of Saul's questions. This was a huge leap of faith for Ananias. God was sending him into the lion's den. Saul was known and feared by the Church of The Way, but Ananias went faithfully. When Ananias came and laid hands on Saul, Saul's sight was restored. This was a miracle for Saul because he did not know if his sight would ever return. I think God took it away to force Saul to be still and listen. At this moment, Saul had the Holy Spirit fill him and he was completely changed.
When Saul's sight was returned, he wanted to be baptized immediately. The message had come through and scales of deceit had fallen away. His perspective was forever changed. He saw everything clearly now. After he was baptized, he ate to restore his strength and became Paul because he was a new man now (spiritual rebirth). He stayed in Damascus with the disciples of "The Way". He began preaching immediately. He could not be contained.
This was the old church's worst nightmare. One of their strongest leaders had converted. Now Paul was going to synagogues preaching for "The Way". How could this happen. They needed to destroy Paul before too many people found out the truth. However, Paul's transformation had a huge impact on anyone who knew anything about current events. It caught a lot of attention from the world and the Christian world.
Paul grew in power and conviction, but people could see the change in him. Instead of fearing him, they were now hiding him. What a transformation. He went from a dedicated persecutor to one of the strongest advocates for Jesus. He used his past to help him open doors instead of being consumed by guilt.
When he returned to Jerusalem, the Jews still feared him. They had not witnessed his change. They had to accept it by faith and having faith in people can be risky. Barnabas took this leap of faith and opened the doors to the secret Christian world to him.
For a time the church lived in peace as a community. It was short lived, but it was what they needed and they took what they could. There was peace in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. During this time the Christians grew stronger and were encouraged by the Holy Spirit. Their numbers continued to increase.
Peter traveled and visited the saints. He healed people as he went and gathered more to follow Jesus. He encouraged female disciples to grow in their ministries. Two of those disciples were Dorcas and Sharon. He brought Dorcas, back from the dead through prayer. If you didn't think prayer had power, now you know the truth.
Peter stayed in Joppa preaching and became a leather tanner too. It can help the church to learn new trades because while you learn, you have conversations. He chose a position that went against the Jewish culture. Tanners were considered impure because they touched dead animals. He was enjoying his spiritual freedom.
Acts 9
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