Continued Expansion of the Church

• The church's expansion from Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria was a significant step in the development of its mission.
• Philip's evangelistic ministry in Samaria was the first time since Pentecost that the gospel was preached to non-Jewish people.
• Peter and John's ministry to the newborn church in Samaria demonstrated that not only could non-Jews be saved and fully included in the family of God, but by being filled with the Spirit, they could also become full participants in the mission of God.
• In Samaria the church began its transition from a localized Jewish sect into the worldwide omni-cultural missionary institution that Jesus intended it to be.
• In this chapter, the church will take yet another giant step forward in fulfilling its missionary mandate to take the gospel to "the ends of the earth".
• The conversion and empowering of Saul of Tarsus will prepare the way for him to become God's instrument in opening wide the door to Gentile inclusion in the family and mission of God.
• Since Saul's infilling with the Spirit occurred in the city of Damascus, we call it the Damascene outpouring. It is the fourth of seven key outpourings of the Holy Spirit in Acts, and the second of three outpourings occurring during the transitional period (see Table 2.1).
• Like the Samaritan outpouring, the Damascene outpouring helped to prepare the church for its upcoming Gentile mission.

Saul of Tarsus continued to persecute the church in Jerusalem. Then, upon hearing of a group of Christians in the Syrian city of Damascus, he obtained official permission from the high priest to go there to arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem as prisoners.

As he and his party neared the city of Damascus, Jesus appeared to them in brilliant light, blinding Saul and causing him to fall to the ground. The Lord called out to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul replied. The voice responded, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

The men with Saul heard the sound, although they did not understand what was happening. They led him by the hand into the city, where he remained blind for three days. During that time he neither ate nor drank.

• Luke again focuses the reader's attention on Saul of Tarsus. Previously, in Acts chapter 7, Saul was seen giving his assent to the murder of Stephen, and in chapter 8, he began to violently persecute and destroy the church.
• Now, on the Damascus road, the direction of Saul's life was dramatically altered. There, he had a powerful, life-changing encounter with the resurrected Christ.
• The arch-persecutor of the church suddenly became its ardent proclaimer.

9:1 Saul was still breathing out murderous threats

• In Jerusalem Saul had been systematically moving from house to house, capturing believers and putting them into prison (8:3).
• He later described his work in this way: "I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison" (22:4).
• On another occasion he said, "I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them" (26:10-11).

9:3 Suddenly a light from heaven

• This phrase echoes the phrase in 2:2: "Suddenly a sound... from heaven."

The Lord appeared in a vision to a disciple named Ananias. He told Ananias to go to the house of Justus, who lived on Straight Street. There he should inquire for Saul, whom he would find in prayer. The Lord also informed Ananias that Saul had seen a vision. In the vision he had seen a man by the name of Ananias coming to him and healing him of his blindness.

At first Ananias objected, since he had heard stories of how Saul had been persecuting the saints in Jerusalem and how Saul had come to Damascus to arrest Christians there. The Lord, however, assured him by telling him that Saul was His chosen instrument to proclaim His name among the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.

Obeying the Lord, Ananias went to the house of Justus. There, he laid his hands on Saul, calling him "Brother." He told Saul how Jesus had sent him to pray with him that he might be healed and be filled with the Spirit. When Ananias laid his hands on Saul, he was immediately healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Saul was then baptized in water. After he had eaten and regained his strength, Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.

• The story of Saul's conversion and Spirit-baptism is an important episode in Acts. It sets the stage for the final sixteen chapters of the book, where Paul's ministry takes center stage.
• Later in Acts, Paul will on two occasions refer back to this incident (22:4-21; 26:12-23).
• Saul's being filled with the Spirit is unique among the seven key outpourings of the Spirit in Acts in that in this instance, only one person is filled with the Spirit.
• We should not, however, underestimate its importance. Saul's being filled with the Spirit is a key event in his preparation as the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles and in fulfilling the Gentile mission (see Table 2.1).

9:10 A disciple named Ananias

• Ananias was not an apostle (the Greek text literally calls him "a certain disciple"), and there is no indication that he was even a local church officer in Damascus.
• He was simply a Spirit-filled believer in Christ. He was, nevertheless, a man of high character and good reputation (22:12).
• We also know that he was full of the Spirit since he heard the voice of the Lord and since he prayed with Saul to be healed and filled with the Spirit.

9:11 Saul... is praying

• Luke again emphasizes the role of prayer in receiving the Spirit.

When Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit, he immediately began to preach the gospel in the synagogues of Damascus. Because of the great change in his life, the people wondered if he was the same man they had heard about in Jerusalem. As the days went by, Saul became ever more powerful in his witness for Christ. After some time the Jews in Damascus plotted to assassinate Saul; however, he was able to escape.

Saul then went to Jerusalem where he sought fellowship with the believers there. They too were afraid of him, unsure that he had really become a Christian. Barnabas interceded for him and brought him to the apostles in Jerusalem. He told them the story of Saul's conversion and powerful witness for Christ in Damascus.

In Jerusalem, Saul continued his ministry for Christ, moving about freely and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He also spent time debating with the Greek Jews, who plotted to kill him. When the brothers learned about this plot, they took him to Caesarea. From there, he sailed to Tarsus, his hometown.

9:20 At once he began to preach

• As a result of his being filled with the Spirit, Saul "at once" began to preach the gospel.
• Here is another example of how Luke purposefully combines the two ideas of empowerment and witness throughout Acts. The pattern is consistent: every time the Spirit is poured out, witness results.
• As previously stated, we call this pattern Luke's empowerment-witness motif. It helps us to understand Luke's primary intent in writing Acts.
• Note that the content of Saul's preaching is the message of Christ, for he went about "proving that Jesus is the Christ" (v. 22).

9:22 Saul grew more and more powerful

• This phrase is an indication that Saul remained full of the Holy Spirit.
• As he daily yielded to the Spirit's influence in his life, he grew ever more powerful in ministry.

9:28 In Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord

• Being full of the Holy Spirit, Saul's bold witness continued even after he left Damascus and went to Jerusalem.

After Saul was converted, the churches in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. As the Spirit continued to work in the lives of the disciples in these regions, the church was strengthened and grew in numbers, and believers lived in the fear of the Lord.

9:31 Encouraged by the Holy Spirit

• Believers throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria continued to move under the Spirit's guidance and direction. As they did, they received help and strength from the Spirit.
• This is the only passage in Acts where the Greek word paraklēsis is used in relationship to the Holy Spirit.
• It reminds us of Jesus' words in John 14 to 16 concerning the Counselor (Paraklētos, also translated "Comforter" or "Helper").
• There, Jesus promised His disciples that when the Paraklētos came, He would dwell in them (14:17), empower them to do "greater works" (v. 12), teach them all things (v. 26), testify concerning Christ (15:26), aid them in evangelism (16:6-11), guide them into all truth (v. 13), and bring glory to Christ (v. 14).

Grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord

• As at the beginning, the church continued to experience both quantitative growth ("grew in numbers") and qualitative growth ("living in the fear of the Lord"); compare 2:41-47; 4:31-35.

The storyline of Acts turns again to Peter, recounting his itinerant ministry in northwestern Judea. He traveled to the town of Lydda where he healed Aeneas, a Christian brother who had been paralyzed for a long time. Because of this miracle, everyone living in Lydda and in the nearby village of Sharon turned to the Lord.

In the coastal town of Joppa, there lived a disciple by the name of Tabitha (or Dorcas). She was known and loved for her good works. She became ill and died, so the believers sent to Lydda for Peter. When he arrived in Joppa, Peter entered the upper room where they had laid her, and he said to her, "Tabitha, get up." The dead woman opened her eyes and sat up.

Upon hearing about this miracle, many people in Joppa believed in the Lord. Peter remained in Joppa for some time, staying at the house of Simon the tanner.

• Months after the initial outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, Peter continued to minister in the power of the Spirit.
• His charismatic ministry in northwestern Judea gives us insight into how the apostles engaged in pastoral care.

9:34 Jesus Christ heals you

• As Jesus often did, Peter speaks a healing word to the sick man.
• His words show that Jesus continued His healing ministry even after His ascension (compare Hebrews 13:8).
• As at the Beautiful Gate, Peter was again ministering under the Spirit's direction. The Spirit must have revealed to him the fact that Christ was at that moment healing Aeneas. Peter simply stated the fact that it was happening.

9:35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord

• Peter's Spirit-empowered healing ministry in word and deed opened the hearts of the residents of Lydda and Sharon to receive the gospel and turn to the Lord.

9:40 Tabitha, get up

• Peter healed Tabitha through the spoken word. This method of healing the sick has been called a "command of faith".
• Jesus often used this method in healing the sick (compare Luke 6:8, 10; 7:11-15; 8:53-54; 18:40-43; John 5:8-9).

• As the days went by, the early disciples continued to move in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• They also remained committed to fulfilling Christ's mission of preaching the gospel to the lost.
• Jesus had told them that they would be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
• They had preached the gospel and established churches throughout Jerusalem, Judea, Galilee, and Samaria.
• The Holy Spirit was now preparing them to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.

• Saul was saved when he met the resurrected Christ. It is the same today.
• To be saved, one must also have a personal encounter with the living Christ.
• Not everyone's experience will be as dramatic as Saul's; nevertheless, it is essential that each person meets Christ personally.
• As ministers of the gospel, our primary job is to call people to faith in Him. They can meet Christ personally by repenting of their sins and putting their trust in Him alone for salvation.

• First, the example of Ananias teaches us that God can use anyone who will be filled with the Spirit and will remain open and obedient to His instructions.
• Although Ananias was a layman, God used him to pray for a future apostle to receive the Spirit and be healed.
• Second, this story also helps us to understand the great significance of even one person being filled with the Holy Spirit.
• We should not be discouraged on those occasions when we pray with people, and only one, or just a few, are filled. One or more of those few may, like Saul of Tarsus, become a powerful witness for Christ.

• The primary purpose of Spirit baptism is empowerment for witness.
• Christ does not pour His Spirit out on us primarily for our own personal blessing (though many blessings may come from our being filled with the Spirit), but to impart into us the desire, boldness, and ability to effectively proclaim Christ to the lost.
• This is why it is essential that every believer be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
• As we daily yield ourselves to the Spirit, our usefulness for Christ becomes greater and greater.

• As we move in the Spirit, we can expect Him to come to us to encourage and enable us in our Christian lives and ministries.
• As we follow His leading, the church will grow in number and in its relationship with the Lord.

• As ministers of the gospel, we, like Peter, should seek to imitate the ministry of Jesus in word and in deed.
• We must always direct people toward Christ. The purpose of miracles is not to attract attention to ourselves, but to point people to the Savior. Only He can meet their deepest spiritual needs.
• Like Peter, we must at all times remain full of the Spirit and open to His directions.