Saul preached Christ after his conversion (Acts 9:20-31) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Saul preached Christ after his conversion (Acts 9:20-31)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music

Scriptures reading (Acts 9:20-31kjv)

 

²⁰ And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

²¹ But all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?

²² But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.

²³ And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him;

²⁴ But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.

²⁵Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.

²⁶And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples:but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the ay, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

²⁸ And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

²⁹ And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Gracians:but they went about to slay him.

³⁰ Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

³¹ Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walkin gin the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

 

Through Ananias’s placing his hands on Saul, Paul is identified with the people he had been persecuting. After many days had gone by. Druing this time Paul went to Arabia (Gal.1:17) so that three years elapsed between his conversion and his going to Jerusalem (Acts9:26). Acts 9:31 Since at that time the church had spread only to the regions of Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and since the word whole covers all the places where the church existed, church in singular is used here in the universal sense, although there must have been churches in the local sense in a number of the cities of these three regions. They had peace inwardly, although there was persecution outwardly. The church is afraid not of being persecuted outwardly but of not having peace inwardly, for only when there is peace can there be the building up. The building up proceeded after the establishing of the church. Not in the fear of men, although there were persecutions, but in the fear of the Lord lest the church offend the Lord by being put down or even subdued by the persecution, and lest she offend Him in other things. “comfort” indicating that the church was suffering affliction through the persecutions, in which she feared the Lord and enjoyed the comfort of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Bibliography,

King James, The Holy Bible (KJV), Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.