Acts 9:1-2 The Wayward Body

Acts 9:1-2

1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.

The Christian church grew after Christ ascended into His heavenly kingdom in Acts chapter 1. In Acts chapter 2, the church of Christ grew even more so, as the disciples of the Lord depended more on His spirit and less on Him in the flesh. One was a church calling themselves The Way. The church of Christ did not have any denomination in the first century; it only followed the word of the Lord. Jesus said in John 14:4 that He “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” the followers of Christ in the first century totally believed and lived that Way. Saul, known as the apostle Paul, was Jewish and rejected Jesus as Lord and hated His followers. Saul asked the high priest for warrants to arrest the followers of Christ, and if they did not surrender, Saul wanted permission to execute them. Saul thought he was doing the will of Father God but was deceived by false teaching, and the Lord knew Saul loved Him but had to show him the light. In verse 3 of Acts chapter 9, Saul is knocked off his horse by the light of Jesus and asks Saul, why are you hurting your Lord? Because Saul had a zeal for God, he did not know he was hurting his Lord, so he had to ask how am I doing this?

Acts 9:3 Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

The Lord corrects those He loves and those who love Him, showing Saul the error of his way was for his good. It was also suitable for the Christian Church. Saul became a powerful instrument for the Lord, preaching and teaching the gospel message as much as possible in his time and after his lifetime. Acts chapter 9 begins by saying Saul wanted permission to arrest or kill those who followed the Way of Jesus Christ. Before Acts chapter 9 is over, Saul is preaching to the followers of Christ that Jesus is the Lord. 

Acts 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, we were enemies of the Lord before we became saints. But the Lord can and will take the worst of sinners and direct them to the correct way to live. He showed Saul the light, and now the Christian church has 14 books of the Holy Bible that Paul wrote. The Lord showed me His holy light, and I am teaching you God’s word. I have had an evil past, and I still feel like the chief of sinners. My goal in life is the same as Paul’s: to live by the Lord’s way and teach you; you should also do that. God bless you all; the Lord Jesus Christ loves you, and so do I. His humble bondservant, Samuel Jerry Head.

Acts 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.” 2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he said, 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, 5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brothers and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished. 6 “But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 And those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11 But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me. 12 “Now a certain Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and well-spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I looked up at him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from His mouth. 15 For you will be a witness for Him to all people of what you have seen and heard.