Saul arrives in Jerusalem
Acts 9:26-30; 7/23/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Saul left Jerusalem three years ago to carry out the mission of the high priest, which was to arrest Christians. After Saul met God on the road to Damascus, he stayed in the Arabian wilderness for another three years. This was the first time Saul returned to Jerusalem after he believed in the Lord (Galatians 1:18). What kind of trials will he face in Jerusalem? Let’s look at the first point:
Disappointment of longing for fellowship
Everyone’s life will carry his own historical traces and different experiences of spiritual life, including hope and disappointment, fear and reconstruction, rejection and acceptance. First, hope and disappointment. Saul should have the same experience as most new believers, that is, he looks forward to establishing a good fellowship in the church and enjoying a good relationship with the Lord. However, it usually turns out that how great the hope is, how much the disappointment will be. Originally thinking that everyone in the church was a “perfect person”, loving, tolerant, compassionate, wise, gracious, and capable. Anyway, how good and how perfect can be imagined. The Lord Jesus also said: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)” As a result, the brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem church were afraid of Saul when they saw him, avoided him, and were unwilling to make friends with him. Have you ever thought that at this moment, God puts hope and disappointment into the church at the same time, how He will make all things work together for the benefit of those who love God?
Second, fear and reconstruction. Where does man’s fear come from? Is it just because Saul brought it? If we can think further, we will think of the first ancestors, Adam and Eve, who hid in the bushes because of fear after they sinned. right? A series of curses and trials followed including the Tower of Babel, the Exodus, the Book of Judges, the history of the kingdom, the division of the northern and southern kingdoms, captivity and return, until the incarnation of the Lord, death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead. God’s purpose is to bring people out of fear and rebuild the relationship between God and man through His great love on the cross. Therefore, the fear of Saul by the brothers and sisters in the Jerusalem church and the testimony of Saul’s life became a drama of God’s glory for the world and angels to watch.
Finally, rejection and acceptance. Think about how the Lord Jesus was rejected by his own people, and Saul was rejected by the people in the church in Jerusalem. Isn’t it reasonable? A student cannot be higher than a teacher. How can the teacher be rejected and the student not be rejected? Who among those who belong to the Lord, follow the Lord, and serve the Lord have not experienced rejection? Therefore, when we are rejected by others for the sake of the Lord, we should feel the glory, the glory and gratitude we experience with the Lord. Looking back on my own process of serving the Lord, I do not lack the experience of being rejected. Painful at the time, but full of joy afterwards. Our trump card is the Lord’s acceptance of us. His selection of us was in the beginning, before the creation of the world, in His Son, Christ Jesus. This is also the reason why we can have peace of mind and certainty in spirit. Let’s look at the second point:
God prepares Barnabas
Blocking the door of the church in Jerusalem to accept Saul, Barnabas is a window God gave Saul. In short, God will not give His children a dead end. I hope this sentence can become the core value of our life, otherwise, once we encounter storms, we will panic. First, Barnabas took Saul. Undoubtedly, the strengths in Barnabas’ life made it seem like Saul was being helped in a timely manner. Barnabas, whose original name was Joseph, was an alias given to him by the apostles, meaning “Son of Encouragement”, which was also a gift from God. What is the difference between a gift and a talent? The key is that the original drive is different! A person’s talents change because of changing conditions, but gifts come from the Holy Spirit. Persevere because of the inspiration of God, and not change due to changes in time and space. Judging from the gifts of exhortation and encouragement that God bestowed on Barnabas, as long as he found someone in need of encouragement, he would be obliged to give a helping hand, and he would never be stingy. It seems that there is a fire in my heart, and if he doesn’t help or encourage others, it’s like a red-hot iron rod burning in his bones.
Second, introduce Saul to the apostles. When Barnabas learned about Saul’s condition, he helped him in every way he could. Saul’s greatest need was to remove obstacles and give Saul the opportunity to build trust and restore relationships with the church. The Bible says: “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:27)” Barnabas represented Saul, and in front of Saul, he bore a wonderful testimony for God. This is the testimony of Saul’s salvation, calling, and serving. This is actually how the church recognizes every newcomer to the church today. The church’s understanding of a believer is measured and recognized by the relationship between the believer and God.
Finally, go in and out with the disciples. In chapter 9 verse 28, “So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem. (Acts 9:28)” This verse is the first half of a complete sentence, and the scribes who were copied, collated, and translated included this half of the words as a single verse, with ulterior motives. Explain that God finally achieved His goal through Barnabas’ comfort and encouragement to Saul, fellowship with the apostles, and testimony of Saul. From then on, Saul had the opportunity to come and go with the disciples. Do you think Saul can go out and preach the gospel on his own, regardless of what the church thinks? Don’t tell me, it’s really not good! Any ministry that leaves the church is a personal act of breaking away from the body of Christ. Maybe the Lord will say to him in the future: “I don’t know you!” Let’s look at the third point:
Meet the inevitability of persecution
Since ancient times, the children of God have had a high probability of being persecuted. Of course, there are those who do not need to encounter persecution, that is, they do not testify for the Lord and do not preach the gospel. Even cooperating with those antichrists, being informants, undercover churches, and destroying the body of Christ. First, in the name of the Lord. To serve in the name of the Lord means to do everything in the name of the Lord. This is very important to us, because if we do not walk in the name of the Lord in one thing, it is tantamount to leaving a breach for Satan. Satan is very good at using our cultural traditions to bind and control us, such as our Analects, Sanzijing, Zengguangxianwen, etc. Unknowingly, it is easy to equate secular culture, civilization, etc. with the Bible, and even think that the Bible alone is not enough, and traditional culture is needed to supplement it. What’s more, gradually, people don’t pay so much attention to the Bible, but pay more attention to things other than the Bible, neglecting the other, and finally fall short of the glory of God!
Second, preach with boldness. Bold preaching is the fruit of doing everything in the name of the Lord. Paul said in Colossians: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)” I want to emphasize that preaching can be a speech, but preaching is never a speech. In layman’s terms, preaching means living in the name of the Lord in everything. Of course, this living is not that living. Why be bold? Because the word we preach is greater than the life within us! It is not commensurate, if it is not for the grace of God to support us, people will not be able to spread the word of the Lord!
Finally, face the danger. After Moses died, Joshua was weak in heart, so God said to him: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)” This is true for all the children of God throughout the ages, who must choose to be strong and courageous in the face of all kinds of dangers. The same is true of Saul, whose Hebrew theology and Greek philosophy are both excellent. Especially for the Greek-speaking Jews, the evangelism through debate was very effective. Since they were not able to win over Saul in debate, seeing that they were often at a disadvantage in speeches and refutations. So, they wanted to kill Saul. No one has the right to take the lives of God’s children when God’s time is not up. The Bible records, saying: “When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. (Acts 9:30)”
Conclusion
Well, dear brothers and sisters, Saul arrived in Jerusalem and established a life relationship with the church. From then on, embark on a road of eternal life, a road of evangelism, and a road of mission!
Let us pray……
Acts 9:26-30
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.
30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
