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Joining a Family
Acts 9:22-31
Have you ever become a part of another family. I have joined two families besides the family I was born inot. When I married Lydia, I joined her family and when I became a Christian I joined the family of God. It has been great being a part of three families.
This morning we have three parts to the text. We have Saul working in Damascus as a disciple of Jesus; next we have him going to Jerusalem to meet with leaders there and then we have a reference to the activities of the church.
When Saul believe in Jesus, his life was transformed. He was not content to enjoy his own Christianity but with a burning passion he went to those who had not yet experienced the tremendous transformation which Jesus brings into our lives. He went to those who knew him and the Old Testament best. He went to the synagogue and sought to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus was God and that Jesus must be worshipped and followed.
Saul did not look for a life of ease. He knew there would be opposition from his fellow Jews but they of all people could best understand about the Messiah. He discussed with them the Old Testament and the truths of Jesus. Saul left them and went to Arabia. Gal 1:17,18 In Arabia he spent time thinking and reflecting about Jesus.
Often in the life of a leader there is time for reflection and study. John went to the wilderness and later began his ministry there. Jesus went off into the wilderness and was tempted. Saul went to the wilderness and worked through his understanding of the scriptures and perhaps was even taught by Jesus himself. He certainly was guided by the Holy Spirit. As Christians we
sometimes go through a time of reflection after we believe in Jesus. For some this time is longer than others. We are not to stay in this state forever.
Saul went back to Damascus after he had worked out more of his understanding of the Bible and debated more with the Jewish leaders at the synagogue. It appears from verse 18 in Galatians 1 that Saul preached and debated with the Jews in Damascus for three years before they actually threatened his life. Saul had a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament. He had probably memorized much of it. Today we depend on the written text but in Saul's day they did not have
individual Bibles. The children memorized and studied the Bible at the synagogue. Because of this background he was able to use the Bible skilfully to debate with the leaders. These leaders were as proud and Saul and been and refused to admit defeat. Instead they tried to kill Saul to win this debate. Saul was being effective and instead of admitting he was right the leaders
turned to violence.
The Christians helped Saul escape from the walled city by lowering him over the wall in a large basket. By this time Saul had been a Christian for at least three years but had not even met the leaders in Jerusalem. Saul returned to the place where he had killed Christians and put many in jail. It is not surprising that the Christians were suspicious and cautious when Saul came to visit. Was he a double agent? The Christians were suspicious until Barnabas, the son of Encouragement as he was called, belived Saul and accepted Him. Barnabas paved the way for Saul to meet with Peter, James and John.
If you had a chance to visit with Peter what would your first question be? Just think if you had 2 weeks with Peter what a glorious learning experience that would be. We would have Peter share the truths he learned from the Master Jesus. We would want to learn from Peter what Jesus taught and did. That would be wonderful wouldn't it? Did you know that you can visit with Peter? You can learn from Peter some of the most important teachings of Jesus. Peter wrote two
letters. I wonder if you know what he wrote about. Perhaps we should all take some time and read these wonderful letters Peter wrote to Christians.
Saul did not spend his whole time with Peter however moved about Jerusalem visiting the synagogues where Stephen had debated with the Grecian Jews. These Grecian Jews also tried to kill Saul and so he escaped a second time. He travelled to the coast of the Mediterranean and headed north to Tarsus, his hometown. Here he stayed with his family and no doubt diligently told them about Jesus and all the wonderful experiences he had had as a Christian.
Just as God allows times of persecution to come to the church, He also hears the cries of the saints and brings about times of peace. Our family has been been reading the stories in the book of Judges after supper in our devotional time. When the people turned to God and followed him, God granted them peace but there were times of persecution as well. We in this country are
lining in peace. This afternoon the young people will watch the movie Kairei. This is a touching (moving) video about the time when Japan killed anyone who was or became a Christian.
Times of peace and be a blessing if used properly. The church used this time to build up one another and to grow in faith. As the church was being multiplied by God there were two areas in which the church focussed it's attention: They stressed the fear of the Lord and the comfort or exhortation of the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to live in the fear of the Lord? This has two meanings. One - we fear God because of his greatness and holiness. This fear is one of awe and wonder of a great and marvelous creator. God loves us. Many times we are not very lovable. We are cranky, ungrateful and irritated. We are not easy to live with. Still God loves us even in that condition. This certainly is something strange and something to marvel or fear. Fear has the sense of
worship and reverence.
The second kind of fear comes from the knowledge that God will one day judge us. Although we do not fear the judgement day as we know our confessed sins are forgiven we need to live pure and holy lives. God wants us to live according to the laws in the Bible - not so that we will escape Hell but because those laws are principles which will help us to live the abundant live here on earth. However, God sees and knows our every action. Not only does God see us
but Hebrews 12:1-3 says that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. Therefore we should get rid of wrong in our life and think about Jesus and the sacrifice he paid for our purity. We only decieve ourselves if we think that no one sees our rebellious actions.
The Holy Spirit works to enforce and strengthen our conscience. Our conscience tells us when things are wrong. If we are sensitive to the Spirit we will get rid of wrong-doing in our life. It is not just doing bad things but not doing what is right. David asked God to search his heart and point out wrong in his life. The Holy Spirit acts as a comforter and encourager. He
encourages us to do what is right and warns us when we do wrong. We need to walk in the Spirit and we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
If there is sin in your life this morning you will need to confess it and ask God to cleanse us. Jesus died on the cross to take our punishment for our sin. Jesus will forgive your sin and send the Holy Spirit to renew our lives and guide us into all truth. With the Holy Spirit as our counsellor we can live the abundant life and enjoy the fulness of the Spirit. We will experience a
life of peace and freedom in Jesus Christ.
Saul boldly proclaimed the message of Jesus. He had however studied the Bible diligently and spent time thinking and understanding the scriptures. We cannot be good witnesses if we only take a few minutes each day to read the Bible. We need to take time to study and work on answers which people ask about Christianity.
The early church experienced a wonderful time growing in the Lord. The foundation was laid and they built a strong building to glorify God. Many people became a part of the church and they lived holy and pure lives. They experienced the strengthening and encouragement of God in their daily lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. It was a wonderful time and the people I
am sure rejoiced greatly. Let us be thankful for what God has done and is doing all around us in the lives of our family and friends. Let us be bold to witness and see many people experience the same joy that we have in believing and following Jesus.
CFC 9/26/82 WHC 1/15/88
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