Saul of Tarsus

May 28, 2023 Background Scripture: Acts 9:1 - 31 Lesson Passage: Acts 9:9 - 17 The greatest Christians I have known, or read about, all had testimonies of deliverance. The greater the deliverance experienced the greater the testimony. Many started as skeptics concerning religion before their deliverance. Religious practices just seemed to be the social activity of choice for people of various faiths. Saul of Tarsus may be the most well-known of all religious skeptics. To make matters worse, he was a person of faith. It is one thing to dismiss all religions; it is something else to embrace a religion and dismiss all others. Saul embraced Judaism and dismissed all other religions as heathenish, or superstition. Judaism was established by God the Creator through the lineage of Abram the Syrian. Judaism was a prophetic religion that pointed towards God's ultimate fulfillment of mankind' s deliverance through a Messiah. Over time, adherents of Judaism began to accept Judaism as though it was God's ultimate fulfillment itself. There was no room, or tolerance, for anything besides Judaism. Even after God sent the Messiah, they refused to accept Him because accepting Him seemed to veer too far off course from what they understood and practiced. They seemed to be so busy looking for the Messiah that they had no time to accept Him after He arrived. Saul of Tarsus had risen through the ranks of Judaism as a young man. He became a fierce defender of Judaism. He vigorously opposed what he believed to be a threat to Judaism. Saul went so far as to have offenders arrested, and some were even stoned to death with his consent. If offenders were seen as a threat to Judaism, they were seen by Saul as enemies of God. As the newest faith began to spread among the Jews, Saul made it his personal mission to seek out followers of "the Way" and have them prosecuted—or persecuted if need be. It was the work of Saul that caused the members of the Jerusalem congregation of Christians to be scattered away from Jerusalem. Only the apostles were left in Jerusalem. As the members of the congregation fled Jerusalem for their lives, they continued to proclaim salvation through Jesus Christ everywhere they went. Saul' s persecution of the Christians was having the opposite effect from what he intended. Saul was trying to stop the spread of that new religious movement, however, what he did aided in the propagation of it. Saul learned about a group of Christians in Damascus. He secured letters from the high priest that authorized him to arrest them. While traveling to Damascus, Saul had an amazing encounter that was hard for him to comprehend. The Supreme Architect of "the Way', who had been put to death at the urging of the high priest and the Sanhedrin Council, interrupted Saul's journey. Jesus blinded Saul on the road to Damascus. As Saul lay on the road blind, Jesus vocally questioned his actions. Saul asked who was it that was talking to him. Jesus identified Himself, and then He identified Himself as being one with the Christians Saul was persecuting. Saul asked Jesus for directions as to what he should do, Jesus sent him to Damascus to receive instructions from a Christian there. Saul went to Damascus where he received his sight and was baptized into the Christian faith. Saul stayed with some of the disciples in Damascus for some days. Then Saul began to preach about Jesus in the synagogue. This amazed the Christians. Saul was not readily accepted by the Christians and then the Jews who were Judaists no longer trusted him. They threatened Saul's life. The one who once persecuted Christians was now fleeing for his own life. With Saul's conversion, the Christian congregations experienced peace and continued to increase in numbers. Saul of Tarsus became the servant of Jesus known to us as the Apostle Paul. Robert C. Hudson May 6, 2023

An Ethiopian is Baptized

May 21, 2023 Background Scripture: Acts 8:26 - 40 Lesson Passage: Acts 8:29 - 40 There is plenty to ponder in this brief passage of scripture. The topic speaks volumes when one considers that this Ethiopian was still a resident of Ethiopia. If he had become a citizen of Judea, there would not be as much to discuss about this. The fact that he was still residing in Ethiopia is a reminder of the Great Commission and final instructions given by Jesus to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" and "you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth". The salvation of the Ethiopian addressed nationality and geography. When Philip went to Samaria and evangelized, he was preaching beyond Jerusalem and Judea. However, he was preaching to relatives of the Jews whose land adjoined that of the Jews. The Ethiopian represented a different nation and a distant land. With his salvation, the gospel was being extended far beyond Jerusalem as it was unfolding to the end of the earth. This did not happen by chance. Philip arrived in Samaria as he fled the persecution against the Christian community in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the central location of the Christian congregation. They were not reaching out to others beyond Jerusalem as they were commissioned to do by Christ. The persecution scattered them away from Jerusalem; and as they went, they went everywhere preaching the word. This started the spread of the gospel beyond Jerusalem. While in Samaria, the Lord sent Philip south to a road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip's obedience to the Lord's prompting should not be minimized or overlooked. After Philip arrived at the road, he saw the Ethiopian traveling on it. Then the Lord prompted Philip to get close to the chariot the Ethiopian was riding in. Philip ran to the chariot and heard the Ethiopian reading from the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. There is no other mention of the Lord prompting Philip after his encounter with the Ethiopian. Philip was evangelizing prior to this in Samaria. He understood the evangelistic opportunity. Philip started a conversation with the Ethiopian by asking if he understood what he was reading. The Ethiopian's response opened the door for Philip to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Ethiopian's interest in the Hebrew scriptures was a great place for Philip to start a conversation. When the Ethiopian admitted to not understanding the prophetic word he was reading, he invited Philip to join him in his chariot. Philip accepted his invitation and opened the scripture to him of how Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. The prophetic word the Ethiopian was reading had recently been fulfilled. Although they were traveling through desert wasteland, they came upon a body of water (let that sink in). Because the Ethiopian's thirst for the word of God had been quenched, he asked concerning his eligibility to be baptized into the faith. It has been said that baptism is to our faith what words are to our thoughts. Both are external expressions of our internal reality. Philip stated that baptism should take place if a person believes in Jesus Christ with all their heart. The Ethiopian made a clear and concise statement of his faith. Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptized him. The Holy Spirit carried Philip towards the north and the Ethiopian went on his way towards the south. And with the Ethiopian, the gospel of Jesus Christ went further into the continent of Africa. Robert C. Hudson May 5, 2023