Read: Acts 9-10
Reading about Saul’s conversion gives a new power to the fact that God predestines and chooses us. God chose Saul and gave him the most powerful signs of who he was that it was impossible not to believe and be converted. Then God spoke to Ananias the name of the street, the house and the man’s name he was going to. He told him what was wrong with the man and what to do so he could be healed. I want to hear with that clarity.
Saul already knew the scriptures, so once he was told that Jesus really was the Messiah, he was able to immediately preach a sermon. It says that Saul confounded the Jews. I’m sure he did! Saul is a picture of repentance. He was going one way - persecuting and hating the church. God encountered him and he did a one-eighty and preached that Jesus was the Messiah. They wanted to kill him so he had to escape at night in a basket over the wall.
Next, he went to Jerusalem where the Grecians wanted to kill him. He escaped to Tarsus. With Saul converted to the other side, the church had some rest from persecution.
The attention turns to Peter who healed a man who had been sick with palsy for eight years. The whole town of Lydda and Saron converted because of this. Peter raised a lady named Tabitha from the dead in Joppa and many came to believe.
In Chapter 10, Peter was given a lesson in racism. God showed him that every thing and every one He created was clean and worthy of His love and the gospel. God needed to heal this sin in Peter so he could send him to Cornelius, the Italian who feared God. Peter was able to be the carrier of the gospel to this precious man who had been fasting for 4 days. He was saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and was baptized.
Lord, I know this is coming and it is so exciting to read about. Make us ready.
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