Acts Chapter 9! (Day 9)

Ok, so here is where this guy named Saul is dealt with. Remember… he has been out hunting down followers of Christ, and putting them in prison. Jesus deals with him directly this time. He is on the road to Damascus on his way to get permission from some of the synagogues to arrest the followers of The Way (That’s what the church was called).

Saul is walking down the road and this bright light shines all around him. He is afraid and falls to the ground. He hears a voice saying, “Why do you persecute me?” Saul has no idea who is talking to him. Jesus tells him who he is. He must have been stunned to hear that it was Jesus… the name whose name he was trying to squash. He is blinded, and has to be lead into the city where he will receive instructions.

God gives Saul a vision to show him how he is going to be healed, and he prompts another man named Ananias (not the one from earlier), who has been listening for God’s voice. He is able to pray and remove the scales from Saul’s eyes. Saul is a changed man!

Of course there are some problems with getting other Christians to trust him. He was one day going after them to put them in prison, and the next claiming that Jesus is the Messiah. Can that be possible? Often when people choose to follow Jesus in today’s culture, it takes some time for people to know that the change in their life is real and permanent. If that is where you are, keep going. Keep going after Jesus, and don’t worry about what the people think.

In this chapter there is a story about where a woman named Tabitha dies and the Apostle Peter prays and she is raised from the dead. The power of the Holy Spirit working through people can do amazing things!