Acts 9:20-22

Summary retelling of Acts 9: 20-22:

While Saul was in the synagogues, Saul was teaching about Jesus.  Those who heard Saul talking were amazed because they knew that he had come to Damascus to drag Christians back before the Sanhedrin.  In spite of their questions, Saul continued to proclaim Jesus to them and he confounded the Jews in Damascus. 

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

Yesterday I spoke about Saul spending a bunch of time just hanging out with the disciples.  Today we learn that this isn’t all that Saul did.  Saul wasn’t just soaking up the information; Saul was taking the information and applying it wherever possible.  Saul was very familiar with Judaism, so he took it into the synagogues with which he was accustomed.  Saul soaked up what he could from the disciples and then he took it out and distributed it where he was comfortable doing so until he became an “expert” in Christianity himself.

Where are your safe zones of talking about what you are learning?  Do you talk about what you are learning within those safe zones?

Second Thought:

The people who heard Saul talking about Jesus must have been confused.  They understood that Saul had come to Damascus to arrest Christians, but here he was talking about Jesus himself.  I can only imagine their confusion.  As an outsider, it is often difficult to understand what is going on inside the spirituality of another person.

How might you be giving off mixed messages to the people around you about your faith?  What can you do to communicate what is going on inside of you more clearly?

Third Thought:

Saul is persistent.  As we continue in the book of Acts, we will see his persistence over and over again.  It doesn’t matter that people are confused by his change of heart.  It doesn’t matter what people will think about him.  Saul knows the truth, and he is persistently driven to tell the truth to others.

Does Saul’s persistence inspire you?  Do you know the truth?  Do you tell the truth to others?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 9:23-25