The Acts of the Apostles 40

Subtitle: Saul Goes Back to Jerusalem

Note: After this sermon we will be taking a break from the Acts of the Apostles.  This series will pick up again on May 21, 2023.

Acts 9:26-31.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 19, 2023.

Did you ever have to go back to a place where you really didn't want to go?  Sometimes God takes us back to face a few things that we would rather not face.  Sometimes there are things that we should go back and face, but it's to late.  If people are gone, or have died, or the opportunity has passed, then we may have to simply go forward while facing them internally and in different external forms.

Last week, Saul had to slip out of Damascus at night because there were some Judeans who were plotting to kill him.  This leads to him going back to Jerusalem.

Let's look at our passage.

The Jerusalem church is cautious

Luke does not tell us exactly what leads Saul to go to Jerusalem.  I believe that he is being led by the Holy Spirit, which is a theme throughout this book, as well as the whole Bible.

According to Galatians 1:15-21, this is happening about three years after Saul's amazing conversion outside of Damascus.  The people in Jerusalem would know that something odd happened to Saul, since he never came back with prisoners.  Also, the rumors would have also been circulating that he had become a Christian.

When Saul arrives in Jerusalem, he finds that the Jerusalem is very cautious.  We are told that he "tried to join the disciples..."  This term is most likely talking about the general believers that still remained in Jerusalem following the persecution led by Saul earlier.  At this point, the term "apostle" and the phrase "The Twelve" was being used of those closest ones who walked with Jesus. 

These Twelve were unique because they bore the responsibility to establish what Jesus taught in a faithful manner that people could trust.  It is interesting that Jesus did not write any of his teachings down, neither did he baptize any of those who followed him.  It was the 12 disciples who became apostles who baptized followers in the name of Jesus, and who laid out the teachings of Christ.  Jesus did this on purpose.  God can do everything without us, but He doesn't want to do that. 

You were designed to work with God and have Him work through you.  This is an important point because, if we were designed that way, we will have trouble living life without Him.  I like to use a catamaran as an illustration.  These small boats with a big sail are functional because they have a large counter-balance that hangs off to one side.  They can cut through the surf at amazing speeds because they are light and generally stable.  However, if you take off that counter-balance, you will find it very difficult to do much sailing at all.  Your sail will be "bowing" to every little wind that comes along.  This is us without the stabilizing presence of God within our soul.  You may look like you are sailing to a world that has redefined what it means to sail, but the truth is that you are unable to accomplish that for which you were created.

We do not know how Saul's conversion affected the persecution.  Did it end, or continue?

Saul would naturally not have any Christian contacts of his own, since he had been dragging them to jail, but he may have been given some names from the believers in Damascus.  Yet, he finds the church skittish of him in general.  They do not believe that he could have truly been saved.  Their fear of what Saul had done in the past made it harder for them to believe the miracle that Christ had done in Saul's heart.

It is easy in our experience as the American Church to accuse these early believers of being judgmental and even unchristian.  However, if your life and the life of your loved ones was on the line, you might think differently yourself.

The Jerusalem church, like any other persecuted churches down through history, would have developed careful ways.  Though we should be willing to die for Jesus, we are not told that we should try and make that happen.  I talked about these matters in my sermon series entitled, "Lessons from the Underground Church."  When the lives of your loved ones are on the line, you do church differently.  Many people today are walking out through miles of jungle to a secret meeting place so that they can honor God and worship Him with other believers, as His Word commands.

Which brings up an American issue.  If you need church to look a certain way, or be a certain way, in order to participate, then you are in a bad position.  You really need to take hold of that attitude and square it away with Jesus.  Take that attitude out, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it.  Get on your face before God and say, "God, change my heart!" 

We have lived in a blessed land, and yes, praise God for it!  Yet, we know that the most blessed people throughout history have spent that blessing mostly on their fleshly desires.  They squandered it.  If God took out blessings away, would you even be a Christian?  If even a small amount of blessing is removed, we are often unable to take it. 

Be very wary of this attitude building in your heart.  Some might complain that the Bible doesn't say we have to walk out into the jungle in order to be saved, and faithful to God.  No, it doesn't.  However, those are the kinds of things that faithful believers do.  We will want to obey the command of our lord to worship God together, but they don't want to see their loved ones killed.  So, they choose not to meet at their house and not to worship loudly.  This is the response of faith to the Words of Christ.  Don't play a game like the hypothetical questioning person above.  Take up your cross, and follow Jesus.  These are the words of our Lord Jesus.

Thus, there is a true need for caution in persecuted, underground churches.  This is the testimony of the Church down through the ages.  The "authorities" will use the conversion process in order to infiltrate the group and spy out who all is involved.  Many a time, a  person has lied saying that they believed in Jesus, but they were only worming themselves into the group.  William Tyndale was ratted out this way, and later put to death for daring to translate the Bible into English. 

Just as "loose lips sink ships" cautioned the WWI and WWII generations, and "loose tweets sink fleets" cautions the modern era, so Christians were not quick to divulge there meeting places and members.

Of course, Saul could be offended by this, and accuse them of not being Christian.  However, he doesn't do that.  How dare they question whether he is saved or not!  Please note that Saul doesn't need anybody to stroke his ego and tell him that he is a Christian.  He has a relationship with Jesus.  If you have a relationship with the One who went to the cross for everyone, then you will be able to carry a cross for your spiritual brothers and sisters.  Saul knew that he deserved every slammed door that he received.  Many of them had lost loved ones because of him.  He did not deserve a place in their midst.  Instead, you go to your knees and pray for your brothers and sisters that God will heal their hearts and help them to know that you truly have changed.

If you were in that situation, how would you know what to do with a guy like Saul?  The answer is not in building some religious sounding, but actually natural, wisdom.  Persecuted churches must not develop a law that says we never let outsiders in.  And, neither should we build a false principle that says that the church must always accept the people who come to them.  Making protocols, or decrees, like these is really a childish level of being a Christian.  We can remain children and simply follow the human wisdom we think is fit, or we can seek God and hear from Him on the subject. 

Believers in such situations do need to be cautious, but they also need to be taking their caution to the Lord in prayer.  In the context of a regular prayer life, this will become as natural as breathing.  If you remain a spiritual child, then you will make childish decisions.  Saul takes it in stride because he is not a child spiritually.  He has a strong relationship with Jesus.  He doesn't need them to never make a mistake in order to love them and serve them.

The apostles accept Saul

Notice that Saul is accepted by the church in Jerusalem, even though it started out rocky.  God used the mature individuals in the church to recognize that the Spirit of God was working in Saul.  They led the church in embracing him.  So, it actually worked like it was supposed to do, regardless of some bumpiness on the road.

God spreads His gifts.  Just as the two-year old is not put in charge of the security of the house because there is a dad who can do that much better, so it is in God's spiritual house.  God gives elders who have been faithful over a long period of time, and who have learned through many spiritual experiences the ways of God.  They help watch out for the body of believers as protectors, but also as those who have discernment in matters such as this situation with Saul.  Be thankful for the elders that God has placed in your life, and don't be too quick to cast off their wisdom.

Remember, you will not be a child forever.  I remember when I was in my early twenties that my grandparents and my dad all died within three years.  It felt like the roof had been torn off of my life.  I couldn't talk with my dad or grandparents about things I was facing.  It was harsh.  You are exposed to life and you are thinking to yourself, "I'm not ready."  However, God is always with us and fills in what is missing in our lives.

I say that to encourage you to enjoy these years of having mature believers around you.  Soak up what they have learned, and keep growing in the Lord.  The day will come all too quickly where you will need to be the mature one for others.  And, believe me, this isn't as fun as we may think it is.  Maturity means doing the duties while others play.  However, there is a joy in such duties that no amount of play can replace, a joy of relationship with the Lord!

The answer in tough situations like Saul's is for everyone to be focused on relationship with Jesus.  This is why Barnabas steps up.  He has enough maturity to take Saul to see the apostles.

Now Barnabas was introduced in Acts 4:26.  His birth name is Joseph, but the Greek spelling often dropped the "ph" and spelled it Joses.  Barnabas is actually a nickname that the apostles gave to this Joseph because he had sold some of his property to care for widows and the poor in the church.  Barnabas means "son of encouragement."  This is a Hebrew way of saying that Barnabas is a chip off of the old block.  In this case, his mother, father is encouragement. 

True to his nickname, Barnabas "somehow" runs into Saul and takes him to the apostles.  He is not just a wealthy donor.  He is a true worker for the Lord, of which this is just one thing.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is involved in this development.  Saul was running into shut doors, and it may have felt like God was telling him to leave.  However, Saul kept humble and kept waiting.  God eventually brought Barnabas to him.  Don't let yourself become so discourage by obstacles that you forget about God.  He has a reason in letting those obstacles remain.  Wait upon Him for His answer.  God was bringing Saul to Barnabas.  He just needed to stay faithful.

Saul is brought before the apostles and relates his story of conversion.  This leads to him being accepted into the group.  Saul is not under "trial."  However, it is only natural that he should make the case for the reality of his conversion.  It is in Galatians 1:18 that we are told that not all of the apostles were present.  Peter and James the brother of Jesus are the ones he met with.  It also tells us that he stayed with Peter for 15 days.

We are not told that Peter and James make an official pronouncement.  Instead, it just states the reality of his acceptance.  Peter's association with Saul would be enough for the others, particularly those who had come to faith in Jesus through Peter's ministry.

Though we are not told how Peter and James knew to accept Saul, they knew the only way that matters, by the help of the Holy Spirit.

Saul ministers in Jerusalem

Saul very quickly does what he does best.  He begins to speak to his fellow Judeans about Jesus.  This is going to end in an attempt on his life, just as things had ended at Damascus.  We don't want to be judgmental of Saul, but there was something about this man that ticked off his Judean brothers.  I believe it has something to do with the phrase, "he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord."

Is there any other way to represent Jesus, but boldly?  Of course not!  However, this boldness shows that the Holy Spirit was powerfully upon Saul.

It is good for us to pray, "God, I don't want to be a coward.  Help me to be bold!"  There is a bit of coward in all of us, okay so there is a lot of coward in all of us.  We can be really strong as long as we have a group or system around us.  These are the things that we surround ourselves in the natural to make us feel powerful.  Yet, if  you strip those things away from such people, you will find a very scared person at their core.  These things in the natural are like a kind of natural armor we use to protect ourselves instead of leaning upon Jesus Christ.

Pray for Jesus to be the spiritual surgeon who cuts out the cowardice from your heart because we can do bold things, and talk big, but it isn't the true bravery that comes from God.  Even courage and boldness can be perverted from the good that God intends in them.  We can boldly follow the wrong purposes.  So, these virtues need to be purified in prayer before God.  "God, I want to be bold, but for your things, and in the right way!  God, I want to be courageous, but not in sin.  I want to be courageous for You!"  This is the kind of prayer we need to pray.

So, Saul speaks boldly in the name of Jesus for God's purposes, like Stephen did just three years before this.  Notice that he debates with the Hellenists, the same group Stephen had trouble with.  I could let this slip by, but it is significant that Saul disputed with them.  Luke told us during Stephen's story that the Synagogue of Freedmen were from many areas including Cilicia, where Saul's hometown of Tarsus is.  I believe Saul focused on them because he knew them best, and may have counted many of them as friends.  They needed to hear the gospel.  Yet, the dispute becomes very heated.

There is a time to walk away in disputes, like when you are about to lose your cool.  This is a spiritual thing.  We are not told how they do it, but there is an attempt to kill Saul, or at least a plan is started.

This sinful part of natural man is always with us.  They tried defeating his arguments about Jesus first.  When that didn't work, they retreated to simply shutting him down for good. There is nothing wrong with disputing with people in order to show them truth, but a Christian must always keep an attitude of peace about them.  The world resorts to bully tactics.  Today it is shouting people down in public, or cancelling them online.  Though we may not agree with another person,  we should not let rage and anger drive the bus of our actions.

Of course, in Stephen's case, the "authorities" always cloak themselves in a cloak of morality, and the color of law, as an excuse for simple weakness of argument.

Again, God's people should never rely upon the sinful works of the flesh to accomplish the will of God.  Spouting venomously against others online, or in person, using intimidation, or manipulating the group behind another person's back, all of these are wrong and not of the Lord.  It goes without saying that flat out murder is wrong as well.

After this, Saul is sent to Tarsus and there is peace in the region.  This seems to be a decision by the church, "the brethren."  Of course, we have already been told that God's plan is for Saul to minister among the Gentile nations.  However, it was important for Saul to come back to Jerusalem where he had spent his adult life training under Rabbi Gamaliel.  It was important that Jerusalem know that Saul of Tarsus was indeed a Christian, and the same thing is most likely needed at Tarsus, explaining why he goes there next.

We may want the story to be that a person is saved, and all their friends and family are saved too.  That sometimes happens, but is not always the case.  We can be too quick to think that we have done something wrong when people don't respond in faith.  However, remember that the Lord himself was crucified by the people he witnessed to.  Did he fail?  We don't want to use that as an excuse.  We must wrestle through this issue before the Lord in prayer.  Lord God, help me to become better at witnessing for you!

The churches in the region had peace and were edified.  We know that there continued to be difficulties. Perhaps, the persecution wasn't quite as bad.  However, for the believer, peace is never about having no troubles.  Peace is about having the strong assurance that the God of the universe is with you and working all things to your good.  This is the peace that passes all understanding, and internal peace.

Make sure you are focused on being used of God and then trust His leading.  If you are doing this, then you can rest in it.  This is not a resting of inactivity, but an inner attitude that knows you are saved, and God is using you to save others!  Amen.

Saul Goes Back audio