Wednesday 12 May 2021 “New Life”

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

I wonder how often you think about actually living, hour by hour, day after day, in the practical reality of that little phrase “Walking with Jesus”? How should a strong sense of the presence of God with us affect how we SEE our world, or how we LISTEN to information coming to us from the internet or cable news or talk shows or social media? How should a sense of God’s presence affect our attitudes, our choices, our perspective on everything, our priorities, our values, our relationships?

I think that was a big part of what was going on with those thousands of people who had believed the apostles and trusted in Jesus in the months following Jesus’ return to heaven. Jesus was no longer physically with these people, but the Holy Spirit of God had come upon them and so they were trying to live “Walking with Jesus”, exactly as you and I who have trusted in Jesus, are trying to do today! So let’s continue following along with them to learn from them.

You’ll remember we’re following Saul who was fairly famous in Jerusalem as a young, zealous, outspoken Pharisee, totally and emphatically opposed to Jesus and anyone who was a follower of Jesus. Saul was on a rampage, seeking to eliminate the name of Jesus, the memory of Jesus, from Jerusalem, Palestine and the entire Roman empire. He was doing it by violence, arresting and persecuting Jesus followers anywhere he could find them. He had given oversight to the stoning execution of Stephen, and had gone to Damascus to arrest Jesus followers there. But on the way Saul and the risen Jesus had an encounter that changed Saul’s life!

After considerable, serious thought and prayer, Saul has reversed course! He has become a passionate follower of Jesus, courageously now going into Jewish synagogues to proclaim that Jesus in the Jewish Messiah! Saul was run out of Damascus by Jews there, and after an extended time of time alone with the Holy Spirit teaching Him Jesus’ truth, Saul has now returned to Jerusalem, as Luke reports.

We’re in Acts 9 and Luke writes: “When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him, not believing that Saul really was a disciple.” (Acts 9:26) You notice the word, ‘disciple‘ used twice in this verse. Luke is telling us something important here.

3000 Jews had initially responded to Peter’s message on Pentecost day as the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and other close followers of Jesus who had spent the 10 days after Jesus’ ascension waiting for Jesus’ instructions and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Those 3000 became the first wave of this spiritual movement and soon there were more than 5000 people in this movement. (Acts 4:4) Those in this movement who were committed followers of Jesus were called “disciples“ and were committed to learn from the apostles and experience all aspects of this new life in Christ. Many of these ‘disciples‘ had scattered, leaving Jerusalem and going to nearby towns and villages, when Saul’s persecution became violent. (Acts 8:1)

Luke tells us the ‘disciples‘, or followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, were afraid of Saul, and greatly confused by what they had heard about him and what they were seeing for themselves as they watched Saul closely. Clearly this was not the same Saul who had left Jerusalem many months before, bound for Damascus, seeing with anger, ready to arrest and even kill ANY Jesus followers. I imagine wherever Saul was seen in Jerusalem in those days people were pointing at him and whispering to each other. Probably some concluded Saul had lost his mind, gone mad in his hysteria to persecute the Jesus followers.

May I ask you, what do people think about YOU if you claim to be a follower of Jesus? In our world, increasingly rejecting anything of God and God’s truth, are you seen to be different or does your life values, your priorities, your vocabulary when you speak, your ethics, your attitudes, your relationships… seem no different from the immoral, decadent, selfish, deceitful, greedy world in which you and I live?

“But Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the apostles.” Luke here uses the word “apostles“.

Those called ‘apostles‘ would have been the 11 men personally chosen by Jesus as His disciples, invited by Him to follow Him, learn from Him and then be commissioned out as His personal representatives to take His message to the world and make ‘disciples’ of other people as they go. (Matt. 28:18-20) You know these ‘apostles‘… Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, Matthew, Philip, Nathaniel and 3 others. Some in Jerusalem may have possibly included Matthias in this group of apostles, as Peter had led an ‘election’ of sorts trying to replace Judas. (Acts 1:15-26) These ‘apostles‘ are leading this great spiritual movement which is spreading out from Jerusalem. They are faithfully doing what Jesus instructed them to do, anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. I imagine while they still face opposition from the Sanhedrin, at least for the past many months Jerusalem it has been much less violent with Saul in Damascus. But suddenly Jerusalem is again turned upside down with news of Saul’s return, yet the reports about him are staggering to the apostles. How could it be?

“But Barnabas…” writes Luke. Do you remember Barnabas? He was only mentioned once, back in Acts 4:36 when he sold a piece of land and brought the money to the apostles to help care for the needs of widows and others. His real name is Joseph and he was a Levite from Cyprus. Evidently he became friendly with the ‘apostles‘ in Jerusalem and was the only follower of Jesus courageous enough to meet with Saul and try to find out what had happened to Saul. Their conversations convinced Barnabas that it was true! Saul had met Jesus and his life was changed, so very much changed he wasn’t at all the same man! Oh nothing had changed physically and he still had a strong personality, but his heart, his thinking, his life purpose was totally changed by Jesus.

But when Barnabas brought Saul to the apostles, they weren’t so sure. They knew Saul had overseen the stoning execution of their friend Stephen. It’s very possible Saul was in the Sanhedrin crowd demanding the flogging of the apostles not long ago. They knew Saul had gone to Damascus to wreak havoc against the Jesus movement there. No, the apostles needed proof that it wasn’t a scheme by Saul to infiltrate them and kill them.

So let me ask you friends… if you consider yourself a Christian, a follower of Jesus, what proof can you offer of the legitimacy of what you claim? What proof could Saul give them of the legitimacy of his conversion?

Luke tells us Barnabas pleaded Saul’s case, telling the story Saul had told him. But the apostles needed more than a story. They needed proof! So they watched… they watched Saul as he courageously announced himself as a follower of Jesus, no longer opposed to Jesus. They watched him as he I’m sure met with the Pharisees who used to be his friends but now were astounded and offended by Saul’s change. They watched as the opposition grew against Saul from those who once strongly supported him and cheered him on.

Finally, Luke records: “Saul moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of Jesus. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill Saul. So the brothers took Saul down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.” (Acts 9:28-30) I wonder if when the brothers brought Saul to Caesarea they sought some time with Philip, so he could see the transformation for himself, for it was the persecution by Saul which had forced Philip to flee Jerusalem some years before! (Acts 8:1-5) There is no record of such a meeting between Saul and Philip, but I’ve often wondered?

Of course sending Saul to Tarsus would be sending him to his hometown, the place where he grew up and began his Rabbinical studies. How would he be received? Was his family still there, would they welcome him or reject him? Luke is silent about what happened to Saul in those many months in Tarsus, but we can imagine it was a continued stretching, growing, learning time for Saul, as the Holy Spirit kept preparing him for what only God knew was an amazing life ahead for Saul.

May I ask, is the Holy Spirit preparing YOU my friends, for something amazing ahead in your life? What does God see in the future of the place where you live today, and what might God be planning for your life to be even more impactful in the future than you have been in the past? Are you willing and available for God to use you for His glory in a powerful way? Why not chat with Jesus about that right now?

Here’s a powerful song of worship to help you “Walk with Jesus” today my friends,

Today’s Scripture is Acts 9:26-30.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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