Acts 9 Saul - What Now?

Scripture: Acts 8:3; Acts 9:1–28; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13–14; Acts 22:3; Philippians 3:5–6. Key themes: God redeeming enemies of the church, Saul’s road-to-Damascus encounter, Ananias’ obedience, Barnabas’ hospitality and advocacy, C.S. Lewis as a modern parallel, evangelism toward unlikely people, and patient discipleship for messy new believers. Description: In this message from our “Now What?” series, we move from Stephen’s martyrdom to the man who oversaw it: Saul. Acts tells us Saul was not just passively opposed to Christianity—he was dragging believers out of their homes, throwing them in prison, and trying to destroy the church. By every human expectation, Saul was the last person anyone would expect to become a Christian. But on the road to Damascus, Jesus intervenes. Saul is blinded, humbled, prayed for, baptized, and called by God as a chosen instrument to carry the gospel to the nations. The message then turns to the people around Saul. Ananias has to obey God’s call to go to the very person who came to harm Christians. Barnabas later steps in when the believers in Jerusalem are afraid and helps welcome Saul into the church. Their example encourages us to pray for and move toward the people we assume are too far gone—the “Sauls” and “C.S. Lewises” in our lives. We also talk about sanctification: becoming holy, more like Jesus. Saul’s story reminds us that salvation can happen in a moment, but growth often takes time. New believers can be messy, abrasive, and rough around the edges, so the church must respond with both grace and truth—correcting gently without rejecting people God is still forming. The closing reminder is powerful: Jesus did not come merely to make bad people good; He came to make dead people live.