Actus Apostolorum

Some chosen passages

Acts 9:1-22 – Saul’s

Conversion

Caravaggio

Michaelangelo

Saul’s Conversion - Previously

7:58 – They threw [Stephen] out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul

8:3 - Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment

9:1-2 - Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains.

Saul’s Conversion – Where is Jesus? Acts 9:4-5 - He fell to the ground and heard a voice

saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Luke 10:16 - Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.

Matthew 25:40 - And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

ACTS 9 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he

opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.

9 For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

21 All who heard him were astounded and said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem ravaged those who call upon this name, and came here expressly to take them back in chains to the chief priests?”

22 But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.

Cornelius – devout Gentile “God-fearer”

St Peter’s Basilica – Portico

Explain yourself, Peter. 11:1-3 - Now the apostles and the brothers who were in

Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him, saying, “You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.

11:16- 17 - and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the holy Spirit. If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?

Journey -Holy Spirit sends Saul and Barnabas to…

Antioch (Syria) to Seleucia (Syria) Cyprus

Salamis Paphos

Magician blinded by Paul, converts proconsul Pamphilia

Perga (John returns to Jerusalem) Pisidia

Antioch – teaching in synagogue Gone to Gentiles but Jews upset

Go to Iconium

Journey continued Iconium (Galatia)

Converted many but divided town Attempt by Gentiles and Jews to stone them

Go to Lystra and Derbe (Lycaonia) Lystra – Paul heals a cripple and the people proclaimed

them as gods Zeus – Baranabas Hermes – Paul

Paul says… “Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same

nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, ‘who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them.’ 16 In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; 17 yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.”f

Are you asking for a challenge?

Jews from Antioch and Iconium come and stir up trouble The stone Paul and nearly died Goes back into city to preach one more time and then

off to Derbe Back to Lystra, then to Iconium and then Antioch

Strengthen community Appoint presbyters

Back to Antioch (Syria)

Council of Jerusalem Context

Some from Judea instructing that all believers be circumcised

Paul and Barnabas upset Where had they been? Where is Judea?

Sent to Jerusalem

Decision of Council ‘It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place

on you any burden beyond these necessities,29 namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”

Who has final authority? Binding decisions about essential issues Interpret the heritage of Christ Holy Spirit decides with the council and through the

council