A filthy past but living to share the Gospel of Christ

Acts 9:20-31

• Saul preached the Gospel of Christ with a lingering bad reputation.
• Conspiracy to kill Saul at the gates of the city.
• Disciple of Christ were afraid of Saul, so he was brought to the Apostles.
• Hellenists plotted to kill Saul after he spoke boldly in the name of Jesus.

Saul preached the Gospel of Christ with a lingering bad reputation.
“Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” Acts 9:20-22

As new Christians, we immediately want people to know we are not the same person that we were before. We begin sharing our born-again experience which is automatically the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In our testimony is the declaration that Jesus is the Son of God. Many do not come to Jesus Christ through the churches of today, but if we ever found ourselves in a manmade church, we would think the congregation would want to hear how we came to live for God by faith in Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit. There should be rejoicing with the new-born Christian.

In today’s culture, which is global, they never let go of a person’s past. Especially the beast that gives people what to think and feel which will never let the followers of Jesus Christ forget who they were before coming to Jesus Christ, Satan is the accuser, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!” Zachariah 3:1-2 Satan recalls within our memory and feelings how sin-plagued we were and how we were contrary to the way of Jesus Christ. The beast empowers those of today’s culture with uncanny knowledge and heightened intuition to be able to humiliate, embarrass, and scrutinize Christians with past behaviors. God says, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan!”

As followers of Jesus Christ, be assured that God has forgiven you of your sin, even though the beast and those of this world never will. The mercy and grace of God is everything to us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8 “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 We will grow in strength as the Holy Spirit does the work of Sanctification within us, to cleanse ugly attitudes from our spirit. By living the life of Holiness, we glorify the name of Jesus Christ. A life without Holiness is filled with unbelief in God, filled with resistance to Jesus Christ, and filled with opposition to the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Conspiracy to kill Saul at the gates of the city.
“Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket.” Acts 9:23-25

After many days of the testimony of Jesus Christ being on this earth, there came a plot to extinguish the spread of His Gospel. That resulted in the global falling away from belief in God the Creator. That falling away is described in 2 Thessalonians 2. The global falling away came into force when the United Nations was established in 1945, immediately after WW2. The United Nations brought the government of the beast, as described in Daniel 8:1-4. The process of driving Christianity into extinction is described in Revelations 12.

The only place where the conspiracy against the way of Jesus Christ is made known is in the Bible. We are warned against the beast that sets itself up as God in the temple of God [our body}. This beast sets within people by giving what to speak, do, think, and feel and is the one “…who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4” The “he” in this verse is the “man of sin” Click here for a post on the “man of sin”.

The global government of the beast and its global culture conspire against we who devote our body as the home of the Holy Spirit by our faith in Jesus Christ. They are watching the gates day and night, the gates being the entry into our heart, mind, and soul. They are waiting to kill those who desire to open the gates to allow the Holy Spirit to come in by the name of Jesus.

The Lord encourages, “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Psalms 24:7 The Lord provides a way of escape through the wall that separates Believers from unbelievers. That way of escape is by fleeing those of this world and coming apart from them, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” Revelations 18:4-5 That way of escape leads to eternal life, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Disciple of Christ were afraid of Saul, so he was brought to the Apostles.
“And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.” Acts 9:26-28

We live in a culture where there are more wolves dressed as sheep than there are true Believers who live for Jesus Christ. Believers have every reason to be weary of those who say they are Christians but have yet to prove their faithfulness to the testimony of Jesus, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1 Their intent is to drive Christianity into extinction, and disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15

A true Christian will experience the hardships, difficulties, and afflictions of living for Jesus, “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:14 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:18-20

Saul was brought to the Apostles, who were; Matthias [replaced Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus], Peter, Andrew, James [son of Zebedee], John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew [Levi], James [son of Alphaeus], Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. These Apostles were deeply rooted in Jesus Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. They would have detected any deceit in Saul and would know if he was a true Believer in Jesus Christ or if he was a serpent or scorpion with deadly intent.

In today’s atheistic culture, we are walking in a pit of serpents, scorpions, and deadly poisons. They are those who live for the beast that gives them what to speak, do, think, and say. They are constantly serving up spiritual poison to drink, sinking their poisonous fangs into our faith in Jesus Christ, and stinging like a scorpion to cause us pain and severe sickness. Even so, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, by our steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, our belief in God lives on. “…we will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them…” Mark 16:18 We definitely know them by their fruits, by their poison. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:19-20

What Saul did as a new convert is what we want to see in every new Believer, to share their born-again testimony, to share how they have spoken to the Lord Jesus Christ, and how they share the Gospel of Jesus. Our born-again testimony is the Gospel of Christ written on our heart. We want to see new Believers have a desire to fellowship with those who have been walking in the Spirit for some time and not be afraid of those who have the faith “…to trample on serpents and scorpions.”

Conniving people will try various tactics to overcome God’s people. I’ve seen people who changed their appearance and behavior, but I questioned what they were up to. Before, they always brought friction when the Bible, Jesus Christ, or anything about God was brought up. Then one day they changed, they presented themselves with a softer external appearance and softer words. The question within myself was, “Is this person a wolf in sheep clothing or a sinner clothed in the Holy Spirit?” This is like watching a garden to see what type of fruit springs up. Saul was definitely not a wolf in sheep clothing; he was a sinner clothed in the Holy Spirit and his ministry from Acts 13:4 through Acts 28 gave proof of that. For two thousand years, the letters of Paul have been read, and multiple millions have come [and are coming] to Jesus Christ through his ministry. That is the fruit that he brought forth in this world.

Hellenists plotted to kill Saul after he spoke boldly in the name of Jesus.
“And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. Then the Church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” Acts 9:29-31

Hellenists were Jewish people who adopted the Greek customs, culture, and language. Also, the entire New Testament was written in Greek, for the non-Jewish Gentiles. At the time, the Hellenists opposed the preaching of Saul.

Saul went from being someone who favored the killing of Christians to being one whom people sought to kill for contending that Jesus is the Christ and Son of God. Most specifically, that service to God came by faith in Jesus Christ not by the laws of Judaism. The disciples of Jesus Christ, who once feared Saul, are now helping him to escape death. What a remarkable born-again experience of Saul/Paul who went from being the terror of the way of Christ to being trusted and helped by them to escape his own death. When Saul was escorted out of the city, without arresting or consenting to the death of Christians, the surrounding regions rejoiced to hear of his support for the way of Jesus Christ. They feared God, walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and the number of Believers multiplied.

One sure sign of a true born-again believer is that they are not in agreement with the “Hellenists” of this world. The “Hellenists” being those who are creating lawlessness on this earth by opposing belief in God, mocking the need for Jesus Christ, and opposing the presence of the Holy Spirit. “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” 2 Corinthians 6:15-16

When a person’s faith in Jesus Christ is targeted by the “Hellenists”, then we know that the person is a true Believer. They reject the beast that gives them what to speak, do, say, and think in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. True Believers are those who cause others to rejoice in knowing that they will not be afflicted and abused verbally nor physically. True Believers are those who give people confidence to walk in reverence to God and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11