Today’s Passage: “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” Acts 9:20
Today’s devotional thought will conclude our series of lessons entitled “The Gospel: What is this Good News”, a study of four men’s gospel sermons as presented in the Bible. The highlight of our study today is Paul. He is an excellent example of how we should our lives in service to God, teaching others and rescuing them from their sins.
We will focus on two primary parts of Paul’s life: his conversion in Acts 9 and 22 and his teachings and conversions of others. These teachings will include Lydia, the Philippian jailer, the men of Athens, Crispus and some Ephesian disciples (Acts 16-19). By studying Paul’s conversion and the responses to his gospel teaching to others, we can clearly see what God requires of us in order to be saved. We can also glean great wisdom from the example of Paul and how he reached his audience.
Paul's Conversion
Teachers: Jesus, Ananias
Audience: Paul (also known as Saul)
Complete Passage: Acts 9:1-22, Acts 22:3-21
The amazing accounts of Paul’s conversion show us that no matter how lost we are, God is able to save us from our sins if we obey Him. We are never beyond hope. We have never sinned so much that we are unforgiveable. Paul persecuted the church in various ways: he dragged them out of their homes, threw them into prison and even consented to Stephen’s death. Yet despite Paul’s efforts to thwart the early church, God knew that he was ignorant of wrongdoing and saw great potential in his heart.
It is important to note that regardless of Paul’s ignorance of wrongdoing, he was still guilty of sin until he was saved. As Paul would preach later, God “commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” Acts 17:30-31.
Additionally, it is wise to note that after Jesus revealed Himself on the road to Damascus, Paul certainly believed in Christ and recognized Him as the Savior (Acts 22:10). Yet this was not enough. Ananias spoke to him and healed him of his blindness (Acts 22:14-15). And still, this was not enough. Paul was informed to “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” Acts 22:16. At this point, Paul’s sins were washed away and he was saved. Everyone, including Paul, has been commanded to obey God’s instructions for salvation regardless of our goodness, blessings or potential.
Conversions following Paul’s Teachings
Teacher: Paul
Audiences: Lydia, Philippian jailer, Aeropagus, Crispus, Ephesian disciples
Complete Passage: Acts 16:11-15, Acts 16:25-34, Acts 17:22-34, Acts 18:7-8, Acts 19:1-7
Please read the passages above regarding some of the conversions that took place following Paul’s teaching. The following can be observed from these readings.
1. Though Paul saw the vision of a man asking him to come to Macedonia, when he arrived at Philippi, he took the time to teach Lydia and baptize all of her household. Incidentally, as Lydia’s conversion story is the first to be listed in Philippi, it is likely that the Philippian church, to whom Paul later wrote a letter, began in her home (Acts 16:40).
2. Paul and Silas reached other prisoners by singing praises to God. Secondly, they modeled Christian behavior by remaining in their cells and stopping the jailer from committing suicide. Thirdly, they taught the jailer what to do to be saved. He and his household were baptized that very hour. Like the Ethiopian eunuch, the jailer rejoiced!
3. Paul taught the Athenians, who worshipped false gods, about the one true God and Jesus. Most rejected him but a few believed.
4. Paul preached to the Jews but was opposed and blasphemed. He went to Justus’ house and preached. Crispus, his household and many of the Corinthians believed and were baptized.
5. Paul asked a group of disciples if they had been baptized into Jesus Christ. As they had only been baptized by John’s baptism, the disciples were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
What lessons can we learn from Paul as we teach the lost today?
1. We must be aware that ignorance is not an excuse (Acts 17:30-31). Judgment Day will come for all (Romans 14:10). Therefore, not only should we strive to seek God’s will by reading the Bible daily, we also should strive to teach others of God’s Word. We must repent of our sins by turning away from them once we realize our wrongs, asking for God’s forgiveness and making the decision to stop sinning.
2. We may find the best opportunities when traveling the detours of life. We may bemoan the roadblocks in our way without realizing that in those times of struggles we met others who were led to the Lord by our words or actions. Or perhaps our lives did not turn out the way we intended but we find that the Lord blessed us exceedingly greater than if our dreams had come true. Paul was able to adjust to whatever path he traveled and reach lost souls along the way.
3. Even the most insignificant people can be great in the kingdom of heaven. Paul received a vision of a man in Macedonia who needed help, yet upon arriving in Philippi, he met a woman and baptized her and her household. Upon being imprisoned, Paul was able to save a jailer and his entire household. Look what a difference these conversions made in the region of Philippi as the church to whom Paul later wrote was established.
4. Formal Bible studies are not the only way to reach lost souls. Paul and Silas reached other prisoners by singing. They reached the jailer by responding in a very unusual way when the cell doors were opened. Though teaching others God’s Word directly is vital, so also is teaching others by our example.
5. Paul did not let rejection stop him from saving souls and neither should we. Although Paul was ridiculed, blasphemed, persecuted, thrown in prison and later killed, he never allowed fear of man to overcome his joy of preaching Christ to others.
6. Even souls who consider themselves saved may be surprised at the Day of Judgment. We are to continually test ourselves to ensure we are teaching the truth and be open to the Word so that we can correct any error in our lives (II Corinthians 13:5). Though salvation is a gift, we can lose this gift if we fail to continue living faithfully (Revelation 2:10). Paul did not look to the things he did in the past but continued striving to reach the goal, realizing that even he could lose the reward of heaven if he stopped living for the Lord (Philippians 3:12-14, Hebrews 6:4-6).
I hope that you have benefited from these studies of various gospel sermons and conversions in the Bible. It has been good for me to review and learn new insight from meditating upon them. To close our series of lessons, it is good to remember the exhortation in I Corinthians 15:2-4: “By this Gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
We are saved by holding fast to God’s Word and obeying it. Of primary importance in evaluating our own soul’s state and preparing to teach others is the act that Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried and was raised as taught in the Scriptures. Hope of salvation can only come through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God bless you as you seek His will through studying His Word today!
