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Week 21 Genesis to Jesus – The Book of the Acts of the Apostles

Part 2 – Acts of the Apostles – Saul Becomes Paul

Last week we saw that Phillip evangelized Samaria, and Peter then put his seal of approval on allowing Samaritans into the kingdom in chapter 8 of the Book of Acts. But now we turn to a huge event in the history of the Church and the main person responsible for taking the gospel to the nations, to

the Gentiles. It is one thing to open the gospel to the breakaway Jewish Samaritans. But to open the door to non-Jews was whole different understanding. Of all people for God to choose, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, a Roman citizen, and a Jew’s Jew. Highly educated under the most famous rabbi of that generation, zealous to an extreme, and focused on wiping out this new Jewish sect that followed the heretic rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth. Saul, holding the coats of murders, oversaw the martyrdom of the Apostle Stephan as they stoned him to death. Now, Saul turned his attention to the city of Damascus with new warrants for the arrest of any Christians he could find. But God had very different plans for this enemy of the Church, and Acts chapter 9 tells of the conversion of one of the pivotal players in the early church, Saul who was about to become Paul.

Acts 9:1–9 (RSV2CE) 1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. 4 And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; 6 but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what

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you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

Meanwhile over in Joppa, Peter is raising a lady named Tabitha from the dead. No one had done that since Jesus, and the signs and wonders powered by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles were being spread far and wide. Saul, renamed Paul by Jesus Himself, may have been the Apostle to the Gentiles, but It Peter who was the first to baptize Gentiles into the kingdom. Peter falls into a trance waiting on dinner, and he sees a very unusual vision. Acts 10:9–16 (RSV2CE) 9 The next day, as they were on their journey and coming near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. 10 And he became hungry and desired

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something to eat; but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heaven opened, and something descending, like a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “No, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has cleansed, you must not call common.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Peter finally realizes what God is trying to tell him, the “what” of what God has cleansed, is not the animals, but instead the Gentiles. God has prepared them for the Gospel, not as converted Jews, but uncircumcised Gentiles. This is confirmed immediately after his vision or trance, when men come from the home of Cornelius and ask Peter to come and speak him. Peter, knowing this is breaking all kinds of Jewish laws, follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit and travels from Joppa. Acts 10:25–29 (RSV2CE) 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered; 28 and he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

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This is earth shattering kind of stuff, the world will never be the same because this Jewish Christian named Simon Peter, entered the house of a Gentile centurion by the name of Cornelius. Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, but Peter is the Apostle that received the revelation from God that opened the door to take the gospel to the nations. You’re and mine future are found right here in the Book

of Acts…this is the very reason we are in this class this morning. Here again is the progression, Jerusalem to Judea, and then to Samaria, and finally to all the nations. Peter begins to preach to the Gentiles in the home of Cornelius, and he ends his sermon with this. Acts 10:39–48 (RSV2CE) 39 And we are witnesses to all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him manifest; 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” 44 While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 “Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

This rattled Peter, because the sequence of the way things was supposed to happen was all mixed up. It is supposed to be baptism first and then being filled with the Spirit, but God decided to reverse the process, and Peter very quickly had them baptized. God has a way of breaking out a mini Pentecost now and

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then, just to shake things up. Jesus had told them on the day He ascended into heaven, go and preach to all the “nations”, and baptize them. But they didn’t obey that command right away. So, what does God do, a little vision for Peter in Joppa while he is waiting for dinner, followed with a Gentile Pentecost at the house of a Roman centurion. And then Jesus knocks a Jew’s Jew off his colt on the way to Damascus to arrest some Christians and speaks to Saul out of a light brighter that the noon day sun, and tells him he is being sent as an Apostle to the Gentiles. Bang, we are back on track.

Chapters 13 and 14 tell of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, creating quite a stir among the Judaizers, who insisted Paul was wrong. They were convinced that all the Gentiles coming into the Church also had to be circumcised. The issue became so serious it had to be settled back in Jerusalem, with Peter presiding in this council of Jerusalem in chapter 15.

The outcome was clear before that council even started, Peter did not circumcise all the Gentiles at Cornelius’ home, but it was important to call the council, and have it officially addressed, setting up a precedent on how things would be settled in the Church up to this very day. Peter made his case and then James, the bishop of Jerusalem rose to confirm Peter’s understanding that the Gentiles only needed to be baptized, no circumcision was necessary. James quotes this interesting verse from the old covenant, Amos 9:11–12 (RSV2CE) 11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” says the LORD who does this. Once again in the Old Covenant we hear prophecy about all the nations, meaning all the Gentiles, who are called by my name. The Bible here in the Book of Acts says it seemed good to the Holy Spirit,

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and to all who attended that council, agreeing that Paul’s Gentile mission was God’s will, so they laid hands on them and sent them out to change the world.

In Acts 2 we read what four important things the early believers focused on, daily, pouring all their energy and passion into. Acts 2:42 (RSV2CE) 42 And they held steadfastly to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers.

Do you think maybe in our generation these are the four things we need to be passionate about? The apostle’s teaching in our generation involves things like this class, continual adult formation, we are never to stop learning and growing in our faith. We need to keep praying that our priests and deacons preach strong homilies based the inspired world of God. I hear some Catholics complaining about this priest or that priest, and I sometimes wonder when was the last time they prayed or shared of a word of encouragement for that priest or bishop. Prayer is critical, personal and corporate prayer is how the kingdom of God is advanced. The word in Greek for fellowship is the word koinonia, intimate friendship. This kind of fellowship is more than a handshake or a high five. Instead these are strong bonds of the family of God and forged friendships that will last forever. But the last activity is the heart of all the rest, “the breaking of bread”.

We see the centrality of the Eucharist in the early days of the Church as St. Paul is living a life centered in preaching the teachings of Jesus and the breaking of bread. This Apostle called by Jesus Himself lives a life exactly as the rest of the apostles are living their lives. Acts 20:7 (RSV2CE) 7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day; and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There is a lot going on in the short verse, and most people center on this part, “he prolonged his speech till midnight”. But this passage goes on to share the story of a young man that was

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sitting on a window sill listening to Paul, and when the apostle went on teaching for a long time, the boy fell asleep and fell from the third story window and almost died. Paul determined he would recover and proceeded to share the rest of the night until sunrise.

Our attention as Catholics should be the first part of that verse we just read, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread.” The Sabbath is no longer our day of worship as Christians, instead it is the eighth day, Sunday, and we read over and over, they gathered together, “to break bread” …to partake in the Eucharist. They were doing exactly what Jesus told them to do in the Upper Room and the day He ascended into heaven, baptizing with water and the Spirit, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And once they were in the body of Christ, the new believers gathered to be taught the teaching of the Apostles, the oral teaching of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Also, to pray and have fellowship, koinonia, and to break bread. Each Apostle was duplicating this all over the known world, especially St. Paul.

To some, it is confusing that the greatest student of the greatest Jewish rabbi of that time would be sent to the Gentiles, but it is important to remember that Paul was a Roman citizen. He had some reach in the Roman Empire that Peter did not. When it came time, Paul as a citizen could appeal his death sentence to Caesar in Rome, and from that point on it became very public. His case would have been all the talk on the street all over Rome and really all over the world. He was even able to convert members of Caesar’s household. And even though the heart of his ministry was to the Gentiles, time after the time the Book of Acts tells us that Paul would travel to a town and his first stop was to the local synagogue, and there he preached the gospel of Jesus to his people as well as the Gentiles. One preacher I heard years ago joked that really the first place Paul checked out coming into a new town was the jail, because he knew

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that is where he would eventually end up. Thank you, Jesus, for the life and ministry of St. Paul. St. Paul pray for us.