Acts 9:1 - Prayer Tents

The Blinding of Saul

9All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master's disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief PriestG1161G4569G2089G1709G547G2532G5408G1519G3101G2962G4334G7492and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.G154G3844G846G1992G1519G1154G4314G4864G3704G1437G2147G5100G3598G5037G5607G435G2532G1135G71G1210G1519G24193He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light.G1161G846G4198G1722G1096G1448G1154G2532G1810G4015G846G5457G575G37724As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: "Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?"G2532G4098G1909G1093G191G5456G3004G846G4549G4549G5101G1377G31655He said, "Who are you, Master?" "I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down.G1161G2036G5101G1488G2962G1161G2962G2036G1473G1510G2424G3739G4771G1377G4642G4671G2979G4314G27596I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next."G5037G5141G2532G2284G2036G2962G5101G2309G3165G4160G2532G2962G4314G846G450G2532G1525G1519G4172G2532G2980G4671G5101G4571G1163G41607His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn't see anyone—G1161G435G3588G4922G846G2476G1769G191G3303G5456G1161G2334G33678while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus.G1161G4569G1453G575G1093G1161G846G3788G455G991G3762G1161G5496G846G5496G1521G1519G11549He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.G2532G2258G5140G2250G3361G991G2532G3756G5315G3761G409510There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: "Ananias." "Yes, Master?" he answered.G1161G2258G5100G3101G1722G1154G3686G367G2532G4314G846G2036G2962G1722G3705G367G1161G2036G2400G1473G296211"Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He's there praying.G1161G2962G4314G846G450G4198G1909G4505G3588G2564G2117G2532G2212G1722G3614G2455G3686G4569G5018G1063G2400G433612He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again."G2532G1492G1722G3705G435G3686G367G1525G2532G2007G5495G2007G846G3704G30813Ananias protested, "Master, you can't be serious. Everybody's talking about this man and the terrible things he's been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem!G1161G367G611G2962G191G575G4183G4012G5127G435G3745G2556G4160G4675G40G1722G241914And now he's shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us."G2532G5602G2192G1849G3844G749G1210G3956G1941G4675G368615But the Master said, "Don't argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to Gentiles and kings and Jews.G1161G2962G2036G4314G846G4198G3754G3778G2076G1589G4632G3427G941G3450G3686G1799G1484G2532G935G5037G5207G247416And now I'm about to show him what he's in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job."G1063G1473G5263G846G3745G846G1163G3958G5228G3450G3686G522817So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, "Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."G1161G367G565G2532G1525G1519G3614G2532G2007G5495G1909G846G2036G80G4549G2962G2424G3700G4671G1722G3598G3739G2064G649G3165G3704G308G2532G4130G40G415118No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul's eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized,G2532G2112G634G575G846G3788G5616G3013G308G3916G5037G450G2532G907

Plots Against Saul

19and sat down with them to a hearty meal. Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples,G2532G2983G5160G1765G1161G1096G4569G5100G2250G3326G3101G1722G115420but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God.G2532G2112G2784G5547G1722G4864G3754G3778G2076G5207G231621They were caught off guard by this and, not at all sure they could trust him, they kept saying, "Isn't this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem among the believers? And didn't he come here to do the same thing—arrest us and drag us off to jail in Jerusalem for sentencing by the high priests?"G1161G3956G191G1839G2532G3004G2076G3756G3778G4199G3588G1941G5124G3686G1722G2419G2532G2064G5602G1519G5124G1519G2443G71G846G1210G1909G74922But their suspicions didn't slow Saul down for even a minute. His momentum was up now and he plowed straight into the opposition, disarming the Damascus Jews and trying to show them that this Jesus was the Messiah.G1161G4569G1743G3123G1743G2532G4797G2453G3588G2730G1722G1154G4822G3754G3778G2076G554723After this had gone on quite a long time, some Jews conspired to kill him,G1161G5613G2425G2250G4137G2453G4823G337G84624but Saul got wind of it. They were watching the city gates around the clock so they could kill him.G1161G846G1917G1097G4569G5037G3906G4439G2250G2532G3571G3704G337G84625Then one night the disciples engineered his escape by lowering him over the wall in a basket.G1161G3101G2983G846G3571G2524G5465G1223G5038G1722G471126Back in Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn't trust him one bit.G1161G4569G3854G1519G2419G3987G2853G3101G2532G5399G3956G5399G846G4100G3361G3754G2076G310127Then Barnabas took him under his wing. He introduced him to the apostles and stood up for him, told them how Saul had seen and spoken to the Master on the Damascus Road and how in Damascus itself he had laid his life on the line with his bold preaching in Jesus' name.G1161G921G1949G846G71G4314G652G2532G1334G846G4459G1492G2962G1722G3598G2532G3754G2980G846G2532G4459G3955G1722G1154G1722G3686G242428After that he was accepted as one of them, going in and out of Jerusalem with no questions asked, uninhibited as he preached in the Master's name.G2532G2258G3326G846G1531G2532G1607G1722G241929But then he ran afoul of a group called Hellenists—he had been engaged in a running argument with them—who plotted his murder.G2532G2980G3955G1722G3686G2962G2424G5037G2532G4802G4314G1675G1161G2021G337G84630When his friends learned of the plot, they got him out of town, took him to Caesarea, and then shipped him off to Tarsus.G1161G80G1921G2609G846G2609G1519G2542G2532G1821G846G1821G1519G501931Things calmed down after that and the church had smooth sailing for a while. All over the country—Judea, Samaria, Galilee—the church grew. They were permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God. The Holy Spirit was with them, strengthening them. They prospered wonderfully.G3303G3767G2192G1577G1515G2596G3650G2449G2532G1056G2532G4540G3618G2532G4198G5401G2962G2532G3874G40G4151G4129

Tabitha

32Peter went off on a mission to visit all the churches. In the course of his travels he arrived in Lydda and met with the believers there.G1161G1096G1330G4074G1330G1223G3956G2718G2532G4314G40G3588G2730G306933He came across a man—his name was Aeneas—who had been in bed eight years paralyzed.G1161G1563G2147G5100G444G3686G132G2621G1909G2895G1537G3638G2094G3739G2258G388634Peter said, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!" And he did it—jumped right out of bed.G2532G4074G2036G846G132G2424G5547G2390G4571G2390G450G2532G4766G4572G4766G2532G450G211235Everybody who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him walking around and woke up to the fact that God was alive and active among them.G2532G3956G2730G3069G2532G4565G1492G846G3748G1994G1909G296236Down the road a way in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, "Gazelle" in our language. She was well-known for doing good and helping out.G1161G2258G1722G2445G5100G3102G3686G5000G3739G1329G3004G1393G3778G846G2258G4134G18G2041G2532G1654G3739G416037During the time Peter was in the area she became sick and died. Her friends prepared her body for burial and put her in a cool room.G1161G1096G1722G1565G2250G770G599G1161G846G3068G846G5087G1722G525338Some of the disciples had heard that Peter was visiting in nearby Lydda and sent two men to ask if he would be so kind as to come over.G1161G5607G3069G1451G2445G3101G191G3754G4074G2076G1722G846G649G4314G846G1417G435G3870G3635G3361G3635G1330G2193G84639Peter got right up and went with them. They took him into the room where Tabitha's body was laid out. Her old friends, most of them widows, were in the room mourning. They showed Peter pieces of clothing the Gazelle had made while she was with them.G1161G4074G450G4905G846G3739G3854G321G1519G5253G2532G3956G5503G3936G846G2799G2532G1925G5509G2532G2440G3745G1393G4160G5607G3326G84640Peter put the widows all out of the room. He knelt and prayed. Then he spoke directly to the body: "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up.G1161G4074G1544G3956G1854G5087G1119G4336G2532G1994G4314G4983G2036G5000G450G1161G455G846G3788G2532G1492G4074G33941He took her hand and helped her up. Then he called in the believers and widows, and presented her to them alive.G1161G1325G846G5495G450G846G450G1161G5455G40G2532G5503G3936G846G219842When this became known all over Joppa, many put their trust in the Master.G1161G1096G1110G2596G3650G2445G2532G4183G4100G1909G296243Peter stayed on a long time in Joppa as a guest of Simon the Tanner.G1161G1096G846G3306G2425G2250G1722G2445G3844G5100G4613G1038