Bible Commentaries
Acts 9

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 20-43

  1. Intro:
    1. Show: Recyclable water bottle; & Starbucks cup.
    2. There is a growing awareness & increasing efforts to Recycle.
      1. We are doing it with just about any product: Paper, glass, many metals, auto’s & trucks & machine parts, even our old cell phones
      2. Job sites have had a problem with thieves coming through & stripping commercial buildings of all its copper.
      3. We now have what’s called Urban Quarrying – One old Airport site produced 5,000 tons of secondary aggregate every day as they tore out old concrete & asphalt to reuse it.
      4. It’s really what thrift stores & garage sales are all about.
      5. Dennis Weaver (of McCloud fame) built his “Earthship” in Colorado. It is an environmentally friendly, 10,000 square foot home made of used tires, aluminum cans, & other recycled materials. I may be made of junk but is for sale for $3.3 million.
    3. I want to talk about Recycled People this morning!
      1. Not like the 1973 dystopian science fiction movie “Soylent Green”.
      2. The year 2022. Water/soil poisoned; airborne pollution; year-round heat wave (from green-house effect).
      3. Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston; NYPD Det.) sought to crack the case.
      4. Soy(bean) lent(il) [Red & yellow high energy vegetable concentrate]
      5. Newest product from Soylent Corp…“Soylent Green”.
        1. Marketed as High energy plankton. Much more nutritious, but short supply – leads to riots. Ends up being made of cadavers!
      6. Ok, so not that kind of Recycled People!
    4. Recycle = To adapt or convert something to a new use.
    5. God is a master at recycling & reshaping our lives into something new!
      1. God sees the person who exhibits the most misguided, disreputable, & even disgraceful behavior as…Recyclable!
      2. As we see nearly anything & everything as being recyclable; God sees people as recyclable! [I guess God is Green!]
    6. Saul would be such a person. He needed to be reclaimed & recycled.
      1. Recap 9:1-19.
    7. The Christian Life is both individual & social.
      1. Good example here with Saul. Having an individual relationship with Christ; & a social relationship with Christians.
        1. A changed man seeks company among other changed people!
  2. SAUL! (20-31)
    1. EVANGELISM IN DAMASCUS! (20-22)
    2. (20) Immediately Saul began to preach in the synagogues, serving the gospel w/all the zeal he used formerly to persecute it. (Shepherds Notes; pg.33)
    3. (21,22) Between vs. 21,22 is Gal.1:15-19. [3 yrs in Arabia]
      1. Jesus became the center of Saul’s readjusted worldview.
      2. Some make Jesus the cherry on top of their Sunday. He doesn’t want to “Top off” you life! He wants to be the center of everything.
    4. (22) This enemy of “The Way” is not showing the Way…the truth & the life!
    5. ESCAPE FROM DAMASCUS! (23-25)
    6. Large basket (hamper size) – it was let down from window of house built on wall. Similar to Rahab’s house in Jericho built into wall & let 2 spies down through.
    7. THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP! (26-30)
    8. (26) Afraid & did not believe – painful but natural.
      1. ​​​​​​​They were skeptical of this “destroyer turn disciple”; this “persecutor turn preacher”;
    9. Jerusalem - He spent 15 days with Peter & James (Lord’s bro) (Gal.1:18,19)
      1. It was there & then he received his commission as Apostle to the Gentiles – See 22:17-21.
    10. (27) People are instrumental in the recycling of products. People are instrumental in the recycling of persons.
      1. Like Ananias who was once a reluctant recycler (9:13,14).
        1. Just as we sometimes don’t bend over to pick up the penny, or lift the plastic bottle out of the trashcan, because we don’t think its worth it.
        2. Same with some people. Sometimes we wonder “is it really worth the effort to pick them up”.
      2. Now Barnabas is used in this process.
        1. Barnabas vouches for Saul’s sincerity & effectiveness in Damascus. [Qualifications: Saul had seen the Lord; spoke to Him; & spoken boldly in His Name.]
      3. I like the signs that say, “WE BUY UGLY HOUSES!”
        1. What are those entrepreneurs saying? – We’ll buy your shabby run down house for pennies on the dollar, fix it up, & flip it for a handsome profit.
        2. What you see as far-too-gone to save, they see promise in every ugly house!
    11. (30) For his own safety they took him to the port city Caesarea & put him on a boat for home. Tarsus his own city(22:3)
      1. Wonder what they thought of this change in his home town?
    12. CHURCH GROWTH! (31)
    13. When it’s God that moves us, it is best for us for where we’re going, & for those who we leave behind.
      1. They grew Upward toward God in edification; They grew Outward toward men in multiplication.
    14. Walking – I love that it says that they were walking (action; movement; momentum)
      1. ​​​​​​​This is part of a young child’s normal development.
    15. What 4 things caused growth in these churches throughout this region?
      1. [1] Peaceful church (peace)
        [2] Pure church (fear of Lord)
        [3] Powerful church (edify/strengthen)
        [4] Progressive church (walking)
    16. With Saul now home in Tarsus, the narrative focuses once more with Peter.
      1. After recording the experiences of Stephen, Philip, & Saul.
  3. PETER! (32-43)
    1. ​​​​​​​AENEAS! (32-35)
    2. Peter evangelizes the coastal cities.
    3. He stopped at Lydda to visit believers there.
      1. ​​​​​​​Lydda = district capital of Samaria during NT era. (Lod in OT)
    4. (34) Peter lays emphasis on fact Christ Himself is healer! (humility)
      1. Let us hide ourselves behind our Lord.
      2. Maclaren, “The herald is not to blow his own name or praises through his trumpet, but his King’s; & be forgotten when the royal progress has come.”
        1. All eyes are on the musician at a wedding…till the bride enters. Then most even turn there back completely on the musician.
    5. Mothers, a great plaque for your kid’s room! “Arise & make your bed”
      1. ​​​​​​​Make your bed = roll up your mat, on which he slept for 8 years.
      2. Immediately doing for himself at last what others must have done for him all that time. [Jesus did same thing in Mark 2:1-12]
    6. TABITHA! (36-43)
    7. Joppa (Jaffa) – main port city of Judea.
    8. The Deeds of Dorcas! (36)
    9. Tabitha (the Jews would know her by). Luke provides his Greek readers with her name in Greek Dorcas. Gazelle in Aramaic.
    10. Which she did - She didn’t just talk about doing!
      1. A lovely soul gathered love by giving love! Griffith Thomas
    11. The Death of Dorcas! (37)
    12. She became ill & died in the midst of usefulness & influence…often so!
    13. The Deliverance of Dorcas! (38-43)
    14. (38) This was a 3 hour journey by foot for Peter.
    15. (39) Widows – another instance of care of widows by Christian Church.
    16. Showing – (Gk.) Showing as they wore them.
      1. We all treasure mementos of our deceased loved ones.
      2. But do we express appreciation to the living? It isn’t the thing you do, It’s the thing you leave undone, Which gives you a bit of heartache At the setting of the sun. The tender word forgotten, the letter you did not write,The flower you might have sent, Are you haunting ghosts tonight. (Griffith Thomas; pg.182.)
    17. (40) Knelt down & prayed – fully aware that healing would not come from him, but only through the power of Christ.
    18. Tabitha Arise – Just like his Master had done at house of Jarius’.
      1. “Talitha cumi, Little girl, I say to you, arise” Mark5:41
    19. (42) Many believed on the Lord – All the results are to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! We find Jesus…
      1. We find Jesus in the Home of Aeneas!
      2. We find Jesus in the Heart of Dorcas!
      3. We find Jesus in the Hope of the Disciples!
      4. We find Jesus in the Hand of Peter!
      5. We find Jesus in the Harvest of Converts!
    20. (43) Why does Luke discuss Peter at this point?
      1. Joppa - This city reminds us at once of the prophet Jonah, who went down to Joppa to flee to Tarshish instead of minister to the Gentiles.
      2. As God called Jonah to carry His message to the Gentiles; God was about to call Peter to do the same thing (Acts 10).
      3. So this is an important segue leading up to the official entrance of the Gentiles into the Christian Church (ch.10 w/Cornelius).
    21. God sees people as what the may be! (like 9:15)
    22. God is the browser in an old estate auction who happens upon the rickety old rocking chair with broken rungs, six cracked and caked coats of black enamel, and assorted springs pushing out through what was once a seat cushion.
      1. God sees the rocker stripped of the layers of paint. God sees new supports. God sees a fine leather seat. God sees a beautifully refinished oak rocker refitted to rock children to sleep for yrs to come.
    23. Remember the story of the Potter and the Clay as told in Jeremiah 18:2-6.
      1. The story says, “The jar did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started over again” (4)
      2. God is a master at recycling lives and reshaping them into something good and useful. We would do well to see…
        1. See ourselves as Recyclers!
        2. See ourselves and others as Recyclable!
    24. There is no one of too little worth or too far gone to be reclaimed and recycled for the glory of God and the good of others!
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Verses 20-43

  1. Intro:
    1. Show: Recyclable water bottle; & Starbucks cup.
    2. There is a growing awareness & increasing efforts to Recycle.
      1. We are doing it with just about any product: Paper, glass, many metals, auto’s & trucks & machine parts, even our old cell phones
      2. Job sites have had a problem with thieves coming through & stripping commercial buildings of all its copper.
      3. We now have what’s called Urban Quarrying – One old Airport site produced 5,000 tons of secondary aggregate every day as they tore out old concrete & asphalt to reuse it.
      4. It’s really what thrift stores & garage sales are all about.
      5. Dennis Weaver (of McCloud fame) built his “Earthship” in Colorado. It is an environmentally friendly, 10,000 square foot home made of used tires, aluminum cans, & other recycled materials. I may be made of junk but is for sale for $3.3 million.
    3. I want to talk about Recycled People this morning!
      1. Not like the 1973 dystopian science fiction movie “Soylent Green”.
      2. The year 2022. Water/soil poisoned; airborne pollution; year-round heat wave (from green-house effect).
      3. Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston; NYPD Det.) sought to crack the case.
      4. Soy(bean) lent(il) [Red & yellow high energy vegetable concentrate]
      5. Newest product from Soylent Corp…“Soylent Green”.
        1. Marketed as High energy plankton. Much more nutritious, but short supply – leads to riots. Ends up being made of cadavers!
      6. Ok, so not that kind of Recycled People!
    4. Recycle = To adapt or convert something to a new use.
    5. God is a master at recycling & reshaping our lives into something new!
      1. God sees the person who exhibits the most misguided, disreputable, & even disgraceful behavior as…Recyclable!
      2. As we see nearly anything & everything as being recyclable; God sees people as recyclable! [I guess God is Green!]
    6. Saul would be such a person. He needed to be reclaimed & recycled.
      1. Recap 9:1-19.
    7. The Christian Life is both individual & social.
      1. Good example here with Saul. Having an individual relationship with Christ; & a social relationship with Christians.
        1. A changed man seeks company among other changed people!
  2. SAUL! (20-31)
    1. EVANGELISM IN DAMASCUS! (20-22)
    2. (20) Immediately Saul began to preach in the synagogues, serving the gospel w/all the zeal he used formerly to persecute it. (Shepherds Notes; pg.33)
    3. (21,22) Between vs. 21,22 is Gal.1:15-19. [3 yrs in Arabia]
      1. Jesus became the center of Saul’s readjusted worldview.
      2. Some make Jesus the cherry on top of their Sunday. He doesn’t want to “Top off” you life! He wants to be the center of everything.
    4. (22) This enemy of “The Way” is not showing the Way…the truth & the life!
    5. ESCAPE FROM DAMASCUS! (23-25)
    6. Large basket (hamper size) – it was let down from window of house built on wall. Similar to Rahab’s house in Jericho built into wall & let 2 spies down through.
    7. THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP! (26-30)
    8. (26) Afraid & did not believe – painful but natural.
      1. ​​​​​​​They were skeptical of this “destroyer turn disciple”; this “persecutor turn preacher”;
    9. Jerusalem - He spent 15 days with Peter & James (Lord’s bro) (Gal.1:18,19)
      1. It was there & then he received his commission as Apostle to the Gentiles – See 22:17-21.
    10. (27) People are instrumental in the recycling of products. People are instrumental in the recycling of persons.
      1. Like Ananias who was once a reluctant recycler (9:13,14).
        1. Just as we sometimes don’t bend over to pick up the penny, or lift the plastic bottle out of the trashcan, because we don’t think its worth it.
        2. Same with some people. Sometimes we wonder “is it really worth the effort to pick them up”.
      2. Now Barnabas is used in this process.
        1. Barnabas vouches for Saul’s sincerity & effectiveness in Damascus. [Qualifications: Saul had seen the Lord; spoke to Him; & spoken boldly in His Name.]
      3. I like the signs that say, “WE BUY UGLY HOUSES!”
        1. What are those entrepreneurs saying? – We’ll buy your shabby run down house for pennies on the dollar, fix it up, & flip it for a handsome profit.
        2. What you see as far-too-gone to save, they see promise in every ugly house!
    11. (30) For his own safety they took him to the port city Caesarea & put him on a boat for home. Tarsus his own city(22:3)
      1. Wonder what they thought of this change in his home town?
    12. CHURCH GROWTH! (31)
    13. When it’s God that moves us, it is best for us for where we’re going, & for those who we leave behind.
      1. They grew Upward toward God in edification; They grew Outward toward men in multiplication.
    14. Walking – I love that it says that they were walking (action; movement; momentum)
      1. ​​​​​​​This is part of a young child’s normal development.
    15. What 4 things caused growth in these churches throughout this region?
      1. [1] Peaceful church (peace)
        [2] Pure church (fear of Lord)
        [3] Powerful church (edify/strengthen)
        [4] Progressive church (walking)
    16. With Saul now home in Tarsus, the narrative focuses once more with Peter.
      1. After recording the experiences of Stephen, Philip, & Saul.
  3. PETER! (32-43)
    1. ​​​​​​​AENEAS! (32-35)
    2. Peter evangelizes the coastal cities.
    3. He stopped at Lydda to visit believers there.
      1. ​​​​​​​Lydda = district capital of Samaria during NT era. (Lod in OT)
    4. (34) Peter lays emphasis on fact Christ Himself is healer! (humility)
      1. Let us hide ourselves behind our Lord.
      2. Maclaren, “The herald is not to blow his own name or praises through his trumpet, but his King’s; & be forgotten when the royal progress has come.”
        1. All eyes are on the musician at a wedding…till the bride enters. Then most even turn there back completely on the musician.
    5. Mothers, a great plaque for your kid’s room! “Arise & make your bed”
      1. ​​​​​​​Make your bed = roll up your mat, on which he slept for 8 years.
      2. Immediately doing for himself at last what others must have done for him all that time. [Jesus did same thing in Mark 2:1-12]
    6. TABITHA! (36-43)
    7. Joppa (Jaffa) – main port city of Judea.
    8. The Deeds of Dorcas! (36)
    9. Tabitha (the Jews would know her by). Luke provides his Greek readers with her name in Greek Dorcas. Gazelle in Aramaic.
    10. Which she did - She didn’t just talk about doing!
      1. A lovely soul gathered love by giving love! Griffith Thomas
    11. The Death of Dorcas! (37)
    12. She became ill & died in the midst of usefulness & influence…often so!
    13. The Deliverance of Dorcas! (38-43)
    14. (38) This was a 3 hour journey by foot for Peter.
    15. (39) Widows – another instance of care of widows by Christian Church.
    16. Showing – (Gk.) Showing as they wore them.
      1. We all treasure mementos of our deceased loved ones.
      2. But do we express appreciation to the living? It isn’t the thing you do, It’s the thing you leave undone, Which gives you a bit of heartache At the setting of the sun. The tender word forgotten, the letter you did not write,The flower you might have sent, Are you haunting ghosts tonight. (Griffith Thomas; pg.182.)
    17. (40) Knelt down & prayed – fully aware that healing would not come from him, but only through the power of Christ.
    18. Tabitha Arise – Just like his Master had done at house of Jarius’.
      1. “Talitha cumi, Little girl, I say to you, arise” Mark5:41
    19. (42) Many believed on the Lord – All the results are to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! We find Jesus…
      1. We find Jesus in the Home of Aeneas!
      2. We find Jesus in the Heart of Dorcas!
      3. We find Jesus in the Hope of the Disciples!
      4. We find Jesus in the Hand of Peter!
      5. We find Jesus in the Harvest of Converts!
    20. (43) Why does Luke discuss Peter at this point?
      1. Joppa - This city reminds us at once of the prophet Jonah, who went down to Joppa to flee to Tarshish instead of minister to the Gentiles.
      2. As God called Jonah to carry His message to the Gentiles; God was about to call Peter to do the same thing (Acts 10).
      3. So this is an important segue leading up to the official entrance of the Gentiles into the Christian Church (ch.10 w/Cornelius).
    21. God sees people as what the may be! (like 9:15)
    22. God is the browser in an old estate auction who happens upon the rickety old rocking chair with broken rungs, six cracked and caked coats of black enamel, and assorted springs pushing out through what was once a seat cushion.
      1. God sees the rocker stripped of the layers of paint. God sees new supports. God sees a fine leather seat. God sees a beautifully refinished oak rocker refitted to rock children to sleep for yrs to come.
    23. Remember the story of the Potter and the Clay as told in Jeremiah 18:2-6.
      1. The story says, “The jar did not turn out as he had hoped, so the potter squashed the jar into a lump of clay and started over again” (4)
      2. God is a master at recycling lives and reshaping them into something good and useful. We would do well to see…
        1. See ourselves as Recyclers!
        2. See ourselves and others as Recyclable!
    24. There is no one of too little worth or too far gone to be reclaimed and recycled for the glory of God and the good of others!
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Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.
Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on Acts 9". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/acts-9.html. 2017.

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