Acts 9:20-43

Three Transformations

Saul

As we saw before, Saul was causing havoc amongst the church by rounding up the believers and arresting them or having them killed.

But now he was causing a different kind of havoc. He was going into the synagogues and proclaiming Christ and debating and arguing Him as Lord with those in there. This made him quite unpopular and so there were a number of attempts on his life.

We as Christians are likely to ruffle some feathers with our beliefs. Even our closest allies and friends might turn against you when you turn to Christ.

Aeneas & Dorcas

These transformations come at the hands of Peter. Peter was extremely important to the early church and so his presence was always being sought out by believers.

They are quite dramatic healings, one from paralysis and one from death. These kind of miraculous healings can still happen, but remember that in this instance the Apostles were gven specific power from the Holy Spirit so the church might spread through these acts (see chapter 10).

These are remarkable stories, yet they come out of ordianry people obeying God. God was working and people were being saved. The church was extremely faithful and so they grew. They prayed, proclaimed the Gospel, and were loving and welcoming. God used these ordinary but faithful people to do extraordinary things.