Acts 9:1-22
Saul’s Conversion
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Galatians 1:11-24
Paul Called by God
11 I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. 14 I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. 21 Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. 22 I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they praised God because of me.
2 Peter 3:14-16
Peter Writing About Paul's Letters
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Saul was converted on the road to Damascus...A Light from heaven struck him...In fact, it was a Great Light that struck him and changed him...That Light was Jesus...His conversion was quite an event for him and the world...Saul knew the Old Testament Scripture (and knew it well), and was a Pharisee...Saul, and then later Paul would be a big part of writing the New Testament (although he did not not it at the time)...Peter, in his second epistle, says that Paul's writings are Scripture (actually before they became Scripture)...He also says some of Paul's writings are hard to understand (just like some of our Bible is hard to understand)...St. Paul's letters make up almost half the books of the New Testament...
Saul changed and converted his name to Paul...Saul was his Hebrew name, and Paul was his Gentile name...The three early Christian Leaders were Paul, Peter, and James, brother of Jesus...They were a big part of the early Christian church and churches...Peter and James would preach and be an important part of Jerusalem and in Israel and Paul would literally cover the rest of the Roman Empire to spread the word about Jesus Christ...Peter was the Apostle to the Jews and Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles...
St. Luke writes that right after Paul was converted that he met and spent several days with the disciples in Damascus (Acts 9:19)...He was starting his learning process about Jesus, and would gather more and more information about our LORD, through the years from St. Peter, and the LORD's brother James...
Saul converting from a Pharisee to teaching the gospel was a very important part of his life...Meeting Jesus and then believing in Him, and later writing about Him was not only the most important conversion and meeting in Christian history outside of Israel, but the world would never be the same either...The world, and the Gentiles, would learn about Christianity from Paul...Paul would study with the people who knew Jesus, and preach about him until his death...It is often said that St. Paul and St. Peter died in Rome (although the Bible does not confirm this)...
The conversion changed Saul's life...The biggest turning point and change in St. Paul's life, would also be the biggest turning point and change in the world -in its view on religion and our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ...Paul would learn about Christ, and go on to teach the world about Jesus...Paul's meeting Jesus and converting on the road to Damascus in Syria is one of the most important events in the history of the world...The world would get to know Jesus, our Savior, who is Christ our LORD...