On his way to Damascus, to arrest the disciples of the Lord, and take them to Jerusalem to jail .... Saul was saved:
Acts 9:1-3 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Saul immediately started preaching the very faith he once destroyed (Gal 1:23) .... in Jewish synagogues:
Acts 9:20-22 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
22 But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
After Saul’s own conversion, the ‘hunter’ became the ‘hunted’ .... and he had to run for his life. He left Damascus and went to Jerusalem:
Acts 9:23-30 And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:
24 But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
25 Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.
26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
He was hounded there also, and fled to Caesarea:
29 And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
30 Which when the brethren knew,
they brought him down to Caesarea, (Keep this city in mind.)
Then went back home to Tarsus:
and sent him forth to Tarsus.
Peter was a traveling man. He went everywhere:
Acts 9:32,35 And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lydda.
He visited believers in Lydda and Saron. He healed a sick man of the palsy there:
35 And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him (the man Peter healed),
and turned to the Lord.
Peter stayed in Joppa, which was between Caesarea and Gaza, and 30 miles north-west from Jerusalem, one of the oldest towns in Asia, and the chief sea-port of Judaea. There he resurrected a dead woman back to life (Acts 9:36-43).
Acts 9:42 And it was known throughout all Joppa;
and many believed in the Lord.
Caesarea was the great Gentile city of Palestine, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, on the great road from Tyre to Egypt, about 70 miles northwest of Jerusalem. It was the capital of the Roman province of Judaea, the seat of the governors and procurators, and the headquarters of the Roman troops.
HERE IS AN ‘IF-THEN’ QUESTION TO THINK ABOUT:
‘IF’ .... when God answered the prayers of a Gentile .... in Caesarea ....
where Saul had been (Acts 9:30) ....
and ‘IF’ .... God was starting ‘something NEW,’
namely ‘the church, the body of Christ’ (as ‘mid-Acts-ers’ claim)
with Paul (Saul) in Acts 9
‘THEN’ .... would it not be LOGICAL to expect that God would have ‘Saul/Paul’ be the one that God used to call these Gentiles to salvation?
But God did NOT chose Saul .... He chose PETER!!!
Acts 10:1-5 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, ("and call for one Saul, whose name will be called Paul" ---- NO! That is NOT what God said! The Lord did NOT tell the Gentile Cornelius to call for Saul (Paul) ---- even though he had CONVENIENTLY been in CAESAREA .... the very place where Cornelius lived)
and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
Peter preached .... not just to Cornelius alone .... but to MANY who were with him:
Acts 10:19-27 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
21 Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius; and said, Behold, I am he whom ye seek: what is the cause wherefore ye are come?
22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.
23 Then called he them in, and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea.
And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.
27 And as he talked with him, he went in, and found many that were come together.
The news travelled back to the churches of Judaea which were in Christ (Gal 1:22). But Peter was scolded by some Jews for his Gentile visit and meal:
Acts 11:1-3 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.
But Peter was prepared, as he had practiced his answer (Acts 11:4), that, without a doubt, it was God’s Spirit that sent him there with the gospel of salvation for Cornelius and all his relatives:
Acts 11:12-14 And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man's house:
13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
Although later, Paul experienced both similar rejoicing with the churches of God which in Judaea were in Christ Jesus .... and also the same harrassment from the Jews, as Peter received (1 Thess 2:14-16) .... it was PETER first, and NOT PAUL .... that God used to take the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ .... to the Gentiles:
Acts 11:17-18 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
Later when Peter went to Antioch, Paul rebuked him caving in to Jewish pressure and dissing the Gentiles (Gal 2:11-14) .... but, initially, God chose Peter to go to the Gentiles .... before He chose Paul:
Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago (in Acts 10) God made choice among us, (God chose Peter)
that the Gentiles (plural, not just Cornelius)
by my (PETER's) mouth
should hear the word of the gospel (Peter preached the gospel whereby they were saved), and believe.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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