Acts 9

                               Saul’s Conversion
v1 – Saul – this is Paul before he was saved
-Saul means to ask – Hebrew name
-Paul – means little or small – Gentile name
breathing – means to breathe in
-Saul took into his heart and mind the evil purposes of persecution
v2 – letters – these letters were from the religious leaders
THE WAY – the name of Christianity during the times of Paul
v3 – Prayer works – Acts 1:14/Acts 2:4/Acts 3:1/Acts 4:31
-when we pray people are saved – vs3-5
-a light from heaven – brighter than the sun – hits Saul and he is saved
-pray with a spirit of expectancy
v4 – a voice calls out from heaven and it is Jesus
-when you attack the body of Christ, you are attacking the Lord Himself
vs5-6 – I am Jesus
-Jesus keeps us on track with a big stick
v6 – Saul is terrified and gets saved and becomes Paul
vs7-9 – Saul becomes Paul and is blind
v10 – Ananias – he was just an available believer
vs11-12 – when we get saved, our address changes
STRAIGHT STREET
1. Straight Street is a street of redemption, holiness and righteousness
-righteousness is our position in Christ
-righteousness is our walk
-we possess righteousness – 1 John 1:6 & Matthew 7:21-23
-we seek righteousness – Matt 6:33
2. Straight Street is a street where prayer happens – v11
-Paul made up his mind to pray
3. Straight Street is a street of purpose – vs15-16
-we discover our purpose when we get saved
-Prov 19:21 – our purpose is permanent
4. Straight Street is a street where we are filled with the Holy Spirit – v17
1 Cor 14:18 – Paul spoke in tongues more than anyone else at Corinth
v21 – when you are saved and born again, your life is turned upside down
vs18-22 –
v20 Paul shared the gospel
v21 – people were astonished and shocked
v23 – Paul spent 3 years in the desert to learn from Jesus Christ
vs24-30
-v28 – people tried to kill Paul
v30 – Paul then stayed in Tarsus around 11 years
v31 – the Lord turned things around
vs32-35 – God works miracles through Peter
-Peter travels to other parts of Israel – 35 miles from Jerusalem to Lydda
v34 – Jesus is the Healer
v35 – Healing occurs to turn people to the Lord
vs36-43 – Dorcas or Tabitha is healed