The CommunionFire Commentary on the Book of ACTS Chapter Nine

Acts Chapter 9
The powerful encounter with Jesus and conversion of Saul and demonstration of God's increasing power in the lives of those who are in daily Communion with Him.

1. Saul, lead persecutor, encounters Jesus and His glory (which blinds him physically for three days!) and He eats and drinks nothing.
2. The Lord asks Ananias to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street to bring salvation, to baptize and heal Saul. He also gave Ananias a powerful "word of knowledge" (supernatural disclosure by revelation from the Lord by the Holy Spirit) about Saul's destiny!
3. Paul preaches at once in the Synagogue and grew with increasing power of the Spirit baffling the Jews in Damascus proving Jesus is the Messiah!
4. The power of God was so strong with Saul that his boldness gave confidence to the believers in Jerusalem, Caesarea and Tarsus, so that throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria saw the Lord constantly increase the number of new believers.
5. Peter traveled about and came to a paralyzed man in Lydda and Jesus healed him. Then he was called to Joppa because a renowned woman who was known for her works of mercy died. 
6. Peter came to Joppa, and told everyone to leave the room. Peter prayed and told Dorcas, with the authority of Jesus Christ to get up! She did.
7. Peter stayed in Joppa for a while to do follow up from all the people who heard about Dorcas being raised from the dead.

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Color Code: The Ongoing Ministry of Jesus in around and through the Church
yellow/gold = Seeing Jesus continued ministry
teal/blue = Seeing the action of the Holy Spirit working with Jesus
burgundy/red = Seeing the ongoing and evolving mission/witness of the Church to the Testimony of Jesus

Acts 9 NIV
Saul’s Conversion

1 Meanwhile, Saul (A.S.K. - OT King Saul did not repent) 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 (what the early believers were called based on the teachings of the Apostles on "The Way of life and The Way of Death" in "The Didache" see full copy of the Didache in the introduction of the commentary, its about half way down when you get there - scroll til you find it... http://www.communionfire.com/acts/the-communionfire-commentary-on-the-book-of-acts), 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?" (kurios: Lord and Master (God) with absolute authority and rights) Saul asked.

“I am Jesus (Iesous or YHWH who Saves), 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 (Judah: give thanksgiving, praise and worship) on Straight Street (straight, upright, immediate) and ask for a man from Tarsus (flat basket) named Saul (A.S.K.), for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias to come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13 “Lord,” Ananias (His conversation displays a solid personal relationship, communication, CommunionFire transformation from Communion with the Lord. "Listen" to how familiar his conversation is with the Lord!) answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” (and how well The Lord communicates with Ananias!)

15 But the Lord said to Ananias (chanan/yah: God has favored, God has given grace), “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to 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 (lepis: like fish scales peeling off) 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
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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 Messiah.

23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 

Chapter by Chapter Short Summary
​Acts 1 Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit “You shall receive the Holy Spirit and when you do, you will have power and might to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.”
Acts 2 Jesus gives birth to the Church by sending of the Gift of The Holy Spirit and Peter’s Prophetic Sermon 120 + 3,000 In Jesus all things held common
Acts 3 Jesus the Mighty Healer, Healing at Gate Beautiful and Peter’s 2nd Great Sermon 
Acts 4 Jesus increases the Church in power and population. Persecution Begins in Jerusalem, Peter, John and Lame man jailed “We can’t keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.” Prayer and 2nd Pentecost +5,000 all things shared in common
Acts 5 Jesus heals all that are infirmed and sends an angel to release Peter and John. Ananias & Sapphira both die. Apostles' shadows heal the sick. Peter and John re-arrested and the Angel lets them go, “obey God rather than men!” Kept preaching/healing non-stop
Acts 6 Jesus appoints the first Deacons. Deacons selected, Stephen carried off to high council and shines physically with God’s Glory
Acts 7 Jesus welcomes the first Martyr into heaven! 201 Martyrs, starting with St. Stephen. He sees Jesus stand up to welcome Him from His throne
Acts 8 Martyrdom of 201 and persecution of Jesus causes the mission force of the Early Church to spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria... Ethiopia and ignites the global move of the Holy Spirit.

​ ACTS 9 (Continued from Column 1)

​27 But Barnabas (bar/nabas: son of prophecy; Uncle of John Mark and distinguished Early Church teacher of) took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 

28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

​29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Apostle Peter with Aeneas in Lydda 

32 As Peter (Cephas: rock, stone) traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 

34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Apostle Peter with Dorcas in Joppa
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36 In Joppa (beautiful) there was a disciple named Tabitha (antelope or gazelle and in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 

37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”

39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 

41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 

42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.