Saul’s Rage Could Not Stop The Gospel — Acts 9:1–2 | Good News Unlimited
Saul’s Rage Could Not Stop the Gospel — Acts 9:1–2
Oct 13, 2026 26637
Have you ever known someone who seemed completely opposed to Jesus? Saul’s rage made him one of the fiercest enemies of the early church. He was determined to silence the message and punish anyone who followed the Way.
Acts 9:1–2
[1] But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest [2] and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (ESV)
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
Saul’s rage was active and violent
Saul was not neutral or merely sceptical. He had approved of Stephen’s execution. He entered Christian homes, dragged away men and women and committed them to prison. Now he had official letters authorising him to pursue believers more than 200 kilometres away in Damascus.
He was still “breathing threats and murder”. It was the air he breathed. Saul looked like a wild animal hunting its prey, and his hostility appeared unstoppable.
Yet Saul’s persecution had already failed to stop the gospel. When believers were scattered from Jerusalem, they carried the message of Jesus into Judea and Samaria. God even used their suffering to advance the mission Jesus had given his church.
[Watch this week’s video devotion with Dave Miers]
Saul’s rage could not stop Jesus
In 2014, ISIS marked Christian homes in Mosul, Iraq, with the Arabic letter “N”, identifying the people inside as followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians were driven from their homes, and believers around the world began praying for them.
They also prayed for their persecutors. Would God bring hostile ISIS fighters to faith in Jesus? It felt like an impossible prayer.
Who feels impossible in your world? Perhaps it is a family member who has become hardened after a painful church experience. Perhaps it is someone at work who openly mocks your faith. Picture the person you struggle to imagine ever turning to Christ.
The Good News is…
Saul’s rage could not overthrow the risen Jesus. Jesus had been rejected and crucified, but God raised him from the dead. He lives and reigns as Lord, and no enemy can prevent him from building his church.
Nor was Saul beyond his reach. The man breathing threats and murder was about to be confronted by the grace of Jesus. So don’t stop praying for the person who seems too hostile, too hardened, or too far gone. If Jesus can rescue Saul, he can rescue anyone.
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Reflection
Who seems impossibly far from Jesus? Bring that person before God today and ask him to show them his saving grace.
Rev. Dave Miers
President, Good News Unlimited
