In Acts 9, there are a number of hints at how we discern God’s call.  These are fleshed out more in other scriptures (more on that in another blog), but these are all present to some degree right in this passage.  Here are some of the ways that we see Saul’s calling to be the ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’ fleshed out in Acts 9.  Think about how these principles apply to your life.

1. Revelation from God – In 9:3-6, Saul has a vision of Jesus.  In Acts 26:17 there is additional material regarding his life calling (being an apostle to the Gentiles) that came during the vision.  If God has ever given you a vision/revelation you may want to think on it a bit and mine it for insights about your calling.  Paul obviously did a lot of reflecting on his vision.
2. Confirmation from others – In 9:15, God speaks to Ananias about what Saul is called to do, and Ananias shares that with Saul.  Other people are often God’s mouthpieces for helping us clarify our calling.
3. Personal background – In 9:11, it is mentioned that Saul is from Tarsus.  Tarsus was a bridge city – it was one of the few Roman cities in the area, meaning that Saul would have the rare status of being born a Roman citizen.  It was a crossroads city, meaning he had a lot of exposure to both Greeks and Jews.  Saul’s background primed him to be a bridge person, a key characteristic of being a pioneer missionary.  What in your background may have primed you for your life calling?
4. Spiritual gifts – In 9:1, we see Saul begin to ‘franchise’ the persecution he helped start in Jerusalem.  Apostles begin new works and franchise them.  They are spiritual entrepreneurs.  Saul’s spiritual gift, though misused here, is already evident before his conversion.  It will become maximized in his new life in Christ.  What spiritual gifts do you have, and how do they fit into your life’s mission?
5. Life experiences – In 9:18, Saul gets healed.  He’s just spent three days in utter darkness, and now he can see again.  This dramatic experience made a deep impact on him and became one of the signature motifs in his writings (Rom 1:21, 13:12; 1 Cor 4:5; 2 Cor 4:6, etc.).  This experience clarified and grounded his calling, which later is defined as “to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18).
6. Personality – In 9:1, Saul oozes zeal for his personal mission of persecuting the church.  He was an all-or-nothing kind of person – definitely a type-A personality.  He will need this kind of personality both to spread the word and to endure the hardship (see Acts 9:16).  What in your personality perfectly fits what you’re called to do?
7. Acquired skills – In 9:1-2, we see Saul’s skills at work.  He was an excellent student and his skills he had learned in the field of law gave him the leverage he needed to get his mission accomplished.  The right of extradition (taking prisoners from one city to another) was a rare one in the ancient world – but Saul knew that it had been granted to the Jews by the Greeks in 142 BC and reaffirmed by the Romans in 47 BC.  So he used that right in these verses to accomplish his mission persecuting Christians effectively.  As a Christian, Saul uses these same leaned skills on numerous occasions, including how he leveraged legal rights or Roman citizenship to propel the Gospel forward (see Acts 22:25-29; 25:11; 25:16).

I am planning on leading a seminar on “Discovering Your Calling” in September on a couple of Sunday afternoons.  If you are interested you can email me at Bill.White@ERC.LA.