BibleBlox
76. saul's conversion
/ acts 9:1-31 /
/ listen as you follow along /
There once lived a man named Saul, who was a young, up and coming 🚀 Pharisee from Tarsus. He wore fancy clothes 👘 and thought he was very important. 👏🏼 Saul went to special schools 🏫 and knew lots about God, but he didn't believe Jesus was God's Son. 🙅♂️
Saul was very mean 😡 to people who loved 🥰 Jesus. He would go to their houses 🏘️ and arrest them just because they followed Jesus. This made many Christians sad 😔 and scared. 😳 Some of Jesus' disciples had to run away 🏃🏻♀️💨 and hide in other cities to survive. Others, like Stephen, who stayed where they were to serve Jesus were killed 🪨 by men under Saul’s command. 😵
One day, Saul was feeling extra angry 😤 about Jesus' followers. He went to some important leaders and asked for special letters. 📝 These letters would let him go to the city of Damascus 🧭 to find more of Jesus' disciples and bring them back as prisoners. He packed his bags 💼 and started walking 🚶 on the long, dusty road with his crew.
The sun ☀️ was high in the sky, and Saul was getting close to Damascus. Suddenly, a light 💡 brighter than the sun 🌞 flashed from heaven! The light was so bright and surprising 😮 that Saul fell right off his feet 🦶 and onto the ground. 🙇♂️
Then, Saul heard a mighty voice from heaven speaking 🗣️ to him. "Saul, Saul," the voice said, "why are you hurting me by being mean 😢 to my followers?"
Saul was shaking. 🫨 He couldn't believe what was happening! "Who... who are you, Lord?" he asked in a trembling voice. 😟
"I am Jesus," the voice said. "The very one you're trying to stop." 🛑
Saul's friends were standing there too. They could hear 👂🏻 the voice, but they couldn't see 👀 anyone. They were so surprised 😳 they couldn't even speak! 🙊
When Saul tried to open his eyes, 👀 he couldn't see anything at all - everything was dark. 🙈 His friends had to hold his hands 🙌 and lead him into Damascus. For three 3️⃣ whole days, Saul sat in the dark. 🌚 He was so sorry 😣 for what he had done that he didn't even want to eat or drink - he just prayed 🙏 and thought about Jesus.
In Damascus, there was a kind man 👨🏻 named Ananias who loved 🥰 Jesus very much. Jesus appeared to Ananias in a dream 💭 and told him, "Go find Saul, he needs your help."
At first, Ananias was scared 😱 because he knew Saul had been mean 😪 to Jesus' disciples. But Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid. 😧 I have chosen Saul to be my special helper!"
So Ananias was brave 💪 and went to find Saul. He put his hands 🙌 on Saul's shoulders and said, "Brother Saul, Jesus sent me to help you see 👀 again and to be filled with God's Holy Spirit."
Right then, scaly pieces 🕶️ fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again! 👀 But the most important change happened with Saul's soul. Instead of being angry 😠 at Christians, Saul's heart ❤️ was filled with love 💕 for Jesus!
Saul was so excited 😆 that he got baptized 💦 right away to show everyone he was now Jesus' apostle. From that day on, Saul (who later got a new name, Paul) became one of Jesus' most trusted helpers. 🙌 Instead of putting Jesus' friends in jail, he traveled 🧳 all over the world telling everyone about how Jesus changed his heart. ❤️ He wrote letters 📝 to churches, ⛪️ started new churches, and helped many people learn about Jesus' love. 🫶
75. stephen / 76. saul's conversion / 77. paul's first mission
