SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 11 January 2026
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#14)
Sermon Text: Acts 9:23-43
Main Points:
Introduction
I. God advances His work through faithful servants
II. God strengthens and grows His church according to His own timing
III. God calls His people to patient endurance while His purposes unfold
Conclusion
We’re continuing our journey through the book of Acts, and in our journey, we’ve seen some dramatic growth of the church. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit led three thousand souls to be added to Christ’s church. Then Luke tells us in 2:47, “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” By ch. 4, another five thousand are mentioned. Chs. 5 and 6 continue this pattern, culminating in a summary like Acts 5:14, that says, “more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.”
Then, the tone shifts sharply. Stephen is martyred. What follows is a sudden and violent persecution. Believers are forced to scatter – like people fleeing a natural disaster, uncertain of where they will land or what lies ahead. Yet, in that scattering, the gospel spreads: Samarians believe, and the Ethiopian official carries the good news beyond Jewish boundaries. Even in hardship, the church continues to expand.
In ch. 9, the pressure has not eased. Opposition is deepening. And then comes a shock of historic proportions: Saul, the chief agent of persecution, is converted. After Stephen’s death, this is the second great shockwave – one that unsettles both the Jewish authorities and the Christian community alike.
At this point, Luke’s snapshot of what is happening is this: that the kingdom of Christ is quietly but surely advancing. The church is being strengthened, encouraged and multiplied.
With this report, I want us to see how such growth was possible. But I’d like us to see something more than just growth itself. I want us to see the way God brought about this growth through His people. In particular, I want us to notice ‘patience’ in the early church – how believers waited in faith, trusting God’s purposes while living amid danger, delay, and uncertainty. That is our focus today.
God was indeed expanding His church, saving His people and multiplying them. But the calling of faith for those believers was patience – waiting for the Lord’s work to unfold in His time.
I. God Advances His Work Through Faithful Servants
Now, let’s begin with what is most visible in this passage – the growth of the early church. The growth described in Acts is extraordinary. Never before, nor since, has the church experienced expansion at such a pace. And we must be careful not to measure these numbers by modern standards. The early church had none of the advantages we take for granted today – no microphones, no mass communication, no digital platforms. Everything was personal, vocal, and local. In that context, numbers like three thousand or five thousand represent astonishing growth.
What deserves closer attention is how Luke describes this growth. In v. 31, we’re told that the church was ‘being built up.’ The language is passive. Growth is not presented as something the church achieved, but as something done to it. God is the builder. God drives the growth. The church is the result of God’s work.
Yet, God does not work apart from people. He does not bypass human means. He advances His purposes through faithful servants. In our passage, Luke introduces us to three such servants. They are Saul, Peter, and Dorcas (or Tabitha). Each represents a different kind of faithfulness through which God strengthens and grows His church.
Let’s consider each of these servants. First, Saul. He is a new convert, yet, utterly decisive. Once Christ calls him, there is no turning back. He burns the bridges behind him and gives himself wholly to proclaiming or proving that Jesus is the Lord. Saul is exceptional and few converts are like him. But God works powerfully through him. Even here, in a short passage, Saul faces deadly opposition twice and escapes by God’s providence.
God still works through servants like Saul – men and women who press forward with courage, who are not deterred by danger or opposition. Not all have Saul’s gifts or learning, but that is not the point. God equips His servants according to His purposes. Surely, some among us at St Columba’s belong to this category – those who serve Christ with wholehearted devotion, trusting Him even when obedience brings risk.
Second, Peter the Apostle. Since his restoration by the Lord, Peter has devoted himself to shepherding Christ’s flock. In this passage, he moves among the scattered believers, teaching, encouraging, and caring for them. He heals Aeneas in Lydda and raises Dorcas in Joppa.
What is striking is Peter’s quietness. He draws no attention to himself. He claims no credit. The miracles are reported almost matter-of-factly, as if Peter himself fades into the background. That is because Peter knows the power is not his own. His eyes are fixed on Christ, and his concern is the good of the church.
God works through servants like Peter – those who faithfully carry out their calling, humbly and diligently, for the sake of Christ’s people. And where such servants are present, God is at work, building His church!
Finally, Tabitha also called Dorcas in Greek. At first glance, she may seem different from Saul and Peter. She is a lay believer, not an apostle. Yet, Luke describes her as “full of good works and acts of charity.” When she dies, the widows weep and show Peter the garments she had made for them. These were the most vulnerable people in society, and Dorcas had loved them in the name of Christ.
This tells us that the church in Joppa was alive in large part because of believers like Dorcas. Her care was quiet, practical, and deeply effective. And such love does not remain isolated – it spreads. Dorcas was likely not alone in this work. Through such servants, God strengthens and multiplies His church!
No growth strategy, no programme, no human plan for expansion; instead, faithful servants – like Saul, like Peter as well as like Dorcas in our midst – walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. God does His work through them, through us.
II. God Strengthens And Grows His Church According To His Own Timing
This is the most visible truth in today’s passage. What is less immediately visible – but just as real – is God’s timing. God does not merely grow His church; He does so according to His own time-table.
Luke draws our attention to this growth in three places. In v. 31, we’re told that the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria had peace. In v. 35, we read that all the residents of Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord. And in v. 42, many people in Joppa believed in the Lord. On the surface, everything appears positive, energetic, even triumphant.
But, when we look more closely, the situation on the ground tells a very different story. Saul life is under constant direct – not once but twice. In Damascus, he escaped a plot to kill him by being lowered down through an opening in the wall in a basket. In Jerusalem, the danger continues, and he must be sent away – first to Caesarea, then, to Tarsus of Asia Minor, nearly a thousand kilometres from Jerusalem. This is not the picture of safety or stability.
Peter’s movements also reveal the tension. While the apostles initially remained in Jerusalem, Peter is found moving through Judea and then further west to Joppa, a Mediterranean port city. His travels reflect not only pastoral care, but a church that has been scattered and displaced under pressure.
Even Jerusalem itself, fear remains. When Saul attempted to meet the believers, they avoided him. The threat of persecution was still very real. The church was cautious, alert, and vulnerable.
And yet, Luke tells us that the church had peace! How can that be? How can peace exist alongside danger, opposition, and uncertainty? The answer is this: peace in Christ’s church is not determined by circumstances, but by God’s timing and rule. The peace Luke describes is not political stability or social ease. It is the peace God gives – peace that comes from walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Earthly powers did not grant this peace, and earthly threats could not remove it. Though persecution continued, God governed the season. And in His time – in God’s time – He strengthens and grows His church.
There is a striking irony here. In some parts of the world where the church faces severe hardship, there is often great clarity and peace in doctrine and faith. In contrast, churches in freer societies – including our own – can experience confusion, division, and restlessness. Peace is not guaranteed by favourable conditions; it is given by God alone.
So, the lesson is clear: God strengthens and grows His church according to His timing. Our calling is not to panic when pressures rise or to chase security at any cost, but to trust the Lord who rules over seasons, opposition, and growth.
Therefore, rather than being shaken by every eternal force, we’re called to discern God’s timing – and to walk faithfully within it – both as a church and in our individual lives.
III. God Calls His People To Patient Endurance While His Purposes Unfold
We’ve seen so far what is the most visible in this passage – that is, the church’s growth – then, what is less immediately visible but still clear – namely, God’s timing. Now, we come to the least visible, yet truly important lesson of all: the calling of individual believers to patient endurance while God unfolds His purposes. This is the heart of today’s sermon.
Now, pause for a moment and imagine yourself as a believer in Jerusalem or Judea at the time of Acts 9. You know that Jesus is risen and reigns. You know the Holy Spirit is with the church. Yet, almost everything around you feels uncertain. Your future as a Christian in the Jewish and Greco-Roman world is unclear. The future of your church feels fragile. The authorities are hostile. Leaders are targeted. Fear is never far away.
And this uncertainty stretches into years. When Luke says in v. 23 that ‘many days’ had passed, he is referring to a long period of time. From Gal. 1:17-18, we learn that Saul spent about three years in Arabia before returning to Damascus. Opposition did not quickly subside. Resolution did not come immediately. So, what are believers to do in such a prolonged season of pressure?
The answer given by this passage is clear: they wait in faith! They wait in faith for God to unfold His purposes. Like Saul, believers endure danger without immediate deliverance, trusting God while threats remain. Like Peter and Dorcas, they continue faithfully in the callings God has given them – shepherding, serving, loving – without knowing when or how God will act. They do not put their obedience on hold until circumstances improve.
This patient waiting is not dramatic. It is rarely noticed. It does not appear in growth statistics. But, it is the most nourishing food for our believing souls. To trust God when prayers seem delayed, when outcomes are hidden, and when the future feels uncertain – that is true faith. And it is precisely this kind of faith that pleases the Lord.
God is at work even when His purposes are unseen. And waiting for Him – steadfastly, obediently, and trustingly – is itself an act of faithful service!
Conclusion
I’d like to conclude by quoting the final verse of Isa. 40 – the passage we read earlier in our service today. Isa. 40:31 reminds us: “they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles: they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
May God bless us as we wait patiently for Him, trusting that in His perfect time we’ll see His gracious plan unfold – for His church and for each of our lives. ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 