As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting….” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:3-6)

Notice that Saul called Jesus “Lord.” When Jesus Christ becomes Lord of our lives, we are immediately born again. I believe Saul became a believer the moment he recognized Jesus’ lordship.

After this encounter with the Lord, Saul spent the next three days fasting in the city and awaiting further instruction. Then the Lord asked a disciple named Ananias to go to Saul. Ananias was concerned about this directive because he had heard many stories of how vigilantly Saul persecuted believers. So God told him, “Go, for he [Saul] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name” (Acts 9:15). Upon arriving at the house where Saul was staying, Ananias placed his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). Ananias obviously knew that Saul had received salvation, for he called him “Brother Saul.” Yet even though Saul was a believer, Ananias was still sent by God to specifically pray that Saul would receive healing and the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

Again, in this instance, we see that the infilling of the Holy Spirit occurred after the gift of salvation had already been received. In Acts 9, you will not find any mention of Saul (also called Paul) speaking in tongues. However, we do know that Paul spoke in tongues because he later wrote, “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you” (1 Corinthians 14:18 ESV). Personally, I believe Paul began speaking in tongues when Ananias prayed for him. Paul had to receive this infilling even though he was already saved, because the empowerment of the Holy Spirit was vital in Paul’s efforts to declare Jesus before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (see Acts 9:15).

Peter and Cornelius

In Acts 10 we get a little glimpse into our God’s sense of humor. Verse one introduces us to Cornelius, a Roman officer. The Bible says that Cornelius was a devout and God-fearing man who was gracious to the poor and frequently prayed to God. At this point, the gospel of salvation had not been communicated to the Gentiles, so God sent an angel to visit Cornelius. However, the angel did not reveal God’s plan for salvation to Cornelius; rather, he told Cornelius to send for Peter. In his excitement, Cornelius immediately sent men to find Peter at the place where the angel had indicated.