Acts 9:26-30

The Voice

²⁶ and he returned to Jerusalem.

He tried to join the disciples there, but they didn’t think he was sincere.

²⁷ Only one person accepted Saul as a genuine disciple, Barnabas, who became Saul’s advocate to the apostles. He told the whole story of what happened in Damascus, from Saul’s vision and message from the Lord to his transformation into a confident proclaimer of the name of Jesus. ²⁸ Finally they accepted Saul and gave him access to their community, and he continued to speak confidently in the name of the Lord. ²⁹ He dialogued—and argued—with a group of Greek-speaking Jews. That didn’t go well either, because soon they were plotting to kill him also. ³⁰ His fellow believers helped him escape by bringing him to Caesarea and sending him to his hometown, Tarsus.