“And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.”
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, they did not believe that he really was a disciple.—the disciples' fear is not cowardice but prudence; Saul's reputation for persecution is too recent, his conversion too unverified. The testing of conversion through community scrutiny mirrors the testing of the Ephesian disciples in Acts 19. Trust must be earned through demonstrated faithfulness and community validation.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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