Yes — Saul's conversion marked the pivotal turning point where God began moving from His exclusive dealings with Israel to saving Gentiles by grace and forming the Body of Christ.
Les Feldick teaches that Saul's conversion was the next major event after Stephen's stoning and that it signaled God's shift toward the Gentiles. Saul was saved on Gentile ground and immediately informed that God would send him to the Gentiles. This prepared the way for Peter's visit to Cornelius and the eventual ascension of the Gentile Body of Christ.
Acts 9:1-6 — Records Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus and the Lord's commission to him.
Acts 9:15 — Shows God's direct statement that Saul is a chosen vessel to bear His name before the Gentiles.
In Acts 9, Saul, a religious zealot, was on his way to Damascus to arrest believing Jews and bring them to Jerusalem. As he traveled, the Lord appeared to him, struck him blind, and he was led into the city. The Lord then told Ananias that Saul was a chosen vessel to bear His name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). After receiving his sight, Saul went to the synagogues and preached that Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). These events demonstrate a divine turning point in the book of Acts: God was beginning to reach out to the Gentiles through Saul.
Les emphasizes that after the stoning of Stephen, Saul's conversion is the next significant event in God's chronological unfolding. Saul, described as a 'raging bull' for his religion, was saved by grace on Gentile ground outside Damascus — the first indication in Acts that God would bring Gentiles into the picture. Les also points out that Saul was then taken into the Arabian desert for about three years where he was 'seminary trained' by the glorified Lord, preparing him for his unique ministry to the Gentiles. Les further explains that Saul's conversion came before Peter's visit to Cornelius because it was part of God's progressive transition. After Saul's conversion and Peter's encounter with Cornelius, Peter is rarely mentioned again in Acts, signifying that Israel was falling away and the Gentiles were coming to the forefront. Les also stresses that Saul was converted under the Gospel of the Kingdom, since at that point nothing had yet been revealed about the Gospel of Grace.
According to Les Feldick, when God saved Saul on the road to Damascus, He immediately informed him that He would send him to the Gentiles. This is the first indication in the book of Acts that God would bring the Gentiles into the picture. Saul's conversion thus stands at the very start of the transition from God's exclusive dealings with Israel to the inclusion of the Gentiles.
Les points out that Saul's conversion happens in Acts 9, before Peter goes to Cornelius's house in Acts 10. He notes that after Saul's conversion, God sent Peter to Cornelius to show that God was saving Gentiles without bringing them into Judaism. The order of events demonstrates the progressive unfolding of God's plan: first Saul is prepared as the apostle to the Gentiles, then Peter is shown that Gentiles can be saved by grace.
Les explains that although Israel as a nation had stumbled, God did not remove them completely. Instead of using the whole nation of Israel as a priesthood to reach the Gentiles, God raised up one Jewish man — Saul of Tarsus — to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This shows that God's purposes were not frustrated by Israel's unbelief.
Why Israel Was Blinded — Acts 13 & Romans 11 Explained
share a letter from our television audience, and the other night someone said, oh, I wish you could read them all. Well, I do too, because our mail time is the best time of the day. But the other day we got this letter from a couple of our listeners out in Indiana, and just one little part of her letter, she said, we appreciate your teaching and how you show everything in the Bible fits together.
Saul Saved on Gentile Ground
Les explains that Saul was saved on Gentile ground outside Damascus, and that this was the first indication in Acts that God was going to bring Gentiles into the picture.
Chronological Turning Point
Les places Saul's conversion as the next major event after Stephen's stoning and connects it to Peter's later visit to Cornelius, showing a transition in Acts.
Seminary Trained in the Desert
Les describes how God took Saul into the desert for three years and 'seminary trained' him between the glorified Lord and Saul himself, preparing him for a new program to the Gentiles.
Saul as the Apostle to the Gentiles
Les teaches that God raised up Saul of Tarsus, a renegade Jew, to be the apostle to the Gentiles, demonstrating that God did not completely remove Israel.
Saul Made Ready for Something Special
Les highlights that while Saul was blind in Damascus, Ananias was told that Saul was being made ready for something special — preparing the reader for Saul's unique calling.
Saul's Conversion Before Gospel of Grace
Les notes that Saul's conversion occurred before the Gospel of Grace had even been whispered, and that Saul initially preached that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
Converted Under the Gospel of the Kingdom
Les teaches that Saul was converted under the Gospel of the Kingdom — believing Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God — since nothing about grace had yet been revealed.
Acts 9:15: But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
This verse directly reveals God's purpose for Saul — to bear His name before the Gentiles.
Les Feldick explains that Saul's conversion came right after the stoning of Stephen. Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Jewish believers, and God stopped him and saved him by grace on Gentile ground.
Yes. Les notes that Saul's conversion is recorded in Acts 9, and Peter's visit to Cornelius is in Acts 10. This order was important because it prepared for the transition of God's dealings from Israel to the Gentiles.
Les teaches that Saul's conversion marked a major shift in Acts. After this, Israel began to fall out of prominence, the Gentiles came into focus, and the Body of Christ began to form.
Watch the Teaching: Why Israel Was Blinded — Acts 13 & Romans 11 Explained