I was inclined to think that most of us, experientially, are called to faith in Christ only to gradually learn Gods will for our life, progressively revealed to us as we walk in Him. Yes, Lord, he answered. Ananias was a disciple of Jesus who lived in Damascus and was Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). 138 Three times (8:3; 9:2; 22:4) this fact of persecuting women is mentioned as a special blot in Pauls cruelty (the third time by Paul himself) and one of the items in his being chief of sinners (1 Tim. We are given a little insight from the account in Acts 12 when Peter was imprisoned and it appeared he would soon be executed, as James had already been, and as we would infer Herod purposed to do with Peter (Acts 12:1-4). Saul was told at the time of his conversion that God had chosen him to bear witness to the Gentiles, to kings, and to the Jews (9:15). Just as Saul was stopped short by his blindness, so was Bar-Jesus. And because Saul is welcomed into the church, he is sent out by the church. Nevertheless, at some point in time Saul did arrive in Jerusalem. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Saul was not seeking God. Saul was saved in spite of himself. Second, the gospel should be proclaimed in a way that is personal. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight (Acts 9:10-12). Note Pauls summary of the gospel at the end of Galatians 2: I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20). I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. He sent me so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell from Sauls eyes. 1:19; Rom. Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. In fact, more is written of what Saul said and did because he was saved than is written of what he said and did resulting in his salvation. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. He sent me so that you can For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world (John 1:4-5, 7-9). * [9:36] Tabitha (Dorcas), respectively the Aramaic and Greek words for gazelle, exemplifies the right attitude toward material possessions expressed by Jesus in the Lucan Gospel (Lk 6:30; 11:41; 12:33; 18:22; 19:8). There is no more appropriate conclusion to our message than the words of the apostle Paul, which immediately follow those above, and which aptly express the response of the Christian to the wisdom, the grace, and the sovereignty of the God who has saved us, and who works all things together for His glory and for the good of His chosen ones: Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! AT this season we are called upon to think of foreign missions. What is the meaning of Sapphira in the Bible? Yes, Lord, he answered. Ananias baptised Saul in the name of Jesus - the one who had sent him to the vanquished enemy of the church. Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. When the Christians learned that the Hellenists to whom Saul had preached were plotting to kill them, they helped him escape through Caesarea and on to Tarsus. In Peters words, Ananias and Sapphira agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord(v9), which appears to be a terrible sin in the eyes of God, so terrible that it even warranted having the couple killed on the spot, without even being given the chance to confess and repent. Acts ix. At first, I thought this was unique with Saul. 2 What do we know about Ananias in Acts 9? When Saul was confronted on the road to Damascus, he saw the risen, glorified Lord. 3 He said: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Dont let it trouble youalthough if you can gain your freedom, do so. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Upon hearing Peters words, Ananias fell to the ground and died. After this incident with Paul we hear no more 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.f This would leave AD 33-46 for the visit to Arabia (Gal. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped (Isaiah 35:5). 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord. 22But Saul grew all the stronger and confounded [the] Jews who lived in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sauls Conversion. And so, Saul asked the LORD who He was. 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus. Thus, his opposition to Christ and His church took on a missionary spirit. 142 His companions therefore took him by the hand and led him through the gate of Damascus to the place where, presumably, arrangements had been made for him to stay. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 185. As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. 143 . On various occasions in his epistles, Paul made either direct or indirect references to his former life of opposition and his radical conversion.132 Pauls theology, his lifestyle, his ministry, and his methodology, all are rooted in his conversion. After this incident with Paul we hear no more of him. Let us not fail to respect the individuality of the conversion experience and to deal with people in the light of their individuality. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. Q&A 1. When God spoke to Ananias commanding him to go to the house where Saul was staying, he was to receive him as a brother; and he was told that he was called to suffer as Gods chosen vessel to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles, kings, and to his fellow-Israelites. The same grace which was shown to Saul in his salvation is shown to all whom God calls to Himself: 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. 2 Corinthians 4:14; cf. We shall then seek to identify the characteristics of Sauls conversion which are typical of every conversion. The Old Testament passages which I have suggested bear to Saul (blind, light) are passages which speak of Israel in their original context. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. Saul was not aware, until after our Lords words, that the One who had interrupted his journey was Jesus, and that Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah, the LORD, but he was certain, at this point, that whoever this One was, He was the LORD. It is evident in the way he was saved. 23:16-17, 19, 24; 23:26). He knew that going to see Saul would put his life in danger. remark on the symmetry with which Luke sets forth the two stories: The simultaneous preparation of the hearts of Ananias and of Saul, and the simultaneous preparation of those of Peter and Cornelius,the questioning and hesitation of Peter and the questioning and hesitation of Ananias,the one doubting whether he might make friendship with the Gentiles, the other doubting whether he might approach the enemy of the Church,the unhesitating obedience of each when the Divine will was made known,the state of mind in which both the Pharisee and the centurion were found,each waiting to see what the Lord would say to them,this close analogy will not be forgotten by those who reverently read the two consecutive chapters. How did God use Ananias in the New Testament? He spoke of salvation as the change from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-3). He realized that it was nothing which he had donenor ever would dobut only by what Jesus Christ had done that saved him. A vision, in this context, was a supernatural sight from God. WebThe Conversion of Saul. WebTeach the children the account of Sauls conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ as found in Acts 9:120. Why was Ananias afraid? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Nevertheless, there must have been those who intended to use Sauls coming to oppose the church. (Acts 9:11)? Thus, it is grace which sustains the saint, in addition to saving him: Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were thus occupied were not benefited (Hebrews 13:9). It lay within the jurisdiction of the Roman province of Syria, and it formed part of the Decapolis, a league of self-governing cities. 1:2; 2 Tim. Let us avoid cookie cutter conversions.. Saul is welcomed into the church. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We may not be able to identify the precise moment or the exact events which brought it about, but salvation does not happen in some kind of group way. How true are two of the proverbs, which read: The mind of a man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14). Here is a graphic illustration of what true repentance isit is a turning about, beginning with ones belief and bearing fruit in ones conduct. A man once confessed to his pastor that even though he didnt think of himself as hating people, there was one person he really hated for the way the person had wronged him. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Few Christians will encounter the risen, glorified Lord as Saul did here. 1:1; 1 Cor. And, who knows, God may even answer those prayers and the persons life be blessed and changed in ways we cannot even imagine.. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? Ananias (/nnas/ AN--NY-s; Ancient Greek: from Hebrew , Hananiah, favoured of the LORD) was a disciple of Jesus at Damascus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible, which describes how he was sent by Jesus to restore the sight of Saul of Tarsus (who later was called Paul the Apostle) and . (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). WebSaul/Paul was a pretty mean guy who persecuted Christians. Hb```f``:Ab,=`.9Z3{x5v\);]c#qea #'&D|z:wyKN,0(t\tbRFhT2thS2(9.`mNbq)-pk^;>:+pq2Ck AUbK=N\2M/`KqGLZS1 $[S|Rd\.9i'9T\.EXdxlYcqb Sauls baptism followed, accompanied by his profession of faith, his calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). 3. Rather than attempt to pacify Ananias or to alleviate his apprehension, God went on to tell him that Saul would not only be a brother, but he would be His instrument for bringing the gospel to Gentiles too. WebExplain why Ananias was told that Saul was a 'Chosen Vessel' Give an account of the vision which Saul had while traveling on the road to the Damascus. 139 A. T. Robertson writes, It is open to question if kurie should not here be translated Sir as in 16:30 and in Matt. 11 The Lord told him, Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsusp named Saul, for he is praying. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Then he turned to her body and said, Tabitha, rise up. She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.q In spite of the clear and present danger, Ananias went and began to look for the Christian hunter Saul. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. He trusted that Christ had a future purpose for Saul (verse 15) even though Sauls past as he knew it seemed to point toward a different future. The church did not shrink or suffer for Sauls arrival, but it grew because of it. When Saul stood up, he discovered he was completely blind, and the men who were with him had to lead him by his hand until they reached Damascus.
