Jesus was LORD and not a false prophet! Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60:3). Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. (5) Sauls salvation was an act of divine grace. The church did not shrink or suffer for Sauls arrival, but it grew because of it. (11) Sauls conversion was a watershed event which greatly affected the history of the church. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it . He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. When we look at Pauls great love and compassion for the saints, we have to remind ourselves of the hate he once had toward them. Acts 9:10-19 NKJV - Ananias Baptizes Saul - Bible Gateway 26o When he arrived in Jerusalem* he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. It is not clear whether this official was a representative of the king resident in Damascus to look after the interests of the Arabs there, or whether Damascus at this time was under the control of Nabataea. I. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint, 1987), p. 168. 16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. Who was Ananias that help Saul in the Bible to regain his sight? Suppose you were a Christian who had just arrived in Damascus, and you had been able to learn the whereabouts of a group of believers. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. 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. Over and over in his epistles, Paul spoke of salvation in terms of radical change. Just as Saul seemingly had hatred toward Christ-followers, how do you think a Christ-follower like Ananias felt toward Saul? The towns of Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa were populated by both Jews and Gentiles and their Christian communities may well have been mixed. To the church, Saul turned out to be a friend, a fellow-believer, in fact, a flaming evangelist, who proclaimed Christ more clearly and powerfully than anyone had previously done in Damascus. Charles Spurgeon once wrote: Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart. God was sealing Saul to Himself. It is the very word that Luke will use in 16:10 of the conclusion reached at Troas concerning the vision of Paul. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 26:63; Luke 22:67, 70). Saul had been granted permission by the high priest to arrest any man or woman in Damascus who were Christians. NKJV, Ancient-Modern Bible, Comfort Print: One faith. Hear, you deaf! 15But the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites,m Saul Ananias Ananias In other words, Is Sauls conversion typical and illustrative of the conversion of every saint, or is it unique, the exceptional case, which has little correspondence to most converts?. If the blinding of Saul was a major turning point in his life, so was the blinding of Bar-Jesus. It was a city in the days of Abraham, and at the time of the Israelite monarchy it was the capital of the most important Aramaean kingdom. 17(K)And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and (L)laying his hands on him he said, Brother Saul, the Lord [c]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and (M)be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. It is here in Acts, for the first time, that Saul is called Paul. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect the church. Ananias Get up and go to the street called Straight, to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. (7) Those who were saved by Sauls ministry were convinced by the power of the gospel message he preached and not by miraculous signs and wonders. Ananias would have lost a human beings greatest privilege, of being an agent of the Lord (like an angel of the Lord). Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you (Isaiah 60:1). 1:16f. They may have been attempting to compile a list of known (and even suspected) Christians, along with addresses, to facilitate Sauls task. It may be that Sauls conversion was the instrument God used to convert these followers of Saul, so that they really were his disciples, in a two-fold sense. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". . All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993. Who has saved us and called us to a holy lifenot because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. So Ananias found Saul at Judas' house, praying for help. And the second group, who were waiting for Saul to come and help them deal with the followers of the Way, were about to discover that Saul had joined them, perhaps bringing other members of the opposition along with him. This is why Jesus was so receptive of sinners and so hard on the self-righteous. Hd7/`l@TM0h#`C2 +u-AsQ3j++&?Fu7_[1_?a^J> CE!L;oza!sQjaTsg The Lord seeks and saves individuals, and thus our methods should be personal. 6 What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? The blindness to which Saul was subject for three days provided him with much time for reflection, meditation, and prayer. Q When one looks at all the references to this event, it was, in fact, a personal appearance of the risen, glorified Jesus to Saul (cf. 152 I do not mean to criticize the four laws of Campus Crusade, which have been used of God to bring many to faith in Christ. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company {photo-lithoprinted}, 1966), p. 90. They too rebelled against God and forsook His word and persecuted His prophets. We know that the salvation of men rests ultimately with God and not with usand not even with the one whom we wish to see saved. Saul, why do you persecute me? The words of Jesus, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? related by Luke with no variation in all three accounts, exerted a profound and lasting influence on the thought of Paul. * [9:119] This is the first of three accounts of Pauls conversion (with Acts 22:316 and Acts 26:218) with some differences of detail owing to Lukes use of different sources. In this approach, preachers will offer their congregations a chance to relate to Sauls epiphany as a way of meeting Christ in the midst of our lives and being transformed by that encounter. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. I do not question that he did receive the Spirit, but merely observe that this receiving of the Spirit (accompanied by the laying on of hands) was not something Luke wanted to emphasize. As he himself understood the heavenly voice which said to him at his baptism, You are my Son (Mark 1:11 par. What happened to Straight Street since then? It is evident in the way he was saved. 3. The election of Saul to salvation was specific and thus, personal. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Saul WebSauls Baptism. 1. 7 You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious (Ezekiel 1:4, 26-28; 2:1-7).143. Elsewhere in Acts, such as with the apostles, Stephen and Philip, the message of the gospel was underscored by signs and wonders which accompanied the message. We know from Romans 7, for example, that Paul had struggles in his spiritual walk. on it belonged to the Roman province of Syria, but had a measure of municipal autonomy in the loose federation of cities called the Decapolis. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), p. 181. 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.f So it would appear. Is paralegal higher than legal assistant? His parents allowed visiting priests to minister secretly in their home during the dangers of the French Revolution. And yet while God had foretold the rebellion of Israel and their rejection, so He had also foretold of Israels restoration (cf. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Acts 9:10-19 Acts 22:12-16 - Webflow Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Preachers can narrate verses 10-14, and then basically say, You see, Ananias didnt know what had just happened. 21:29 (30); John 5:7; 12:21; 20:15; and should be so in John 9:36. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? Lesson: Saul Believes in Jesus - Ministry-To-Children It is impossible to overestimate the worth to the student of Christianity of this event from every angle because we have in Pauls Epistles his own emphasis on the actual appearance of Jesus to him as the fact that changed his whole life (1 Cor. 10 i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. 11 The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of We honor him on May 14. Everyone is born in sin, and every part of their being is affected by sin (intellect, emotions, and will). What a terrible revelation this isthat all are sinners, even the best, the most religious, the most righteous! And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord, and with the consolation of the holy Spirit it grew in numbers. Acts 26:18). ANANIAS - Who Are The Three Ananias In The Bible? Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? Here Saul took the various items in the life of Jesus of Nazareth and found in them the proof that he was in reality the Messiah (ho Christos). also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33; cf. a. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:17-18; cf. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. It lay within the jurisdiction of the Roman province of Syria, and it formed part of the Decapolis, a league of self-governing cities. This conclusion could be based upon Pauls argument in Galatians 1 and 2, along with the expression, when many days had elapsed in Acts 9:23. First, there are problems which appear to be serious. He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus followers What did Ananias's do to heal Paul's eyes? 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. The Church at Peace. a disciple from Damascus who received a phophetic dream telling him The first question which must be asked with regard to the interpretation of this text is this: What is the meaning of this text in the context of the whole book? Luke has included this account of Sauls conversion in order to contribute to the argument which he is seeking to develop.