One moment, Saul was opposing Jesus, as though He were the sinner; the next, Saul is on his face before this Jesus, calling Him Lord. The church in Damascus has been talking about Saul and its members rightfully afraid of him he has, after all, been dragging Christians out of house after house, throwing them into prison, and desiring their deaths. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (John 12:46). 1. But hidden in its shadows is another inspiring story, and one to which most people in the pew may more easily relate. He goes for broke. . 131 . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 132 The impact of Sauls conversion on his message and his ministry is testified to by A. T. Robertson: Luke evidently attached great importance to the story of Sauls conversion as the turning point not simply in the career of the man, but an epoch in the history of apostolic Christianity. Why did Ananias and Sapphira sell their property? Barnabas stood up for Saul and explained everything to the Jerusalem Christians. Jesus was alive and not still in the grave! Were they some of those converted to Christ through his preaching? Michael Garicoits (1797-1863) was born into a poor, but hardworking and humble family. The first thing we shall do is to make some observations on the passage as a whole to attempt to see the forest before we scrutinize the trees. 3:7, 8; 1 Tim. This divine illumination is that miracle which God performs within a lost, blinded, dead soul, so as to bring about salvation: 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. Lesson: Saul Believes in Jesus - Ministry-To-Children Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. There is a great basis for comfort in the sovereignty of God. Our text presents Saul as a man who was not only running from God, but one who was actively opposing Him. When the man asked why he should do this, the pastor said, I dont believe anyone can continue hating someone when they have consistently prayed for that person to be blessed by God. Sauls vision prepared him for the arrival of Ananias, clearly indicating that he was the one God had appointed to reveal His will for him. And because Saul is welcomed into the church, he is sent out by the church. Then you hear the Lord telling you to minister to that person. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 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). It was surely fear (reverence), among other things, which prompted this. 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. When Ananias placed his hands on Saul he was filled with the Holy Spirit, healed of his blindness, received water baptism, and began to eat and regain his strength. 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. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 59:15b60:13). Gods promises and purposes would not be stopped by this madman, Saul. The Lord They are private Christians, living like islands rather than as a part of His body. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze upon him, and said, You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? 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. For God has shut up all in disobedience that He might show mercy to all (Romans 11:25-32). It is the invitation for sinful Israelites to be saved, by repenting and calling on the name of the Lord for salvation: Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 149 It is more significant than might be supposed at first glance that the only occurrence of the title `Son of God in Acts should be in this report of Sauls early preaching. WebActs 9:1. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. 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. Frequent biblical texts speak of God in terms of light: You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game (Psalm 76:4). 27 I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. (1) Sauls salvation was the salvation of a sinner. 29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. Lead out those who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf. He started to KNOW GRACE! 4 The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. Ananias Ananias and Saul - Holy Land of God Web3. Thus, persecuting the church was persecuting Jesus Christ. What happened when Ananias anointed Saul? The message of the gospel, to be sure, is always the same, but the approach is not. How can this message of suffering for Jesus' name in The Apostle Paul: Saul and Ananias But beyond this, his conversion totally changed the remainder of his life. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way,137 both men and women,138 he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. There will be no more night. Throughout his life and ministry Paul marveled at the grace of God shown to him and to other sinners. It was only with the exit of Saul from the Holy Land, back to his native land (Tarsus), that peace once again returned. Then, on the road to Damascus, he was blinded by a vision of Jesus. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.. 2 Cor. 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). They found that their cause was literally shut down by Sauls arrival, and the wind was taken out of their sails by his conversion. 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. Ananias restores Saul's sight - Catholic Courier WebAnswer: > 10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. Here I am, Lord, he replied. in 1971. And Jesus took the persecution of Christians very personally. After this incident with Paul we hear no more Saul, like Stephen, spoke with such power and authority that his opponents could not refute him. . All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. Paul would later use this expression (in the plural) to address his unbelieving Jewish opponents, as in Acts 22:1. WebAnanias was afraid of Saul. Salvation may occur in a large group, such as those saved at the preaching of Peter at Pentecost, but each individual was saved because of a personal encounter with Christ. 27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. The Lord Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision. Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Presumably this is the case, however I still wonder a bit about this. How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move sight. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? (12) The same Saul who played a role in Stephens execution was to become, in large measure, his replacement. Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord (Acts 13:6-12). When Ananias * [9:1930] This is a brief resume of Pauls initial experience as an apostolic preacher. After that Saul was welcomed by the Christians and he preached freely in and around Jerusalem. They were based, as I understand it, on what the Lord had revealed to Ananias and not on any confession or actions of Saul, for these seem to follow these initial actions and words of Ananias. FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. It was Gods initiative all the way. Thus, his opposition to Christ and His church took on a missionary spirit. A devout Hellenistic Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, Saul was a member of the Pharisees and was taught by none other than Gamaliel, 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.

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