150 It is interesting to ponder the identity of these disciples of Saul. 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. 8 Although I am less than the least of all Gods people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. This light was more, much more, than just a bright light. 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. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:3-6). 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. >zZ0y^C{tg He summed up life in this one word: For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. He sent me so that you can He went on to become a respected teacher and the founder of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Betharram. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. This is why Jesus was so receptive of sinners and so hard on the self-righteous. 18Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. When Saul was confronted on the road to Damascus, he saw the risen, glorified Lord. (1) There is considerable emphasis given to Sauls conversion in the Book of Acts. After he put his hands on Saul, the Bible only records that Saul received his sight. We know nothing of Ananias beyond this story in the shadows. 17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. The first is this: every saved person must have a personal conversion experience. Shortly afterwards, the Lord spoke to a disciple named Ananias, asking him to go to Saul, place his hands on him, and restore his sight. 6:17; Phil. Think about what happened as a result of this man overcoming his fear and obeying God. Am I not an apostle? A( ) Ananias is obscure. 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. 1:26); but for Saul the one who bore a human form identified himself as a historical person: `I am Jesus. Few of Sauls distinctive insights into the significance of the gospel cannot be traced back to the Damascus-road event, or to the outworking of that event in his life and thought. When he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs where all the widows came to him weeping and showing him the tunics and cloaks that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Hebrew Baby Names Meaning: In Hebrew Baby Names the meaning of the name Sapphira is: Sapphire (gem); beautiful. 36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). And they were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; 25 but his disciples took him by night, and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. He also warned those who would corrupt grace, to make it a pretext for sin (cf. 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. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave The life of Paul and his writings are very important parts of the New Testament. many pulpits today promise to those who will follow Jesus? WebAnanias was afraid of Saul. The good news of the gospel is that Christ Jesus came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). 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). Ananias is not the last believer who has seen fit to keep God up to date (The Storytellers Companion to the Bible: The Acts of the Apostles). FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? We know that Paul was not instantly a biblical scholar or a seasoned apostle. At first he found himself in the position of being regarded as an apostate by the Jews and suspect by the Christian community of Jerusalem. Hd7/`l@TM0h#`C2 +u-AsQ3j++&?Fu7_[1_?a^J> WebThere was no indication in Jesus words that Ananias was going to give Saul the Holy Spirit. Ancestry, Pharisaic training, Hellenistic education, were fused by it into the character which the Holy Spirit formed and fashioned over the fourteen years of training. The details of what was said and done when Ananias arrived are fuzzy. Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? And what a comfort to know that God always finishes what He starts: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. . And if this was important for Saul to do, it was equally important for the church to accept him into their fellowship, as an expression of their unity in Christ. It may well be a call to live transformed lives in the same circumstances in which we were found. Perhaps nowhere else is the radical change (of conversion) in Pauls life153 more readily evident than in his attitude toward the saints. 28He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. What do Ananias actions, when asked in the passage to heal Saul, suggest about his feelings toward him? He should not become uncircumcised. Why was Ananias afraid? Nothing is said in our text about any miracles being performed by Saul, as yet. 39So Peter got up and went with them. They were to be a light to the Gentiles, but they failed. This doctrine does not hold that men are as bad as they could be in each area of their life, but that sin has permeated every dimension of a persons life. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus’ followers🤨 There were three Ananiases in the Bible. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. It is a miraculous, dramatic reversal, first of ones beliefs, and then of ones behavior. It was bright enough to bring about a period of blindness. Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? 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. 92 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 94 /H [ 1243 743 ] /L 503600 /E 43371 /N 16 /T 501642 >> endobj xref 92 42 0000000016 00000 n 0000001188 00000 n 0000001986 00000 n 0000002200 00000 n 0000002434 00000 n 0000002614 00000 n 0000002636 00000 n 0000004226 00000 n 0000004248 00000 n 0000005775 00000 n 0000005798 00000 n 0000008986 00000 n 0000009009 00000 n 0000012094 00000 n 0000012305 00000 n 0000013156 00000 n 0000014011 00000 n 0000014230 00000 n 0000014604 00000 n 0000014827 00000 n 0000023280 00000 n 0000023869 00000 n 0000024230 00000 n 0000024446 00000 n 0000024731 00000 n 0000024987 00000 n 0000025380 00000 n 0000026152 00000 n 0000026257 00000 n 0000029454 00000 n 0000029477 00000 n 0000032108 00000 n 0000032131 00000 n 0000034910 00000 n 0000034933 00000 n 0000037945 00000 n 0000040047 00000 n 0000040070 00000 n 0000043063 00000 n 0000043141 00000 n 0000001243 00000 n 0000001964 00000 n trailer << /Size 134 /Info 91 0 R /Root 93 0 R /Prev 501632 /ID[<3cb89dccfaad5f26269ffad0f6f6443b><3cb89dccfaad5f26269ffad0f6f6443b>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 93 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 89 0 R >> endobj 132 0 obj << /S 672 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 133 0 R >> stream It was time for Saul to ponder what he had seen and heard. 130 In our text, we are told the Saul went to the high priest to ask for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus (9:1-2), but in Acts 22:5-6 Paul indicates that the Council (the Sanhedrin) was also involved in providing him with letters of authorization to arrest Christians in Damascus. He knew what Saul had done to the church in Jerusalem. That our Lords contemporaries believed the Messiah to be in some special sense the son of God is rendered probable by the wording of the high priests question to him at his trial: `Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? (Mark 14:61 par. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them (John 12:35-36). [9:1] 8:3; 9:13; 22:4; 1Cor 15:9; Gal 1:1314. 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. It is also bad news for the self-righteous. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (John 12:46). Word was out that Saul would soon be arriving. 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. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. Let us suppose further that the church had gathered on this particular evening for a time of prayer, prompted by the news that Saul was soon to arrive, with all the necessary legal machinery (that is, the authorization of the chief priests and the Sanhedrin130) to arrest and extradite131 the saints who were in the city. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. For just as you once were disobedient to God but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, in order that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. Trembling and astonished, he inquired, A man who, along What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? Amen (Romans 11:33-36). Many are the plans in a mans heart, But the counsel of the LORD, it will stand (Proverbs 19:21). When I look through the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I never find the gospel presented in the same way to different people. In other words a beginning point for narrating Acts 9:1-19 could be with Ananias knowledge of Saul as a persecutor, which he expresses in verse 13. This silence is instructive, in my opinion. As at Damascus, Saul eventually had to leave the city of Jerusalem to save his life. And so, Saul asked the LORD who He was. 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. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. Ananias was afraid because he knew Saul's reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church . /w\/)sr?o|cBw3>E> 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. They could only kill him, and this they were determined to do (9:23). 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). If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14; cf. Luke is emphatic in his representation of mans salvation as having been ordained and orchestrated by God, as a manifestation of His sovereign grace: And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed (Acts 13:48). You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. in expanding, as well as justifying, their earthly wealth and power.
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