why was ananias afraid of helping saul why was ananias afraid of helping saul

And Jesus took the persecution of Christians very personally. 5:3-4). 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. 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord. What is wrong with Ananias response to the Lord? Saul Preaches in Damascus. Ananias found Jesus repeated his command, explaining that Saul was his chosen instrument to deliver the gospel to the Gentiles, their kings, and the people of Israel. I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. There is a great basis for comfort in the sovereignty of God. He got up and was baptized, Could Judas have been a Christian? 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). What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? Perhaps Ananias called a meeting of the church to discuss how they would deal with Sauls arrival. Ananias had not only heard of how Saul had been systematically destroying the church in Jerusalem, hunting down men and women and turning them over to the (8) The salvation of Saul made him a vital part of Christs body, the church. How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move (5) Sauls salvation was an act of divine grace. 10i There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. He answered, Here I am, Lord. . Who told Saul to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street? Did God Judge Ananias and Sapphira for the same sin? 27Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles, and he reported to them how on the way he had seen the Lord and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. Everyone is born in sin, and every part of their being is affected by sin (intellect, emotions, and will). 9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. The answer is: Jesus. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to his death (Philippians 3:7-10). No, Ananias did not do any of these things so far as the author of Luke-Acts is concerned. . This three-fold repetition is a clear indication of the importance of this event, especially in the themes Luke is seeking to develop in the Book of Acts. Just as Saul seemingly had hatred toward Christ-followers, how do you think a Christ-follower like Ananias felt toward Saul? It is here in Acts, for the first time, that Saul is called Paul. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". * She was completely occupied with good deeds and almsgiving. Charles Spurgeon once wrote: Prayer is the autograph of the Holy Spirit upon the renewed heart. God was sealing Saul to Himself. In the Bible, Reuben and Saul were of no relation to each other. At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. (12) The same Saul who played a role in Stephens execution was to become, in large measure, his replacement. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. For Paul, the method of proclaiming the gospel must be consistent with the message itself, and so it was. WebSauls Baptism. 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. What is meant by the competitive environment? 145 We may note incidentally the two new descriptions of the Christians used here. Leave them; they are blind guides. . Proving (sunbibazon). Here the Jews were strong in numbers (10,000 butchered by Nero later) and here some disciples had found refuge from Sauls persecution in Judea and still worshipped in the synagogues. Israel too will look on Him whom they have pierced and mourn. Only a radical conversion can produce this attitude in the life of a man like Saul: For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:8). God then used this man to further His purposes in launching the career of the most influential of the apostles. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. My names sake" (Acts 9:16) even before his ministry began. How do you calculate working capital for a construction company? After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11). 21 Were you a slave when you were called? Salvation is the miracle whereby God removes the blindness of sin and of Satan, whereby God replaces death with life. 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. And they will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5). Damascus, a city some 150 miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, was one such city. Then a voice said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?, Saul asked the voice, Who are you, sir?, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. There may well have been a long time between Sauls conversion and his arrival at Jerusalem. In different contexts, preachers might want to draw specific analogies concerning those for whom the congregation should be praying even though it cuts against our grain to do so. Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus’ followers🤨 There were three Ananiases in the Bible. WebThere was no indication in Jesus words that Ananias was going to give Saul the Holy Spirit. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave Grace is also the source and the standard for our service: Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:6). 18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due. One thing was certain; no matter how much time had passed, the apostles were not yet convinced of Sauls conversion. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. Furthermore, in Acts 26:10 Paul testifies that he received letters from the chief priests, not just the chief priest alone. 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. Saul sought them out to persecute, even kill them, as an unbeliever; but he sought them out to worship and fellowship with them as a Christian. In peace, as in persecution, the church was comforted and continued to increase. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Sauls conversion is a watershed event, catapulting the gospel to the Gentiles and to more distant places. the Romans . It was only with the exit of Saul from the Holy Land, back to his native land (Tarsus), that peace once again returned. How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move WebTeach the children the account of Sauls conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ as found in Acts 9:120. Ananias and Saul. 3 And it came about that as he journeyed, he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? 5 And he said, Who art Thou, Lord?139 And He said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but rise, and enter the city, and it shall be told you what you must do. 7 And the men who traveled with him140 stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one.141 8 And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.142 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. One cannot help but wonder if it did not send chills up and down Pauls spine when he cast the spell of blindness on the Jewish false prophet, Bar-Jesus: And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. No, God showed him "how many things he must suffer for This man who had formerly cringed at the preaching of the gospel148 was now proclaiming the same message. WebAnd was Ana- nias still reluctant to help Saul after the Lord explained the situation to him? Here is a graphic illustration of what true repentance isit is a turning about, beginning with ones belief and bearing fruit in ones conduct. At first Ananias was afraid because he knew how Saul persecuted the Christians, but the Lord said that Saul had a special ministry he must fulfill. How humorous it seems to hear Ananias informing the Lord that Saul was an enemy, one who had caused many Christians great suffering and adversity, as though He was unaware of this! They may have been attempting to compile a list of known (and even suspected) Christians, along with addresses, to facilitate Sauls task. in 1971. What happened to Straight Street since then? For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Our text presents Saul as a man who was not only running from God, but one who was actively opposing Him. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness (Micah 7:8-9). The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. Ananias the high priest brought charges against Paul and He was, indeed, Stephens replacement. There will be no more night. After this, Saul broke his fast and was strengthened. Pauls experience was not visionary but was precipitated by the appearance of Jesus, as he insists in 1Cor 15:8. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. (5) There is a good deal of emphasis on the results of Sauls conversion. Maybe he died, but it also may be because most of the rest of Acts is fo- cused on more distant places. Paul was overwhelmed by a flash of heavenly light. 35And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. 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 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. Who is blind but my servant {Israel}, and deaf like the messenger I send? But these laws, which seek to summarize the gospel in a concise way, should always be applied individually. Then he turned to her body and said, Tabitha, rise up. She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.q All of these should be expected and can be rather easily explained. WebThe Conversion of Saul. 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. 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. The risen Lord selected Saul out of the group with which he was traveling to hear, to see Him, and to understand His words. 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! Let us avoid cookie cutter conversions.. Paul would later use this expression (in the plural) to address his unbelieving Jewish opponents, as in Acts 22:1. Israels watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep (Isaiah 43:8-10). Why do you think the street was named "Straight" 14And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.l (For suggested ways to teach the scripture account, see Teaching from the Scriptures, p. Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you (Deuteronomy 28:28-29). 87-89), plays out the two views of Sauls conversion, the first (and seldom held the view of Ramsay), that Saul was suddenly and radically converted; second, that there was a considerable process involved. He sent me so that you can also 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2). 2:7; 2 Tim. He spoke of salvation as the change from death to life (Ephesians 2:1-3). The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 11The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. The Lord seeks and saves individuals, and thus our methods should be personal. Preachers working through the narrative lectionary with their congregations, then, will do well to explore this passage in detail in order to establish the character of Paul well for the second half of Acts (Acts 13-28; see how this role is foreshadowed in 9:15), which shifts the focus from the ministry of the Twelve in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to his role in taking the gospel throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and even to Rome (see Acts 1:8). * [9:26] This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in Gal 1:18. 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. When Paul spoke of his conversion here in Galatians 1, he did not speak of the light which shone without, but rather of the light which shone within. 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. Ananias had to overcome his fear so that Saul would be overcome by grace. In 2 Corinthians 11:32 Paul speaks of an ethnarch of Aretas, the king of the Nabataean Arabs, who guarded the city to prevent him escaping from it. 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).