why was ananias afraid of helping saul

What was the decision of Ananias and Sapphira? In the end, God Himself will provide the illumination so that the sun and the stars will not be needed for this function: The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted (Isaiah 30:26). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 00:00. 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. That is because our Lord always confronts, convicts, and converts men and women individually, in the light of their own actions and beliefs. 2:1 He said to me, Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you. 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. Before he reached Damascus a light flashed in front of Saul that was so bright he fell down on the ground. Maybe he died, but it also may be because most of the rest of Acts is fo- cused on more distant places. More than that, he had a deep dislike and hostility toward Christians before his conversion. 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. When her lie had been exposed, she also fell down and died at Peters feet. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 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. Think about what happened as a result of this man overcoming his fear and obeying God. 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). I see a man who is confident, aggressive, and zealous, rather than a man troubled by inner doubts. 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). Perhaps nowhere else is the radical change (of conversion) in Pauls life153 more readily evident than in his attitude toward the saints. 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 good news of the gospel is that Christ Jesus came to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead (Isaiah 59:10). All of these should be expected and can be rather easily explained. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day (2 Timothy 1:8-12). 1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christtheir Lord and ours 9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:1-2, 9). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. They too rebelled against God and forsook His word and persecuted His prophets. The couple wanted to appear as outstanding church members, but they didnt want to part with their possessions. Ananias who was Ananias baptised Saul in the name of Jesus - the one who had sent him to the vanquished enemy of the church. What was Ananias role in Sauls conversion to Christianity? 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, whom we have already met (Acts 5:34-40). Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you (Isaiah 60:1). Now they were keeping watch on the gates day and night so as to kill him, Then he When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Ananias was used as Gods instrument in the conversion of Saul, but even he had to be pushed to go to Saul. Saul Preaches in Damascus. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? . We are simply told that the message itself was proclaimed powerfully and that people were amazed at the message and its miraculous impact on Sauls own conduct. 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). A resource for the whole church from Luther Seminary. 36Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated means Dorcas). WebAnanias was afraid of Saul. with his wife Sapphira, sold some property and agreed to hold back 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, A vision, in this context, was a supernatural sight from God. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. How old was Jesus when he was crucified? Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! ACTS 9:10-14 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 2:22, Acts 13:2; 22:21; Rom. They could hear the voice but they did not see anyone who was speaking. The result was the restoration of Sauls sight and, it would seem, Sauls reception of the Holy Spirit. Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. In this occasion, no one seems to have prayed for Peters miraculous escape. The second evidence of Sauls conversion was in his bold proclamation of his newly found faith in Jesus as the Messiah. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". There are no exceptions in this all of Romans 3:23, as Paul indicated in these Old Testament words, cited just before: THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE (Romans 3:10b-12). Thank God that is what happened. If the blinding of Saul was a major turning point in his life, so was the blinding of Bar-Jesus. (3) The racial expansion from the Jews to the Gentiles. We know nothing of Ananias beyond this story in the shadows. . 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. Granted, his experience is unique and dramatic. 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. WebAnanias, I am sure. Did Peter and Paul meet? 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, here am I, Lord. 11 And the Lord said to him, Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. 13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name.145 15 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My names sake.. 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. I am not at all sure how this can be determined from the text. The message which Saul received was not only a call to salvation, but a divine call to ministry. All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, Chapter 9. He should not be circumcised. When I look through the Gospels and the Book of Acts, I never find the gospel presented in the same way to different people. 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 Shape us into children who rejoice in knowing and proclaiming you to the world. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). He who had wanted to kill these saints now wanted to fellowship with them. The common characteristics of conversion are those on which I would like to focus in the conversion of Saul. Web'And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2. WebThe Lord called to him in a vision, o Ananias!. If the worst sinner (Saul) was not too sinful to save, then you are not too sinful for God to save. 6 And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. 38Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, Please come to us without delay. OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. There is no story in Acts more important than Saul/Pauls call, his encounter with the risen Christ. 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). vii.) 30And when the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him on his way to Tarsus.p. `}Hq)l2hZ0r89asO70Da`qg WebWhy was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? Salvation is a revolution, not an evolution. 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. Unexpected and mysterious ELW 258 All are welcome ELW 641, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics. The salvation of Saul was to result in the gospel being preached to distant people and lands, and in the extension of the church to many key cities. It is not clear 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). (7) The salvation of Saul was Christ-centered. With the help of a priest who knew his parents he was allowed to attend religious school. Then Jesus told them, You are going to have the light just a little while longer. ). A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 115. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 129 The history of Damascus goes back to remote antiquity. And, who knows, God may even answer those prayers and the persons life be blessed and changed in ways we cannot even imagine.. 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.