why was ananias afraid of helping saul

Saul, why do you persecute me? There he was transfigured before them. What else did Jesus explain to Ananias? 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing;* so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus.h AT this season we are called upon to think of foreign missions. 10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints (Ephesians 1:18). 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). This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 147 The more Saul preached, the more the Jews were confused. WebThere was no indication in Jesus words that Ananias was going to give Saul the Holy Spirit. Web The children will describe Ananias as a man who helped Saul even though he was afraid. Acts 9:10-19 Acts 22:12-16 - Webflow And now, he is preaching the same message. WebAnd Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, 28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. Introduction: suppose you heard someone was coming to arrest you, or even worse. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Presumably this is the case, however I still wonder a bit about this. He knew what Saul had done to the church in Jerusalem. Though I have fallen, I will rise. And when this time comes, God will use their obedience to serve Him: For if their rejection be the salvation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Romans 11:15). Sauls conversion was a miracle, short and simple, but not so much the result of the external miracle of the bright light and the voice of the Lord as the internal transformation and illumination which God wrought: 15 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man (Galatians 1:15-16). The first words spoken to Saul were, Saul, Saul, Why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4). Ananias would have lost a human beings greatest privilege, of being an agent of the Lord (like an angel of the Lord). Saul was also blinded, which identified him with the blindness of the nation Israel of which the Old Testament prophets wrote (see above). 35And all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. All Ananias did was to obey Christs command to go pray with Saul so that Saul could do all those things. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness (Micah 7:8-9). the light and blind passages above). In Galatians 1, Saul wrote that God had called him while he was still in his mothers womb (Galatians 1:15). When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Despite the threats Saul had made and his notorious track record of persecuting, arresting and even affirming the execution of Christians, Ananias, whose Over and over in his epistles, Paul spoke of salvation in terms of radical change. WebAs Donald Davis notes, In case God has overlooked Sauls atrocities, [Ananias] takes occasion to issue a brief reminder. The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993. Used by permission. What happened when Ananias anointed Saul? We know nothing of Ananias beyond this story in the shadows. They do not understand the gospel well enough. My names sake". required neighboring states to grant it the privileges of a sovereign state, including the right of extradition. 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. Shape us into children who rejoice in knowing and proclaiming you to the world. Sauls conversion was also his call to ministry, and this conversion experience is strikingly similar to that of one of his predecessors, Ezekiel: 1:4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the northan immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end (Isaiah 60:20). The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Revelation 21:23-24). Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord (Acts 13:6-12). ANANIAS This light was more, much more, than just a bright light. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. Ananias It was an act of faith and bravery equivalent to helping a lion out of a trap. After this, Saul broke his fast and was strengthened. The light was the light of His glory. Saul, as it were, saw the light, but in addition, he was to become a light, a light to the Gentiles, as well as to his own people. What a shock Sauls conversion must have been to both groups! Ananias had to overcome his fear so that Saul would be overcome by grace. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 1:29, 30, NKJV, Abide Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version. In fact, more is written of what Saul said and did because he was saved than is written of what he said and did resulting in his salvation. Some would like the excuse to make some changes to make their life more comfortable. Perhaps nowhere else is the radical change (of conversion) in Pauls life153 more readily evident than in his attitude toward the saints. (3) Sauls salvation was personal. Ananias small act of obedience led to a great harvest for the kingdom. `}Hq)l2hZ0r89asO70Da`qg There may well have been a long time between Sauls conversion and his arrival at Jerusalem. Throughout his life and ministry Paul marveled at the grace of God shown to him and to other sinners. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Or could it be that these disciples of Saul were Sauls disciples before his conversion, who accompanied him as he sought to capture Christians. Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for, And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting, he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before, I will show him how many things he must suffer for My. Blindness, not willing to see, not willing to understand is all too common but Ananias cured Saul blindness by a touch. 25but his disciples took him one night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. 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). I believe that as Luke portrays Saul in Acts, it is as a prototype, a picture of Israel. Saul 1 What is the significance of the story of Ananias and Sapphira? Now that the Lord had identified Himself as Jesus, Saul recognized that he was the sinner. Ananias found Saul and said to him, Saul, my brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came, that you may regain your sight and be filled with the holy Spirit. As soon as Ananias spoke, Saul could see again. Amen. /w\/)sr?o|cBw3>E> 1:16f. The election of Saul to salvation was specific and thus, personal. There are affinities between his conversion experience and Ezekiels inaugural vision, in which the prophet saw the likeness of the heavenly throne and above it a likeness as it were of a human form (Ezek. 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. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. In Sauls account of his conversion to His Jewish brethren, he added that when Ananias arrived, he instructed him to Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name (Acts 22:16). 1:16; cf. It was an act of faith and It was almost as though Saul had looked intently into the beam of an intensely powerful carbon-act light, the kind used as search lights. This is a miracle, a miracle which is all of God, and all of grace. Second, we are not given enough information in the biblical text to solve them dogmatically. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Ananias restores Saul's sight - Catholic Courier Jesus words, Why are you persecuting Me?, clearly implied that Sauls persecution of the church was a persecution of the Lord. WebAnanias, I am sure. Pauls language in Acts 26:11 seems to mean that Damascus is merely one of other `foreign cities to which he carried the persecution. A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), III, p. 114. We will next seek to learn how this description of Sauls conversion fits into and contributes to the development of Lukes argument in Acts. Sapphira). And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he This Paul knew and testified to. * [9:29] Hellenists: see note on Acts 6:17. 39So Peter got up and went with them. But as I see the call of God referred to in the New Testament, it seems that the call of salvation assumes other callings, to which Paul and other New Testament writers made frequent reference: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1). But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13). 00:00. It is also bad news for the self-righteous. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead (Isaiah 59:10). 141 Compare this voice with that in John 12:29. 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. 12And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight., 13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, (C)how much [a]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. But as Saul grew in strength and as his arguments were irrefutable, just as Stephens had been (Acts 6:10), his opponents realized that the only way to silence Saul was to kill him. 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. 1:11--2:10; Ephesians 3:1-13; cf. How do you write a good story in Smash Bros screening? It is no wonder that a fair amount of the text is devoted to a description of Sauls attempt to associate with the local church, first at Damascus, and then in Jerusalem. Israel was called of God and set apart to proclaim the way of salvation to the Gentiles. At least we can say that no one had enough faith to believe it, even as Peter stood at the door, knocking to get in (12:12-17). It is, in the Bible, the radiance of Gods glory. New King James Version (NKJV). 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). 1 What happened to Ananias and Sapphira as a result of lying to God? During his conversion He hears the voice of the Lord crying out to him. Unexpected and mysterious ELW 258 All are welcome ELW 641, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics. That He had already appeared to Saul "on the road" Second, the only result of this event shown in the Bible is that Saul received his sight. No one could fault the reluctance of Ananias. They could not out-argue him. To whom did the Lord communicate "in a vision"? east-west thoroughfare through Damascus built by the Greeks after the city He started to KNOW GRACE! How does Ananias ability to rise above his own feelings of hatred toward Saul encourage Saul to move Gods promises and purposes would not be stopped by this madman, Saul. 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 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. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Galatians 2:8-9). The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. 2:7; 2 Tim. To him be honor and might forever. In our text Ananias was instructed to go to Saul and to lay hands on him so that he might receive his sight (9:12). 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). 145 We may note incidentally the two new descriptions of the Christians used here. How true are two of the proverbs, which read: The mind of a man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps (Proverbs 16:9). ananisofdamascus - Bible Facts Did Saul's many sufferings during his ministry for Jesus' name come as a surprise to him? Paul was no ordinary followerhe became the most visible and active pillar of the new Christian church. Saul was the bad guy. 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. The call of salvation is a call to holiness, and to obedience, and to fellowship, with God and with our fellow-believers. 17 And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. I. Howard Marshall summarizes the problem in these words: Nevertheless, we obtain a different impression of things from Galatians 1:16-24, according to which (1) Paul did not confer with men after his conversion nor go to the apostles in Jerusalem, but (2) departed to Arabia and then returned to Damascus; then (3) three years later he went to Jerusalem for a visit lasting a fortnight during which he saw only Peter and James, and at this time he was unknown by sight to the churches of Judea; thereafter (4) he went to Syria and Cilicia. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The message of the gospel, to be sure, is always the same, but the approach is not. But there is a greater discrepancy between the accounts of Sauls conversion in Acts and that which Paul gave in Galatians 1. Have you had such an encounter? Thank God that is what happened. Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! The baptism of Saul was his testimony to the change which had taken place. Hypocrisy is the most dangerous spiritual virus to infect the church. When I saw it, I fell face down, and I heard the voice of one speaking. A man who, along He has sovereignly chosen to use people to lead people to salvation, Spirit baptism, deliverance, and healing. ), Acts 7:59; 9:2, 21; 1 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). But why would they be called his disciples? However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. They are also very significant in what they conveyed to Saul. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Amen (1 Timothy 6:16). 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. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Working Preacher from Luther Seminary In spite of the clear and present danger, Ananias went and began to look for the Christian hunter Saul. [ a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 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. Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. Why do you think the street was named "Straight" But the gospel is good news for sinners. Bible Hub He spoke of salvation as dying to the old manner of living and as rising from the dead in order to live an entirely new life (Romans 6). Ananias 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. What happened to Saul when Ananias laid hand on him? Webb Ananias was successful because he trusted Jesus and he viewed Saul as his brother. Sermons about Ananias And Saul - SermonCentral.com * He sent me so that you can 129 The history of Damascus goes back to remote antiquity. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God. 21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests? 22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding147 the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ. also 16:17; 18:25-26). The Essene community at Qumran used the same designation to describe its mode of life. 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. 3 Why was Ananias afraid of helping Saul? For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7). But Saul only became bolder in his preaching. The same grace which was shown to Saul in his salvation is shown to all whom God calls to Himself: 8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. He went on to write nearly half of the New Testament. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Yes, Lord, he answered. The voice from heaven did not call out, Have you ever heard of the four spiritual laws?152 Ananias was sent to Saul only. 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. The result was the restoration of Sauls sight and, it would seem, Sauls reception of the Holy Spirit. 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. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ, 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christthe righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 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). Ananias and Saul. They were to be a light to the Gentiles, but they failed. He realized that it was nothing which he had donenor ever would dobut only by what Jesus Christ had done that saved him. of him. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Paul would later use this expression (in the plural) to address his unbelieving Jewish opponents, as in Acts 22:1. 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. For all the saints. Ananias fulfills his task: He laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain During the subsequent Roman rule, the It was his preaching that resulted in the conversion of many Gentiles, and it was his writing (his epistles) to these saints which greatly strengthened them in their faith. And yet while God had foretold the rebellion of Israel and their rejection, so He had also foretold of Israels restoration (cf. We can overcome our fears if, like Ananias, we trust that Jesus is directing the preaching work, Imagine for a moment that this is the week of Sauls arrival at Damascus. Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. When Ananias Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 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?

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