The Apostle Paul: Saul and Ananias What changed about Saul/Paul after Jesus appeared to him? Bible Hub (4) Sauls salvation was miraculous. Thus, he did not use the method of many others, which was man-centered, not Christ-centered: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void. ,%d/3o3o6jda=|4S-LJ3ajLcNfZyV;CkCl>390q {KQ0lQ)0>~cy:CJkP|4M-\v Barnabas stood up for Saul and explained everything to the Jerusalem Christians. 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). But these laws, which seek to summarize the gospel in a concise way, should always be applied individually. ANANIAS It is the very word that Luke will use in 16:10 of the conclusion reached at Troas concerning the vision of Paul. 43* r And he stayed a long time in Joppa with Simon, a tanner. 152 I do not mean to criticize the four laws of Campus Crusade, which have been used of God to bring many to faith in Christ. When Sapphira showed up, she, too, lied to Peter and to God, saying that they had donated the entire proceeds of the sale of the land to the church. He who had wanted to kill these saints now wanted to fellowship with them. Their attempt to deceive the apostles was an attempt to deceive God putting the Spirit of the Lord to the test (v. 9) and they paid the price! 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). We know that Paul was not instantly a biblical scholar or a seasoned apostle. Saul seems to have been the instigator of the persecution of the church, which began at the death of Stephen in Jerusalem and worked outward from there. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. The call to salvation is also the call to a life of holiness and obedience. To both Ananias (Acts 9:10) and Saul (Acts 9:12). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Sauls baptism followed, accompanied by his profession of faith, his calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul,why are you persecuting Me? 5 And he said, Who are You, Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Saul, like Stephen, was a Hellenistic Jew. (2) Sauls salvation was exclusively the work of a sovereign God. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. Not only does the narrator tell the story of Sauls transformation from persecutor to apostle in Acts 9, Saul himself re-tells the story twice when defending himself before persecutors (before the tribune in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21; and before Agrippa, Acts 26:1-23). But hidden in its shadows is another inspiring story, and one to which most people in the pew may more easily relate. What else did Jesus explain to Ananias? Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. Ananias restores Saul's sight - Catholic Courier This light was more, much more, than just a bright light. Few Christians will encounter the risen, glorified Lord as Saul did here. This conclusion could be based upon Pauls argument in Galatians 1 and 2, along with the expression, when many days had elapsed in Acts 9:23. Ananias What happened when Ananias anointed Saul? (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). The only question is who is the LORD? Indeed, God would reveal His sovereignty by using Saul to further the gospel, first by his opposition (which scattered the church and spread the gospel), and then by his conversion (which resulted in his powerful proclamation of Jesus as Messiah). While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5). The obedience and faith that Ananias demonstrated in going to Saul and helping to restore his sight were incredible, to say the least. 129 The history of Damascus goes back to remote antiquity. The result of that reluctant leap of faith is that Sauls eyes are opened and he is baptized, becoming part of (and eventually a leader in) the very church he sought to wipe out. WebThis happened to Ananias of Damascus when he ministered to Saul of Tarsus. 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. (Philippians 1:4-9). I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). 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 conversion of Saul is a very crucial event in this book, which spells out from a historical point of view (Romans, from a theological viewpoint) the relationship of Jews and Gentiles in the plans and purposes of God. He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, Also, gJi\!2LITShA%)&bqd=/)@Eg*tttpt @V6wCAp{GyAGG9h d=u3zDca{y:&0}=!P`XX z;g3 {~paveta +w Damascus, a city some 150 miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, was one such city. There are two primary options for preaching from this text. Here is a graphic illustration of what true repentance isit is a turning about, beginning with ones belief and bearing fruit in ones conduct. If Luke had any ax to grind on this issue, here would have been a great place to stress this matter, but he did not do so. Despite the threats Saul had made and his notorious track record of persecuting, arresting and even affirming the execution of Christians, Ananias, whose 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. He was afraid because Saul killed Jesus’ followers🤨 There were three Ananiases in the Bible. Ananias the high priest brought charges against Paul and here - view only). Ananias and Saul in Damascus. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. It says nothing about him receiving the Holy Spirit. It was an act of faith and At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. 34Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. There is not so much as a hint that anyone prayed for Sauls salvation or took the initiative to bring it about. The New International Version The conversion of Saul, as depicted in our text, was not only a divine call to salvation, but it was also a call to service. SAUL In Damascus, the Lord had spoken to a man named Ananias, and the Lord told Ananias to find Saul and to lay his hands on Saul and pray so that Sauls sight would be restored. Let us be careful to discern what changes the gospel requires and what changes it does not. He was, indeed, Stephens replacement. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Working Preacher from Luther Seminary (Acts 9:11)? get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! 21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord. (13) As Stephens death, instigated (or at least assisted) by Saul, resulted in an intense and widespread persecution of the churches in Jerusalem and elsewhere, so Sauls conversion seems to have been directly related to the return of peace (cf. Saul asked.I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. He wrote letters to the first churches in order to help them understand the Scriptures and to tell them how to live as good Christians. WebThats when Ananias heard a word from the Lord. WebActs 9:1. It almost seems harder to convince Ananias that Saul is (or will be) a Christian than it is to convert Saul. He amazed everyone because they knew he was speaking the same words as the people he had been persecuting. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. It was due to the intervention of Barnabas, a man who would prove to be a lifetime friend of Paul, that the apostles risked a meeting with him and then granted him the freedom to associate with the saints in Jerusalem. Paul would make much more of this point in the first chapter of Galatians. Yes, Lord, he answered. 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). The life of Paul and his writings are very important parts of the New Testament. How much better to petition God to save those whom we are concerned about, a God who desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). Not knowing what had happened, she, too, lied about the offering and was also struck dead (Acts 5:111). For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thessalonians 4:7). For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). In Hellenistic times it was completely replanned on the Hippodamian grid-system. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9). Saul, like Stephen, had a ministry which focused on the Hellenistic Jews. And yet, even in opposing God, he furthered Gods purposes; he was instrumental in the evangelization of the Gentiles (Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19-21). Thus, whenever he spoke of his conversion and his call to ministry, he always spoke of this incident as an act of divine grace, of Gods unmerited favor, of an act of mercy toward him: I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:15-16). 37Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs. 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). 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. 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. Ananias was afraid because he knew Sauls reputation as a merciless persecutor of the church. 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. By divine revelation, Peter called out Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit and to God. The call of salvation is a call to holiness, and to obedience, and to fellowship, with God and with our fellow-believers. They could not prove him wrong from the Scriptures. No one, it would seem, was even thinking of what God was about to do. He sent me so that you can Fourth, if we had all the facts, there would be no problem. In fact, as Saul would later write, he realized that he was chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness (John 12:46). (N)Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord. 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. He had heard of all the terrible things Saul had done to Christians in Jerusalem and how it was his intent to do the same in Damascus, Ananias town. 24 Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to (1 Corinthians 7:15, 17-22, 24).154. 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. It is here that Paul took the leadership and became the dominant or leading individual, instead of Barnabas. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The two messages cannot be reconciled. His acceptance by the latter was finally brought about through his friendship with Barnabas (Acts 9:27). 28He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem, and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord. That He had already appeared to Saul "on the road" Saul and Ananias
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