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

We do not know the exact time when Saul was saved. (14) There is an interesting symmetry or parallel between the conversion of Saul and the conversion of Cornelius. For the time being, God is using the disobedience of Israel to accomplish His purposes, but there is surely a time coming when Israel will be restored to the Lord, by faith in Christ. When one looks at all the references to this event, it was, in fact, a personal appearance of the risen, glorified Jesus to Saul (cf. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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). There will be no more night. His conversion was by far the most vital influence in Pauls life. Were they some of those converted to Christ through his preaching? I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. We know from other accounts (22:6; 26:13) that it was high noon when Saul was stopped in his tracks by a bright light from heaven. 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). 4. The first is to ask the congregation to identify with Saul himself. Granted, his experience is unique and dramatic. to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me (Acts 26:18). For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In the place of Ananias we would fear that it might not work out, and the consequences could be very serious. At first, I thought this was unique with Saul. Then you hear the Lord telling you to minister to that person. 3 He said: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. 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). * [9:26] This visit of Paul to Jerusalem is mentioned by Paul in Gal 1:18. When he found him, 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 your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'" here - view only). 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, . And, who knows, God may even answer those prayers and the persons life be blessed and changed in ways we cannot even imagine.. Let us be careful to discern what changes the gospel requires and what changes it does not. Would the church not have undertaken the task of discipling these folks? When Saul looked at the disciples of The Way (Jesus disciples) all he saw was a heretical sect that was a threat to the nation of Israel and Gods Law. Like Stephen, Saul seemed to gravitate toward preaching to the Hellenistic Jews (9:29). Saul did not agree with his teacher, Gamaliel, on how the Christians should be dealt with, however. Ananias the high priest brought charges against Paul and 1:16f. He did not say that God revealed his Son to him, but that He revealed His Son in him. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, Ananias would have lost a human beings greatest privilege, of being an agent of the Lord (like an angel of the Lord). . 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 authorities, but also knew that he was on the march to Damascus, ready to destroy that church as well. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Revelation 21:23-24). To the church, Saul turned out to be a friend, a fellow-believer, in fact, a flaming evangelist, who proclaimed Christ more clearly and powerfully than anyone had previously done in Damascus. The common characteristics of conversion are those on which I would like to focus in the conversion of Saul. No one, it would seem, was even thinking of what God was about to do. Could Judas have been a Christian? It may be that Sauls conversion was the instrument God used to convert these followers of Saul, so that they really were his disciples, in a two-fold sense. Christian ministry be reconciled with the wealth and prosperity that This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time (2 Timothy 1:9). 29He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,* but they tried to kill him. Linking is encouraged, but content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed including, but not limited to such means as framing or other digital copying and/or distribution method, in whole or in part without the publisher's written consent. The Church at Peace. 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). Verse 18 tells us that, "straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight, and he arose and was baptized." This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him (Daniel 2:22). No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinnersof whom I am the worst. 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. Saul was knocked to the ground and confronted with the reality that hed been working against God rather than helping God. Ananias son of Nebedeus (or Nedebeus) was a high priest who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, presided during the trials of the apostle Paul at Jerusalem (Acts 23:2) and Caesarea (Acts 24:1). Introduction: suppose you heard someone was coming to arrest you, or even worse. Then, on the road to Damascus, he was blinded by a vision of Jesus. Obedience is often not easy, but it is very likely the most direct way forward and the clearest way to honor God. This blindness was only removed by faith in Christ, a miracle brought about by divine action: In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see (Isaiah 29:18). These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Nothing is said in our text about any miracles being performed by Saul, as yet. 20 The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins, declares the Lord. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands onq him to restore his sight.. 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). Is the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 harsh? By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. 133 I. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, reprint, 1987), p. 173. 144 Was Ananias the one who told him what he must do? What happened to Straight Street since then? 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. 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). Just as Saul had opposed those who believed, so Bar-Jesus opposed the proconsuls conversion. Do not let anyone despise you (Titus 2:11-15). 11:2328; 12:710; Gal. 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. 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). >zZ0y^C{tg This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. 139 A. T. Robertson writes, It is open to question if kurie should not here be translated Sir as in 16:30 and in Matt. Julius Caesar confirmed those rights and privileges anew to the Jewish nation (although Judaea was no longer a sovereign state), and more particularly to the high-priesthood. F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), pp. In spite of this, we are not told here that Saul did receive the Holy Spirit or what happened when he did. For the remainder of this essay, I will pursue the second option. No doubt entered the mind of Saul that the One who spoke to him was Jesus of Nazareth, the long-looked-for Messiah, the Consolation and Redeemer of Israel. 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). The passage which we are studying can be divided into these major segments: We will begin this lesson by making some general observations concerning this account of Sauls conversion,134 after which we will examine the sequence of events leading up to Sauls conversion, the events surrounding his conversion, and the consequences of his conversion as depicted by Luke. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.. Saul, like Stephen, was a Hellenistic Jew. They, too, were afraid of Saul and did not believe he really was a follower of Jesus Christ. Nothing is more evident in the account of Sauls conversion than his radical reversal. Second, the gospel should be proclaimed in a way that is personal. For you are our glory and joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20). 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). 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:12-14). With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith (2 Thessalonians 1:11). And they will reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5). Follow Christ's journey to the Cross. * [9:1930] This is a brief resume of Pauls initial experience as an apostolic preacher. Did God Judge Ananias and Sapphira for the same sin? 16For (I)I will show him how many things he must suffer for My (J)names sake.. Note the following impressions gained from a reflection on the passage as a whole. . All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. WebSauls Baptism. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6-7). Verses 1 and 2 vividly depict Sauls intent, his intense desire and determination to rid the world of Christianity by taking active, aggressive, severe action against those saints who had fled from Jerusalem. 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). and the other is a deceptive, self-serving half-truth from people interested 1:1; 1 Cor. 28 And he was with them moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. It is evident in the way he was saved. 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). God chose Saul and had his destiny planned, before He saved him. 12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Up till now, Jesus was the sinner, and Saul was the saint. AT this season we are called upon to think of foreign missions. 33There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been confined to bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed. The children will state that they can pray if they feel afraid and it will help them to be brave and friendly. (what was bad was that they lied about the amount). He was a man of great respect and influence, and thus he realized that his actions would have broad ramifications. Saul took this most seriously, not eating or drinking until after his confession of faith by means of his baptism. How do you write a good story in Smash Bros screening?