Acts 9

¹⁰ And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

¹¹ And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

¹² And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

¹³ Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

¹⁴ And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

¹⁶ For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

¹⁷ And 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, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Our text is an account of the visit of a certain disciple called Ananias to Apostle Paul. Saul, as he then was known, had had an encounter with the Lord Jesus. He was on his way to Damascus to wreck havoc on Christians. He was a state-sponsored terrorist. He had with him letters from the high priest to synagogues, so he could arrest believers, bring them down to Jerusalem in chains and get them killed (Acts 9:1-2). He was like a ravenous beast, like the terrorists that pervade our landscapes today. This afternoon, as he journeyed, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, he was knocked down to the ground, and Jesus spoke to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). But Saul wasn’t persecuting the Lord Jesus; he was persecuting the church, or so he thought. But he was wrong. A slander against the Church is a slander against the Lord Jesus. A bad word against the Church is a bad word against Jesus. A mockery against the Church is a mockery against the Lord Himself. The Church, the body of believers worldwide, is the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5: 23, 25, 29, 30,32). Be careful how you act towards the Church; you very well, are acting towards Jesus. Saul learnt that lesson that day. The Church is the Body of Christ. Anyone persecuting the Church is persecuting the Lord Jesus. Same goes for believers fighting fellow believers.  When Saul fell to the ground, the Lord instructed him to get into Damascus. Three days later, the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and gave him an assignment to reach out to Saul. “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus” (v 12). Naturally, that should cause Ananias to be alarmed, but this faithful disciple went his way and did as the Lord had commanded. Continue reading →