Unit 3: The Birth of the Church
Key Verse:
Acts 9:17 NLT
17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Prelude:
Philippians 3:5-6 NLT
5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
Every saint has a testimony. Every saint remembers what the Lord delivered him from. Every saint remembers the path that led from depravity to deliverance. I’m not sure the stench of our old life is ever fully cleansed from our members however, God uses our testimonies as a witness to the power of the Glory of His Grace. There is nothing that has ever happened in our past that God cannot use to our benefit and for His Glory.
Psalm 107:2-3 NKJV
2
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3
And gathered out of the lands,
From the East and from the West,
From the North and from the South.
Saul of Tarsus, for example, had such a testimony. A Pharisee of Pharisees, he learned at the feet of Gamaliel, Saul had no peers among the Jews. Because of his zeal for the Law of Moses and his all-or-nothing temperament, he was perfectly suited for the grim responsibility of stopping the explosive growth of this new movement that named Jesus of Nazareth as Lord. His fervor ensured that he would see the job through. In fact, so effective was he in his pursuit and persecution of the believers that the religious leaders in Jerusalem increased his sphere of influence to include areas well outside of Judea. He was on the road to Damascus, in Syria, when he had a divine encounter.
Acts 9:3-6 NLT
3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
As it turns out, Saul’s fervor and determination had not gone unnoticed. None other than the Lord Jesus Christ had seen Saul’s persecution of the Church and had determined that Saul’s singular focus of mind and his dogged, intense determination would serve the eternal purposes of the Kingdom of God. So He (Jesus) stopped Saul in his tracks, knocked him off of his horse, and gave him … a testimony.
Acts 9:7-8 NLT
7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.
Galatians 1:13-16a NLT
13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.
15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16a to reveal his Son to me[e] so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.
The Lesson
Acts 9:9 NLT
9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
Saul finds himself in quite a predicament. For the first time in, quite probably, a very long time, Saul finds himself completely helpless. For three long days, he has had to feel his way, questioning every step. Certainly, with his careful consideration of every dark step, Saul has had time for introspection as well. How had he come to this place? How had his missteps misled him so far from the will of the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? It comes as no surprise that Saul neither ate nor drank during this period, as this would have been a customary response of a devout Jew in a time of duress.
Acts 9:10 NLT
10 Now, there was a believer[b] in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord!” he replied.
While Saul is ensconced in this time of introspection, the Lord is preparing the way ahead. The Lord calls out to a believer, Ananias. This man is identified in Scripture as ‘a believer’. Not a prophet, not an Apostle, just … a believer: one who has accepted Christ as Saviour and Lord and one who has received the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is by the unction of the Holy Spirit that Ananias is able to hear and respond to Christ. As a child growing up in East Austin, I observed this phenomenon time and again with the elders in Christ in the community, including my grandmother, whose house we stayed at every day after school. These elder saints spoke as if they’d just seen Jesus down the block. Certainly, God speaks to individuals today, just as he did in Ananias’ day.
Acts 9:11 NLT
11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.
Jesus begins to reveal His instructions to Ananias. Very specific instructions. He tells Ananias exactly where to go, who to look for, and the exact state in which he will find the object of God’s purpose; Saul.
Acts 9:12 NLT
12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
Additionally, we discover that the Lord Jesus has been speaking to Saul as well. He has prepared Saul for the eventual arrival of Ananias. Again, Jesus delivers specific details concerning the arrival and the mission of Ananias. When Anias and Saul eventually meet, they will not be strangers.
Acts 9:13-14 NLT
13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers[c] in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”
Take note of Ananias’ befuddlement. “But Lord”, he responded. Ananias was well aware of Saul’s reputation. He recounts Saul’s crimes against the Church, and they are many. Not only has Saul been responsible for the torture and murder of many believers, but his authority had been expanded by the Sanhedrin to regions far outside of Jerusalem’s natural borders. How can it be that the Lord is sending Ananias to see him? Just leave him blind. Surely, he deserves that, if not worse.
Acts 9:15-16 NLT
15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
The Lord responds by delivering an imperative: “Go!” He follows that imperative command by providing an explanation, “...he (Saul) is my chosen instrument…” God has a plan for Saul. In fact, before time, God had a plan for Saul. A plan for Saul to deliver the Gospel to the Gentiles. God sees. He sees Saul’s dynamic leadership skills and tenacity. God knows. He knows that Saul is uniquely qualified to carry the Gospel to those who have no knowledge of YHWH, the God of Israel.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NLT
7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Finally, God informs Ananias that He will bless Saul with His Presence, but that it will carry a price. Saul will sacrifice much for the sake of the Gospel. In the same way that he administered torment to believers under the authority of Jerusalem, he would now encounter that same persecution and more. Not only would he suffer torment at the hand of the Judaizers, but he would also suffer ridicule at the hands of the Gentiles as he carried this message to foreign lands.
Acts 9:17 NLT
17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Ananias complies with the Lord’s directive. He finds Saul and prays in accordance with God’s will for Saul. He prays for Saul’s sight to be restored. He prays for Saul to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Like Ananias, Saul would respond to God’s directives in a very personal way, coveting God’s Presence above all else. He would come to be regarded as the most significant of the Apostles and the most prolific and influential writer of the New Testament Epistles. His influence on the modern Church is without question, and his imprint on eternity is certifiable. The plans that God had for Paul before time began will carry over into an everlasting legacy. An everlasting legacy of Grace.
Selah,
wb
Psalm 27:7-8 NLT
7
Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
8
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
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