Following instructions can often be perplexing. In cooking, assembling products or even a list that someone else left for you, the instructions at times seems strange.
In Acts 9, nothing which Christ could have given Ananias to do would have surprised him more than the duty with which he was entrusted. It filled him with astonishment and perplexity. God often calls us to tasks that at first seem perplexing. (The Pulpit Commentary: Acts of the Apostles Vol. I. 2004 (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, Ed.) (292). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
The obedience to those tasks, in "The Light of His Presence" determines if we truly have faith in Him or not.
Last week (Acts 9:1-9) we saw how Paul was changed by coming face to face with "The Light of His Presence". Now, in Acts 9:10-20 we see that although Jesus brings Paul to conversion, Paul still has to face entrance into the church that he came to destroy. This is not one of Paul’s concerns, however, for Jesus opens the way for him to enter the church (through Ananias) and to be welcomed by the believers. (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (337). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
With "The Light of His Presence" in conversion (Acts 9:3-9), the Apostle Paul shows five other features of the transformed life: 1) Fervency in supplication (Acts 9:10-12), 2) Faithfulness in service (Acts 9:13-17a), 3) The Filling of the Spirit (Acts 9:17b), 4) Fellowship with the saints (Acts 9:18-19), and 5) Fervency in speaking (Acts 9:20)
1) Fervency in Supplication (Acts 9:10-12)
Acts 9:10-12 [10]Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." [11]And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, [12]and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." (ESV)
While Saul waited, blinded and fasting, thinking deeply about what had occurred, God was dealing with another man. The disciple at Damascus named Ananias was obviously not the same Ananias executed by God in chapter 5.
Continue in Acts 22:12
Acts 22:12 [12]"And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, (ESV)
Ananias as likely one of the spiritual leaders of the Damascus church. If so, he also, ironically, would have been one of Saul’s main targets. Ananias means “Jehovah is gracious.” He was a gracious provision from God to guide Saul (Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 9:10). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.)
Acts 9:11 notes that The Lord said to him in a vision to rise and go to the street called Straight. Straight Street was the main east-west thoroughfare of Damascus. The Romans made a kind of promenade out of it, with large porches at either end. It was called Straight Street because nearly all the other streets in the city were crooked (Balge, R. D. (1988). Acts. The People’s Bible (101). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House).
Ananias we instructed to look/inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. That was a severe test of Ananias’s faith, since Saul’s fearsome reputation was widely known (cf. vv. 13–14). Ananias would have had no way of knowing of Saul’s conversion, since the Lord did not reveal it to him.
• The Lord will call us to do things that look impossible from the information we have to strengthen our faith, but most importantly, to show that He was the one working through us who should be glorified in the action.
• When our actions are small and safe, we not only lose out on God blessing us but in essence, fail to give Him the glory He desired to work though us.
The footnote for behold, he is praying informs us of what Saul did during his three days without sight. Prayer is the spontaneous response of the believing heart to God. Those truly transformed by Jesus Christ find themselves lost in the wonder and joy of communion with Him. Prayer is as natural for the Christian as breathing. Paul became a man of unceasing prayer.
While he waited for Ananias, Acts 9:12 records that God gave Saul a vision that Ananias would come and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. God, in His tender kindness to this persecutor, did not want him to be in any unnecessary sorrow, so He gave Saul hope for receiving his sight. A pair of visions were about to bring together two men who had been poles apart.
• Hope is the precursor to action. Without a vision of hope, actions either do not occur or become routine.
Illustration: Sir Frances Drake talked about hope, fervency of action:
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
(Sir Frances Drake Quoted in OC Missionary Prayer Letter of Jeanie Curryer, September, 1997)
2) Faithfulness in Service (Acts 9:13-17a)
Acts 9:13-17a [13]But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. [14]And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." [15]But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16]For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." [17]So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight (and be filled with the Holy Spirit.") (ESV)
In answer to Saul’s prayer, God directed Ananias to go to him. As already noted, that command provided a severe test for Ananias’s courage. Understandably, he balked at going, protesting, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil/harm he has done to your saints at Jerusalem; [14] And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon your name.” Since the word from the believers in Jerusalem had arrived before Saul, the church at Damascus knew he was coming and why. So Ananias said in effect, “Lord, do You know what You are asking?” The direction from God no doubt appeared to him to be suicidal. His life was at stake, and so was the ministry he had in the church. He was asking if the Lord really meant to end both.
Ananias’s protest was overruled, as God explained in Acts 9:15 to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to carry/bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” The call to the ministry is not based on the whims of people but on the sovereign choice of God. Ananias understood that truth clearly, and so did Saul. In Galatians 1:1 he wrote, “Paul, an apostle (Not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead)” (cf. 1 Tim. 2:7; 2 Tim. 1:11). To the Colossian church he said, “I was made a minister,” and that “by the stewardship of God bestowed on me” (1:23, 25). He also understood that though he often preached to the Jews first (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 17:1, 10; 18:4; 19:8), his primary calling was to minister to the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16).
An apostle had to be a follower of Jesus from the time when John baptized Jesus in the Jordan to the day of his ascension. And an apostle had to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection. Nonetheless, Paul is an apostle because Jesus himself appointed him to apostolic rank. Even though he is not numbered with the Twelve, the apostles in Jerusalem accepted him as Christ’s apostle to the Gentiles. Their reasons were five: Paul saw the resurrected Jesus and thus became a witness of his resurrection (26:16–18; I Cor. 9:1). Like the other apostles, Paul possessed the power to perform signs and wonders. As the apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit, so did Paul (9:17). Paul proclaimed the same gospel the apostles proclaimed (Gal. 2:2). And last, with the rest of the apostles Paul became an interpreter of the gospel. In short, from Paul’s own testimony in his letters and speeches we know that he fulfilled the apostolic requirements. Paul was personally called by Jesus. (Everett F. Harrison, “Apostle, Apostleship,” EDT, pp. 70–72; William Childs Robinson, “Apostle,” ISBE, vol. 1, pp. 192–95).
Further, he was privileged to carry/bear witness to his Lord before kings, such as Agrippa (Acts 25:23ff.), and, most likely, Caesar (cf. 2 Tim. 4:16–17).
• God gives His spiritual gifts and commissions for service for specific tasks.
Those trials were only a small portion of how much it says in Acts 9:16, Saul would suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name. The Gospel is a message of peace between believer and God though faith in the person who is named Jesus. Yet, Saul would suffer for proclaiming the message of peace. That is a paradox, but those who do not believe the gospel will from time to time strike out against the messengers of the gospel (Balge, R. D. (1988). Acts. The People’s Bible (102). Milwaukee, Wis.: Northwestern Pub. House.).
First Corinthians 4:9–13, 2 Corinthians 11:23–29, and 12:7–10 catalog the suffering Saul endured for the sake of His Lord. And his suffering, which never stopped until an ax severed his devout head from his faithful body, didn’t wait long to begin—only a few days.
• When God calls us to service, it is not for self-fulfillment and pleasure, but to give up sovereignty over our own lives to Him and be willing to die for Him if necessary.
Strengthened by the direct word from the Lord, and overcoming his fears, Acts 9:17 records that Ananias departed and entered the house of Judas, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight.” As we saw in
This was Saul’s commissioning for service:
Acts 22:14-15 [14]And he said, ’The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; (ESV)
The stories of both Ananias and Saul illustrate the truth that the transformed life demands service to Christ. As Saul was later to write:
1 Corinthians 4:1 [4:1]This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. (ESV)
Illustration:
Saul was perfect for the task given him by God: thoroughly versed in Jewish theology, language, and culture; a native of Tarsus and, thus, equally at home in Greek culture; a citizen of the Roman Empire; trained in the secular trade of tentmaking, thus able to support himself financially. This is a great example of the truth that God has a tailor-made ministry for each Christian. It’s the snowflake principle. We’re all different. No one else would have been suited to do what Paul did. And no one else can do what you can do. No one else has your circle of friends, your abilities, your situations. God wants to send you out, to commission you to do something significant. You may not play a prominent or highly visible role, but God has a fulfilling plan for you that will bring him glory by building his church (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life application Bible commentary (157). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.).
3) The Filling of the Spirit (Acts 9:17b)
Acts 9:17b [17] (So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight) and be filled with the Holy Spirit." (ESV)
Ananias was the bearer of far more important news to Saul than that he would regain his sight. Far more wonderfully, he would also be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was already active in Saul’s life, convicting him of sin (John 16:9), convincing him of the lordship of Jesus (1 Cor. 12:3), converting him (John 3:5; Titus 3:5), placing him into Christ’s body, the church, and indwelling him permanently (1 Cor. 12:13). Beyond all that, he was to be filled with the Spirit in a way that uniquely empowered him for service (cf. 2:4, 14; 4:8, 31; 6:5, 8).
It is significant that unlike the Jews (Acts 2:1–4), the Samaritans (Acts 8:14–17), and soon the Gentiles (Acts 10:44–46), Saul had received the Spirit and his commissioning to service with no apostles present. Saul was a Jew, so there was no need to repeat the initial coming of the Spirit that occurred at Pentecost. Also, he was an apostle in his own right and did not derive his authority from the other apostles (Gal. 1:1; cf. 1 Cor. 9:1; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11; Gal. 1:15–17), nor was he subject to their authority. Like them, he was chosen personally by the Lord Jesus Christ and received the Spirit for his commissioning and power directly from Him.
The Spirit transformed Saul in two fundamental ways. First, He took Saul’s natural strengths and refined them. Saul was a gifted natural leader, with strong will power. He was a man of strong convictions, a self-starter, bold, a master at using his time and talents, a motivated individual, and a profoundly gifted thinker and speaker.
The Holy Spirit also eliminated undesirable characteristics and replaced them with desirable ones. He replaced Saul’s cruel hatred with love; his restless, aggressive spirit with peace; his rough, hard-nosed treatment of people with gentleness; his pride with humility.
Only the Spirit of God can so thoroughly sanctify a life. Saul later expressed that truth to the Corinthians: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Illustration: An old story tells about a little boy in Sunday school whose teacher asked what part he played in his salvation. He responded that his conversion had been partly God’s work and partly his own. An astounded and rather nervous teacher inquired about that strange answer until the boy replied, “I opposed God all I could, and he did the rest.” Such was the experience of Saul of Tarsus. Former rabbi. Former persecutor. Former agent of the high priest. Transformed by God and filled with the Holy Spirit. (Gangel, K. O. (1998). Vol. 5: Acts. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (142). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
4) Fellowship with the Saints (Acts 9:18-19)
Acts 9:18-19 [18]And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; [19]and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. (ESV)
Immediately after Ananias’s words, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight.
The words "fell" and "scales" (ἀðÝðåóïí — ëåðßäåò) occur only here in the New Testament (Vincent, M. R. (2002). Word studies in the New Testament (Ac 9:18). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.).
“Scales” is the Greek lepis, a medical term of the first century which refers to a growth of skin that causes blindness (Elwell, W. A. (1996). Vol. 3: Evangelical commentary on the Bible. Baker reference library (Ac 9:1). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House.)..
It (can also) describe merely a certain sensation which he experienced at the moment, that is, he felt as if something resembling scales fell from his eyes, after which he could see again (Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Gotthard, V. L., Gerok, C., & Schaeffer, C. F. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures : Acts (169). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
All this can be seen as symbolic of Saul’s conversion from darkness to light and as bearer now of that same light. In addition, some see a connection between this eye disorder and Saul’s later reference to his poor eyesight (Gal. 4:15) (Elwell, W. A. (1996). Vol. 3: Evangelical commentary on the Bible. Baker reference library (Ac 9:1). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House.).
In response to Ananias’s exhortation (cf. Acts 22:16), Saul rose and was baptized. By that act he openly united with the very people he had hated and persecuted. His hated enemies became his friends, while his former friends instantly became his enemies (cf. v. 23). In keeping with the consistent pattern of believers’ testimonies in Acts, Saul’s baptism followed his conversion. baptism was an outer sign of the infilling, not the time of the infilling. That is in keeping with the early church’s practice of baptism being a witness to the community of believers of the deep and inner bond of the Spirit’s infilling (Ogilvie, L. J., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1983). Vol. 28: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28 : Acts. The Preacher’s Commentary series (167). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
• For those who trust in the name of Christ for salvation, baptism is a necessary step of faithful obedience explicitly commanded and shown throughout scripture.
Saul enjoyed his first taste of Christian fellowship as it says in Acts 9:19 that he took food and was strengthened. He remained for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus, allowing them to celebrate his conversion with him and minister to his needs. One can imagine the overwhelming joy of those days and the incessant praise to God. We learn when we read what Paul says in Galatians that it was actually a three-year period. Sometime during this period, Paul went into Arabia and returned to Damascus. Then after he had returned to Damascus, three years now having passed either in Damascus or in Arabia, he went to Jerusalem. These time details teach that even the apostle Paul needed significant time for preparation (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts : An expositional commentary (156). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
One sure mark of a "The Light of Hist Presence" in a transformed life is the desire to be with fellow Christians.
1 John 3:14 [14]We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. (ESV)
• Believers are those who do “not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” (Ps. 1:1). They can say with the psalmist, “I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts” (Ps. 119:63). That does not mean, of course, that Christians are to have no contact with unbelievers (1 Cor. 5:9–10).
• But a professing Christian who prefers the company of the people of the world is probably still one of them.
Illustration: During World War II, the enemy conducted experiments to find the most effective type of punishment for eliciting information from prisoners. They found that solitary confinement was the most effective. After a few days of solitary confinement, most men would tell all. That is why we need fellowship—without it we too become easy prey for temptation and abandonment of our values (Green, M. P. (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching : Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
5) Fervency in Speaking (Act 9:20)
Acts 9:20 [20]And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." (ESV)
Those who have experienced "The Light of His Presence" being transformed by the saving grace of God cannot stop speaking about it (Acts 4:20).Immediately after receiving his sight and spending some time with the believers in Damascus, Saul went to the synagogues to tell the Jews about Christ. Notice that Saul took time alone to learn about Jesus before beginning his worldwide ministry, but he did not wait to witness. Although we should not rush into a ministry unprepared, we do not need to wait before telling others the story of our encounter with Christ (Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life application Bible commentary (159). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.).
Significant is the fact that only in the verse which describes Paul’s initial preaching does the phrase Son of God appear in Acts. That is, Paul’s preaching begins with the assertion that Jesus is the Son of God, who has fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. ... the idea of sonship applies specifically to a royal descendant of David (II Sam. 7:14) and the Messiah (Ps. 2:7). (Guthrie, New Testament Theology, p. 302; see also Bruce, Book of the Acts, p. 190.)
Jesus never used the title himself except when, on trial, he was asked by the high priest whether he was the Son of God (Matt. 26:63). When Jesus answered affirmatively, he was accused of blasphemy. Now Paul continues to preach in the Damascus synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God and thus reveals the heart of the Christian faith (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (346). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
To the shocked Christians, surprised by his conversion, can be added the shocked Jews, who were expecting him to take Christians prisoner, not preach Jesus Christ in their synagogues. From the beginning he felt that courageous compulsion that later caused him to exclaim:
1 Corinthians 9:16 [16]For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (ESV)
In the very synagogues to which he had come with warrants for the arrest of Christians, Saul now began to proclaim Jesus. The content of that preaching was that Jesus is the Son of God, a title for our Lord that speaks of His deity (cf. John 10:31–36).
Many of us pray for people. Sometimes it is for a son or a daughter, sometimes a parent, sometimes a friend, sometimes a wife or husband.
We ask God to change his or her life and save the person. But often we really do not think God can do it. We pray, but we mutter beneath the surface of our prayers, “I know you saved others, but I really don’t believe that you can save my wife or husband or son or daughter.” We should be greatly encouraged by the fact that God saved Saul. God turned this great persecutor of the early Christians into the first great missionary. He took the man who had been doing most to harm the church and turned him into the man who did most to build it up. If God could do that with Saul, God can do the same thing today. If you have a son or daughter whom you are worried about, a child who is off somewhere not serving the Lord, or a husband or wife who is unconverted, keep praying for him or her. God can (and frequently does) do something remarkable (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts : An expositional commentary (152). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.).
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1994). Acts (261–275). Chicago: Moody Press.)
