Most students do not look forward to exams. Consequently, part of the relief of graduating is knowing that you will never have to take another test...or so you think.
A teacher, a thief, and a lawyer all die in the same freak accident. When they reach the pearly gates, St. Peter tells them that, unfortunately, heaven is almost full, so they each have to answer a question correctly for admission. The teacher is first, and St. Peter asks, "Name the famous ship that was sunk by an iceberg?" "Phew, that one's easy," says the teacher, "The Titanic." "Right," says St. Peter, "you may pass." Then the thief gets his question: "How many died on the Titanic?" "That's tough," the thief replies. "Fortunately, I just saw the movie. The answer is 1500 people." So he passes through. Last, St. Peter gives the lawyer his question... "Name them."
Tests do not end with graduation and, while there may not be an entrance exam for heaven, there are occasions on earth when God will ask something difficult. When that happens, I hope you are up to the challenge, as was the person in this morning's passage, the only New Testament example in the series: Ananias—Heeding God's Call to Support.
The response to Peter's sermon on Pentecost marked the start of significant growth by the church. On that day alone, "three thousand were added to their number" (Acts 2:41). With the healing of a lame beggar in the temple court, "the number of men grew to about five thousand" (Acts 4:4). Even "a large number of [temple] priests became obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:7). Given this rate of increase, the reform movement Jesus founded had the potential to spread throughout most of Judaism within a few years. Alas, the gospel had its opponents, those who viewed the messianic message as heretical and who attempted to suppress it. The murder of Stephen at the hands of an angry mob emboldened the opposition in Jerusalem and initiated "a great persecution" (Acts 8:1) that caused many believers to flee the city. Not satisfied with their dispersal, a most ardent adversary named Saul attempted...
Acts 8:3 ...to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Saul then sought to expand his heresy hunting to include Jewish communities outside Israel, such as the sizable one in Syria.
Acts 9:1b He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Saul's goal was not merely their incarceration but their execution. Luke calls Saul's intention "murderous" (Acts 9:1), and later, Saul himself says...
If you were a follower of the Way, living in Damascus, the news of Saul's impending arrival would cause great concern, even anguish, as you wonder, "Will I suffer the same fate as the brethren in Jerusalem?" You can certainly understand one believer's reaction when the Lord then tells him to meet with Saul, because....
I. The order is senseless (Acts 9:10-14).
Please turn to Acts 9, where we will pick up the narrative in v. 10.
Acts 9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" [He replied, "Here am I, Lord"] The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight." 13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
Ananias was a prominent individual in the Jewish community of Damascus, a man of exceptional character. We read in...
Acts 22:12b He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
Ananias recognizes, though, that even his position might not protect him from Saul's authority, and he doubts the advisability of this meeting on two counts. First...
A. It will imperil the disciple's safety.
You can imagine his reaction to the Lord's instruction: "With all due respect, Lord, this is not a good career move. Saul is not coming here to discuss our theological differences. If I go to see him, he will likely arrest me, which raises a second concern I have about this meeting...
B. It will impede the church's expansion.
"Saul will not stop with me. He'll 'arrest all who call on your name,' and that will bring an abrupt end to the progress we are trying to make here in Damascus."
Ananias raises some legitimate reservations about meeting with Saul. From the disciple's perspective, any contact he has with the high priest's emissary will be bad, and he does not hesitate to express his reluctance. Ananias is not at all comfortable with the prospect of this encounter.
Sometimes, God may ask you to operate outside your comfort zone, outside your normal sphere of activity.
- He may want you to do something for which you do not feel particularly suited.
- He may want you to contact someone whom you do not know well...or whom you know too well.
- He may want you to go somewhere you have never been before.
Such tests push the limit of your commitment to God, because they include an element of risk. There is the possibility of success or failure, safety or danger, pleasure or pain. You may express to Him your reluctance, your doubts, even your fears...and that is fine.
- "You want me to do what? ...Teaching a SS class is a lot of work. You may recall, God, that I wasn't a very good student. I'll have to spend hours preparing, which will probably mean...giving up my favorite TV shows."
- "You want me to speak to whom? ....I know what'll happen, God. Before I even finish what You want me to say, he'll either laugh in my face or tell me to mind my own business or both. I'll be completely humiliated."
- "You want me to go where? ...You know how I hate hospitals—all those needles and germs. I'll be so obviously ill at ease the whole time I'm there that the person I'm visiting will be happier to see me go."
Whatever your objections, though, in the end, what He wants to hear is... "Yes...I will do that, or I will contact him, or I will go there."
The Lord answers Ananias's reservations by explaining that his plans for Saul are different from Saul's plans. When the disciple goes to meet this supposed persecutor, he discovers that the situation has indeed changed and that, contrary to the disaster Ananias expected...
II. The outcome is strengthening (Acts 9:15-19).
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." 17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.
When Saul leaves Jerusalem, he has a warrant to arrest the disciples, and he fully intends to enact the priests' sanction. God's plan, however, is different, for....
A. It will enlist the persecutor's service.
The Lord says, "This man is my chosen instrument." That is quite an honor and places Saul in distinguished company. Other individuals in scripture who bore the title of God's chosen included Abraham, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, and the messiah. Each one had a role in advancing God's program, and Saul will as well. Not only is it quite a distinction, it is also quite a departure from Saul's former position. As he says later...
Acts 26:9 I...was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
1 Tim 1:13c [But] I acted in ignorance and unbelief.
The zeal Saul demonstrated in persecuting the church, he will now devote to promoting the church.
The turnaround in Saul's life is not unique. Others who once rejected Jesus have also experienced this kind of transformation, changing from antagonist to protagonist. Consider, for example, the case of Robert Rindfuss, who writes...
I was an atheist....a card-carrying...Madalyn Murray O'Hair loving atheist. And I don't mean one of those "Well, I guess God [doesn't] exist because He [hasn't] done [anything] for me, so I won't believe in Him" type [of] atheists, either.... I had a purpose to my atheism. I believed my job was to find people with weak and struggling beliefs and...tear down those beliefs....[t]o...free them from..."religious slavery".... I even went so far as to study the Bible, not that I might get some good out of it, but that I might find mistakes [or] contradictions...any paradox or difficult-to-understand section that I could use.... (Rindfuss 2003)
That mission, though, brought no meaning to his life. He goes on to recount the emptiness he felt...and his gradual awakening to God. His conversion was not as sudden or spectacular as Saul's, but it was just as significant. Robert Rindfuss not only came to believe in the God he once denied; like Saul, he became a minister of the gospel, dedicated to expanding the kingdom. God is able to take the most vociferous, vehement critic and turn him into an enthusiastic, effective crusader.
The meeting Ananias fears will extinguish the movement in Damascus will actually have the opposite effect, for....
B. It will enlarge the church's exposure.
Whatever trepidation Ananias may have, he heeds the Lord's command. Finding Saul both blind and broken, Ananias prepares him for what lies ahead by restoring his sight and imparting God's Spirit.
Saul's new assignment will have him defending what he once sought to destroy. He does not yet realize, though, that this role reversal will cost him dearly. As Jesus says to Ananias, "he must suffer for my name." Twenty years later, in a letter to the church at Corinth, Paul notes the truth of that prediction.
2 Cor 11:23d I have...been in prison...been flogged...severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
Had Saul known the hardships that lay ahead for him, would he have served the Lord as he did? ...We cannot be sure. Looking back, however, he says...
2 Cor 7:4d ...in all [my] troubles my joy knows no bounds.
2 Cor 12:10 ...for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Like Paul, if you knew the difficulties God would bring your way as you serve Him, the trials He would use to strengthen your faith and to inspire others, you might decline the honor...
...like the mother of three notoriously unruly boys. Someone asked her whether or not she'd have children if she had to do it over again. After a brief moment to reflect, she replied, "Yes...but not the same ones." (Adapted from Streiker 1998:123)
God promises many good things to those who serve Him: His presence, His protection, His provision. Knowing that you can count on His help for whatever lies ahead is comforting. Nevertheless, it is good that you cannot predict the future, or you might never get out of bed in the morning. Still, everyday you take that risk.... Sometimes you even venture outside. The wonderful assurance you have in serving the Lord is that...
Rom 8:28 ...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Do you love God? Have you been called or chosen according to His purpose? If so, then what might be dreadful in foresight, like Paul, you can see as meaningful, even joyful in hindsight.
If Ananias had reservations about meeting someone whose mission was to hurt the church, Paul must have had reservations about heeding the command to help the church.
- His former colleagues would think he had gone mad.
- The religious leaders would brand him a traitor.
- He would now be the one others sought to arrest and imprison.
Still, he had the honor of having been chosen by God, and that eternal distinction outweighed whatever temporal difficulties might lie ahead.
At this point, you may be thinking, "I'm thankful God used Paul to reach the gentiles with the gospel, and I appreciate all he suffered to get the message out. I admire his trust in God and wish I had that kind of confidence, but I'm also glad God chose him and not me. I wouldn't mind his faith, but I wouldn't want his fate." What you may not realize (or recall) is that God also chose you. As Paul writes in his epistles...
- He chose you to be saved.
2 Thess 2:13 ...from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
- He chose you to be holy.
Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
- He chose you to be productive.
Eph 2:10 ...we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Even if God does not give you the same, dangerous assignment He gave Saul, He does expect you, whom He has chosen, to choose Him in response, to serve the interests of His kingdom rather than your own .
When Ananias hears that Saul, the persecutor of the church, has come to Damascus, he probably hopes to keep a low profile, to escape both attention and arrest. The Lord, however, has other plans and tells him to help Saul. Ananias could, of course, refuse the assignment, but he does not. Like others who have heard the summons, he answers, "Hineni." Such is the stalwart character of Ananias—Heeding God's Call to Support this one-time enemy of God's people.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs