Jesus. : Trusting Jesus First, Only, Now, and AlwaysSýnishorn

While Phillip, Peter, and John were preaching the Gospel to everyone God put in their path, Saul (later known as Paul) was doing his best to stop the spread of the Gospel. On his way to Damascus, where he planned to arrest followers of Jesus and put them in jail, Saul had an encounter with Jesus Himself. Saul made it to Damascus, but only with help. His encounter with Jesus had left Him blind.

Once Saul experienced Jesus for himself, he stopped fighting Him. Instead, he became obedient and did just what Jesus told him to. He spent time praying to God, and God responded with compassion. He told Saul that a man named Ananias would come to him and restore his sight.

Across town, Ananias wasn’t very excited about the assignment. After all, Saul was known for violence against followers of Jesus. When Ananias told God what God already knew about Saul, God didn’t get angry. Instead, He showed the same compassion to Ananias that He’d shown to Saul. He assured Ananias that Saul’s future was in God’s hands, and Ananias had nothing to fear.

When Ananias did what God told him to do for Saul, Saul was able to begin the ministry God had called him to. Because we know God only gives the Holy Spirit to those who put their faith in Jesus, Saul must have been saved during his stay at the house of Judas on Straight Street before God sent him the vision of Ananias.

Eventually, Saul became Paul and did exactly what God had told Ananias he would do. Paul was a very influential leader in the early church. He founded churches in many places and wrote a large chunk of the New Testament. When he shared his testimony with people, he had only good things to say about Ananias. We know Ananias was a devout observer of the law and a disciple of Jesus.

Ananias was respected and trusted by all Jews, those who followed Jesus and those who didn’t. He had connections. Because he didn’t give in to fear, God was able to use those connections to advance the gospel of Jesus. When we let God manage our relationships, He does the same through us.