1Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2and 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. 3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11The 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. 12In 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 holy people in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17Then 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.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
(Acts 9:1-19, 31)
This week, Pastor Jonny spoke to us about the power of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts is an account of the “acts” of the Apostles. It was written by doctor Luke who also wrote the gospel of Luke, and Luke is known for his attention to detail and his desire to portray historical events accurately. The book details the work and circumstances of the early church, and so church leaders can learn so much about evangelism and early church life and persecution by studying Acts.
In dark and difficult times like these COVID-19 lockdowns, it can sometimes be difficult to hold onto faith, leading us to ask where God is. For many, they struggle with their faith, and some lose their faith. To persevere in the faith, there is only one way we can carry on with our walk with Christ - through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the third Person of the Trinity. We have God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. God is one being consisting of three co-equal co-eternal Persons. Each Person is fully God, and the three Persons are entwined in total unity with one another.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of Christians. He is the fire that propels us forward in faith, helping us overcome trials, bringing the Bible to life for us, helping us resist temptation, and helping us endure persecution.
The Christian life is made up of many spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, fasting, daily Bible reading, and the giving of our finances. God doesn’t call us to do those things in our own strength, but instead we should aim to do all those things through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s passage, we see Ananias (whose name means “Yahweh has been gracious”) was a faithful man who had a vision. The message God gave him was about Saul, and yet, given Saul’s reputation, he was in disbelief that God would ask him to approach a man with such dangerous credentials. Yet despite this, he obeyed God anyway.
When we need to be obedient to God in difficult circumstances, are we faithful enough to act on it?
After encountering Jesus, Saul had a complete life change. He was forgiven from his sin and healed of the scales that were placed on his eyes.
If your life is turned around drastically by Jesus, some of your friends and family will be speechless, some will be intrigued, some will be open and some of them will hate you for it.
Never dismiss when God opens doors to a new drastic calling on your life and leads you in a new direction away from your old life. This new direction isn’t necessarily easy. We can see what difficulties God called Paul (Saul’s new name) to:
24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
(2 Cor 11:24-30)
Following Jesus isn’t guaranteed to be easy. Rejection, hardship, persecution and hunger await many disciples of Christ. Many Christians in countries today experience hardships for their faith, particularly in parts of Asia. To endure all those hardships and keep the faith, it needs to be the power of the Holy Spirit sustaining a person. The Holy Spirit brings His Fruit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It’s that self-control that comes from the Holy Spirit that enables us to ensure hardships, resist temptations, and overall press on victoriously through the Christian life.
Let’s be praying this week that the Spirit will sustain us through difficult times we’re walking through, and that we can conclude our final week of prayer and fasting with hope, joy and expectation for brighter days ahead through 2021.