Brother Saul Welcome to Church

 

Augustine of Hippo was born in 354 AD in Thagaste a small town in North Africa. As a young man, the life of Augustine was characterized by drunkenness, sexual immoralities and other worldly pleasures. He followed various philosophers, only to become disillusioned with their teachings. For nine years he was associated with the Manichean sect. But he gradually became aware that Manicheism was unable to provide satisfactory answers to his probing questions. At this time, Augustine was teaching rhetoric in Milan.

One day he went to hear the preaching of Ambrose the Bishop of Milan. At first he went only to hear Ambrose's eloquent style of speaking. But the Bishop's preaching led Augustine to a new understanding of the Bible and the Christian Faith. While outdoors, Augustine heard the voice of a child singing a song, the words of which were, "Pick it up and read it. Pick it up and read it." He thought at first that the song was related to some kind of children's game, but could not remember ever having heard such a song before.

Then, realizing that this song might be a command from God to open and read the Scriptures, he looked for a Bible, opened it and read the first passage he saw. It was from the Letter of Paul to the Romans. Augustine read “not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual excess and lust, not in quarreling and jealousy. Rather, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh" (Romans 13: 13-14).

Reading this scripture, Augustine felt as if his heart was flooded with light. He turned completely from his life of sin. He was baptized by Ambrose during the Easter Vigil April 24, 387. After his conversion, he returned to North Africa and was ordained as a priest in Hippo in 391 AD.  He became the Bishop of Hippo in 395 AD and served in this role until his death in 430 AD. As bishop, he was a prolific writer and influential preacher who defended Christian doctrine against heresies.

Augustine is perhaps the most significant Christian theologian only next to Apostle Paul. His life story and writings serve as a model for radical personal transformation, moving from a tumultuous youth to a life of service. He created a powerful theological system of lasting influence. His theological system and rhetorical skill provided a powerful framework for Christian thought that deeply influenced the Middle Ages and beyond.

Acts 9 records the pivotal moment that marked the beginning of Saul's transformation into Paul, the apostle. In Acts 9:10-12 we read “now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 'Ananias ...arise and go ...and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.'”

God spoke to both Saul and Ananias through visions. We do not know anything about Ananias from either before or after this meeting with Saul. Here he is referred to as “a certain disciple”. God’s instructions to Ananias were clear and very specific. Ananias  was reluctant, he had heard that Saul the of persecutor was on the way. The disciples in Damascus had anxiously prepared for the coming persecution. Ananias almost asked, “Lord, do you know what kind of person Saul is?”

Ananias’ objections were perfectly logical and well founded. However, they presumed that God needed counsel. Ananias was to understand that Jesus was sovereign over the situation, and because he was in control, when he said "go" his disciple should go. God had chosen Saul to a great purpose. He considered Saul His chosen vessel long before there appeared anything worthy in Saul. God already knew what he would make of Saul.

Saul would “bear my name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel”. This described in broad outline the calling and future work of the broken and blind man Ananias would soon meet. We would not blame Ananias for a measure of disbelief; this was such a great calling for such an unlikely man. This was literally fulfilled, Paul’s sphere of influence included rulers such as Felix, Festus, Herod Agrippa, and perhaps Caesar himself (Acts 24–26).

Ananias went to the house where the blind and humbled Saul was. 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. Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength” (Acts 9:17-19).

Ananias obeyed the Lord; this must have taken great courage and faith. He was an ordinary man, only little is written about him but his response to the command indicates he knew the Lord very well. He may have been obscure to the leaders of the Jerusalem church but he was well known by God. He also knew where Ananias lived. To the Church of Pergamum Jesus said “I know where you live where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city where Satan lives” (Rev. 2:13).

When Elijah needed to see King Ahab (1 Kings 18), he met Obadiah, a devout believer (v.3). Obadiah was placed and protected by God in killer Jezebel's own compound, to serve his purpose (vv.3-4). Elijah thought that all the prophets except him were dead. God surprised him by telling him he had” reserved seven thousand who had not bowed down to Baal (1 Kings 19:14,18). The Lord knows those who are his (2 Tim. 2:19) and he has his people in very strategic places, serving his purpose. 

Ananias was not an apostle, yet God used him to minister to one of the most, if not the most, effective Christians that has ever lived.God could easily have sent one of the twelve Apostles from Jerusalem to Damascus to carry out this important task but he did not. Were it not for the conversion of Saul, we would never have heard of Ananias. Behind many well-known servants of God are lesser-known believers who have influenced them. God keeps the books and will see to it that each servant will get a just reward. The important thing is not fame but faithfulness.

Saul was on a mission to destroy the Lord’s people. But now, he is dependent on one of them to regain his sight. Ananias' act of laying his hands and the words “Brother Saul” powerfully communicated  love to Saul. Blind Saul could not see the love on Ananias’ face, so he communicated it through his touch and his voice. “Brother Saul,” how wonderful those words must have sounded to Saul!  Filled with grace, Ananias called Saul, a former persecutor and murderer, his brother!

This must have been a tremendous comfort to Saul.  Because of his stand for Christ, Saul would from this time be cut off from his former Jewish companions.Oh how he needed the words “Brother Saul” to know he was loved and accepted by his Christian brethren.  Ananias' address to Saul as his spiritual brother serves to demonstrate the power of the gospel, not only in transforming Saul's heart from murder to love, but of enabling Ananias' reception of Saul as his brother in Christ.

Until this moment  Saul was enemy number one of the church. But, after God transformed him, he immediately became "Brother Saul". Ananias related his vision of Jesus which re-enforced the truth to Saul that it was indeed Jesus who appeared to him on the road. Saul knew that there was no other way Ananias could have known about the Damascus Road encounter unless Jesus had actually told him. This fact would serve to strengthen Saul's faith.

Rather than healing Saul’s sight directly in answer to his own prayers, the Lord sent Ananias to do it. One of the reasons why the Lord did this was so that Saul would begin to see what he later taught clearly- the church is the body of Christ. God did not use the famous Apostles to welcome Saul to Church, instead he used obscure Ananias to shows the value of even the "least" member in the body of Christ.  This is also an evidence that the Holy Spirit is not limited to place or time or men or office for the execution of His will.

Scales fell from Saul's eyes. Most likely this was both literal and symbolic. In the secular world "to have scales fall from one's eyes" means to suddenly be able to see a situation clearly and accurately. For the first time in his life, Saul had a clear vision to see Jesus for who he really is - the Messiah and Savior of the world. Physical blindness was symbolic of the spiritual blindness he was in.The restoration of his physical sight became a powerful metaphor for the new spiritual sight he received.

Saul was baptized by Ananias as a symbol of the new life in Christ. He received the outward sign that symbolized the inward change. Saul publicly identified himself with the Lord Jesus and in the act of baptism testified that he had died to self and had been raised to walk in the newness of life; the body ruled by sin was done away with (Rom. 6:3-6). He was filled with the Holy Spirit so that he might be enabled supernaturally to do the work assigned to him.

Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. There was a church in Damascus already, big enough to attract Saul’s attention. But how did it start? It’s not known how and who started it. Possibly it was started by some of the people who got converted after Peter’s sermon in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-41). Or, it may have been started by believers who were scattered by persecutions that followed the death of Stephen (Acts 11:19). The word of God is like "living seed", only God knows how it grows once it has been planted (Mark 4:26-29).

Saul was now numbered among the disciples of Jesus, those he had previously tried to imprison or kill. The greatest persecutor of the Church will from this time on become the greatest defender of the gospel of Christ.The very disciples Saul had sought to imprison or kill now willingly welcome him to their midst and spend time with him.This shows the remarkable, radical nature of their transformations. This is a sure testimony to the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Saul’s conversion reminds us that at its core, salvation is something God does in us. What we do is only a response to His work in us. Saul's conversion reminds us that God finds some who, by all appearance, are not looking for Him at all. This encourages us to believe that God can reach the people in our life that we think are very far from Him. We often give up on some people and think they will never come to Jesus; but the example of Saul shows God can reach anyone.

What was going on in Saul's mind during those three days of blindness? We learn from Galatians 1:15-18 that following his conversion, Saul went to Arabia and spent 3 years there and then returned to Damascus.The Holy Spirit equipped Paul with the religious zeal and enthusiasm that sustained him for the rest of his life. All bridges to his former life and religion were completely burnt. He became the greatest missionary in the church of all time. He courageously faced imprisonment and martyrdom and left the Letters that are the basis of the Doctrine of the Church as we know it.