S. Acts 9: 5 But 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.

O. In the eighteenth century there lived two brilliant lawyers, Lord Littleton and Gilbert West. They are atheists and decided to devote their energies to proving the falsehood of Christianity by disproving the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. What were their conclusions? Based on evidence found, both became believers in Christ. In today’s passage, God demonstrates to us that He is sovereign, and He can use anyone for His glory.
a) Saul, the persecutor (1-9, 20-21) Saul, a highly influential and educated Pharisees, thought Christianity was both wrong and deceptive. He viciously persecuted the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women to prison. As he approached Damascus, Saul was blinded by a bright light. Jesus confronted him about the true nature of his attack: He persecuted God, not man. After his conversion, Saul immediately preached Jesus as God in the synagogues.
b) Ananias, the faithful disciple (10-19) God spoke to Ananias, an ordinary but faithful disciple, in a vision to do something bold and dangerous. He was to meet and pray for the great oppressor Saul. Initially Ananias hesitated and objected this because he feared Saul. But he was obedient and went faithfully as directed by God. Ananias healed Saul’s’ blindness and baptised him.
c) Jesus, our Lord. The great theme of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ is God and our Lord. Jesus Christ has been given all authority and is the head of the church. But He is so gracious to Saul who was an arch enemy for the gospel. Jesus saw the potential of Saul and gave him a second chance. Jesus also challenged and built Ananias’s faith as he played an important part of the conversion of Saul.

A. God is sovereign and gracious. He wants us to grow in our faith and transform our lives for the better. But we must submit to Him daily. We must, on one hand, examine our motives and direction of our lives without prejudice because we have blind spots in our lives. On the other hand, we must connect with God by praying, studying God’s Word and obedient to His instructions each day so that we can be used by Jesus.

P. Lord, have mercy on us and conquer us today! May Your glory shine all around us, knock us down and cause our hearts to be enlightened that we may be delivered from our ignorance, and arrogance and confess Jesus as Lord. And, by surrendering, may we help many to see Jesus too.


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