Acts Chapter 9 Verses 6 – 9

• Saul’s response to Jesus was perfect! “Lord, what do you want me to do!”  But what I find most interesting, (because that is often what my response is to God as well, “God, what do you want me to do”)…what I find most interesting is that what Jesus asks Paul to do, he can’t do!  Well, he can…but not by himself…Did you notice that?  Arise, and go into the city!  But when he gets up…he’s blind.  He does this on his own and he might end up in the Mediterranean!  (By the way, what do you call bad Mediterranean food?  Falawful!!!  HA!!!)  Anyway…this tells us two things at least, you might see more…
• First, the inclination of my heart is to do do do for the Lord but in reality God is more interested in me letting Him do for me! Did you know that!?  The work of God is to believe on the Son, trust the Son, follow the Son of God…Jesus said in John Chapter 6.  The Great Commandment of God is not to keep your room clean or organize your everything drawer, Halleluya!!  Somebody testify!  The Great Commandment of God is to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love others as yourself!
• My initial and prevailing thought is that I must do for Him but the truth is, the entire element and critical key of knowing God and making Him known is not me filling Him with my spirit but it’s simply allowing Him to fill me with His! And that’s precisely what He wants to do.  To fill you up and to fill me up with the experiential personal knowledge of Jesus…and with that comes His very Spirit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!
• And the second thing this scene reveals is that we are not to walk in this calling and in this commandment on our own. We aren’t supposed to be self-sufficient.  We are to be humble and in that humility walk in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  They asked Jesus in Matthew Chapter 6, “How should we pray?”  Jesus said, “My Father who is in heaven!”  NO!  Isn’t this amazing…He said, “OUR Father, who is in heaven.”
• We are wired to need each other and we are designed to be force multipliers for what the Lord wants to do through each one of us! It’s amazing that way!  And so watch this…in Jesus calling Paul, Paul’s perfect question and perfect response, we see the perfect will of God…that we would love Him…not us, not our own finite limited capability but we would love HIM, trust Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and check this out…we ought to love each other as ourselves.  The two commandments to hang all of the law and all of the prophets right here revealed in Paul’s first interaction with Jesus…I love it!  Jesus gets right to the point doesn’t He!!?  Paul’s been saved for what, 75 seconds!  It’s the same with you if your heart asks the perfect question…

Acts Chapter 9 Verses 10 – 11

• I love this…don’t miss this. This is Ananias…a certain  Not Ananias the pastor, the leader, the learned, the educated, the ordained…just the disciple…for all we know he pumped gas and studied the scriptures…he’s just a disciple but in that statement is buried the heart of God and the power of the Almighty!  What’s my point?  You need no title to be used greatly by God…all Ananias has is faith and feedback!  God speaks to him, “Here I am, Lord!”  Go and lead the human author of the Bible…the greatest evangelist, the greatest apostle, the greatest disciple that will ever live…go be his teacher….WHAAAA!!??
• Certain disciples are SO important…as the pastor and teacher under the Lord of this church, I am expected to give out lessons, truths, guidance, correction and encouragement…and so when it comes from me, there’s sometimes some bit of dismissal…oh he has to say that, oh I expect that of him…he’s the pastor…but a brother or a sister in Christ…just a certain disciple comes alongside of you, and me…and the Holy Spirit and reinforces the truths taught from the pulpit…something powerful happens…its real life…not a sermon…God has a very special work for anyone who would seek Him in faith and feedback… (Not the other way around btw)
• And I love what the Lord says to him, “Behold, he is praying.” I just like that.  It’s like Jesus is beaming with pride and joy over his lost son returning home.  “We’re talking again…”  And oh, anyone else notice these names?  Ananias…Judas…I like that…God is in the business of redemption…those names are forever tarnished, you know?  Ananias and Saphira…Judas Iscariot…and yet God is in the business of just making them usable again…I still haven’t met any Judas’ or Ananias’ though, HA!!

Acts Chapter 9 Verses 12 – 15a

• I just notice this for myself, perhaps you see this too, want to share it with you…remember how much detail Philip got? Go toward the south, there’s a road there…its desert.  He wasn’t told why…he went.  Paul only got step one also.  Arise, go into the city, I tell you more then…He went.  But notice this, Ananias gets the whole plan and what does he do?  He educates God!  HA!  I know why God sometimes only gives me step one…, right!! 
• But I do love God’s handling of Ananias…, “You sure about this Lord…I’ve heard this guy is a bad actor…” God’s response…just go mannnnnn!  HA!!!  No, God is so gracious and patient with my fearful heart…he assures Ananias…

Acts Chapter 9 Verses 15 – 16

• I love that…God considered Paul a “chosen vessel” before he had any redeeming qualities whatsoever….

Acts Chapter 9 Verse 17

• It’s amazing, the last thing Saul saw was the clouds as he traveled from his horse to the ground…then he was blinded by the light…and now, after sitting without food or activity or words for three days…he hears, “Brother…Saul…Jesus.” That’s amazing.  The family he murdered has received him as one of their own…that is the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus…nothing else can accomplish this kind of kindness…

Acts Chapter 9 Verses 18 – 22

• Soul confounded the Jews, proving to them that Jesus is the Christ! How?  Because Saul had a masterful knowledge of the law and the prophets and when he comes to faith, when he believes in Jesus, the scales fall off of his physical eyes AND his spiritual eyes and the meaning of the scriptures, the understanding that he never has had before in all of his studying is UNLOCKED in Jesus!!
• And I love this, don’t miss this…he preached Jesus IS the Christ! Not Jesus WAS the Christ…why?  Because man, Jesus is ALIVE!  He was dead, died for the sins of the world, and yet death could not hold Him…He overcame death as a man, in full representation of any man or woman that would ever live and He cut a path from death to life for anyone who would follow Him!!