The Book of Acts ~ Study Thirty-Four

"He's Always Right"


Acts 9:1-19a (NLT) Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
   As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
  “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
   And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
   The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.
   Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”
  “Yes, Lord!” he replied.
   The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
  “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”
   But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”
   So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.


Remember Saul? What did he do when Stephen was being stoned? What was Saul on his way to do when he encountered Jesus?


Saul was feared and hated so much that the Christians wanted him dead and believed he deserved no better. Jesus wanted Saul on His side and knew that he was a dedicated (though misguided) man for the temple. Saul was ignorant of the truth about the Messiah and Jesus took the opportunity on the road to Damascus to set him straight.


Are there times in your life when Jesus acts in ways that go against the grain of what you think should happen? What has been your response to Him?


Isaiah 55:8-11 (NLT) “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. “The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.


Two different men were serving God two different ways. Saul was serving God with the belief that Jesus and Christians were the enemy. Ananias was serving God with the belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Of course, Ananias was right but he still didn't understand the reasoning behind why Jesus had spared Saul and not just taken him out. Surely Saul deserved death instead of a ministry? 


Have you ever wondered why Jesus shows forgiveness and grace to someone you know has been hurtful and even threatening to Christians? Has there been someone in your life you knew was going straight to hell and their lives were turned around for Jesus? What was your response to them?


John 1:14 (NLT) So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.


Galatians 1:11-16a (NLT) Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.
   You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.
   But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.


You see Saul, who will later be called Paul, was chosen before he was born by God's marvelous grace to proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles. Here was a Jew, a very faithful Jew, who wanted nothing more than to protect his religion, being confronted on a dry and dusty road by Jesus. I think Jesus knew that it would take a major event to shake Saul into believing that Jesus is Messiah.


I guess what I'm trying to say is that we never know how Jesus will handle situations when it comes to people that we are wary and worried about. We forget that He knows what He's doing and has a plan for each person. It's not our's to figure out. It's our's to trust.


Romans 10:11(MSG) Scripture reassures us, "No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it."


So, no matter what happens, whether it's the way you would do things or not, trust Jesus! He may just have someone in mind to do His bidding that you never thought would fit. Who knows, it may be you or me.