Here.
This morning, we will talk about the man who led Paul to Christ, the man who was responsible for the salvation of Paul.
If you have your Bible with you, would you please turn to the book of Acts, Chapter 9? We will read verses 10 through 19.
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias;
and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, 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.”Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
We will spend most of our time in Acts 9, but I would like to read one more verse from the same book: Acts 22:12.
“Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there.”
Let’s pray.
Lord, I pray that we will not just passively listen to what You have to say, but also remember that long ago, You had planned for our lives. You still have the same desire for all of us to work with You, if we will pay attention to the little things in life and get ourselves ready before You call on us. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
In the early chapters of Acts, we see the Holy Spirit having the freedom to work through the apostles. Later, God sent Philip, a deacon, to lead an Ethiopian eunuch to Christ.
If I can use the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, then we can consider the apostles and the deacons as the five-talent and two-talent servants.
Now, in Acts 9, the Holy Spirit is about to show us that God can also use one-talent servants. I believe God is addressing a large audience simply because there are more of us who are one-talent servants, according to 1 Corinthians 1.
Sometimes God’s grace shines brighter through one-talent vessels. The parable of the talents also implies that to whom much is given, much is required.
Our children are seven years apart. When the older one reached middle-school age, the younger one was still in kindergarten. Every morning, I asked them if they were ready for school.
To the older one, it meant whether she had finished her homework. To the younger one, it meant whether he had tied his shoelaces.
Both children had an equal chance of pleasing their earthly father. Similarly, all God’s children have an equal chance of pleasing the Heavenly Father, even though our talent may be limited to tying shoelaces.
God still rewards one-talent servants for being good and faithful over a few things. This morning, we will look at one one-talent servant who had the desire to please the Heavenly Father.
But before we get into the text, let me give you a little background.
Beginning in Acts 8, persecution against the church broke out in Jerusalem. All the believers, except for the apostles, were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Saul was doing much damage to the church, going from house to house. He hunted down the followers of Christ and put them in prison.
In Acts 9, Saul was on his way to Damascus with the intention of destroying that church as well. When he was close to Damascus, the Lord Jesus appeared to him in a bright light.
Jesus asked him, “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul was struck blind and was told to go to Damascus and wait for further instructions.
Saul, at that time, did not know that God had chosen him to be God’s representative before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. But God wanted him to be His representative.
But wait. First, somebody had to lead him to Christ. So whom shall we send?
The Lord spotted a disciple who was available, ready, and willing to run God’s errands. His name was Ananias.
Some of us here may ask, “Ananias who?” There are three people named Ananias in the Bible. Two of them are from Jerusalem, and this one was a resident of Damascus.
Ananias first appeared on the stage in Acts 9:10. Let’s look at that verse again.
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias;
and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
Here Ananias was introduced as “a certain disciple.” That’s right; that is all the information we are given. So what does it mean, “a certain disciple”?
It simply means that this disciple was not an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, an elder, a deacon, or a Sunday school teacher. He was none of the above.
In plain language, the Bible is telling us that Ananias was an ordinary one-talent servant, like some of us.
At work, we sometimes have summer students from the Governor’s School working in our lab. These are high-school students who have not had the opportunity of holding a regular full-time job, but their résumés already look very impressive.
So what was the qualification of Ananias? What was his achievement? It was only one line long: “a certain disciple.”
If Saul had postponed his trip to Damascus until after Acts 11, then probably Ananias would have been introduced as “a certain Christian.” Ananias lived a simple life, hidden in obscurity. However, the Lord knew all about him.
I believe the Lord used Ananias here for at least two reasons.
First, it is a reminder that, in the Lord’s eyes, we are all well equipped to serve Him. The Lord equipped us because He still believes in us, that we are teachable.
Second, it is to motivate us to start paying attention to the little things in life and getting ourselves prepared to serve Him, to be a channel of His blessings.
Please note: the Lord was not trying to recruit Ananias and then send him to some special training program, getting him ready for the upcoming assignment.
Ananias had the desire to please the Heavenly Father by putting God’s Word into his daily walk. In other words, Ananias remained faithful every day amid the unexciting, ordinary life of Damascus.
He was always ready whenever the Lord called his name. The Lord could use him right away, without delay.
Like Ananias, we too have the desire to serve the Lord. But we must get ourselves prepared before the Lord calls our name.
Ananias had a good relationship with the Lord. When the Lord called Ananias, unlike Saul, who asked, “Who are You, Lord?” Ananias knew right away it was the Lord and quickly took his position as a servant.
When the Lord talked, Ananias listened. When Ananias talked, the Lord also listened. Even when he was making a protest, Ananias could be frank with the Lord, and the Lord patiently listened.
Acts 9:11-12 speaks about Ananias’s assignment. Let’s look at it again.
So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, 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.”
The Lord wanted Ananias to go as God’s representative and meet Saul.
Ananias’s response can be found in Acts 9:13-14. Let’s look at those verses again.
Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
Ananias was reluctant to accept the assignment, but not without reason. He had heard enough bad things about Saul.
Here he was informing the Lord with the latest news on Saul, just in case the Lord might have missed some details.
This was the Saul who had turned followers of Christ into martyrs. His presence in Damascus put all the believers’ lives there in jeopardy. “And Lord, You want me to confront Saul?”
Why must the lamb walk into the mouth of the lion? Besides, what will happen to my family?
Ananias’s story began with a “Here I am, Lord” statement. It was his willingness to do anything that the Lord called him to do—that is, until things began to feel a little uncomfortable.
The moment the Lord asked him to pray for and minister to Saul, Ananias became understandably nervous. He changed his tune: “God, but…”
Isn’t it interesting that we always manage to reason with God, to enlighten Him on how things are supposed to be, as if the Lord does not know better?
But I am glad that Luke, the author of Acts, recorded this portion of their conversation—the reluctance, or fear, of Ananias to face Saul.
It reveals that Ananias was not perfect. He did not have unwavering faith in the Lord. He was just made of the same stuff that you and I are made of.
Isn’t it a relief that we still have hope?
If I were Ananias, I would try to talk God out of it. “Excuse me, Lord,” I would say to Him, “did I hear You say Saul is now blind?”
We have prayer meetings at our fellowship on Wednesdays. I would go and report to the brothers and sisters that God had already answered our prayer.
Since Saul was blind, he could not see Christians like us now. That meant he could no longer arrest believers from the street.
But then, why should we bother to restore his eyesight?
The Lord assured Ananias in Acts 9:15-16: “Ananias, it is all right for you to go, because Saul is now My chosen vessel.”
Would Ananias understand that this terrorist, this arch-enemy of the church, was now a chosen vessel? Not likely.
Nevertheless, Ananias was willing to comply this time. “Lord, if You say it is okay for me to go, I will go. I will forgive Saul.”
He willingly obeyed to confront Saul. It was just pure trust, courage, and obedience.
And this is the man God uses: ready and willing, as God’s representative of forgiveness.
Ananias had to demonstrate first his own forgiveness of Saul. Anyone who walked on the street named Straight had to leave their anger and bitterness behind.
So Ananias went and paid Saul a visit. Let’s look at Acts 9:17.
And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Ananias’s Christian love is seen in his attitude toward Saul. He welcomed Saul with an affectionate greeting and called him “Brother Saul.” Moreover, he put his hands on Saul—a gracious act.
Saul was going to put his hands of vengeance on all the believers. Now Ananias put his hands of forgiveness on Saul. There was no trace of resentment during the entire period of Ananias’s visit.
Since Saul was blind, he could not see love on Ananias’s face. Therefore, Ananias had to communicate with him through his touch and through his voice.
As a matter of fact, words from Ananias must have brought much comfort to the ears of the blind man. How he must have perked up.
“This visitor, whom I have seen in the vision, is sent by Jesus to heal my blindness. He does not sound arrogant and self-important at all. If anything, he sounds like my friend.”
If Ananias’s Christian love is revealed in his attitude toward Saul, Ananias’s loyalty is seen in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus.
After saluting Saul, Ananias immediately identified his position as a servant: “The Lord Jesus has sent me.”
It shows his discretion and devotion. He was a very humble man. Ananias did not begin by explaining who and what he was. He was content to remain a faithful, anonymous messenger of his Master.
Let’s continue on to Acts 9:18-19.
Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
We read that Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. This leads to another point about Ananias’s visit: together, they demonstrated an act of acceptance of Saul.
What an incredible turn of events. The one who came to capture all believers was now captivated by them.
At the same time, Saul, or Paul, learned a new insight: in church life, not only do we need big brothers; we also need small brothers. God used Ananias to help Paul enter a new life. Just ask Paul: who healed his blindness?
At this time, Ananias disappeared from the story, and we never hear from him again. Ananias seemed to play a small part in the drama of Paul’s conversion.
God used Ananias to further His purposes—God’s purposes in launching the career of Paul.
It was the little act of obedience of Ananias that made it possible for Paul to help bring a great harvest for the kingdom.
Another example of a one-talent servant in the Bible is Andrew.
Andrew was one of Jesus’ earliest disciples. We do not see much record of Andrew’s activity in the first three Gospels, but John’s Gospel records three instances related to his one talent—his ability to bring people to Christ.
Like Ananias, Andrew seemed to play a small part in people’s lives, but the impact was huge.
For example, we talk about evangelism starting at home. Andrew brought his brother Simon, who was later called Peter, to Jesus.
Andrew had no idea that, in a few years, Peter the fisherman would become a preacher, leading three thousand people to Christ.
Another time, after a long teaching session in a desert place, Jesus wanted His disciples to feed the hungry crowd. It was Andrew who brought two fish and five loaves of bread from a little boy to Jesus.
Andrew had no idea that when the food fell into Jesus’ hands, Jesus blessed, broke, and multiplied the food to feed five thousand hungry men.
On another occasion, a group of Greek people approached Philip and requested to see Jesus. Philip told them, “Please wait here. I know just the one who is the expert in bringing people to Jesus.”
So Philip went out and found Andrew, and Andrew and Philip brought the Greek people to Jesus. They did not know that now the gospel had reached the Gentiles.
Some of you have already heard the story of Mr. Edward Kimball. He was a humble Sunday school teacher for a bunch of hyperactive teenagers.
These troublesome boys cared little about God and religion. There was one boy in particular who was full of mischief.
Mr. Kimball had thought that someday this boy would become a Christian. The boy’s name was Dwight L. Moody.
Anyway, Mr. Kimball kept after the boys in his Sunday school class. One day, he was making his rounds. He came to this shoe store where Mr. Moody was working.
He hesitated, even at the last minute, whether to get in or not. He finally pushed himself in.
Mr. Kimball could not remember the exact words he said to Mr. Moody. Neither could Mr. Moody. But whatever happened on that day, Mr. Moody was ready to give himself and his life to Christ.
Mr. Moody went on to become a great evangelist. But the story did not stop there.
Mr. Moody was responsible for the salvation of Wilbur Chapman. Wilbur Chapman became an evangelist who reached and touched the lives of thousands.
One of them was a professional baseball player named Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday became a pastor, and his ministry impacted the life of Mordecai Ham.
Mordecai Ham became a traveling evangelist who was given credit for leading a young man named Billy Graham to Christ.
Billy Graham, you know, was an evangelist. He and his gospel tent perhaps touched the greatest number of people on record.
All this chain of events goes back to the humble Sunday school teacher, Mr. Kimball, who persisted in the hard work of evangelizing difficult youth.
Mr. Kimball’s name is nearly a footnote in history, but his legacy was huge.
Perhaps gospel tents are not a modern-day tool for spreading the gospel. Therefore, God is looking for more people like Ananias to spread the gospel and make disciples on a one-to-one basis.
Brothers and sisters, let us dedicate ourselves to the Lord and start paying attention to the little things in life. The world is watching us.
We may be Mr. Nobody, but we can all make an honest effort to be a good testimony for the Lord.
There is, other than Acts 9, little written about Ananias. Only Paul made a reference to him in Acts 22.
As Paul remembered it, Ananias was a devout man, well spoken of by all the Jewish residents in Damascus.
Here we are given a chance to see Ananias’s discreetness. We know Ananias had a heart to please the Lord.
There was something about this ordinary disciple: he chose to live a godly life by keeping the little things in life, the little things that you and I can also do.
In other words, Ananias sought to glorify the Lord by living a consecrated life.
There was no incentive or reason for the Jewish neighbors to say good things about Ananias, who was a disciple of Jesus.
But it is not a small thing to have your character praised by another party who strongly differs from you. A good reputation, such as Ananias had, cannot be earned in days and weeks. It takes a long time to build.
Apparently, Ananias, a native of Damascus, had been closely watched by his neighbors, people he worked with, and people with whom he had business transactions for years.
Ananias lived an exemplary life. Such people are living sermons.
In a sense, he was a Mr. Nobody, but in a far better sense, he was a good ambassador of heaven. Because he was careful about the little things in life, he became a good testimony for the Lord.
Here we are reminded again: not everybody can be Paul, but everyone can be Ananias.
I pray that our ability may be limited, but with God’s help and blessing, every one of us here can be used as an Ananias in God’s kingdom.
Let’s pray.
Lord, I pray that all of us here hear You pleading for us to join Your winning team while there is still opportunity. Who would want to end up on the losing team?
Lord, thank You for Your words of encouragement. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.