Acts 8-9

Now we are getting to the point where the hardest thing for me to do is stop reading and write the blog.  Even though I know the story its still just as exciting as the first time I read it.  We start of with Saul beginning his rampage agains the Christians.  While at the same time we learn a valuable lesson in you can’t put a price on God, he cannot be bought or sold.  We don’t get to use God to make money (sorry prosperity gospel, kingdom first) 

Now we’ve got a few folks that are avid listeners and doers.  First we have Philip.  Told to get into a chariot of someone he didn’t know, so he ran along side till he was invited in.  Lets think about that a second, what it it take for you to run alongside a car going down division trying to get in?  Thankfully Philip did and the end result is he sent the gospel with the eunuch to Ethiopia, and not just any eunuch but one that had direct contact with the Queen.  

Now back to Saul as he’s on his way to Damascus.  Bang! blind just like that, heres the voice of Jesus and goes to town.  Know body told him to fast and pray he he sought these things out on his own.  Jesus didn’t tell him that his sight would be restored in three days so I imagine in his mind, with all he’s done to the Christians, that he will never see again.  Now we have Ananias, we don’t really talk much about him.  Lets put yourself in his shoes for a minute I imagine it sound something like this. Hey, Their is a guy in town right now that is persecuting Christians so I would like for you to go to him and pray for him.  I think most of us would lean towards, did you just say get away from him and pray for our safety?  Thankfully Ananias was another good and faithful servant that answered Gods call.  Due to Ananias being faithful at this time Saul was able to see Jesus for who he really is and then went onto be the writer of the majority of the New Testament.  Never think that just because someone is a new Christian they don’t know much and don’t have much to offer.  At this time we still had the apostles that walked with Jesus and new him personally and yet God Choose Paul to be his ambassador.  Paul never saw Jesus while he was here, he was blinded on the road and only heard his voice, the newest of all the apostles.  The other thing that I find so great about Paul is that while Ananias was on his way to him God gave him a vision of what his future looked like.  So as we continue reading in Acts about all the horrible suffering that Paul goes threw keep in mind he knew it was all going to happen and he choose to accept it.  I also love that if the look at the full view, God was using Paul to spread his message even while we was still known as Saul and persecuting Christians.  Up to this point they were just working on getting all of Jerusalem converted and then heading out to the next town.  As soon as Saul started hunting them down that sent them out into the other cities and towns like water on a grease fire.  Further proof that what god wants God gets.