Acts 22:12-16

Summary retelling of Acts 22:12-16

               

Paul then talks about Ananias.  He mentions that he is a devout Jew who followed the Law.  Ananias came to Paul and told him to receive his sight.  Paul then mentions how Ananias told him that God appointed Paul to hear from Jesus on the road in order that he could be a witness to everyone that Paul meets.  Paul then tells how Ananias invited Paul to get up and be baptized and call upon the Lord for the forgiveness of his sins.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul takes an opportunity to talk about Ananias.  I really like this dynamic with Paul.  Here is his situation.  He’s been arrested and is looking at being on trial.   In the middle of this, he takes an opportunity to talk about the “little people” of whom this crowd has likely never heard.  He talks about Ananias’ devotion to God and God’s ways.  Paul tells us what is really important in life.  Ananias was devoted to God and was following God’s calling.

When you evaluate people, what criteria do you usually use to evaluate them?  What criteria should you be using?

Second Thought:

Paul also does a good job of focusing on using his time with a captive audience to accomplish ministry.  Paul could have been involved in doing some name-dropping.  Paul could have talked about all his former associates on the Sanhedrin and scared the crowd into fearing him.  Instead, Paul takes the time to talk about the importance of following the Law and setting the crowd up to hear about Jesus’ call for him in his life.  Instead of thinking about himself and saving his own skin, Paul talks about God.

How difficult do you think it was for Paul to focus on God rather than focus on his imprisonment?

Third Thought:

Paul takes the time to mention that Ananias invited him to be baptized and to call upon the Lord to forgive him.  This may seem like standard operating procedure, but it really is a key moment in the life of a Christian.  We all need to be called into accountability for our sins and for our rebellion against God.  Also notice that it was Ananias who was called to do this with Paul.  Ananias wasn’t one of Jesus’ original disciples.  He isn’t even mentioned in the Bible apart from Paul’s conversion story.  So here we have a virtual nobody answering God’s call to invite the person who is probably the greatest evangelist to ever live (besides Jesus, of course) to repent of his sins.  You don’t have to be a big name to play an important role in God’s kingdom.  You just have to have priorities in the right order.  You just have to remember that life is about inviting people into a relationship with God.

Is inviting people into a relationship with God important in your life?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 22:17-21