1 1-2 All this time Saul was breathing down the necks of the Master’s disciples, out for the kill. He went to the Chief Priest and got arrest warrants to take to the meeting places in Damascus so that if he found anyone there belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he could arrest them and bring them to Jerusalem.
3-4 He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?”
5-6 He said, “Who are you, Master?”
“I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”
7-9 His companions stood there dumbstruck—they could hear the sound, but couldn’t see anyone—while Saul, picking himself up off the ground, found himself stone-blind. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. He continued blind for three days. He ate nothing, drank nothing.
10 There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.”
“Yes, Master?” he answered.
11-12 “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”
13-14 Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”
15-16 But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”
17-19 So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal.
The Holy Spirit continued to work in his people's lives though the enemy Satan fiercely attacked God's church. Saul went on the way to Damascus to further arrest believers and stop the spreading of Gospel. But Jesus revealed and spoke to him and blinded his eyes with great flash of light. Jesus continued to reveal to him in his dream that someone would pray for him. At the same time, Jesus appeared to Ananias in a vision that he was sent to pray for Saul and be filled with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and commission him to be an apostle to Gentiles. Saul resumed his eyesight and was baptized. His life would never be the same again - he was filled with the Spirit and encountered with Jesus, being commissioned to witness the Name of Jesus.
All things are possible in God that even the enemies of God are transformed to be God's servants, like Saul on the way to Damascus as Jesus revealed and spoke to him face to face. Don't be discouraged by the attacks and threatenings of enemies. The enemies want to discourage us but Jesus through the Holy Spirit still dwells in us, speaking to us through his words, dreams and even visions, like the narrative of Saul's conversion and Ananias' prayer ministry. Follow closely with the Holy Spirit each day and be aware of the enemies' schemes in attacking God's church and His people.
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