Ananias

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Transcript

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Welcome to the Be and Become Podcast, featuring Francois Carr, a heart form and connected life ministry. Francois's international ministry equips and encourages pastors, ministry leaders, and fellow Christians as they discover what it means to truly be and become the followers they were meant to be. Thank you for joining Francois today as he offers a few words of encouragement from God's Word.

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I would like to speak to you today about a man called Ananias. We have seen in our previous devotion that he was sent to Saul that became Paul to bear witness and to help him to discover God's plan and purpose for his life, which was to know God's will, to see the righteous one, to hear the voice, and to be a witness for him of all the things that he has seen and that he has heard. There are three people called Ananias in the Bible, and all three of them is mentioned in the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 4 we read about him and his wife, who sold some property, lied to the Holy Spirit, and died because of that. In chapter 23 we read about Paul appearing before him, Ananias, which was the high priest appointed by Herod Agrippa II in the year eight forty eight, and he was assassinated in the year AD sixty six during the Jewish revolt. He was the one that told someone to strike Paul in the face. Then chapter 9, verses 10 through 17, and chapter 22, verses 12 through 18 speaks about this man called Ananias that I would like to speak to you about today. The Bible tells us that he was a disciple living in Damascus, who was used by God to help Paul. He died as a martyr in a Roman colony between Jerusalem and Ashelon. And so the question in my heart was, what can I learn from his life in these passages of Scripture? And how can I make it my own? And I want to encourage you to read through these passages in the book of Acts, chapter 9 and chapter 22, and pray about this until this becomes part of your life, because he was just a normal, ordinary person used by God to become a blessing for the Lord and also for Saul. And God wants us to become an Anias as well that he can use as normal, average persons every day of our life. First of all, he was a disciple and a follower of Jesus, chapter 9, verse 10. It refers to being a dedicated follower, a learner and believer in Christ. That is the meaning of the Greek word Mathethus as we look at verse 10. He's described as a disciple. He was just an ordinary believer, known for his obedience and faith, instead of being an apostle or even being a prophet. Secondly, he was sensitive to God's voice and call in verse 10. When God spoke to him, he listened, he was alert, he was familiar with the voice of God because he was a man in contact and spent much time in prayer. And therefore, when God called him, he knew the voice of God and he answered. In verse 11, he was willing to sacrifice his own time and life to face difficult assignments. He was willing to reach out to a new convert called Paul, which was difficult, a heavy responsibility, because Paul had a letter in his hands to persecute Christian people. He was willing to become the answer to prayer in verse 12, because what God told him was starting news. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. But God told him that Saul had been saved, and at that moment he was praying, and so the Lord spoke to him and said, Listen, I want you to go to Paul and tell him that he is a chosen vessel for me. And God has also spoken to Paul that Ananias would be coming to help him. Then verse 13 we sense that he's that he's feeling his own inadequacy, and there was some apprehension, because he knows about the former life of Saul, the sin and the shame and the threat that he was to believers, and that he has a letter with him that he can persecute Christian people. And so we kind of feel not strong enough or the right person to go. And that's exactly the place where God wants us to be, because Jesus said we have to abide with him, because without him we can do nothing, is to rest in the strength and the power of the Holy Spirit and the provision of the Lord Himself if He sends us to a place to reach out and to preach instead of striking on our own strength and ability to do things for Him. Then He was willing to obey Verse 15. Whenever God told him to go, He was willing to go. And then if you turn to chapter 22, see the Bible tells us that he was a man devout according to the law. In other words, he was a man that knows Scripture. In verses 12, he had a good name and reputation in the community where he lived, and he was bold in his testimony when he told Paul to get up and to go and to be baptized and wash away your sins and calling on the name of the Lord and just to keep on going and to start. What an amazing statement that he gave Paul in that moment. And so Ananias was not a prophet or apostle, but he was a follower of Jesus. He was an orderly person just like you and me. But he was a man of faith who could be trusted, he was a man with faith in God to do the Lord's will and to obey him. And he also showed Saul that Ananias would come and to meet with him. And that says a lot about a person. And I can say that I would like to be that person, the kind of man that God can come to and say, Franzweh, this is what I want you to do, and I've shown someone in a vision that you would be coming as well. What a wonderful time would that not be? Because Ananias could be counted upon. God is looking for normal people, like Ananias that has a sterling reputation with a love to know Jesus Christ intimately, to know scripture, to follow him, and to be willing to be sent for him. And so the question today is, would you be willing to be that person? God is looking for people like him that he can send them to become a blessing for him and for those people that is in need of a mature Christian believer. And the question is, would you be willing to be that person? God bless you.

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Thank you for listening to this Be and Become episode with Francois Carr. For more information about the ministry, visit the website at ConnectedLife Ministries.com. We hope you'll join Francois next time as he continues the conversation on what it means to be and become the follower you are meant to be.