“So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 And instantly something like scales fell from [Saul's] eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized,
19 And after he took some food, he was strengthened. For several days [afterward] he remained with the disciples at Damascus.
20 And immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, saying, He is the Son of God!
21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the very man who harassed and overthrew and destroyed in Jerusalem those who called upon this Name? And he has come here for the express purpose of arresting them and bringing them in chains before the chief priests.
22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and continued to confound and put to confusion the Jews who lived in Damascus by comparing and examining evidence and proving that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).
Dear people of God, many newly born again believers go for several years without preaching the Gospel to anyone because they are waiting for the time when they feel they are ready.
This was not the case with the Apostle Saul (and later Paul) of Tarsus as seen in today’s lead Holy Bible text.
Immediately the disciple Ananias laid hands on Saul using God’s power to restore his sight and receive the Holy Spirit, the next thing Saul was interested in was telling others about Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Take note of verses 20 and 22 of the Bible text in Acts 9 above.
Take note also that this was made possible by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Do recall also that the Lord Jesus had earlier told Saul in Acts 9:6 that He should go into the city of Damascus where he (Saul) would be told what he must do.
In Acts 9:16, the Lord Jesus also reiterated that He would make it clear to Saul how much he would be afflicted and must endure and suffer for Jesus’ Name sake as he went about preaching the Gospel to the Gentile unbelievers.
So Saul was told in clear terms what his mission was as a Christian.
The Bible records how Saul went ahead not only to take the Gospel to many Gentile nations but endured a lot for Christ’s sake. The Bible does not record where Saul was ever discouraged by his hardships.
How many new Christian believers have the same testimony today? How many experienced believers have the same testimony today? Very few.
God’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) has not changed because we have so many lost souls out there living in darkness under satan’s sway (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19) and the need for their salvation and conversion from darkness of satan to the Light of Christ is urgent.
This is why no Christian has an excuse not to share the Gospel. Look again at Acts 9:22 and see that Saul was applying himself to know more about Jesus Christ and the Gospel by examining evidence, with which he shared the message with others to prove that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit is always seeking such people to work with in the urgent task of preaching the Gospel to save lost souls because God has said in His Word that those who seek Him with all their hearts would find Him – Deuteronomy 4:29; Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 7:7; Luke 11:9-10.
This is a challenge to all Christian believers, whether new or mature.
Evangelism is what is of utmost importance to God, not your educational qualification, not the titles you have, not your material achievements. It is your spiritual achievements that matter to God more than anything else in this life.
God has saved you through the efforts of others’ prayers and preaching to you. What can you say is your own testimony concerning other lost souls?
Think carefully about this and take up the challenge. God has an eternal reward for everyone who does this.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus’ Most Precious Name, Amen.
Gabriel Ama.
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