The Street called Straight (1)

Acts 9

¹⁰ And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

¹¹ And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,

¹² And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.

¹³ Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

¹⁴ And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

¹⁵ But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

¹⁶ For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.

¹⁷ And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.

Our text is an account of the visit of a certain disciple called Ananias to Apostle Paul. Saul, as he then was known, had had an encounter with the Lord Jesus. He was on his way to Damascus to wreck havoc on Christians. He was a state-sponsored terrorist. He had with him letters from the high priest to synagogues, so he could arrest believers, bring them down to Jerusalem in chains and get them killed (Acts 9:1-2). He was like a ravenous beast, like the terrorists that pervade our landscapes today. This afternoon, as he journeyed, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him, he was knocked down to the ground, and Jesus spoke to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (v. 4). But Saul wasn’t persecuting the Lord Jesus; he was persecuting the church, or so he thought. But he was wrong. A slander against the Church is a slander against the Lord Jesus. A bad word against the Church is a bad word against Jesus. A mockery against the Church is a mockery against the Lord Himself. The Church, the body of believers worldwide, is the Body of Christ (Ephesians 5: 23, 25, 29, 30,32). Be careful how you act towards the Church; you very well, are acting towards Jesus. Saul learnt that lesson that day. The Church is the Body of Christ. Anyone persecuting the Church is persecuting the Lord Jesus. Same goes for believers fighting fellow believers.  When Saul fell to the ground, the Lord instructed him to get into Damascus. Three days later, the Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and gave him an assignment to reach out to Saul. “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus” (v 12). Naturally, that should cause Ananias to be alarmed, but this faithful disciple went his way and did as the Lord had commanded.

As I reflected on this passage, verse 17 stood out to me, and I will be sharing in a series of teachings some thoughts from that verse. The first I want to share with you, dear reader, is the salutation of Ananias.

Acts 9

¹⁷ And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Ananias laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul”. On what grounds of relationship could Ananias make that statement? We know from Acts 22:12 that Ananias was a Jew like Saul and as such could be called ‘brother’ by nationality. However, recall that this same Ananias had protested when Jesus told him to go see Saul. That is, even though they shared nationality, there was no brotherhood between them as light is different from darkness. Yet, Ananias called this state-sponsored terrorist , “Brother Saul”. How did Saul the terrorist, the chief-persecutor of the Church, become “Brother Saul”?

2 Corinthians 5
¹⁶ Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ananias could call Saul, “Brother Saul”, because he was not looking at Saul “after the flesh”, that is, after his natural background or circumstances. You see, something had happened to Saul when he fell down to the ground. He became a new creature, a new man in Christ Jesus. The bible says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature”. He is a new man, with a new nature and life. Old things, the old nature, the old spiritual condition have passed away, and all things have become new. The man in Christ is a new man, never existed before. He has no past and therefore, has no charges or accusations against him. He stands in the presence of God without fault.

Romans 5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)

1Therefore, since we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

The New Man in Christ has been justified. To be justified means to be acquitted, declared righteous and given a right standing with God, as though he never sinned. He has peace with God.

Hebrews 8
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Here, God says I will remember their sins no more. Why doesn’t God remember? Because there is nothing to remember. The sins were blotted out by the Blood of Jesus. There is, therefore, now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Besides, having no past record of wrongs, no charges of wrongs, and consequently no condemnation, the new creation man becomes a child of God.

John 1
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

You see, my friend, there are facts we might as well face now. God is the Creator of all mankind, but He is only Father to those who believe in Jesus as Savior and who make Him their Lord. John 1:12 says it is those who receive Jesus that have the privilege to become the sons of God. He is creator to the unsaved, but Father to the believer. The Father has a family. The people in that family have put their trust in Jesus and have become brothers. Ananias was in that family. Saul came into that family too. That was why Ananias could call him, “Brother Saul”. They were now brothers, joined by the precious, incorruptible Blood of Jesus with God as their Father. There is also another family with a different father.

John 8
44 Ye are of your Father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Satan has a family too, but you don’t need to belong to his family. However, you can’t escape being a member of the devil’s family by saying, “God forbid!”. No, it doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t work by observing rules, offering sacrifices or being religious. You can’t be a member of God’s family because you go to church, pay your tithes, obey the commandments and live a holy life. You can’t pray five times a day and belong to God’s family. Your good works can’t help you get into God’s family. The only way to get into God’s family is to be born again. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3,5). What does it mean to be born again? It means to have a new nature, God’s nature in you. When Adam sinned, he took upon himself the nature of satan. It was this nature that made man steal, kill, lie, cheat, defraud and hate. The problem has never been man’s habits. The problem has always been his nature. His nature is twisted and wrong. Man is incapable of being righteous in the sight of God. He may try but he can’t reach God’s standard. That devilish nature must be put off and a new nature put on. God provided for Man an escape route – JESUS. Jesus came and died on the Cross. He took upon Himself the sins of the world and became a sin offering. He offered His Blood as an atoning sacrifice. He tasted death for all mankind, serve the punishment that man should serve and on the third day, God raised Him from the dead, victorious over all. Now, whoever believes in Him and confesses Him as Lord becomes a child of God, delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom. This child of God receives in Him a new nature. The old nature of Satan is taken away and a new nature is created in him. That is why he is called a New Creature. All things become new. You become a member of God’s family and you can now be called, “Brother”.

It doesn’t matter how terribly bad you have been. Saul was a bad guy, but there is no stain the Blood of Jesus cannot wash away, there is no life Jesus cannot save, there is no soul He cannot redeem. Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom 10:13). When Saul called on Jesus as Lord, he became a new creature and a member of God’s family. Hence, Ananias could call him, “Brother Saul”. Jesus is waiting to also you call His Brother

Hebrews 2
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren