Best Supporting Roles: Week 1 - God’s Calling? Will You Answer?

Courage to Answer: Embracing God’s Call Like Ananias

Bible Passage: Acts 9:1–2, Acts 9:10–20, 1 Corinthians 3:5–9, Numbers 14:28–31

Summary: In these passages, we explore the remarkable call of Ananias to minister to Saul, who was once a fierce persecutor of Christians. Despite his fears, Ananias exemplifies the power of being open to God’s leading, signifying how God's calls can come with surprising and transformative implications for both the receiver and the giver, marking pivotal moments that shape the early church's growth.

Application: This sermon can inspire believers to confront their fears and acknowledge their callings, reminding them that God's plans often challenge our preconceived notions and comfort levels. By following God's call, even in uncertain circumstances, they can significantly impact lives around them, as Ananias did.

Teaching: The takeaway from this sermon is that obedience to God's call is essential—not just for the individual but also for the broader Christian community. Ananias’ faithfulness not only leads to Saul's transformation but also showcases the ripple effect one person's obedience can have in God’s overarching plan for His people. This sermon teaches that obedience, even amid fear and doubt, is crucial in fulfilling God's mission. Ananias demonstrates how one person's willingness to respond can lead to substantial changes in the lives of others and advance God's purposes.

How this passage could point to Christ: Ananias’ acceptance of God’s call highlights Christ’s grace and the transformational power of the Gospel as it unfolds through Saul’s conversion. This theme reflects the essence of Christ's mission on earth—calling the unlikely and turning enemies into allies in His kingdom work, ultimately foreshadowing His work of redemption for all.

Big Idea: Your response to God's call can catalyze extraordinary changes, not only in your life but also in the lives of others, signaling that obedience to God's will is powerful and essential. Every act of obedience in response to God's calling can become a catalyst for divine transformation, revealing that our faithfulness, even in the face of fear, contributes to the unfolding of God's redemptive plan.

Recommended Study: You might delve into the cultural implications of Ananias’ call in Acts, particularly regarding the tensions between Jews and early Christians. Use Logos to explore commentaries that focus on the transformational aspects of Ananias' obedience and how it contrasts with the preceding narrative of Saul's persecution. Also, consider studying the implications of communal faith in both Acts and 1 Corinthians, particularly regarding how individual faithfulness contributes to the church's growth. You might consider studying the cultural implications of Ananias’ decision using Logos to better understand the risks involved during Saul’s persecution of Christians. Delve into the broader narrative of Acts to capture the significance of individual roles in community growth and explore how Paul's future apostolic work ties back to Ananias' courageous obedience.

ICEBREAKER

“If you're a fan of the show NCIS, then you know about Special Agent Gibbs and his famous rule: ‘Always trust your gut.’

Gibbs doesn’t always have all the facts—sometimes there’s no evidence, no confession, no forensics. But when his gut tells him something, he listens. And if you’re on his team, you’d better listen too.

Now, that sounds a little like what it means to follow God, doesn’t it?

There are times when God nudges us—calls us to do something that doesn’t make complete sense. There’s no roadmap. It might even go against what feels logical or safe. But something deep inside says, ‘Do it. Go. Speak. Help. Forgive.’

That’s what happened to a man named Ananias in Acts 9. God called him to do something that not only went against his better judgment—but put him face to face with a man who was hunting people like him. And yet, Ananias trusted the voice.

So let me ask you this: When was the last time you ignored a gut feeling—and wished you hadn’t?

Or maybe the better question is: What if that “gut feeling” was actually God speaking? Would you have the courage to answer?”1

MAIN MESSAGE

1. Confronting Fearsome Challenges

Acts 9:1–2, Acts 9:10-12

Before we get into Ananias and the calling he had received from God, I first want to give some context to the one person his calling was about and that was a man by the name of Saul. Now this name might sound familiar to you, this is the man that Christians were running from. This was the man who enjoyed persecuting Christians and having them killed. So lets see how he is introduced when it comes to this part of his story. We will be in Acts 9:1-2:

Acts 9:1–2 NLT

1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

This is the type of person Saul was and this was the mission he was on when he was going to Damascus, to find and put those who follow Jesus in chains and bring them back to Jerusalem so that they could be put on trial. But on his way to Damascus he encounters Jesus who blinds him and gives Saul’s life a complete 180, yet there was one person who God was going to use to help change Saul’s life and that was a man by the name of Ananias, look how God calls him in Acts 9:10-12:

Acts 9:10–12 NLT

10 Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. 11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”

Now we are going to look at Ananias’ response to what God is asking of him, but first I want to look at what exactly God was calling him to do. God was calling Ananias to go to the one person, who was killing Christians, the one person who was given orders to arrest any Christians in Damascus. This is the person God is calling Ananias to go to. See in God calling Ananias to go to Saul, there was something else He was calling Ananias to do as well and that was:

Confronting Fearsome Challenges.

When it comes to what God is calling you to do in your life part of that calling may include Confronting Fearsome Challenges, just as Ananias had to do being called to go and heal Saul, one who is a self proclaimed hater of Christians. Now you may not exactly have to go face to face with a killer like Ananias had to do, but we all have fears in our life that can stop us in our tracks, but are you wanting to let your fears stand in your way of what God is calling you to do?

2. Courageous Obedience Sparks Transformation

Acts 9:13–18

Look how Ananias responds to what God was asking him to do in Acts 9:13-14

Acts 9:13–14 NLT

13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.”

Let’s be honest here who else here would have had the exact same response as Ananias? I for sure would have. I would be saying, God why do you want me to go to this man? Do you just want me to get arrested faster than the other Christians? Instead of running to freedom, I’m running to be the first one arrested. And while Ananias had every right to be afraid, look how God encourages him in his fear: Acts 9:15-16

Acts 9:15–16 NLT

15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

God is wanting Ananias to see what He sees in Saul, that while the world sees a man who hates Christians God sees Saul’s calling and he works that he will do. So after being encouraged Ananias heads on over to Straight Street. Acts 9:17-18

Acts 9:17–18 NLT

17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

Ananias didn’t ask any more questions he went out doing exactly what God was calling him to go and do, meet and heal the self proclaimed number 1 Christian hater there is. The very definition of an enemy, yet Ananias still went, because he was called by God and did not want to go against what God was calling him too. This had to still be frightening to Ananias, but because he knew exactly what God was calling him to it gave him the courage to go and because of that courage everything changed. Saul turned from his ways of hating and killing Christians and following and proclaiming the name of Jesus, he even got baptized to let the world know of his decision.

In going to Saul Ananias shows us what going out in courage can do instead of hiding in fear:

Courageous Obedience Sparks Transformation

This courage is something that we don’t just see in the Bible. it actually reminds me of two missionaries by the name of Jim Elliot and Nate Saint. If you guys do not know who they are, they were missionaries who felt called to share the Gospel with those in the Jungles of Ecuador.

He is no fool who gives up what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose.

Jim Elliot

This quote by Jim is exactly what Ananias did by going to Saul. If he lost his life sharing Jesus with him, then oh well he gets to be in heaven with Jesus and while Ananias did not die then, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint the the three other missionaries did pass away and did not get to see the Huaorani Tribe come to know Christ, but it was because of their courage to reach out to the tribe that helped spark transformation for the tribe, which in the end did come to knowing Christ as well.

Talk about courage sparking transformation. So in all of that, as Christians we should not let fear stand in the way of what God is calling you to do, you never know how you stepping out in courage could spark transformation in you or even someone else, and then who knows what could happen next.

3. Faithful Acts Catalyze Change

Acts 9:19–20

But the story for Saul is now taking a turn all because Ananias was faithful to God’s call, look what happens just after he showed up, Acts 9:19-20

Acts 9:19–20 NLT

19 Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength. Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. 20 And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”

Talk about courage sparking transformation, but it goes even further than that though. See Ananaias had courage by going to Saul, but in all of that he needed to faithful in his actions by going exactly where God was calling him and doing exactly as God had called him to do. This shows us this idea right here:

Faithful Acts Catalyze Change

While we need to Confront Fearsome Challenges and Courageous Obedience Sparks Transformation, it really comes down to how Faithful Acts Catalyze Change. It comes down to the idea of being faithful to what God is calling you to do. But here is the crazy things, sometimes you may not even see it come to fruition. This is the only time we hear about Ananias. We do not know what happened to him, was he martyred shortly after, or did he live a long life getting to see the work that Paul ended up doing. We do not know, but when looking to the 5 missionaries that we just talked about, we know they did not see the fruit of their faithfulness, but their kids did though.

This came to be when Nate’s son Steve Saint came to the visit the tribe, which he was invited to, when he was at his aunts funeral. There he met a pastor from that tribe named, Mincaye. But here is the thing about Mincaye, he was the man who killed his father. Look at how this as now come full circle. The man who helped kill the missionaries there to share the Gospel, was now someone who was sharing the Gospel with those around him. He ended up welcoming Steve into his family and treated him as his own son, his kids and his own grandkids.

4. Collaboration in God’s Kingdom

1 Corinthians 3:5–9

Sometimes though it can feel like can we really make a difference in the world. I’m no Paul, Nate Saint, Jim Eliot, Billy Graham, Peter or John, but the thing is that we might not be those big names and your right, we might just be like Ananias, someone who most people don’t know when it comes to the story of Paul. But guess what thats ok. While we might just be a Paul and just be an Ananias, that does not mean that we are less important to God’s plan. We have all be called by God and we all have a different calling in life too, but your calling can have a big impact in God’s plan. Look how Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

1 Corinthians 3:5–9 NLT

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

This idea from Paul is that it does not matter the person who is doing the work, it is all about who is calling them, who is telling them where to go and that is God. All Paul is saying between him and Apollos is that they need to be faithful in what God is calling them to do. But that is just like us, when we look at the calling we all share to tell people about Jesus, maybe we are the ones who are planting the seeds and telling someone about Jesus for the very first time, or maybe we are watering on seeds that some else planted. or just maybe we get to be the very ones to see the harvest and watch someone give their life to Christ. Now just because someone got to see the harvest, does not mean those that planted or watered did anything less than, their work was just as important as the one harvesting because they are all being faithful. But here is the key, not one of them caused the growth to happen, not one of them is responsible for what happens, if they were faithful, the growth comes down to one person and that is God. This means that if you don’t see the growth or the harvest from the work you are doing, don’t get discouraged, just be faithful and let God do His work. But this idea shows us that we can not do this on our own, we need to partner with others or put another way, there needs to be:

Collaboration in God’s Kingdom

It takes a team. Just like we have a staff here at C3, when it comes to the big picture and the big “C” Church it takes a team effort and we need to collaborate when it comes to fulfilling our call in the Great Commission.

5. Courage Confirms Conviction

Numbers 14:28–31

But still following through with the calling God has on your life can still be scary, but for me there is one thing scarier than not stepping into what and where God is calling, it is doing absolutely nothing. Look what happened to Israel when they missed their calling: Numbers 14:28-31

Numbers 14:28–31 NLT

28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. 29 You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die. 30 You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 “ ‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised.

Now to give context to what Israel was complaining about, was that they did not think they could take over the promised land, the land God was calling them to, well except for 2 of them that is, Joshua and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb saw the exact same thing the other spies saw. Yet instead of letting the fear control them, they let their courage and trust in God guide them. They showed this idea:

Courage Confirms Conviction

While what they saw might have made Joshua and Caleb nervous, their courage showed the conviction and trust that they had in God to fulfill the calling that He had for the people of Israel. It was because of this conviction that they were the only ones older than 20 that would get to be in the promised land. But they had to wait though because everyone else had given into their fear and they had to walk 40 years in the desert because of it.

This is what scares me the most. Not what could happen, by going where God is calling, which looking at some of His prophets and disciples, might not be pretty, but the idea of missing my calling and having to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because I did not have the courage of my conviction for the my trust in God to go when he says go, because I was scared.

APPLICATION

As we close today, I want to speak directly to the tension many of us feel—the fear that rises when God calls us to do something risky, unfamiliar, or uncomfortable.

Ananias wasn’t a famous apostle. He wasn’t a bold preacher. He was a regular believer. But his courageous obedience changed everything for Saul, who became Paul—and through Paul, the entire course of church history shifted.

So here’s the question: What if your “yes” to God becomes the turning point in someone else's story? What if the person you’re scared to talk to about Jesus is a future world-changer in the making? What if the opportunity you’re avoiding is the place God plans to unleash His power?

Just like Ananias, you might be tempted to argue with God: “This is too much. Too risky. Too uncomfortable.” But God sees what you can’t. He sees the purpose behind the fear. The calling behind the challenge. And He’s not asking you to do it alone—He’s asking you to trust Him.

Let’s be real: doing nothing is scarier. Wandering through a spiritual wilderness for years because we didn't have the courage to obey is far worse than stepping out and taking a risk with God.

So here’s the call: Where is God calling you to go? Who is He calling you to reach? What conversation, ministry, mission, or sacrifice have you been avoiding out of fear?

Don’t delay. Don’t shrink back. Say, like Ananias did, “Yes, Lord.” And watch what God will do through your courage, your obedience, and your faithfulness.

Because every courageous step of obedience is a seed planted in God's kingdom. And He—not us—will make it grow.

So,

Are You Willing to Answer the Call?

Let’s Pray.