Ambushed by Jesus

Resurrection Encounters

We have been looking at resurrection encounters together recently, we started with the disciples on the road to Emaeus, followers of Christ who witnessed his crucifixion and trying to understand everything that had happened. The resurrected Christ encounters them on the road and makes himself known to them as they break bread together.

Today we finish up with a much different encounter. The encounter of Saul of Tarsus, known to us as Paul the Apostle, who wrote a good chunk of the New Testament. Saul was on a mission to scrub out followers of the way, followers of Christ. Saul’s sole purpose in life was to crush the Jesus movement.

On the road to Damascus Saul is literally ambushed by Jesus. Saul isn’t looking for Jesus. Saul isn’t trying to make sense of the crucifixion and what it means to him. He was consumed with completing the mission the cross and the grave couldn’t.

Thanks be to God for Damascus road resurrection encounters. These encounters still happen today. As we wrestle with Paul’s life changing encounter with the risen Christ, we should ask ourselves personally and as a church body how can I, how can we foster resurrection encounters. How can we be like Ananias, ready to go when God sets out an ambush?

Saul-Paul Encounter

Acts first introduces us to Saul at the stoning of Stephen.

Acts 7:54–8:3 (NRSV)

54 When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55 But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died. 1 And Saul approved of their killing him. That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.

There is a theme in Acts we see in the stoning of Stephen we saw last week at Pentecost and we see again at Saul’s conversion. That is being full of the Holy Spirit. The Acts of the Apostles, and the acts of the church today are a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Saul was a radical terrorist of his day. When Acts 9:1 tells us he was breathing threats and murder against the followers of Christ, it is telling us this is what fills him. It is the very life he lives and breathes. This is the man that has set out for Damascus. This is the man God ambushed on the road. This is the man whose life God completely changed. This is the man that God, tells Ananias to Go to.

The resurrection encounter of Saul should remind us that no class of sinner is beyond God’s reach. The faithfulness of Ananias should remind us that there is no class of sinner God exempts us from reaching, or being faithful to go to.

1 Timothy 1:15 NLT

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.

Saul was blinded by the light of the resurrection. The blinding light indicates an encounter with God. From the light a voice asks “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

Paul most likely confused over what just happened to him, has one question, “Who are you lord?”

The voice replied I am Jesus the one you are persecuting. In this encounter Jesus isn’t revealed through breaking bread, but in plain words. I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Jesus tells Saul to continue to Damascus and he would be told what to do.

Paul gets up and opens his eyes and realizes he is blind. His companions lead him by the hands to where he needs to go. When Paul arrives, he is in Damascus blind, not eating or drinking for 3 days. What is he doing in those 3 days? He’s praying.

Saul has a secondary vision of Ananias.

Ananias is charged by God to Go to this man who has terrorized the followers of Christ and is in Damascus with orders to arrest any followers of Christ he finds.

Despite hesitation, and objection Ananias is faithful and does as the LORD asks.

Saul’s encounter radically changed this radicals life. Saul who was once filled with murderous threats, was now filled with the life changing, and life giving Holy Spirit.

These Ambushes still happen today.

Iran story

How can we personally and as a church be faithful like Ananias and go despite our own hesitations? How can we be God’s hands and feet when he ambushes them on this road of life?

Acts 13:9 is the first place we’re introduced to Paul AKA Saul.

Be Faithful like Ananias

Brothers and sisters since the tomb first opened resurrection encounters have been happening across the globe. God has assembled us together here in Leicester, Vermont. How can Leicester church of the Nazarene be a place where resurrection encounters happen both in the building and along the road of life in the community?

The answer is simpler than we think. We are a people filled with the Holy Spirit, we must follow his leading.

Ananias followed his leading to Saul despite his objections or Saul’s not so distant past. We need to be like Ananias and be ready to minister to any sinner God asks us to. When we don’t we are hindering the work of the Spirit and blocking much needed resurrection encounters.

Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Chapter 8: The Conversion of Saul (Acts 9:1–31)

First, don’t give up hope for anyone’s salvation. Before Stephen died, he prayed that God would forgive those responsible for his death. Perhaps others, like Stephen, believed that God could change even Saul. It is good to pray that God will save you and other Christians from the harmful words and acts of nonbelievers around you. It is better to pray that God will save the nonbelievers and bring them to himself. The best way to get rid of enemies is to make them (let God make them) your friends.

Second, we often see God using “up front” people like Saul. God and Saul wasted no time. Saul became a central figure from the beginning. Bold, extroverted leaders, such as Saul, receive most of the contemporary “press coverage.” But, in this story, where would Saul have been without Ananias’s and Barnabas’s work behind the scenes to disciple him and to assist his entrance into the community? Today’s church, Christ’s body, requires mouths and knees, feet and hearts.

How do we respond to this? We do what Saul was doing and we pray. The altar is once again open for a time of prayer for us to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit that we may be faithful like Ananias.