Down on Straight Street

Intro - ME

I met with a young man earlier this month, non-christian, in fact he says he is more buddhist than anything but is fascinated with Jesus, he’s been coming to young adults and we meet every month because he wants to get to know Jesus. In our conversation the topic of healing came up, stories of miralces and friends, He looked at me like in awe and He said, ‘Ryley where do I find these stories” and so I said the bible is filled with them” and we talked about speciif stories through the gospel account in the book of Acts. And it’s funny because maybe you are like me, soemtimes we can forget the awe and the wonder of Jesus. I watched him as we talked about what Jeus did and he was like “no way, Jesus did that” ‘You’re tellling me a guy who couldn’t walk, walked again?”

Adm friends we began to talk about the gospel, the good news of Jesus. I won’t get int evey detail of the converstion but I will say this at the end this man looked at me and had these tear welling up in is eyes. I asked, “are you alright?”

ad freinds, he looked down, then looke away and said “Ryley, i’ve heard the story of Jesus all my life but I had never heard it like that befoer. I never knew how loved I am”

Now, I’m looking away, blinking lots, ‘don’t cry Ryley, Don’t cry”

Friends, I’m not telling you that to say “Oh look at me and what I can do”

No, no no no no. I’m telli you it because If I can do it, so can you. if God can use a simple convseration with i had with someone to bring fresh revelation, He can do it i your life too.

And so after the meeting I sat in my car and there was something inside of me, promtiing me to read the begining of the book of Acts and my heart fixated on Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 NASB95

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

See friends, as I read the book of acts and I’m not going to lie I got a little jealous. You read of all these things happening, people experiencing hope let right and centre, miracles taking place all over, the spirit of God moving like the unstoppable force that it is.

I had a professor in college who would say “Acts 28 isn’t the end of the story, you and I are living Acts 29 right now”

Yet, I look around today and I see so many people, including mysslf somedays, counting themselves out of the story.

“I can’t do that, I’m not qualified for this”

And let’s be real, there are some people who are ont he extreme opposite of that’s but that’s a sermon for another day.

WE

But when I read the book aof Acts, I can’t help. bbut be in awe of our church linaege. that we, today, are a product of these people. Of their boldness and desire for poepleto come to life, we are part of this story.

That you and I, get a part to play in the greatest story ever told, m that we are part of the same church that you read about, the same church that for centuries never back down to opposition, that Continually moved forward not settling for second best but would strive to see the kingdom of God on Earth as it is in heaven.

Pretty Powerful, isn’t it.

Actively be the local church - not just the staff

But remember that the people that God entrusted this movement to, they weren’t famous, weren’t leaders of their day. They were smelly fishermen, lying tax collectors, murdereers, oridinary people.

Like a man named Ananias. Who was a part of the greatest movement in the early church but is often forgotten.

GOD

Luke Chapter 9 is where we pickup our story. Now if you are familair with scripture

Now In our modern context, the stry of Paul the apostle has become well known. A man, who hated Christians and is on the way to kill them ni a town called Damascus, Jesus appareas to him on the way there and Paul’s life is changed forver.

Acts 9:1 NASB95

Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,

To basicaly get warrants for the arrest of Christians in Damascus. And

Acts 9:3–9 NASB95

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.” The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

I love the way the message translation phrases this story,

10 There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.” “Yes, Master?” he answered.

11–12  “Get up and go over to Straight Street. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.”

He directed him to “Straight Street” and the house of Judas to look for Saul of Tarsus (9:11). This main east-west thoroughfare of Damascus was fifty feet wide and had great porches and gates at each end and colonnades for commerce running along each side.

This was a major street that ran straight from the east to the west of Damascus. It was divided into three parts—a centre part where the traffic ran, and two side-walks where the pedestrians thronged and the merchants sat in their little booths and carried on their trade.

Leave it to Luke to offer a little chronological and geographical notation to carry along his history. He tells us about Saul’s vision not in connection with Saul, but in God’s report to Ananias. Straight Street, by the way, is still a main thoroughfare in Damascus now known as Derb Le-Mustaquim.

13–14  Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem! And now he’s shown up here with papers from the Chief Priest that give him license to do the same to us.”

15–16  But the Master said, “Don’t argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I’m about to show him what he’s in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.”

17–19  So Ananias went and found the house, placed his hands on blind Saul, and said, “Brother Saul, the Master sent me, the same Jesus you saw on your way here. He sent me so you could see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes—he could see again! He got to his feet, was baptized, and sat down with them to a hearty meal.

19–21  Saul spent a few days getting acquainted with the Damascus disciples, but then went right to work, wasting no time, preaching in the meeting places that this Jesus was the Son of God

Imaigne the pep talk Ananias must have given himself before seeing saul. “Just go in there and lay hands, but if he tries to lay hands. Hit him with righteousness and a right hook” You know. That’s what I would ahe probably went with but that’s not what happened.

Think of the dramatic follow-up the God could have designed from the opening introduction on the Damascus Road. Why not take Saul back to Jerusalem for a public declaration of faith on the steps of the temple or perhaps in front of the Sanhedrin in the very room where Stephen made his defense? Or maybe back to Tarsus, that ancient city with a significant Jewish population, likely proud of its young rabbi serving so effectively in Jerusalem. Not God. God sent Saul to meet a humble servant whose obdeivanr and surrender help created teh greatet movement of human history.

Ananias did not say (like Jonah) that he wouldn’t go, simply that he had a few reservations about his safety in answering this call.

Ananias obeyed, found Saul, and showed his and the church’s acceptance of him by addressing him as a fellow Christian: “brother Saul” (9:17). His message was brief but just as clear as a sparkling planet observed from the blackness of an Arabian Desert. • Jesus appeared to you on the road. • Jesus sent me here. • Jesus will give your sight back. • Jesus will fill you with the Holy Spirit. After entering the city, Saul had seen a vision, and so had Ananias

I love this becaue Ananias takes ZERO credit. It’s all about Jesus.

Without a doubt, Ananias is one of the forgotten heroes of the Christian Church. If it is true that the Church owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen, it is also true that the Church owes Paul to the way in which Ananias treated him as a brother. To Ananias came a message from God that he must go and help Paul;

. When that message came to Ananias, it must have sounded insane to him. He might well have approached Paul with suspicion, as one doing an unpleasant task; he might well have begun with recriminations; but no, his first words were: ‘Brother Saul.’

William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 83.

While Ananias gets only a short mention here and in Acts 22 and 26, the impact of this one man listening to the voice of the Lord has reverberated throughout the ages. Despite his fear, he follows Jesus’ command and prays for Saul to see again and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then he connects Saul to the brothers and sisters in Damascus. And the rest, as they say, is history

Bayard Taylor and Gray S. Greig, Christians on the Move: The Book of Acts, What the Bible Is All About: Bible Study Series (Ventura, CA: Gospel Light, 2012), 98.

YOU

But if you were ananias’ shoes what would you do?

Most of us, woudl probabaly protest a lot more than he did, right?

Or just give God the silent treatment hoping that the moent passses by and God will stop bugging you.

But thin k of how uncomfortable that wold eb have been for Ananias?

The guy who is coing to put you in chains , comig for your ife and i love the way depcits it right, like a rampahgoing bull. Saul was on the hunt.

I don’t know about you but that’s not the most comforting situation to be called into.

But maye we aren’t called to be comfortable.

COuld you imagine if Ananias said to God, ‘ive done enough for you, that’s not really my thing”

Imainge if he was complacent? Just saying, nah im good.

Throughout history God uses ordianry people to start extra ordinary movements, because the pwoer of themvoemtn isn’t found in the person

Frineds As you read the book of acts its hard to ignore that The church was not built on complacency.

And did not grow in comfortability.

Becasue reality is Comfortability breeds complacency

Throughout history God uses ordianry people to start extra-ordinary movements, because the power doesnt derives from a surrended heart.

Bill Johsnon, wjheter you agree wit eveyrhting about him or not, recently preached follwinig teh death of his wife and in teh sermon he said this

Surrender Measures everything - Bill Johnson

Ther will be times wher God calls you and I to grow, where he desires us

Ananias, he surrended. Even when it wasn’t the most comfortbale thing. Could you imiaigne being a chritian in that city and hearing that Saul the one who kills christians is coming to your town?

Majoirty of us would be terrified,t here would a culirter of fear for sure.

Yet, not with Ananias.

WHY?

BEcause he found his comfort in Christ rather than the culture of fear around him.

Becaue friends reality is this, and hear me on this becaue this one might irk you a bit. When you value the comfort of culture over the comfort of Christ you’ve lost view of the priority of the kingdom.

Cultre changes, yet Christ never does.

Now, i’m not sayig this to condem. Not at all, i’m saying thisnbeciae thhis si something I’ve hasd to live in.

As a follower of Christ, I’m called to be kingodm minded person. To value the priorty of the kingdom and to say “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

I’m tired of mediocre, aren’t you?

I’m tired of counting myself out of the story when God has already counted me in. I’m tired of making up excuses.

Frineds, God knows who he created you to be, He knows the impact you have in this world.

He’s ot nervous, He knows excacty who he is calling.

Becaue of Ananias’ surrender, we got to see the greatest movement the world had ever seen. And he doesn’t even get the credit, infact he didn’t want it. He pointed it to Jesus and said it was Jesus who initiaed it not him.

God has things planned out way before you come up with an excuse.

So when God calls us deeper, when God promtps us to give an extra three hundred to a missionary in israel, when God places it in our hearts to serve on a misnintry team, or get conected wintba loval orgainzation, or just says “Go love your neighbour wihtout conditions”

God is never going to leave you high and dry wiht what he calls you to do, He’s inviting you to have an active role in teh greates sptry ever told.

And you might be saying Ryley, that’s all fine and dandy but

As one church writes in their volunteer core values expectations

Zechariah 4:10 NASB95

“For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel—these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth.”

WE

How much will you surrender?

How hungry will you get to see the kingdom on eath as it is in heaven?

Here’s the things, Hunger isn’t comfortabel right?

in fact, some of you may be super hungry right now,

But what are you hungry for?

As the worship team comes back up

This is part of healthy faith church,

You see, Healthy faith doesn’t just celebrate you as you are but relentlessly molds and refines you into the likeness of Christ, which is a beautiful but necessarily uncomfortable process.

So we’re gunna grow, going to be stretched, going to move because the reality is, the church can’t cfomr to compalkcny. People are way to valubel to be inmgone dbecsue of uncomfort.

Are you ready to step in to what God is calling you to do?

What’s your next? For some of you it may be leading a small group, getting involved with the many things we have at FCC, more some it may be getting together with a bunch of friends every couple weeks to talk about life and

For some it may be even buying llunchn for a coworker, or giving to a missiaonry so you give up strabucks for two weeks