Didn't See That Coming
Our Didn’t See That Coming series has been all about the shifts in perspective and understanding that come with following Jesus that we didn’t see coming. The same can be said for the story of Paul, who started as Saul.
Acts 9
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a] but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Several times in our series, there have been 2 storylines within a single story. The obvious one, and the one that exists in the shadows behind it – the one we didn’t see coming.
The same can be said for the story of Saul. It’s the ultimate turnaround story from sinner to saint. It’s about God confronting someone bad, and then they turn to Him. It’s the ultimate version of a Christian skit, drama, or movie.
We love it so much because it’s about the bad guy becoming the good guy. And we’re on the side of the good guys, right? Because we’re on God’s side, right? It’s someone coming over to God’s side (our side) and quite literally seeing the light.
We LOVE those stories.
But then there’s the other storyline – Ananias. There are 2 calls of God here – the call of God to Saul and the call of God to Ananias and other Christians. The second call is the one we didn’t see coming. We often don’t realize that as others outside the circle respond to what God is doing, we must also respond in our own way to what God is doing with those people.
So, Saul responds to God and moves in a direction. But then, the Christians also demanded a response from them, and they had to move in a new direction. So, how do we live out the embracing of “what we didn’t see coming” in a practical sense?
We don’t know much about Ananias. And actually, there are at least 3 different Ananiases in the Bible. Ananias isn’t just a disciple, but a prophet. Prophets were those who received messages from God that usually disturbed the status quo.
And the status quo that’s about to be disturbed is Saul and his apparent newfound faith.
Ananias’s job was equipping someone else. He’s not the story's hero. He’s not “the guy.” How do we react when God’s call on our life is mostly not about us but someone else? What if you’re not the main character in the story? What if your storyline falls into the shadows compared to someone else’s?
“What if your greatest accomplishment isn’t something you do, but someone you raise?”
~Andy Stanley
That quote is referring to parents and their kids, but it’s even more than that. What if it’s someone you raise up in your life, work, or spiritually? What if your whole purpose is to open a door for someone else to walk through, or be the shoulders someone else gets to stand on?
What if our purpose isn’t to accomplish but to empower, identify, equip, build into, release, and cheer for others? It takes a prophet to see the world this way – just like Ananias. You need discernment to live this way. It takes careful thought and investment.
But without Ananias there is no Paul. Now, God can obviously do whatever He wants with whoever He wants. He is not limited by our hesitation or declining His invitation, but what we miss out on is being a part of the story God is writing. The invitation might not be for a main part, but it is for a critical part.
We often hesitate to approve those who are outside of the box because of how that reflects on us, but the thing about Ananias is that he could approve because God already did. His approval is rooted in God’s approval.
Ananias’s blessing on Paul is rooted in the call of God on Paul.
If we stopped engaging with people based on their behavior and history and saw the call of God in their lives, how would that change how we see the people God brings into our lives?
There are 3 parts to this.
Acts 9
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
“Living in” means going on or pursuing the journey one has entered. Why did they live in fear of the Lord? Because He confounded their judgment about people, what, how, and with whom He was working.
In a way, they didn’t see that coming.
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Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
Acts 9
1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,[a] but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Several times in our series, there have been 2 storylines within a single story. The obvious one, and the one that exists in the shadows behind it – the one we didn’t see coming.
The same can be said for the story of Saul. It’s the ultimate turnaround story from sinner to saint. It’s about God confronting someone bad, and then they turn to Him. It’s the ultimate version of a Christian skit, drama, or movie.
We love it so much because it’s about the bad guy becoming the good guy. And we’re on the side of the good guys, right? Because we’re on God’s side, right? It’s someone coming over to God’s side (our side) and quite literally seeing the light.
We LOVE those stories.
But then there’s the other storyline – Ananias. There are 2 calls of God here – the call of God to Saul and the call of God to Ananias and other Christians. The second call is the one we didn’t see coming. We often don’t realize that as others outside the circle respond to what God is doing, we must also respond in our own way to what God is doing with those people.
So, Saul responds to God and moves in a direction. But then, the Christians also demanded a response from them, and they had to move in a new direction. So, how do we live out the embracing of “what we didn’t see coming” in a practical sense?
We don’t know much about Ananias. And actually, there are at least 3 different Ananiases in the Bible. Ananias isn’t just a disciple, but a prophet. Prophets were those who received messages from God that usually disturbed the status quo.
And the status quo that’s about to be disturbed is Saul and his apparent newfound faith.
Ananias’s job was equipping someone else. He’s not the story's hero. He’s not “the guy.” How do we react when God’s call on our life is mostly not about us but someone else? What if you’re not the main character in the story? What if your storyline falls into the shadows compared to someone else’s?
“What if your greatest accomplishment isn’t something you do, but someone you raise?”
~Andy Stanley
That quote is referring to parents and their kids, but it’s even more than that. What if it’s someone you raise up in your life, work, or spiritually? What if your whole purpose is to open a door for someone else to walk through, or be the shoulders someone else gets to stand on?
What if our purpose isn’t to accomplish but to empower, identify, equip, build into, release, and cheer for others? It takes a prophet to see the world this way – just like Ananias. You need discernment to live this way. It takes careful thought and investment.
But without Ananias there is no Paul. Now, God can obviously do whatever He wants with whoever He wants. He is not limited by our hesitation or declining His invitation, but what we miss out on is being a part of the story God is writing. The invitation might not be for a main part, but it is for a critical part.
We often hesitate to approve those who are outside of the box because of how that reflects on us, but the thing about Ananias is that he could approve because God already did. His approval is rooted in God’s approval.
Ananias’s blessing on Paul is rooted in the call of God on Paul.
If we stopped engaging with people based on their behavior and history and saw the call of God in their lives, how would that change how we see the people God brings into our lives?
There are 3 parts to this.
- The Call of God is dual (on Paul, but also on Ananias). They both have a call. One is TO Christ, and the other is FOR Christ. The call of God often seems like the death of our dreams.
There’s always a cross involved in a call. We try to take the cross out all of the time. It’s not just the cross others have to take up. It’s the one we have to take up when others take theirs up. - The Validation of a faithful/credible person (may not have happened before).
- The Fruit that follows (may not be the winning of thousands like Paul, it might just be the validation of one).
It’s tempting to use the wrong measure of fruitfulness. The fruit is what makes it worth it all.
Acts 9
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
“Living in” means going on or pursuing the journey one has entered. Why did they live in fear of the Lord? Because He confounded their judgment about people, what, how, and with whom He was working.
In a way, they didn’t see that coming.
For more LHC content, subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on Instagram.
Want to play catch-up, or are you looking for a specific topic? Check out our collection of sermons here.
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