Saul Meets Jesus
Theme: LIVING BY FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE
Theme Verse: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 NIV
Readings: Acts 9:1-22
Optional Readings: Acts 26:12-21 and ( Acts 22:4-16)
Memory Verse: "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.'" Acts 9:17
Saul is continuing his murder and threats against those who follow the Way of Jesus when God stops him cold as he is going to another country, Syria, to persecute Christians and try to root out Christianity. A light from heaven, "brighter than the sun"(Acts 26:13) flashes around him and those traveling with him and they all fall to the ground. Word received: Remember when My light shone for the first time in your life. If you were not raised as a Christian, what was it like when you first realized who Jesus really is? If you were raised as a Christian, when did the call of Christ become personal in you life? SHARE.
Saul hears a voice speaking to him in Hebrew, coming out of nowhere, calling him by name. "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?" And Saul said, "Who are you, Lord?" (Lord would be a title of respect, English style, since he was not saying this out of faith.) Jesus said to Saul, "I AM Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting."
Word received: Those who persecute My people, persecute Me. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not disinterested bystanders when their people are hurt and persecuted. Remember what God said to Moses in Exodus 3, "I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters: I know (personal experience not intellectual information) their sufferings and I have come down to deliver them…" God feels it when his people are suffering and even more, Jesus says they are persecuting him! This is part of the mystery of the church as the Body of Christ. We become part of the Body of Christ and also members of one another. How do we feel and act when other parts of the church, the Body of Christ are persecuted?
Luke tells Paul's story here and quotes Paul repeating it twice in later chapters of Acts. (See optional readings.) In 22:10 Saul replies, "What shall I do, Lord?" Word received: That is a question I want all of My people to ask. When God calls us, he expects a response. It is not just something for our curiosity! Once Saul recognized that Jesus is speaking to him from heaven, he totally reverses himself and seeks to obey Jesus. Are we ready to obey Jesus and to desire his direction in our lives?
Jesus tell Saul to get up and go into the city and -----wait! He will be told what to do. Imagine what must have been going on in Saul's mind for the 3 days he was blind. He had a lot to think and pray about! He completely fasted from food and drink. It was like the 3 days Jesus was in the tomb. Saul is helpless and is led by the others to the place they were staying in Damascus. At some point God must have "opened the scriptures" to him as Jesus had done with the other disciples after the resurrection.
The importance of obedience.
Then we hear about "a disciple at Damascus named Ananias." This is his only appearance in Christian history but he must have had a close relationship with Jesus. When the Lord speaks to him in a vision, he answers, "Here I am, Lord." (Compare this to Isaiah's call in Isaiah 6:8.) Word received: Just as Ananias lived as a disciple where he was, I want you to be My disciple where you are. You and I don't need to go somewhere else to follow Jesus. He wants to use us where we are. Jesus given him instructions on how to find Saul of Tarsus, "who is praying"(!)..(God knows where you and everyone else lives--we can't hide from God!)
Ananias answered honestly, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem…." The Lord said, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine (and explains briefly)…" So Ananias departed. Word received: I want you all to be as obedient as Ananias was. Ananias chose to believe the Lord, to trust him and obey him. It was like someone being told to go to Osama Bin Laden and pray over him! Saul also obeyed. After telling about his conversion, Saul/Paul says, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." (26:19)
Do we pray for God to change the persecutors of the Church, to bring them to repentance and conversion? Do we even ask?
(Note: Saul was "filled with the Holy Spirit" before he was baptized. That must have been a confirmation to Ananias just like when God did that to Cornelius in Acts. 10.)
"Then something like scales fell from Saul's eyes." Whatever it was, it is symbolic of his spiritual blindness. God healed both physical and spiritual blindness of Saul through his obedient servant Ananias. Part of Saul/Paul's calling was (26:18) "to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me." Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind and set prisoners free--both spiritually and physically. This is one of the things Isaiah foretells in Isaiah 42:7. Saul was to do for others what God had done for him. Are we willing to share freely the light and healing that God has given us?
Another thing to notice is how God can use all kinds of people, including ordinary people like Ananias as well as talented sinners like Saul. Ananias had a part in changing the world through obeying the Lord and yet we never hear from him again. God could have done it all without using people, but God chose to use Ananias. What a blessing and a joy when God chooses you to do his work--healing, praying, telling about what God has done.
Look at how this obedience, of both men, strengthened the church, the Body of Christ. Saul spent a few days with the disciples there and then immediately (!) proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God and "proved that Jesus was the Christ (Messiah) (Acts 9:22). Pretty quickly after that what Jesus had said began to come true, " how much he must suffer for the sake of My name". Those who didn't believe, tried to kill Saul but he escaped.
NOTE: There is still a "Straight St." in Damascus and there is an Orthodox church there. Perhaps it is "Darb-el-Mostakim" which runs all the way through Damascus from east to west. ((Note from Oxford Bible)
NOTE: the Glory of God is often described as light. Later Paul must have been thinking of his own experience when he wrote to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 3:12-18) and talks about the "veil that lies over the minds of Israelites who don't believe in Jesus and the light, --the glory of God that comes when a person turns to the Lord and the veil is removed. In the next chapter (4:6) Paul talks about the light shining out of darkness and "shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
Note to teachers: Notice the SHARE at the end of the first paragraph. Share your faith story with the children. Be open to one or more of the children having something to share. Word received: The initiative comes from Me. I AM asking you to respond to My initiative. (could use parables of the lost sheep,etc from Luke 15 or Genesis 3:8- After the first man and woman sinned and hid from God, God came looking for them. We have a God who so loves us and wants us back in relationship with himself that he is always seeking us.
The is one of those lessons where we invite the children to respond to God's initiative in their lives and invite him into their hearts for first and additional times.
Teaching Ideas for Lesson 05
Please read the Study Guide first. Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.
Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.
Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.
Basic points of the lesson for little ones:
If you can't do anything else teach #5 and #6.
1.Saul was a man who did terrible things that he thought God wanted.
2. God loved Saul and stopped him by shining a heavenly searchlight on him and speaking to him from heaven. Jesus asked Saul WHY he was doing terrible things to him(Jesus). Saul asked Who are you?
3. When Saul heard it was Jesus speaking from heaven, he suddenly knew who Jesus was and completely changed his mind about Jesus. (This is called repentance.) God made him blind for 3 days to give Saul time to think and pray.
4. After 3 days, Jesus sent Ananias to tell Saul God was forgiving his sins, healing him and giving him the Holy Spirit. He also told Saul he was to tell people who Jesus is.
5. God wants you to know Jesus too. Ask Jesus to come and live in your heart and to forgive you for bad things you have done and be your best friend.
6. God wants us/you to tell other people about Jesus and forgive them when they have hurt us just like Jesus and Stephen did.
An even simpler version for the pre-k is:
1. Saul was a sinner. God loved Saul and wanted him to come and learn of his love in Jesus.
2. Saul learned about Jesus and asked Jesus to forgive his sins.
3. God used Ananias to tell Saul about Jesus.
4. God wants you to know Jesus too. Ask Jesus to be your best friend.
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