Spirit Baptised: Devotion 3

The reading for this week is from Acts 9:1-31. It recounts how Saul was transformed from a person who was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” to one who was preaching that “Jesus is the Son of God”.  

In Week 1’s devotion, one of the points of reflection was what the book of Acts would look like if the disciples were not baptised in the Holy Spirit. Looking at Saul’s life, it would be hard to imagine that the life-changing transformation could have taken place if he did not have the road to Damascus experience with the Spirit of Jesus. Most of the churches in Europe and the province of Asia were planted by Saul and he wrote many letters in the New Testament. Would these have taken place without the Damascus Road experience? 

In this week’s reflection, we turn our focus to the role played by Ananias. He was the one who laid hands on Saulto fill him with the Holy Spirit which resulted in the recovery of Saul’s sight. The fact that Jesus appeared supernaturally to Saul on the road to Damascus does mean that God can function without any human agent. Just as God blinded Saul, he could certainly have allowed him to regain his sight without involving any humans, including Ananias.   

Reflect:

1. What does the conversation between the Lord and Ananias inActs 9:10-16 reveal about Ananias’ state of mind when he received the command from the Lord to go to Saul? 

2. What did Ananias have to overcome to obey God’s command? 

Ananias’ obedience to pray for Saul meant that there was a human witness other than Saul on this divine encounter. It is very likely that it was Ananias who introduced Saul to the disciples in Damascus. Without Ananias' introduction and testimony, it would have been almost impossible for the disciples to have accepted Saul. Afterall they had heard many reports about the harm that he had caused to the church in Jerusalem. 

In Saul’s life, we see how the baptism of the Holy Spirit resulted in healing and a deeper understanding of Scripture which revealed the nature of Christ more accurately. Through Ananias’ obedience, we see the role that the baptism of the Holy Spirit plays to unite followers of Christ. 

Often we think of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as an individual’s encounter with God. The Spirit-filled community that an individual is led to and the impact he has on that community and beyond are also important communal aspects that we should not forget. 

3. Consider the importance and the role that a mentor and community plays in a disciple’s life.