1:1 Ananias & Saul
Acts 9:1-19a
This week, we’ve seen some amazing sport at the Commonwealth Games. Seeing all the people coming from all over the world, to all our fabulous venues, who doesn’t feel proud of our fabulous city? It’s so inspiring to watch the standard of fitness, agility and skill of the competitors, and to cheer on the medal winners. But, behind every athlete is a small army of people who’s focus is on getting their person across the line first. They are the coaches and trainers, dieticians, physios, sports psychologists, medics, equipment designers, childhood team organisers, invested parents, logistics planners… Without all these individuals, they would never get to be athletes.
This gets me thinking, who has helped make you the person you are today? Who inspired you, challenged you, invited you in ways that helped you take steps forward in your spiritual journey? Who gave you crucial 1:1s?

For me, it was Nancy, a friend of my brothers. She (or, at least, her parents) invited me to, what I thought was, a rock concert. It turned out to be Mission To London, a huge circus tent on London’s Blackheath Common (where the London Marathon starts). For the first time in my fourteen year life, I heard a compelling case for Christ. Over the next few months, after much questioning, I became a Christian. And the rest is history. Nany’s 1:1 invitation is the reason I’m a Christian today. I often wonder what might have happened if they hadn’t said anything or invited me to that event.
This month were thinking about 1:1s. Today, the 1:1 is between Ananias and Saul.
Saul was Turkish, from Tarsus, but living in Jerusalem, Israel. He was a Roman Citizen, part of the oppressive invading Empire system. And he was a fundamentalist Pharisee. 
His answer to the Roman Invasion was not to fight back (like the Zealots) or to run away to the desert and just ‘be’ in splendid isolation (like the Essenes), but to ‘rise above it’ by being more holier-than-thou. They believed that God was using the Romans to judge His people for their faithlessness. The way to appease angry God was to “do better”, live up to what they thought was God’s Law. And, just to be sure, they added a whole Handbook of additional notes, instructions, clarifications. Fulfil ALL of this, without exception, and just maybe, God would relent.
So, for example, the Law said “keep the Sabath Day holy.” Just to be sure, they added supplementary notes: a lawful defined Sabath Walk – like the Lambeth Walk, only without the fun, music, dancing – was up to 890 meters. But, woe betide you if you walked 891.They said, God permitted 890 metres, but would eternally judge anyone who walked 891 meters. They presented God as a vengeful pedant.
No wonder, Saul and his fellow Pharisees felt threatened by Jesus and His radical take on life and faith. Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion or even replacing the Law. He was reframing it, getting it back to what God had always intended it to be. Frequently Jesus said, “You have heard it said…(i.e. You have heard the Pharisees say…) BUT I tell you…
Saul was on a mission: to stop anyone and everyone who followed Jesus. Do whatever it takes, even persecution. The means justified the end. And Saul was very means!
It says, Saul went to the Synagogues looking for men AND WOMEN to arrest. This is an insight into the inclusion that Jesus brought. With the Pharisees, it was all about men-only, the women were excluded. Now, with Jesus, it’s men and women together. Equals.  The Kingdom of God is an inclusive community.
Saul was the last person anyone thought would become a Christ-follower. Maybe you know someone like that. Maybe that’s your story? But God had other ideas. 
On the road north from Jerusalem to Damascus (familiar stop on route home to Tarsus), Saul was blinded by a light. He heard a voice, “Saul, Saul. Why are you persecuting ME?” Stumbling, Saul said, “Is that you, Lord?” He already knew the answer. Again, the voice said, “I AM Jesus who you are persecuting.” Saul was persecuting men and women, and yet Jesus took it very personally. It was as if Saul was persecuting Jesus Himself. Jesus is the Head of the Church, we the church are His body. When we are blessed, Jesus is blessed. What we are hurt, Jesus feels it too. That’s why church is so vital. You can’t say to Jesus ‘I like your head, but I don’t want your body’. Christian faith doesn’t work like that. We can’t expect an authentic Christian experience if we don’t engage with His body, the Church.
So, here’s someone (Saul) on the brink of discovering Christ. And, God knows, he’s going to have an amazing impact. You and I are the fruit. But, right now, he’s blind-sided, confused. What has just happened? What does this all mean? How does he make sense of this? 

Don’t be surprised: the spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, is at work in the lives of many of your friends, extended family, work colleagues, school gaters, neighbours… He goes ahead of us, calling, nudging people; those coincidences, chance encounters, surprising conversations that make people think, ‘Is there more to life that this?’ God is at work, our task is to join in with Him.
Saul had to be led by the hand, to be protected by those he had come to arrest. It was a humbling experience. He was learning to surrender his own ego, power, Lordship… To surrender to Christ.
God had a solution. It was Annanias. Who? He was the complete opposite of Saul: a Syrian, living in Damascus; not a Roman Citizen; a disciple – a Christ-follower. Ananias is exactly who Saul had come to persecute.
The Lord called to Annias in a vision. Annias responded simply, “YES, LORD!” That’s the only response God needs from you. YES, Lord. In this season of your life, what is God saying to you? To Ananias, God then said, GO. God ALWAYS says go. This time God was calling Ananias to go… across the street. (Straight Street still exists in Damascus today. Once again, the Bible is talking about real places, real people – not mere myth/ fable.)
God IS calling you. God IS telling you to GO. It’s probably to cross your street, office, playground… To go to those near to you. When we do, we discover many of them are already near to Christ. They just need that 1:1 nudge from us, that personal invitation, that word of witness.
Maybe like us, Ananias needed to hear God more than once. Are you sure, Lord? You do know what Saul has DONE, right? But God not only knew Saul’s PAST, He also knew His FUTURE.
“This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.”
GO!
We don’t hear of Annanias again.  We can’t all do what Paul did. But we can ALL do what Ananias did. Because of his “Yes Lord”, Saul (aka Paul) had a massive impact. Without Ananias’s 1:1 with Saul, our Bibles would be missing 13 books in the New Testament and the Gospel wouldn’t have spread across the globe in the way that it did. And you and I might not know Christ. Thank you, Ananias! Who was instrumental in you coming to faith or getting serious about God?
Ananias reached out to Saul. He put his hands on him and prayed. It must have been so tempting to have ‘laid hands’ on blinded Saul with all his brute strength, to laid hands around Saul’s persecuting neck! I can hear God, whispering to Ananias, ‘Pray nicely!’ 
Ananias says, “Brother, Saul”. He called him brother. The persecutor of Christ is now my brother, part of the family of God, the body of Christ. What a powerful demonstration of the Gospel. I’m in awe of how often I see Chester Roaders doing the same: loving people, welcoming them, receiving them as fellow brothers and sisters… That’s what being part of the Body of Christ is all about. Yes, it includes us but it also about including everyone else.
This week, today, who could you have a 1:1 with? Who could you gently nudge towards Christ? What will you say? What will you invite them to?
As the old worship chorus from 1981 (is it really 40+ years ago?!) says:
One Shall Tell Another, And He Shall Tell His Friend,
Husbands, Wives And Children Shall Come Following On.
From House To House In Families Shall More Be Gathered In,
And Lights Will Shine In Every Street, So Warm And Welcoming.
Come On In And Taste The New Wine,
The Wine Of The Kingdom, The Wine Of The Kingdom Of God.
Here Is Healing And Forgiveness,
The Wine Of The Kingdom, The Wine Of The Kingdom Of God.
Compassion Of The Father Is Ready Now To Flow,
Through Acts Of Love And Mercy We Must Let It Show.
He Turns Now From His Anger To Show A Smiling Face,
And Longs That Men Should Stand Beneath
The Fountain Of His Grace.
Come On In And Taste The New Wine…
He Longs To Do Much More Than Our Faith Has Yet Allowed,
To Thrill Us And Surprise Us With His Sovereign Power.
Where Darkness Has Been Darkest The Brightest Light Will Shine,
His Invitation Comes To Us, It’s Yours And It Is Mine.
Come On In And Taste The New Wine…

07840 046020   DannyBrierley@ChesterRoadBaptist.org.uk