THE KING’S BUSINESS
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thq Mormon position that only one holding a certain official position can either baptize or impart the Holy Spirit, is absolutely without warrant in the Word of God, yet the whole Mormon appeal to their disci ples is made on the .basis of this assump tion. The bringing of Ananias into the scene is deeply significant, it shows that however marvellously and miraculously God may work in a man’s conversion, that a saved man must be brought in before the work is completed. Every conversion recorded in the New Testament was through human instrumentality, including this most miraculous conversion of all, that of Saul of Tarsus, and that other wonderful conversion of Cornelius. Paul notes the fact in speaking to his intensely Jewish audience that Ananias was “a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews.” Paul showed great skill in introducing this little detail. He was speaking in a wisdom given him by the Holy Spirit. He also emphasizes the fact that Ananias said, “The God of our fathers hath chosen thee.” Paul aims to win the Jews at every possible point. The God of the Jews had appointed Paul to three things: (1) “To know His will.” (2) “To see the Righteous One.” Paul actually saw Jesus in the glory. (3) “To hear a voice (an uttered message) from His mouth.” The reason why God had appointed Paul to “know His will,” and to “see the Righteous One,” and to “hear a voice from His mouth” was because Paul was to be “a witness for Him unto all men,” and God qualified His witness. Cer tainly Paul was a qualified witness. What Paul was to witness to was that which he had “seen and heard.” Modern preachers are too often witnesses of what they have read or guessed, or speculated. When a man tells what he has seen or heard his testimony is worth listening to, , One of Paul’s short epistles is worth tons of mere theological speculation. Saul had been convinced that Jesus-was Lord. For three days and three nights he had spent his time in fasting and prayer, but he had not come
story is pure fiction, .for the story bears the plain marks of truth upon its face. Morever, there is no motive for the lie. Men are not radically transformed by a self-made lie, and they do not live years of hardship and loss for the sake of a lie that they themselves have manufactured. No, Saul of Tarsus must have had such an experience as he describes here. How shall we account for the experience? Many theories have been advanced, but there is only one explanation that is reasonable and that will stand examination, and that is that Saul of Tarsus really had seen what he describes, and that Jesus is a living, Divine Saviour, and actually appeared to Saul in the glory. Saul is then a messen ger of God, accredited by his Master as no theological professor or preacher on earth today is accredited, and any professor or preacher who presumes to set up the opinion concerning Jesus that he has him self wrought out against the truths that Jesus Himself revealed to Paul is a mon ster of presumption and conceit. Monday, April 9 . Acts 22 : 10 - 16 . The Lord Jesus who had appeared to Paul to call him to do His service, leads Paul on step by step. When. Paul asks what he shall do, calling Jesus “Lord” as he asks it, the Lord Jesus does not map out his life for him, He simply% tells him the next step, to go into Damascus and that there he shall be given his instructions. That the vision which Paul had seen was a real sight of the glorified Lord and not a vision in the sensé of a dream or fancy, is evident from the fact that Paul’s eyes were blinded by what he saw. He enters Damascus that he had expected to enter as a conqueror, led helplessly by the hand. And now a man is brought upon the scene of action. This man does not seem to have held any official position in the church, he was just “one Ananias,” or, as it is put in Luke’s account in Acts 9, “a certain disciple,” yet Ananias baptized Paul. Through Ananias Paul received the Holy Spirit, which shows conclusively that
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