“My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him” (Acts 22:11-13).

Paul’s conversion is recorded three times in the book of Acts. That is remarkable considering the limited space in Scripture. It points to the importance of Paul’s encounter with Christ.

There is one aspect of Paul’s conversion that I find both surprising and interesting. When he met Christ on the road to Damascus he was blinded. Rather than healing Paul right there, Jesus sent him into Damascus to meet a believer named Ananias. Meeting Jesus changed Paul’s life. Then, Jesus immediately connected him with another believer.

Only Jesus changes our lives, but it is His plan to immediately connect us with other believers. His Church isn’t made up of perfect people, but it does provide the human connection that is important for our growth. Ananias laid hands on Paul and Paul was healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. Ananias spoke to Paul and confirmed what Jesus had just said to him.

Paul spent the rest of his life serving the Church. No one understood more fully how important the local church is to a believer than Paul did. God intends that we find our salvation in Christ alone. He also plans for us to be healed, loved and encouraged through other believers. Paul loved the Church and taught about the Church because he experienced it at its best in the first moments of his Christian life.