“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6).
Paul’s conversion is a remarkable story in every way. He is a great illustration of Jesus’ power to change a person completely. Saul, the hate-filled persecutor of believers, became Paul the foremost missionary in the history of the church. His encounter with Jesus changed his life.
Included in this account is an aspect that I find noteworthy. Paul’s journey was interrupted by a direct encounter with Jesus. We could all agree that Jesus would have been quite capable of handling all of Paul’s needs while Paul was still on the road. Instead, what did Jesus do? He sent Paul into Damascus to meet another believer, Ananias.
Jesus immediately connected Paul with another believer. That connected Paul with His Church. That’s where Paul would find the power of God that brought him healing and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Ananias laid his hands on Paul and Paul was healed of his blindness and was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Why didn’t Jesus do those things while He had Paul on the road to Damascus? It is because Jesus chooses to use other believers in the process of our growing faith.
Ananias wasn’t perfect. Initially he didn’t even want to go and pray for Paul. Yet, he was a key to Paul’s miraculous start as a Christian. The truth is simple yet profound. We depend on each other. The Church is made up of imperfect people, but God uses this marvelous collection of believers in each of our lives. Jesus made that clear when, immediately after challenging Paul on the road, He sent Paul to the local church to find another believer. Each of us is that important in the development and growth of our brothers and sisters. That’s why Jesus created a Church. We need each other.
