Focus: What God Says About You

Text: Act.9:13,15

"How much evil he hath DONE to thy saints… HE IS a chosen vessel unto me…"

Luke narrates the story of how Paul encountered Christ supernaturally. You know, Christianity is a supernatural religion. If you divorce the supernatural of God from Christianity, what you will have left would be only a sham - a Christianity that lacks divine energy and reality.

The Lord Jesus Christ says of one of the churches in Revelation, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." That is a living corpse, empty of life and vitality. That is what happens when the supernatural of God is taken out of Christianity.

Luke tells us of Paul that after having surrendered his life to Christ, the Lord in a vision tells Ananias, one of His disciples, to go and pray for him to recover his sight and also to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. But Ananias felt he needed to avail Christ of some vital information about Paul that would assist the Lord to make a well informed decision. Imagine a mere mortal informing and advising his creator! In essence, he says to the Lord, 'This man you are sending me to, is evil. He is our problem. He's been on our necks. I've been getting a lot of evil reports about him. He takes permission from the authorities to attack Your own people, maltreating and imprisoning us. He is a terror to us, an agent of Satan from the pit of hell. He is dangerous and a no-go-area. Sending me to him is like sending me to an early grave. It's not a good idea. It doesn't make sense going to him for anything.' As far as Ananias was concerned, Paul is a rotten egg, completely irredeemable - someone to be dreaded and avoided by all means. It rings true what another has said that 'man's conclusion is God's preamble.' Fear and sentiments prevented Ananias from seeing that a saint was once a sinner and a sinner may become a saint anytime, any day, and that with God anything is possible.

Ananias was unaware of the supernatural change that has taken place in Paul. He spoke based on what he had previously known about Paul. He didn't know that all he knew about Paul was at that point a past tense.

Here's what Ananias said:

"Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem…" That was man's conclusion.

But let us read what the Lord says to Ananias about Paul: "Go thy way: for HE IS A CHOSEN VESSEL UNTO ME, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" (Act.9:13,15).

Child of God, you are a chosen vessel unto the Lord. You might have done what they said you did, but you are certainly not who they say you are. God says, "You are my chosen vessel." That is your authentic identity before God. It really matters how God sees you.

The Lord Jesus Christ also declares your destiny: "to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel." "You are" - that's your identity. "You will bear my name" - that's your destiny. You are saved to serve and freed from your chains to fulfill God's design.

While Ananias was busy recounting Saul's history, the Lord Jesus was revealing and introducing his destiny. I affirm what another has said, that "God doesn't consult your past to determine your future." Amen.

 by Bishop Moses E. Peter