The Disciple Ananias

Very little is known of the disciple of Jesus who became the vital key in Paul’s life (formerly known as Saul) immediately after his conversion on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:1-9). Ananias was his name; and Ananias was given revelation keys to impart into Paul’s life, as well as to bring healing of his sight after three days of blindness. He is only mentioned in two small portions of Scripture (Acts 9:10-19 & Acts 22:12-16); yet his ministry impacted the greatest Apostle since Jesus!

But what we do know of Ananias makes for very interesting reading and meditation:

ACTS 9:10-19

• He was a disciple of Jesus. A “disciple” is “one who follows both the teacher and the teaching” (Bullinger’s). He put into practice in his daily life what he had been taught ~ Acts 9:10.

• He knew the voice of the Lord clear enough to answer Him when He spoke ~ Acts 9:10.

• God trusted him enough to obey what God had asked of him, so that He (God) could give his name to Paul and tell him that Ananias was coming to speak into his life ~ Acts 9:11-12.

• Ananias had natural, human re-actions like the rest of us. He was somewhat nervous and hesitant to obey when he heard it was Paul he was meant to go and speak to. God had to reassure him ~ Acts 9:13-15.

• God was able to trust Ananias with revelation knowledge on other people, i.e. Paul ~ Acts 9:15-16.

• In spite of it being Paul, Ananias was obedient to God’s voice and followed the guidance of the Lord to Judas’ house ~ Acts 9:17, 11.

• Ananias chose to believe the voice of the Lord more than his own natural knowledge and negative reasonings about Paul ~ he called him “Brother Paul,”even though no human being had told him Paul was now a born-again believer! ~ Acts 9:17.

• Ananias’ obedience to God’s voice enabled God to set-up a divine appointment with Paul. That divine appointment led to Paul impacting millions of lives from that point on ~ including our lives too!

• Ananias knew to pray for Paul’s healing of blindness, and to see him filled with the Holy Spirit ~ Acts 9:17-18.

• Ananias baptized Paul in water as well at that time ~ Acts 9:18.

ACTS 22:12-16

• Ananias was a devout man; “devout” meaning “reverence for God which shows itself in actions, practical piety of every kind, the energy of piety in the life (a piety that governs the soul), reverence well and rightly directed” (Bullinger’s). “Piety” is “to act as in the fear of God.”

• Ananias had a good testimony (report). That means “to witness, be a witness; bear witness, testify . . . to be well testified of, have good witness borne in favour of” (Bullinger’s) ~ Acts 22:12. Ananias’ committed life enabled others to see the genuineness of his confession of faith in Jesus. He practiced what he preached! He walked the talk, more than he talked the talk!

• Ananias had a true prophetic gifting. He prophesied the “prophetic foundation” of Paul’s life, future and ministry very accurately ~ Acts 22:14-15.

• Ananias told Paul he was God’s witness to all men of what he had seen and heard.A “witness” is “one who remembers, i.e. one who has information or knowledge of a thing, and can therefore give information concerning, bring to light or confirm anything” (Bullinger’s). Paul would bear witness to the personal revelation he received directly from Jesus, as well as the prophetic words he received (heard) from Ananias ~ Acts 9:1-19; Acts 22:6-21; Acts 26:12-19.

THE SAME PRINCIPLES APPLY TO US TODAY

The prophetic principles and keys that Ananias gave to Paul in Acts 22:14-15 are exactly the same principles that we all need to take heed to and apply in our own lives today.

What are they?

• KNOW that we are chosen of God!

• KNOW God’s will for our life!

• SEE the Just One (Jesus) ~ we see Him with the eye of faith.

• HEAR the voice of His mouth!

• BE HIS (Jesus’) WITNESS TO ALL OF WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD!

Without these same principles in our lives, our effectiveness as a born-again, Holy Spirit-filled believer will be very limited. It is this personal revelation and prophetic input into our lives that makes us over-comers and achievers in the Kingdom of God today. If we do not know, see and hear the above, we will not know where to focus our attention, and will struggle in our endeavours to fulfil the will and call of God for our lives.

Let us learn from the example of Ananias. Let us be a person that God can rely on to give our name to others and tell them we are coming with a message for them. To be in that category we have to be obedient to whatever the Lord tells us, no matter what our mind or reasoning tries to tell us.

Will you be an Ananias for Jesus today?