Paul was a pharisee. In fact, he was a very educated man. He was a pharisee of the pharisee under the teachings of Gamaliel. He was educated according to the strictest care in the Law of his fathers, being ardent even a zealot for God. Saul (Paul) thought He knew God. He thought "The Way" was not of God and then he began persecuting the children of the Lord. This mistake repeats even today as many religious men continue to persecute God's children.
Acts 9:3-4 Now as he traveled on, he came near to Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,4 And he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me [harassing, troubling, and molesting Me]?
This Light came from heaven. It flashed around him and Saul fell to the ground. We must come on our knees in humility and we must let His Light give us a new sight into the spiritual realm through faith. But in order to have new sight, we must first be blinded by His Light so we may no longer see the physical world in the carnal nature. We must stop depending on the world. We must stop looking back to Egypt where we think it was easier. We must stop walking in sight as we have been since the day we were born into sin. We must stop walking on our own.
Once Saul was blinded, he need help to be guided. He could no longer depend on his own abilities. Saul was a very proud man. But in his weakness, in order to receive sight once again, he had to follow the instructions of the Lord and he had to have a lay man pray over him. Scripture did not say the person who was to pray over him to be a priest, pharisee, Sadducee, or any other higher ranking order. Scripture says, he was a devout man. He could not go to Gamaliel or any of the other high ranking pharisees. He had to humble himself and have a brother, a lay believer, pray over him.
Acts 9:17-18 So Ananias left and went into the house. And he laid his hands on Saul and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you along the way by which you came here, has sent me that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit 18 And instantly something like scales fell from [Saul’s] eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then he arose and was baptized,
Acts 22:11 And since I could not see because [of the dazzlingly glorious intensity] of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and [thus] I arrived in Damascus.12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well spoken of by all the Jews who resided there,13 Came to see me, and standing by my side said to me, Brother Saul, [c]look up and receive back your sight. And in that very [d]instant I [recovered my sight and] looking up saw him.
Today, many Christians whether lay believers, preachers, or others who are in higher authority are walking like Saul. They may be educated. They may have gone to famous theological schools. They may have degrees and certificates. They may have experience in preaching and teaching. They may have titles. They may be well known. But they have yet to be blinded by the light of the Lord and they are yet to have the scales removed so that their spiritual sight may be opened. They are rather blinded by the world. This sight that is opened is now a spiritual sight. It may not be a spiritual sight in which one sees angels and demons. But it is a spiritual sight in which one knows the Lord and knows His Voice. When Saul was blinded, he asked "Who are you Lord?" He did not know the voice of His God. He was in fact persecuting His own God.
Matthew 20:29 And as they were going out of Jericho, a great throng accompanied Him.30 And behold, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David!31 The crowds reproved them and told them to keep still; but they cried out all the more, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [You] Son of David!32 And Jesus stopped and called them, and asked, What do you want Me to do for you?33 They answered Him, Lord, we want our eyes to be opened!34 And Jesus, in pity, touched their eyes; and instantly they received their sight and followed Him.
Whether we are blinded by the Light of the Lord or by the world, we must cry out to God to have our spiritual sight opened. Two blind men sitting on the roadside heard Jesus was passing by. They cried out! These two were blinded by the world. They were blinded in the physical sense and in their senses. But the crowds reproved them and told them to keep still. Religion and religious men tell those who are hungry to keep still. Those who pray loud. Those who worship loud. Those who try to seek HIM with all their hearts. They are reproved by religious institutions and religious men to be still! If we are to be stubborn, let it be stubborn to cry out more to the Lord asking for mercy on us! When the two blind men cried out, Jesus out of pity touched their eyes. But we must ask HIM. He asked the two blind men, what do you want Me to do for you? We must ask HIM to show us His Truth. We must ask HIM to blind us with HIS Light so the scales that blind us by the world will be removed. When the two men had received their sight, they could not only see everything but now they were seeing the LORD!
Fire of God Ministries
Glory to HIM
Steve Yong Kim
August 21, 2012
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