During the first century of the church, it took great courage to be a member of the church as the Jewish leaders were persecuting them with great ferocity. The apostles were jailed for teaching Jesus and when an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, they once again began to teach publicly the "whole message of this life.' (Acts 5:20).

When they were again captured, they came very close to being put to death, but Gamaliel stood up and warned them that they "may be found fighting against God" (Acts 5:39). Then they flogged the apostles and ordered them to "speak no more in the name of Jesus." (Acts 5:40). When they are released they rejoice that they suffered for His name's sake and continued to "preach Jesus as the Christ." (Acts 5:42).

As the church continued to grow in Jerusalem, a great number of Priests were becoming obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7) and Stephen was working many miracles through the Holy Spirit and confounded the men of the Synagogue of the Freedmen so much so that they induce men to bring false charges against Stephen who was then stoned after a trial.

The men who stoned Stephen laid their robes at the "feet of a young man named Saul." (Acts 7:58)

Great persecution came upon the church (that was still located primarily in Jerusalem) and the members were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria (Acts 1:8), except the apostles (Acts 8:1). But those that were scattered went about preaching the word.

Now a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias was approached by the Lord in a vision and was told:

Acts 9:15 and the Lord said to him, "Get up and to to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of

Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias

come in and lay his hands on him, so that he may regain his sight."

But Ananias questions the Lord concerning this man because he had heard of the great harm this man had done to the saints in Jerusalem, and that he even has authority by the Chief Priests to bind all that call upon His name.

And so for our answer to the man that Ananias was afraid of: his name is Saul, who is later called Paul (Acts 13:9).

This same man is the author of many of the New Testament books we study today. Jesus tells Ananias:

Acts 9:15:16 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings

and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

And Saul did suffer, not only physically (2 Corinthians 11:23-28), but also mentally as he calls himself the chief of sinners (I Timothy 1:15) because of his persecuting the saints in Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 15:9) and the hearty agreement of stoning Stephen.

When Saul is before Ananias and on his hands and knees because of his great sorrow of sin, he is told by Annanias these tender words:

Acts 22:16 "Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling upon His

name."

Saul was honest enough to not only recognize his mistake, but to admit it was and to make it right by washing away his sins in that watery grave (Romans 6:1-6) and continuing as a follower of the very one he once persecuted.

What about us? Have we made the same mistake of denying Him? Why not make it right as Saul did by becoming a slave of righteousness! (Romans 6:18)