Text: Acts 9
Last week, we saw the Father's role in taking care of the vine. He prunes, cuts off, observes, and cares for the branches. His intentions are for our good.
Paul was zealous for the Jewish faith, and viewed those following Jesus as a threat. He persecuted, consented to their death, and imprisoned them.
All that changes when he has an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus wants to know why he's persecuting Him and why he's "kicking against the goads." A goad is a pointed stick used to direct the ox. The Lord is nudging Paul in one direction, but he's going in another. He's fighting Jesus. In another scripture, Paul says he did this ignorantly, and he was an unbeliever.
Paul's conversation with Jesus changes his life forever. After the meeting, he's blind and stays at Judas' house on Straight Street. There he fasts and prays. The Lord shows him a man called, "Ananias," would be coming to pray for him so he would receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Meanwhile, the Lord speaks to Ananias and tells him to go see Saul of Tarsus to pray for him. Jesus gives him the address and the assignment. Ananias balks at the idea. After all, this is the guy persecuting Christians. Jesus tells Ananias that Paul has seen a vision, and he's a chosen vessel. In other words, he's attached to the vine now.
Pruning involves our obedience and submission to the word of God, whether written or spoken. When we resist, we have a problem. Both Paul and Ananias allowed God to prune them, which resulted in much fruit and the furtherance of the gospel.
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