New Vision | Week 5 | A New Beginning

If you’ve been with us, we are in week five of our series A NEW BEGINNING, our final week of the series. I hope this series has been inspiring you to take small steps toward habits that will have a big impact over time. The heart of the series is to refocus and calibrate our heart toward the things of God, and it’s fitting as we just started a new year.

This series is all about A NEW BEGINNING. It’s about starting fresh. It’s hitting the reset button on your life or areas in your life that aren’t going the way you want. It’s all about taking time to refocus our attention on the most important things in life.

The first week we talked about having a new heart. We looked at the story of The Woman at the Well. Week two, we looked at the story of Joshua, and how the words God spoke -- purpose, promise and God’s presence over him -- gave him strength for the challenges ahead. Week three, we talked about prayer and how we go to a loving, good God who wants to answer our requests. Last week we focused on friendships and how to have real friendships. I would encourage you to go back if you missed any of these messages to listen to the whole series. You can find it Monday through Friday as Loading Screen reruns on Twitch and Kick, our archives area on Rumble or the audio version through your favorite podcast service, just search Greater Guild Loading Screen.

Today we are talking about vision, specifically what is God’s vision for you as an individual; and what God's vision is for us as a church?

Vision is so powerful! It’s always fun to look into the future and see what could be. Maybe you were one of those kids who could just let your imagination go wild, especially during math class! But vision isn’t just for the dreamers of the world, we all want a look at the future, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we all want a great future. We want a better tomorrow. We don’t want to stay where we are; we want to make progress.

As Christians, this involves God’s plans for our lives. In fact, it should be central to how we see the future. We are not talking Yoda-level future vision. This is how God wants to be involved in our future. In fact, what we are supposed to become was determined long ago according to Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

It’s up to us to walk in this reality and that’s what today's message is all about both for you as an individual and for us as a church family.

Today we are looking at a story in the book of Acts. This is a story about the Apostle Paul. He went by Saul and then later started going by Paul, so as I use Saul or Paul interchangeably, know that I’m talking about the same person.

If you aren’t familiar with Saul from the New Testament, he was a zealous Jewish man. He was obsessed with obeying Jewish law and tradition, and making sure others did the same. Because of his zeal, he moved up quickly in the Jewship leadership. Sounds like many extreme evangelists, right?

In Saul’s younger years, shortly after Jesus rose from the dead and the disciples started sharing the message of Jesus, Saul shows his opposition to Christianity in Acts 7. This is when Stephen was sharing with his Jewish brothers that Jesus is, indeed, the Messiah. Unfortunately, that wasn’t a popular message at the time. Think Star Wars prequels in the early 2000’s with the old school Star Wars fans. The Jews took up stones and killed Stephen.Then look at what Acts 8:1 & 3 says, “Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.”....“But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.”

That was Saul's history up to this point. Not a nice guy. Now we come to the story of Saul becoming a Jesus follower and his interaction with a man by the name of Ananias.

In Acts 9:1-2 Saul is continuing his journey to destroy Christians. Look what it says, “Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.”

The Spanish Inquisition, of whom no one expects, was terrible, well, 1500 years earlier, the Jews had Saul as their Torqumada. As I said, we have a Saul to Paul conversion, and here is that story in Acts 9:3-9, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’ ‘Who are you, lord?’ Saul asked. And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’

The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink..”

Yes, Jesus, not God, gets involved with how Saul is treating Christians. After this meeting, Jesus then talks to a Christian living in Damascus, named Ananias. This part of the story is critical.

In Acts 9:10-16, it reads, “Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, ‘Ananias!’ ‘Yes, Lord!’ he replied. The Lord said, ‘Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.’ ‘But Lord,’ exclaimed Ananias, ‘I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.’ But the Lord said, ‘Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.’”

Here was Ananias’ dilemma, and the more observant of you can already see it. What Jesus was asking of Ananias didn’t make sense. Why would Jesus have chosen Saul to be a leader in the church?! Wouldn’t he be the last person you would want?! Plus, Ananias didn’t want to die.

Like last week, let me give you all three points up top and then we’ll unpack them as we go:

1. VISION doesn’t always make sense or feel safe

2. VISION is made complete by obedience

3. VISION returns more than it costs

Okay let’s jump in.

There are times when God asks us to do something that doesn’t make sense. It could be as simple as being kind to your boss who isn’t so kind. You might say, “But he’s mean!” But Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” For those lisening who are still with their parents or have parents sill living, or if you are a teenager, this means honoring to your parents. You may disagree with your parents, but do so honorably and with respect. You may not feel like it makes sense, but this is God’s desire for you.

There are times when God could ask you to do something that is a risk. You might say I can’t afford to give the tithe. It feels risky. What if I don’t have enough? God might tell you to talk to someone about Jesus, or change jobs, or move, or even stay when you don’t want to stay. It feels so risky!

Now Ananias both feels like this doesn’t make sense and that he’s at risk. But we have to know that the question isn’t, does it make sense or is it free of risk? The question is, is it God?

There are times when God steps into our world and surprises us with something that might make us a little uncomfortable. It shakes our logic, stirs up fear, makes us say, “Are you sure God?” It’s those moments when we just can’t shake something. We feel God speaking to confess, serve, let go, believe, trust, give, work! Or some other verb you can think of! It’s not about, does it make sense or is it safe, but is it God telling me to do this?

At this point, let me ask you, my viewers and listeners: What is God putting in front of you? What’s his message to you this week, this month, this year maybe? Is there risk involved? Maybe it doesn’t compute, but is it God?

That’s how it was for Ananias. He could loose his life. He is putting his life on the line. He is risking it all with going to see Saul, yet it was God telling him to go and pray for Saul. Because Ananias knew it was God, as God will step forward despite his fears. When God gives you a vision, trust him. Keep in mind: VISION doesn’t always make sense or feel safe.

Now there’s something pretty cool in here that is just one word, but it has enormous significance. Read verse 17. “So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”

Ananias calls Saul “Brother.” What?! Ananias calls him a family term even though he knew what this man had done to the family of God! Think how Luke entered the cave on Dagobah? Yoda tells Luke to enter without weapons. Luke disobeys. We saw how that ended. Like Luke and his weapon’s belt, Ananias could have drilled Saul with questions to make sure it wasn’t a trick. But Ananias didn’t. In his mind, this former persecutor is now family. Ananias goes from worry and fear to complete trust in the words of Jesus. Ananias was obedient to the vision that God gave him -- completely obedient.

But how could he have that kind of trust when the stakes are so high? To trust someone is to trust their judgment, their character, who they are at their core. When someone’s judgment or character changes based on the circumstances, it hurts trust.

If our struggle is with trusting God, then we have to go back to reminding ourselves who God is -- that God is good, loving and kind. He wants the best for us and knows what IS best for us. It’s the enemy, by contrast, who’s come to kill, steal, destroy, but it’s Jesus who has come to give us life and life more abundantly according to John 10:10.

It’s these truths about God that should stir our faith to trust and OBEY God when His Vision for us seems scary. This is where Ananias was. His trust in Jesus was so strong that it overcame the fears he had. It was this strong faith that pushed him to action. It moved him to step into the vision God gave him.

God’s vision for you -- whether it’s small or big, for today or the rest of your life -- are you trusting him?. Yes, it might seem risky and oftentimes it goes against our natural way of thinking, but IF it in fact it is God, God calls us to trust him like Ananias did. Obedience without trust is only compliance, and trust without obedience isn’t real trust. But having a heart that trusts God’s goodness and acts on that trust is the kind of obedience that honors Him.

Here you have Ananias not just obeying, but trusting that God has his best interest in mind and not just his interest but millions of others as we will find out through the rest of the story. Again, VISION is made complete by obedience.

We conclude Saul’s conversion in Acts 9:18-20 and verse 22.

Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.

Saul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days. And immediately he began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is indeed the Son of God!”

Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

Saul becomes an amazing communicator of the Gospel. The very church he tried to destroy, he is now working to build! It’s an incredible story of redemption! But it cost something. It cost Ananias stepping out and obeying God’s vision for him. He had to overcome his fear, and his belief that Saul was not a good choice to be a church leader. He took the risk to trust and obey God, so what was the pay off?

That seed of obedience sown by Ananias would grow into fruitful ministry. Saul would later be renamed Paul and would write more than ⅓ of the New Testament. He would start many churches and give us the theology we have today that impacts churches and lives all over the world!

I bet you that Ananias had no idea his trust and obedience would be so important to this story playing out. Yes, his obedience cost him a little bit, but it would bring about a huge blessing.

The cost of telling the truth, will reap the benefit of trusted relationships. The cost of loving your spouse like Christ loves you and me, will reap the benefit of a blessed marriage. The cost of forgiving will reap the benefit of freedom in your own heart and mind. The cost of obeying your parents will reap the benefit of blessing in your life.

What’s God's vision for your life? It could be to start something. It could be to stop something. It could be something that will change the world, or just today. It’s time to trust God’s vision, obey God’s vision, and watch what God does with your obedience!

Listen to Paul’s testimony as he looks back on his old life.

“even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.”

You and I rebelled against God and in return God poured out his grace and healed us. For myself, I even turned my back on God the day my grandfather died. For Ananias, it would be one small act of obedience that turned into one giant leap for the Kingdom of God.

Maybe today you realize you need to respond to God’s vision for your life. No more excuses, no more delays. Your act of obedience may not make sense, it may not be safe, but if you’ll trust God, what you reap will far exceed what you could have imagined.