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Brother Saul

There is a greeting in the Bible that gives me goosebumps every time I read it. It is found in Acts 9 during the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (also known as the Apostle Paul). Saul had been blinded by the light when the Lord appeared to him, and he was led to a certain house in Damascus.

While that was unfolding, God spoke to a man named Ananias and told him to go to that house and pray over Saul. In v.17 we read the greeting:

"So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.'”

Brother Saul? This gives me goosebumps when I remember who Saul was. Essentially a terrorist, Saul gave his approval for the martyrdom of Stephen. This same Saul obtained letters from the high priest to round up and imprison anyone who followed Jesus. Acts 8:1 says he was "ravaging" the church, and 9:1 says he was "breathing threats and murder" against the disciples. 

Ananias was fully aware of who Saul was. Brother Saul? Are you serious? 

Imagine if the Lord told you Osama bin Laden had repented of his sins and converted to Christianity, and He wanted you to go pray over him and disciple him. Would you do it? Would you greet him "Brother bin Laden"? I'm not so sure I would. 

Imagine how this greeting made Saul feel. He was no doubt eaten up with guilt over the role he played in the death of Stephen, and all the other people he had ravaged. Brother Saul. He was being accepted as a part of the family of God, and that greeting went a long way into turning him into the missionary he was called to be. 

Ananias had to be scared. As long as Saul was blind, he was safe. But he had to reach out and touch him, and pray for God to restore his sight. That would make him dangerous again. But he trusted God and obeyed, and the rest is history. 

We are good at remembering a person's past, but when they repent, they become our brother or sister. We need to help them feel like they are really part of the family of God, and it may give them the boost they need to go out and be the next Apostle Paul.

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