Commissioned: Testimony: Your Story for Their Earنموونە

From Fear to Gentleness and Reverence

The Apostle Peter wrote that we should always be ready to tell others about Jesus, but that we should always do so with gentleness and reverence. This is not the readiness of one who is armed with all the answers, or of quick-tongued wit or a thick-skinned toughness. This means being ready to love, not ready to argue forcefully or to defend ourselves. This kind of readiness leaves us vulnerable.

Ananias, a disciple of the risen Lord, was ready. Then, one day, the Lord asked him to minister to a man named Saul, who was a famous persecutor of Christians. His first response was to give the Lord reasons why this would not be a good idea; however, he did not refuse to go. He stayed in the conversation. The Lord gave him reasons why this would, in fact, be a very good idea, and Ananias obeyed the Lord. By the time Ananias got to Saul, he was ready to call him, “Saul, my brother,” and to gently minister to Saul’s needs.

As we know, Saul would become the Apostle Paul, one of Christ’s greatest servants, but at this time, he was a dangerous character. Yet, Ananias was willing to make himself vulnerable to Saul, even receiving him as a brother, in order to minister to him. May God grant us the attitude of Ananias, who was willing to wrestle through his fears in prayer with God and then go in gentleness and reverence to the one to whom God sent him. Ananias was willing to experience the same vulnerability as the One who hung on the cross to save us from our sins.

Stop, think and pray:

Let’s deal honestly with our fears about witnessing. Too often we allow our fears to become aggressiveness or defensiveness, and our attitude toward others is not one of gentleness and respect. Let’s express our doubts and fears to the Lord, as Ananias did, and let’s ask the Lord to give us the courage to share lovingly and vulnerably with others about our relationship with Him.

“Saint Ananias, please pray for us, so that we may follow your example and may share with you the joy of seeing Sauls become Pauls—persecutors become apostles. Amen.”