Dear Ones, these current articles are first drafts of chapters of a book that I conceive will be called RADICAL TRANSFORMATION – THE SEVEN MINISTRIES TO EVERY NEW BELIEVER. I write believing that every reader is as passionate in their love for God as I am, which is why I write to you. The book will have guidelines drawn from the Word and experience in how to impart those ministries, and will envision scenarios where they are practically applied. We will then use the book in all of our house churches and schools of ministry across the fruited plain and around the globe. Please let me know what you think. Love you!
BECOMING ANANIAS
Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias… Acts 9:10 NKJV
Why Ananias? Why do we seek to study Ananias? The reason is twofold – first, he is not a fivefold minister, not a Peter or a John. Almost all that we read in the Word is about the exploits of men and women with great callings. This is not the case with our friend Ananias. He is so simple, so ordinary that there are two other men, of dubious distinction, with his name recorded in the Acts – an ordinary man with a common name.
Secondly, he is extraordinarily, by current twenty first century Church standards, well trained in the gifts of the Spirit and the Word of God. And, we don’t know who trained him. The twelve were trained by Jesus. Paul was mentored by Peter. Philip the evangelist was trained by the twelve. But we don’t know who trained Ananias, leaving the exciting possibility that he was an example of the general training that all first century saints received. By their fruits you shall know them!
Why study Ananias? The reason is because if Ananias can do it, you and I can do it!
My first experience with receiving revelation where I consciously asked for the revelation involved an offering that I was sending in to our local church office. I was sixteen years old, having just received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and wanted to give a tithe from my income as a dishwasher. But I didn’t know the address! So, I closed my eyes, imagined an envelope and asked the Lord to give me the address. The address appeared on my imaginary envelope! I wrote it on a real envelope, sent in my check, and a few days later, got a reply thanking me for my offering. God showed me the address!
…and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” Acts 9:10 NKJV
There are five levels of spiritual growth, following the major levels of physical growth – a babe (Grk. NEPIOS), a young child (Grk. PAIDION), a teenager (Grk.TEKNON), an adult (Grk. HUIOS, lit. son) and finally a parent (Grk. PATER, lit. a father). A NEPIOS is almost indistinguishable from an unsaved person, but they can praise and receive revelation. When a NEPIOS becomes humble and teachable they are becoming a PAIDION, beginning to know God as Father and that they are in a family. As a TEKNON they learn to deal with the world, overcome habitual sin and have Christ formed in their character.
As they continue to grow, they become a HUIOS, a fully matured son or daughter, and are ready to be led by the Spirit. Just because you receive revelation, like my example above, does not mean you are ready to be led by the Spirit just yet. There are mountains that need to be mastered first. But when you master those mountains, that is when the real adventure of Christianity begins!
Notice Ananias’ calm demeanor. Ananias’ whole demeanor indicates a HUIOS level believer at the very least. He is not rattled by God’s intrusion into his thoughts, and can think and speak under pressure, and without condemnation or the need to ‘get right’ before God. When the character of Christ is formed in you, at the TEKNON level, one of the great attributes is peace and calm assurance. HUIOS level believers are not ‘worriers’ but true warriors.
I think I got delivered of demons the first time about six months after I got filled with the Holy Spirit. In Catholicism the line between religion and the occult can be very blurry. While still a practicing Catholic I started to play with a Ouija board. For you uninitiated ones that is a blatant form of divination. Long story shortened…I got quite adept at consulting it. I gave it all up when I got filled with the Holy Spirit, but still battled depression. One day at church I went to get prayed for by my pastor. He laid hands on me and said, “I see your mind as being all broken up.” I said, “Well, pray that it comes together!” He did, and it did, and I was much happier, bless God forever!
The Lord confronts Ananias, and he responds humbly and openly. The description ‘openly’ is important because it shows that Ananias had nothing to hide. When Adam and Eve sinned, and the Lord sought them, how did they respond? They hid. Sin always make you hide from righteousness in whatever form it comes. If you cheat on your taxes, righteousness might come in the form of an inquiry from the Internal Revenue Service. Do you see it? If we want to become like Ananias, we have to live with nothing to hide.
So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Acts 9:11-12 NKJV
What we should consider here is the precision of revelation. Not a wasted word in that statement! I’m told that the ‘street called Straight’ was the main thoroughfare through Damascus, and had to be entered into to get anywhere across town. You can be assured that Ananias was sitting when he got the revelation, and that Paul would be in the physical act of praying when he arrived. Revelation is that precise!
For twenty five years I have prayed like this in ministering healing, getting precise revelation about diseases, injuries and traumas to the body and soul and have ministered with dramatic results. So, I was amused and encouraged the first time Carl took us out in what he called treasure hunting, in what we have later termed in our Holy Spirit seminars as prophetic evangelism. I had already done this in Africa in planting schools of ministry but never in the US with evangelism.
We asked the Lord for revelation about where to go and who to talk to, and even specific details about them. I think I had gotten a name, and we felt that we would meet three young men under round street lamps in Albany. The only place there was round street lamps in the whole city was in front of the police station. Sure enough, when we went there, three young men were waiting under the lamps. Carl proceeds to charge over, prophesies to each of the young men intimate details about their lives, and yes, one of them was named very closely to the name I got. The young men were so astonished that they thought they were on a reality TV show!
You will see that revelation is so precise, and can be followed in so exact a manner, that even time and space is made to conform to the will of God – you show up at the right place, at the right time, and say and do the right things!
Now, another point in ‘becoming Ananias’ comes up next. Do you think God cares about your opinion?
And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…” Gen 18:17 NKJV
I believe He deeply cares about your opinion. You are not an unthinking robot! In ground level, day-to-day life, the Lord needs our cooperation to bring His best possible results. Thus, He commands us to love Him and love our neighbor (I was just finishing reading Deuteronomy the other day, when I understood with divine breath what Jesus said about all the law being summed up in those two commands – it was a blessed moment!), without which He cannot do His best in our lives.
Ananias gives his opinion of the persecutor Paul’s current situation.
Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” Acts 9:13-14 NKJV
“Honestly, Lord, I’m not too excited about this assignment. He came here to torture and kill Your sons and daughters.” You have to appreciate Ananias’ attitude. I think I could have a cup of coffee with him! But the Lord answers Ananias’ concerns and sends him to minister.
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine (this statement answers his concerns about Paul) to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” Acts 9:15-16 NKJV
Ananias is now ready to go minister four of the seven great ministries to every new believer to the new convert Paul. We want to learn HOW he does this so effectively because we want to do the same for all of our new converts. We want to release ‘on fire’ radically transformed new believers in our churches and out into the community. We want to become as effective as Ananias. What is that great, overarching principle that is so indispensable, so important that can make us effective for God in every situation? You’ll have to turn the page and find out! Love you!
Remember, dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…