Oh Brother!

Act 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth.

Here, Paul reports of the first time he is called by the endearing Christian term, "Brother" by Ananias.

How did it feel for Saul, the very persecutor who was on his way to Damascus for the sake of delivering Christians up for incarceration and even death, to now suddenly be among the chosen band of brothers he worked against so zealously.

Imagine the enemies of the cross of our day who work so hard to destroy the faith of Christians, actually coming to Christ and becoming chief among believers. What if a renown Christian hater like Fidel Castro, Rosie O'Donell, Bill Maher, George Soros, Howard Stern or Ted Turner saw the light as Saul did and converted to Christ after a Damascus Road experience?

How would they be received among the brethren? How surreal to call her, 'Sister Rosie' or him, “Bro. Fidel!”

Then imagine what it was like to witness the 180 degree turn of Saul to Paul. This is the only instance (Acts 9:17 and 22:13) where he is called Brother Saul. From now on it would be Brother and Apostle Paul.

The fact is that God can save anybody, anywhere, anytime. Continue to pray for and work on that one that you are about to give up on, for God doesn't give up as easily as we do. Imagine, someday calling that individual Bro. _______ or Sis. _______.

With God, nothing shall be called impossible.