Sovereign over us

<p>SOVEREIGN OVER US</p> <p>The book of Acts is officially called the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, but many say that it could be renamed as ‘The Book of the Acts of the Holy Spirit’, because it was God acting sovereignly through the Holy Spirit in people who had yielded their will to his will for their lives. In Chapter nine we saw the sovereign work of God in changing the entire purpose of Paul’s life and bringing him into the eternal purpose of God. He heard the words of a messenger called Ananias who was told to tell Paul ‘how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake’ (Acts 9:16). Paul accepted the things that befell him as being ordained of God and he aligned his will accordingly, and he saw the will of God being done on earth as it was in Heaven as God reordered him and his world around him. </p> <p>We read on in a few verses later in Acts chapter nine how Paul straightaway confronts suffering and adversity in the attempts of people to persecute him and take his life. 22. But Saul became stronger and stronger, and confounded the Jews in Damascus as he debated with them, proving that Jesus was indeed the Christ Messiah 23. Many days after this, the Jews conferred together and decided to have him put to death. But Saul found out about their plans to ambush him, that they waited in the city gates day and night to take his life. 25. One night the disciples took him and helped him to escape, lowering him down through the city wall in a basket.</p> <p>It was God’s will to keep Paul alive despite the will of the would-be assassins. And it goes on, with Paul even receiving rejection from Christians and further attempts by assassins to kill him. 26. When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to link up with the disciples but they were all afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. 27. But Barnabas took him under his wing and vouched for him before the apostles and told them how the Lord had appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. He told them how the Lord had commissioned him and how courageou