Paul had to first repent and get baptized.
(Acts 9:17-19) So An·a·niʹas went and entered the house, and he laid his hands on him and said: “Saul, brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road along which you were coming, has sent me so that you may recover sight and be filled with holy spirit.” And immediately, what looked like scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his sight. He then got up and was baptized, and he ate some food and gained strength. He stayed for some days with the disciples in Damascus,
Good verse MrG, but like usual you only have eyes to what the WT teaches, looking at part of verses not taking it in full context.
Reread the verse, it’s how Paul was initiated into the Christian faith, he first encountered Jesus, and was blinded (can also mean due to his past life couldn’t see what Jesus was about)
An·a·niʹas, laid his hands on him to recover and be filled by the Holy Spirit
Then he was baptized, then ate with them.
Follows the same line as the Apostles, they were taught by Jesus, baptized ate with him and then the baptized by the Holy Spirt at Pentecost, the church was founded. (initiated)
If you’re good enough to read the bible for yourself, maybe the WT scales will also fall off your eyes too like Paul's, realize that this is how the early Christians were initiated into the faith then practiced by meeting everyday, eating bread like in the last supper.
Catholics, East, West and Orientals all follow this formula, baptized by water, conformation by laying of hands, then celebrate by eating of bread everyday of the year right around the world.
This Conformation or laying of hands started with Pentecost with the Apostles, they laid their hands on all that were imitated into the Christian faith, in turn this has been passed down through out the 2000 years of Christianity initiated with the same spirit of Pentecost, as shown by An·a·niʹas in this verse
The reformers cut the link off, imagine cutting the Holy Spirit of Pentecost off, think seriously what you follow as you are not properly initiated into Christianity as the apostles or Paul in this verse.
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