Acts
21:40-22:22
English
Standard Version (ESV)
40 And when he had given him permission,
Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when
there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language,[a] saying:
22 “Brothers
and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was
addressing them in the Hebrew language,[b] they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel[c] according to the strict manner of the law
of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I
persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and
women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can
bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward
Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem
to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to
Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he
said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now
those who were with me saw the light but did not understand[d] the voice of the one who was speaking to
me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said
to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is
appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because
of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with
me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man
according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came
to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And
at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he
said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the
Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you
will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And
now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on
his name.’
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and
was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him
saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will
not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they
themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those
who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your
witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching
over the garments of those who killed him.’ 21 And he said to
me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
22 Up to this word they listened to him.
Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the
earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”
In
this passage we see just how we should give our testimony. Just like in the court of law, we should tell
the truth and nothing but the truth. We
do not have to make it elaborate if it is not but we need to tell others about
what Christ has done for us. That is
exactly what Paul did in this passage of scripture. He told them where he had been, why he lived
the way he did now, and the difference it made in his life. He went from being a rebellious Jew toward
the Way to become a strong member. He
went from killing to loving people. He
went from hunting the Christians to being a hunted Christian. This testimony tells me that he saw and he
believed making him a changed man.
Often
time’s people do not want to tell others their testimony for various
reasons. I remember having to give my
testimony in front of one church before I could be a member and I absolutely
did not want to do it. I felt like I was
being judged for one thing and for another I was shy and did not want to speak
in front of a crowd. I have grown since
that time and now enjoy speaking to crowds.
Another reason is because of the emotion that it evoked in me. I am a fairly private person in that I do not
like people to see me at my weakest moments.
I am a crier, so if I am the least bit emotional about something I may
start to cry.
Paul
however was strong, poignant, and made his defense clear. Yet, the people did not listen to him and
once again began to curse him. Are we
sometimes afraid of this reaction? No
matter how much we believe in something, we cannot force anyone to believe what
we believe. God has given us all the
ability to accept Him as our Savior but some refuse.
I
have made it clear in my life that I believe in the One True God but I have had
some that have rejected me because of this belief. It is sad and heartbreaking but it is only my
privilege to get to share with them, it is their decision to take it or leave
it.
Today
as you seek Him, take the time to share with someone your testimony. Type it out and share it on this blog if you
feel more comfortable doing that. This
blog travels the world and you could touch someone’s heart from miles
away. I urge you to not let another day
pass without sharing with someone the love our Father in Heaven.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment