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Acts 22:22-29: Much ado about something.

^“22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!’²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?’²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked. ‘This man is a Roman citizen.’²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’‘Yes, I am,’ he answered.²⁸ Then the commander said, ‘I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.’‘But I was born a citizen,’ Paul replied.²⁹ Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realised that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.” NIV UK

I read about a bishop who said, ‘Wherever Paul went, a riot broke out; wherever I go they make tea!’  When I was a student, I was involved for a time with an open air service in Crawley centre. On a Saturday morning, a group of us drove over from the college and joined forces with some local Christians. Bob, one of our number, was an out and out evangelist. Physically, he was a force to be reckoned with – he was a big guy. He’d been a burglar prior to his conversion, but now he spoke easily about Jesus to people he met. I remember a particular day when Bob was talking to a young Marxist on the edge of the crowd. The ‘lefty’ was there selling his papers. He was smaller in stature than Bob, but I thought he was going to hit him. There was such venom etched into his face – such hatred for the Christian, it appeared.                                                                                          The gospel will make some people very angry. That’s just how it is. Don’t be surprised. Don’t expect everyone to be pleasant to you and your Christianity.

However, God’s protection is real. As long as he wants you alive in this world, he will rescue you from the malice of men. There were at least two human factors involved in Paul’s safe-keeping at this time: a.) the intervention of the commander – although he initially wanted to have him tortured to extract information; b.) the fact of Paul’s Roman citizenship. There may well be political/social advantages that we can judiciously use from time to time to further the gospel cause. However, we must not trust in them, but always in Him, who works everything for our good and His glory.

Acts 22:21,22: At what point do you switch off?

“21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!”  NIV UK

‘’The crowd listened to Paul until said this’’ (22a, underlining mine).
Sometimes you will not like what you hear from the pulpit, and it will be for all the wrong reasons.
What is your ‘until’ moment? What makes you switch off? What gets you ‘hot under the collar’? What themes press your ‘buttons’?
You may not yet know of course; but I think most of us can identify with the honest Christian who said to the preacher after church one morning, ‘I feel like I’ve been sitting on a drawing pin all through the service.’ That’s the work of the ‘uncomfortable Comforter’, as the Holy Spirit has been called. Conviction of sin can be excruciatingly painful. We feel its sharpness.
It may be that your ‘until’ experience will trigger some other emotion. In the case of the ‘rich young ruler’ it was sadness (Luke 18:23).

PRAYER: Lord, I know there will be times when I feel the bite of your Word. In those moments, help me not to close the Bible, or get angry with the preacher, or choose diversionary tactics. I know that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. So I ask for your help with my often wayward heart. Please strengthen me to face your challenges, to welcome your rebukes, and to be willing to embrace your will.

Acts 22:8-21:Jesus is Lord

^“8 ‘“Who are you, Lord?” I asked. ‘“I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.¹⁰ ‘“What shall I do, Lord?” I asked. ‘“Get up,” the Lord said, “and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. ¹² ‘A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. ¹³ He stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight!” And at that very moment I was able to see him. ¹⁴ ‘Then he said: “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” ¹⁷ ‘When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁸ and saw the Lord speaking to me. “Quick!” he said. “Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.” ¹⁹ ‘“Lord,” I replied, “these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.” ²¹ ‘Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”’” NIV UK

Saul addressed Jesus as ‘’Lord’’ from the time he met him on the Damascus road. Look how many times he calls Him ‘’Lord’’ in this passage (8, 10, 19); also note repeated references to ‘’the Lord’’ (10, 17, 21). Yesterday we reflected on some of F.B.Meyer’s practical words about getting to know God’s particular will for your life. Of course, the starting point must be a full surrender to Jesus. Once you are in that place, you are able to ask the question: ‘’What shall I do, Lord?’ and really want to know. ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ is more than a credal statement; it is a way of life for a disciple

Note how the revelation of God’s will came to the newly converted man in stages (10, 14-16, 18-21). God brought an Ananias into his life to supply one piece of the jigsaw. Gradually and progressively the bigger picture emerged. (By the way, when two people know Jesus as Lord, they can call each other ‘’Brother’’ 13, however different they may be in other ways).

The will of God for Saul was to include much suffering (9:16): ‘God is the master of the scenes; we must not choose what part we shall act; it concerns us only to be careful that we do it well, always saying,’If this please God, let it be as it is.’ ‘ Jeremy Taylor.

PRAYER: Lord God, I have only one short life to live. I don’t want to waste it. I offer myself to you. Please guide all my steps; I want to walk each day in accordance with your will

 Acts 22:10-16: Knowing God’s will.

^“10 ‘“What shall I do, Lord?” I asked. ‘“Get up,” the Lord said, “and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. ¹² ‘A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. ¹³ He stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight!” And at that very moment I was able to see him. ¹⁴ ‘Then he said: “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. ¹⁵ You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. ¹⁶ And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name.” ” NIV UK

‘’There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do’’ (10b).

‘’The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will…’’ (14a).

F.B. Meyer writes beautifully about this in his ‘Great verses through the Bible’,pp.410/411. He points out that there is a general will of God for all men. This is revealed in His Word. ‘But in addition to this, God has a particular will for each of his children. The moon shines on the sea, but there is a special path of moonbeams to the spot where you stand, where you should be born, live, and die; what you should accomplish by your life; with what souls you should be brought into contact.’

However, if you are still uncertain as to God’s particular will, what should you do? ‘(1) Carefully remove all your preconceptions and prejudices, so that your mind and heart can be a tablet for God to write on. (2) Set aside much time for waiting on God, in the study of his Holy Word. (3) Let the glory of Jesus be the supreme consideration with you. (4) Do not run to and fro,asking your friends and companions what they would recommend. (5) Wait the Lord’s leisure, nor dare to act unless you are sure that you are in the line of his purpose. (6) Mark the trend of his providence, for it will certainly corroborate his inner voice. (7) When you have once made up your mind in faith and prayer, dare to act and never look back. He will not let you be ashamed.’

Acts 22:6-11: ‘Suddenly’…again!

^“6 ‘About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. ⁷ I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?” ⁸ ‘“Who are you, Lord?” I asked.  ‘“I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁹ My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. ¹⁰ ‘“What shall I do, Lord?” I asked. ‘“Get up,” the Lord said, “and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.” ¹¹ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.” NIV UK

Here is another of those ‘’suddenly’’ moments in ‘Acts’ (see for example 2:2; 12:7; 16:26). Things can change rapidly with God’s intervention.

You may be praying for someone, and they seem so hardened against the gospel. Don’t despair of anyone. The Lord has His own ways to meet people, to speak to them, to stop them in their tracks and turn them around. Furthermore, it can all occur so ‘’suddenly’’ that you think, ‘Where did that come from?’ Even though you have been praying about it (or him, or her) you get a glorious shock!

There is a mystery about God’s personal dealings with individuals, but there is no doubt that He meets with people and turns them around. It seems that those with Paul to some extent shared the experience, but there is no record that they too were converted.

For our part, we should not give up on anyone, but keep praying.God may change the world through someone on your prayer list.

 Acts 22:1-5: The powerful weapon of personal testimony.

^“1 ‘Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence.’  ² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.  Then Paul said: ³ ‘I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, ⁵ as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.” NIV UK

The repetition of Paul’s testimony in the book of ‘Acts’ is significant. His conversion was a key moment in the history of the church. It is clear that he was an educated man; a deeply religious man, and an angry man. He hated the church and opposed believers. Yet he was converted.

The story of your conversion is unique to you. Don’t doubt for one moment that it is a powerful God-given weapon in your armoury. Pray for opportunities to use it, and look for them. Paul told his story on a number of occasions

In the eighteenth century, two young men in the swim of society, Gilbert West and Lord Lyttleton, went to Oxford, and they agreed to research two key points of Christianity with the clear aim of proving them false. One of them, Gilbert West, would study to prove that Jesus did not rise from the dead; the other,George Lyttleton (the first Baron Lyttleton) would aim to prove that Saul of Tarsus was never converted – that he did not become the apostle Paul. Each determined to do a thorough job, taking a year to establish his case. However, as they went about their serious business, they eventually concluded that Christianity was true and became Christians. West eventually wrote ‘Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.’ Lyttleton wrote a lengthy text entitled ‘Observations on the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul.’

In 1761, Lyttleton wrote these words to West: ‘Sir, in a late conversation we had together upon the subject of the Christian religion, I told you that besides all the proofs of it which may be drawn from the prophecies of the Old Testament, from the necessary connection it has with the whole system of the Jewish religion, from the miracles of Christ, and from the evidence given of his resurrection by all the other apostles, I thought the conversion and apostleship of Saint Paul alone, duly considered, was of itself a demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity a divine revelation.’

In chapter 22 Paul gives the before and after pictures. On the face of it, you might say he was not a likely candidate for conversion, but such is the power of God.

David Pawson was speaking at a youth club one night. When he came home his wife asked him how he got on. ‘There’s hope for two of them,’ he replied. ‘They got angry!’

Acts 21:37-22:2: Paul the master-communicator.

^“37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, ‘May I say something to you?’  ‘Do you speak Greek?’ he replied. ³⁸ ‘Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?’  ³⁹ Paul answered, ‘I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.’  ⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: 22 ¹ ‘Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defence.’ ² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said:”

It’s good to learn from others. As a preacher, I want to glean as much as I can from other speakers. I need to be a life-long learner. Here I feel I am sitting at the feet of a master-communicator, and I learn at least four lessons from him:

• Dispel myths (38, 39). People can easily believe all kinds of rubbish about Christians and the Christian faith. We need to try to sweep these silly ideas out of the way as much as we can – if it is possible. Even if you’ve tried to live an exemplary life, the devil, who is a ‘slanderer’, may succeed in throwing some mud at you that sticks. Your reputation may have become unjustly tarnished. So deal with those misconceptions if you can. It doesn’t guarantee you a successful hearing, but don’t let unnecessary clutter remain in the way, if you can do something about it. ‘…the mob lives on ‘’suppose’’ and not fact.’ Warren Wiersbe: ‘With the Word,’p.723
• Show courtesy to all (37, 39b,40a). I hear nothing but respect in Paul’s tone as he addresses ‘’the commander.’’ In fact, it is thought that a secondary reason for the writing of ‘Acts’ may have been to show that there was nothing subversive or seditious about the Christian faith. Paul was a good citizen of the Roman Empire. (Incidentally, don’t you hear that same respect in his address to fellow-Jews in (22:1). Wiersbe points out that ‘…it takes tact to have contact’;
• Be brave. Had I been Paul, I think I would have been quite happy to be whisked off into the safety of the barracks; but the apostle saw an opportunity to testify, and he seized it. May God fill us with such courage;
• Know your audience (21:40-42). As we have observed before, it’s important to start where people are and to speak in terms they can understand. Paul clearly established a rapport. Building that bridge never guarantees you a favourable response, but it is so important to try to construct it.

Acts 21:30-36: Danger man.

^“30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. ³⁶ The crowd that followed kept shouting, ‘Get rid of him!’ ” NIV UK

Paul found himself repeatedly ‘’in danger’’ (2 Corinthians 11:26)). This was one of those many occasions when his life was on the line. It didn’t prevent him daring greatly for the gospel however, as we shall see.

Stories like this should encourage us to be brave, and entrust our lives to God. He can rescue; He is able to protect. We may be surprised when we see where deliverance comes from.

It wasn’t yet time for Paul to die.

‘I am immortal until all God’s will for me is done.’

Acts 21: 27-30: ‘Fake news.’

^“27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, ²⁸ shouting, ‘Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.’ ²⁹ (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)  ³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.” NIV UK

I was thinking how prejudice tends to misrepresent people. Paul’s words and actions were portrayed in a negative light. Sometimes, the things a person says or does are maliciously used against them. Somebody puts a distorted spin on their words and deeds, because they don’t like them. Or they don’t like what they stand for. So, don’t rush to conclusions. Examine your motives. Be careful about what you say. A rumour is not like butter; as someone said,once you have spread it you can’t unspread it! Don’t repeat ‘fake news.’ A lie is never more palatable than when it is wrapped up inside a lot of truth. We are drawn to the truth and swallow the falsehood with it.

If you honestly examine your heart, you may find that you want to misrepresent them; that you want to ‘’kill’’ them; and there is more than one form of ‘killing’. You can kill a reputation just like that; and lies have influence. Read today’s passage and tell me they don’t.

PRAYER: Lord, I confess that at times I have thought wrong things about others. Please forgive me for lies I have believed, and spoken. Only you know the truth about each person, and I am no-one’s judge.