In trouble again, Paul did something that I think he did a lot in such circumstances. He told himself and others the story of how he met Jesus.
His presence at the Jerusalem Temple stirred a mob to turn against him and prompted a Roman cohort of soldiers to escort him to their barracks. At one point, the passage became so perilous that Paul was lifted off his feet and carried over the heads of those in the angry throng.
Paul saw an opportunity before him. The crowd was charged, the atmosphere tense. All eyes were on him. Hands and shackles were on him, too. The centurions had him under wraps.
Still, in his mind, he would never find a more captive audience. The circumstances were what they were – better to make sacred use of the moment for the glory of God.
What was this apostle and missionary to do now? He made a simple request. “… Permit me to speak to the people.” His wish was granted. He waved his hand and so came a “great hush.”
His first words were words of identification and endearment: ““Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
With that, the place became even quieter for Paul addressed them in Hebrew, their own language, something they were not used to hearing at such gatherings.
Paul had made it clear that he was one of them.
And so he began his testimony.
The Light Shined
We read this very story three times in the book of Acts. It is Paul who speaks it in Acts 22 and 26.
The elements of each telling are roughly the same. Paul begins by explaining who he was – a zealously religious Jew en route to becoming one of the top scholars of his age. His teacher, Gamaliel, is referenced in the Talmud. This teacher is lauded in that text this way: “When Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, regard for the Torah [Jewish Law] ceased, and purity and piety died.”
Paul zoomed to the head of his class of up-and-coming Pharisees. Born in the university city of Tarsus, he was intellectually brilliant in the Word and in the ways of rhetoric. He knew the Scriptures and could craft remarkable arguments for his positions related to them.
Once, he heard and saw Stephen, everything about his life changed. Seeing the glory of God upon Stephen as he spoke and bearing witness to his courage and character in death, Paul became befuddled and disconcerted and aggravated.
Consumed with rage toward believers in Jesus, but goaded at heart by the Spirit about the truth of the Son, he orchestrated a series of attacks on the believers throughout the region. He was occupied in just such activity when the Light of God shined down upon him.
There, on the road to Damascus, the Savior gave Paul his burning bush moment. The glory of Heaven reached for him. Share on XThere, on the road to Damascus, the Savior gave Paul his burning bush moment. The glory of Heaven reached for him. He was labeled at once as a persecutor of the Lord Himself. As far as he understood, he was tracking down those who were opposed to Moses and his writings.
Like Moses, Paul asked for some identification. “And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’”
Paul was blinded by the Light, but only for a couple days. He was soon telling everyone, everywhere that Jesus was the Messiah. And I think he told the story of his salvation over and over and over again..
Here, in Acts 22, the crowd paid close attention. They were right with him until he mentioned that the Lord had sent him to tell the Truth to the Gentiles. “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.’” (Acts 22:22).
To view the Gentiles as worthy of God’s salvation was a bridge too far for these hearers to cross. Their foolish and entrenched prejudices spilled forth.
A testimony may be real – powerfully so — but not all will receive it. A heart must be willing and made ready by the Holy Spirit. That’s a lesson each of us learns at some point.
Still, I think it is quite important for each of us to recall and relate to how we came to know the Savior more and more as we see His Day approaching.
Moments to Cherish and Consider
Our Bible songbook, the Psalms, is where we read so much about the importance of testimony. The word refers to the telling of something that the Lord has done through song and praise. Psalm 93:5 says this: “Your testimonies are very sure: holiness befits Your house, O Lord, forever.”
There are more than 20 references to testimonies in Psalm 119 alone. My favorites from that passage are these: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors” (verse 24). And, “The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies” (verse 95).
The wicked were there to pummel Paul to death. What did he turn his mind to? His testimony. This turns my heart toward another gem from Psalm 119 – “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation” (verse 99).
Yes, some may want to teach us certain lessons, but we can turn our thoughts to that moment when Christ shined into our lives.
My story goes like this. I stumbled into the faith. My salvation moment was weak and awkward. It came at the end of an End Times movie at a church that I had attended with an ex-girlfriend.
Yes, I went back to that place because I wanted to see her and maybe win her back to me.
God had other plans. And I am so grateful that He executes His plans over and above my own.
The film ended and so I bolted to the altar to give my life to Jesus. It was then that I reached for Him with a thread of real faith. He took that thread and spun it into a garment of praise for the weight of my heaviness. A woman who went by the name “Grandmom,” to all the young people at the church, put her hand on me and said the Lord told her that I would be “mightily used.”
Later that evening, a remarkable lady handed me a Good News Bible, a modern translation of the Scriptures. Her words to me were these: “Start with Job.” I did, and I learned of the righteous man who was allowed to be kicked around by Satan.
The moments when Amazing Grace found wretches like me and made blind eyes to see are powerful tools in the hand of the Lord. Share on XI also learned that this man did not have to grin and bear these things. He could address Heaven from his pain with an edge and an attitude. The reality of what he went through does not get lost in the details.
The climax comes after Job’s season of struggle and complaint and desperation. The Lord came to him in the tornado of his situation. Job declares that before his affliction he knew God by what he had heard of Him, but now his eyes saw Him (see Job 42:5).
And so I learned to see the Lord – in the pages of the Bible.
Cherish your testimony as I cherish mine; cherish it as Paul cherished his and used it to glorify the Son of God. The moments when Amazing Grace found wretches like me and made blind eyes to see are powerful tools in the hand of the Lord.
Rehearse yours. Tell it to yourself when you’re feeling down.
Ask Him to refresh your love for Him. Tell the Lord you want to feel His embrace as you did that first time.
Let the sweet memory warm your heart anew. Nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God in Christ (see Romans 8).
Rest in that truth.
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