December 3 - Acts 21:37-23:35

Good morning everyone,

Today as we begin, Paul has been arrested in Jerusalem, more for his own protection than anything else as the Jewish community misunderstood his message and tried to kill him. The Roman soldiers are taking Paul to the Antonia Fortress the equivalent to what we would know as “headquarters” until they can figure out what is going on and why the people are so hostile towards him. While on the stairs, leading to the top, Paul asks and was granted permission to speak to the crowd. 

Use your minds eye to see Paul whose been described as a man small in size having a balding head with wiry hair, he was well-built though bow-legged. He had eyebrows that met in the middle and a rather long, crooked nose. Standing there he would have been dirty and bloody from the beating the crowd had just given him. He was said to be a man who knew elegance and grace and sometimes had the countenance of an angel and there he is standing on the stone staircase, looking out at the seething crowd and all he wants is for them to understand the Truth and so he motions, perhaps with the sweeping of his arm and begins speaking to them in Hebrew, their own language. That got their attention. They were not expecting Paul to be a Jew since the accusation that brought them together was that he was "against the people” so when they heard him speak they became very quiet.

Paul, having their attention, gives them his testimony. Revealing he was raised and educated in their very same religion. He told them, “ I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.” Confessing in his old self he had even hunted Christians down, sending them to prison and going so far as to killing some for their faith. But then he literally saw the light, a light brighter then the sun itself which knocked him off his feet, falling to the ground where he heard the voice of Jesus of Nazareth ask him, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?” 

There are two things I want to point out here. First; Jesus said, “Why do you persecute me?” Not, “why are you killing Christians?” but “why do you persecute me?” Friends it is so important for us to understand we are one with Jesus. We are His heirs, what hurts us, hurts him. Crazy beautiful display of agape love. Right?

The second is; We should all be prepared to give, share our testimony as to how we came to Christ. Explain why we believe in Jesus, and what this means for our future. We should all be able to tell anyone at any time, who Jesus is, the significance of what He went through, how this relates to our eternity. We should be able to articulate “Why do we believe what we believe.” Make sense? We should practice it, go over it in our heads from time to time. I am not suggesting we all go stand on a street corner and recite it daily but that we are familiar with what changes choosing Christ as our personal Savior has had on our lives so that when asked you can easily, comfortably, specifically, like Paul tell our story and bring glory to God. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..