The Power of Our Testimony
The Power of Our Testimony
Apostle John had been given “the revelation of Jesus of Christ” for us his servants. John recorded, “10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:10-12).
As we continue our study in Acts 22, Apostle Paul countered the opposition and his accusers by telling his testimony of personal salvation, knowledge and experience with Christ. People can argue about anything but no one can argue with you about your personal encounter with the living God. Let’s once again hear Paul’s testimony which he calls “my defense”.
Acts 22: 1-29:
1"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense." 2When 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. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I 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. 9My 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.' 11My 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. 13He 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 fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized 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 18and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' 19" 'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr[a] 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.' "
22The 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!" 23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25As 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?" 26When 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." 27The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. 28Then the commander said, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied. 29Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The Commander had given Paul permission to speak to his accusers. Paul calls it his defense. The only one who can defend us is God himself and that is whom Paul turned to. Paul called his accusers “brothers and fathers” with respect. We do not have to be antagonistic with people who are yet to believe in Jesus Christ. We respect all regardless of their opinion.
2. Notice that Paul wanted to identify with his audience. These guys were as zealous as Paul was. The accusers were doing exactly what Paul had done before. Paul was saying I have been there, done it and worn the T-shirt. People will identify with us and hear us when we share with them life as it is lived or as we lived it. Without the blood of Christ that has cleansed us, there is no difference between us and any other human (condemned without Christ). We must not display a “holier than thou” attitude in our daily interactions with people. We are products of GRACE.
3. God had already revealed to Paul that the Jews will not accept his testimony vs.17-18. Why? Because, God had assigned Paul to spearhead the ministry to the Gentiles. God has specific assignments for us. James (the half brother of Jesus) and the rest of the apostles like Peter had the assignment to reach the Jews. Where you live, work and school today, is probably your place of assignment. If you go to another place outside of the will of God, your testimony will be drowned. If you need to be in another place, God will reveal and confirm that to you.
4. Listen to what Ananias through the Holy Spirit said to Paul. 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” vs. 14-15. By narrating this, Paul is saying to his audience, I did not know the will of God before and had not seen the Righteous One who is Jesus. You who are zealous need to know God’s will and be saved by the Righteous One as I have been saved by God’s mercy and grace. It will take the power of God to draw these people to know Jesus. In fact only the power of the Holy Spirit can draw any man or woman to the knowledge of Christ. Paul is demonstrating it by telling the Jews about his encounter on the Damascus road.
5. The people would not buy Paul’s testimony but rather demand that he be dead vs. 22. Almost a replica of the trial of Jesus. The commander like Pilate proceeds to appease the people by ordering the flogging of Paul. Thank God. Citizenship has its privileges as Paul pulls his citizenship card. I can identify with Paul having acquired my U.S. citizenship. God will use the totality of our background and experiences for his glory. I truly believe my American citizenship is for missionary purposes. How about you? It is also comforting to know that we are all “green card” holders since our permanent citizenship is in heaven. Don’t get too comfortable here. I am longing for my real home (See Hebrew 11: 13-16).
We only have two things going for us namely, “the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies”. I thank God that His blood has purified me and now I stand on his Righteousness. Satan, your accusations are null and void. Our true testimony is that we have been allowed by His grace to know God’s will and His Righteous One (and not necessarily our new cars and new jobs and houses). “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). Do you know God? Then tell your Testimony. Quiet your accusers and put Satan in his place. “1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” Romans 8:1-2. Someone needs to hear your testimony today. Go tell it. Amen.
Apostle John had been given “the revelation of Jesus of Christ” for us his servants. John recorded, “10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:10-12).
As we continue our study in Acts 22, Apostle Paul countered the opposition and his accusers by telling his testimony of personal salvation, knowledge and experience with Christ. People can argue about anything but no one can argue with you about your personal encounter with the living God. Let’s once again hear Paul’s testimony which he calls “my defense”.
Acts 22: 1-29:
1"Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense." 2When 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. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6"About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7I 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. 9My 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.' 11My 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. 13He 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 fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized 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 18and saw the Lord speaking. 'Quick!' he said to me. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' 19" 'Lord,' I replied, 'these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20And when the blood of your martyr[a] 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.' "
22The 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!" 23As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25As 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?" 26When 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." 27The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. 28Then the commander said, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied. 29Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The Commander had given Paul permission to speak to his accusers. Paul calls it his defense. The only one who can defend us is God himself and that is whom Paul turned to. Paul called his accusers “brothers and fathers” with respect. We do not have to be antagonistic with people who are yet to believe in Jesus Christ. We respect all regardless of their opinion.
2. Notice that Paul wanted to identify with his audience. These guys were as zealous as Paul was. The accusers were doing exactly what Paul had done before. Paul was saying I have been there, done it and worn the T-shirt. People will identify with us and hear us when we share with them life as it is lived or as we lived it. Without the blood of Christ that has cleansed us, there is no difference between us and any other human (condemned without Christ). We must not display a “holier than thou” attitude in our daily interactions with people. We are products of GRACE.
3. God had already revealed to Paul that the Jews will not accept his testimony vs.17-18. Why? Because, God had assigned Paul to spearhead the ministry to the Gentiles. God has specific assignments for us. James (the half brother of Jesus) and the rest of the apostles like Peter had the assignment to reach the Jews. Where you live, work and school today, is probably your place of assignment. If you go to another place outside of the will of God, your testimony will be drowned. If you need to be in another place, God will reveal and confirm that to you.
4. Listen to what Ananias through the Holy Spirit said to Paul. 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” vs. 14-15. By narrating this, Paul is saying to his audience, I did not know the will of God before and had not seen the Righteous One who is Jesus. You who are zealous need to know God’s will and be saved by the Righteous One as I have been saved by God’s mercy and grace. It will take the power of God to draw these people to know Jesus. In fact only the power of the Holy Spirit can draw any man or woman to the knowledge of Christ. Paul is demonstrating it by telling the Jews about his encounter on the Damascus road.
5. The people would not buy Paul’s testimony but rather demand that he be dead vs. 22. Almost a replica of the trial of Jesus. The commander like Pilate proceeds to appease the people by ordering the flogging of Paul. Thank God. Citizenship has its privileges as Paul pulls his citizenship card. I can identify with Paul having acquired my U.S. citizenship. God will use the totality of our background and experiences for his glory. I truly believe my American citizenship is for missionary purposes. How about you? It is also comforting to know that we are all “green card” holders since our permanent citizenship is in heaven. Don’t get too comfortable here. I am longing for my real home (See Hebrew 11: 13-16).
We only have two things going for us namely, “the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimonies”. I thank God that His blood has purified me and now I stand on his Righteousness. Satan, your accusations are null and void. Our true testimony is that we have been allowed by His grace to know God’s will and His Righteous One (and not necessarily our new cars and new jobs and houses). “But let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). Do you know God? Then tell your Testimony. Quiet your accusers and put Satan in his place. “1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” Romans 8:1-2. Someone needs to hear your testimony today. Go tell it. Amen.
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Marshall Diakon
diakon2@gmail.com