SS11-30-03.
STUDY THEME: THE GOOD NEWS: POWER FROM ABOVE. 11-30-03.
“BEING CHANGD BY THE GOSPEL.” ACTS 22: 1-16.
ACTS 22: 1-3, 4-5, 6-11, 12-16.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ACTS 22.
Some two or three years have sped by since we left Paul in Athens in 50 AD. He went on to Corinth and taught the Word of God there for some 18 months.
In 52 or 53 AD Paul began his third missionary journey. You will want to trace this journey, beginning in Act. 18:23 to Acts 21:14,; to learn of the events that took place during that 4 or 5 years.
On his way back to Jerusalem Paul was hurrying to be there for observance of the celebration of Pentecost. He stopped at Miletus and asked the elders of the church at Ephesus to come to him there for a farewell meeting. In Acts 20: 31 he reminded them that, “By the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.” He declared in Vs. 16 that if any of them were lost, Paul was not responsible. Paul had some good things and bad things happen to him in Ephesus during those three years.
Paul was warned repeatedly by the Holy Spirit, and Godly men, of the perils awaiting him in Jerusalem. Paul’s reply in Acts 21:13 is “I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Luke, who was traveling with Paul’s company to Jerusalem, said in Acts 21:14 , “The will of the Lord be done.” Luke had joined the party in Philippi, to accompany Paul back to Jerusalem.
In Acts 21:17 it says, “the brethren in Jerusalem received us gladly.” This may have been because of the much-needed offering that Paul and his companions had brought from the churches in Greece. One of the first things Paul did, upon arriving in Jerusalem, was visit his brother James, who was the leader in the Jerusalem church. When he met with James and the elders of the Jerusalem Church he was asked to sponsor four men who had taken vows. He was asked in Acts 21;24 to be purified with them and pay their expenses. This was to refute the false rumors concerning Paul that were rampant in Jerusalem.
When the seven days of purification were almost ended, some Jews from Asia, possibly from Ephesus, saw Paul in the temple and loudly accused him of taking the Gentile Trophimus beyond the court of the Gentiles into the temple.
This charge set the city into an uproar. From everywhere the people ran together in the temple area. Some inside the temple itself seized Paul, dragged him out of the temple, and closed the doors. They then began and continued to drag Paul from one of the inner courts of the temple. It probably was the court of Israel, where only Jewish men could go. As soon as they dragged him into the court of the Gentiles, the Levites shut the doors that led from the court of the Gentiles into the court of women. This was to prevent any Gentile from entering the purely Jewish part of the temple. Out in the temple area or courtyard the mob got its hands on Paul and was trying to kill him.
Just off the N.W. corner of the temple area was the Tower of Antonia, A Roman military garrison. It was located there for just such occasions, to prevent mob violence related to Jewish religious zeal. The chief captain was the commander of a thousand men. They could hear the noise of the mob. When the chief captain heard about Paul’s plight, he took soldiers to rescue him. Seeing these troops, the mob stopped beating Paul. The officer supposed that Paul was an Egyptian who recently had led an attempted rebellion.
Inside the tower Paul asked the chief captain, ‘May I speak unto thee?” The officer responded to Paul, “Canst thou speak Greek?” It was thus that the officer learned that Paul was not the Egyptian revolutionary.
And so it is today, in different ways, believers or churches may find themselves in hostile circumstances that challenge their faithfulness in witnessing. Those who would follow the Christ of the cross must sometimes face hostility for the sake of the gospel.
Paul’s request that he be permitted to speak to the mob was granted by the Roman captain. Wisely he spoke to them in “Hebrew,” actually Aramaic, the related language spoken in Palestine at that time. Standing on the stairs of the tower, Paul raised his hand for the crowd to be silent.
Paul defended himself before the angry mob in Jerusalem by giving his testimony, with emphasis on the Jewish heritage and his persecution of the church. He told of his encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road. He testified about the coming of Ananias to him, and he emphasized his call to be a witness for Jesus.
PLEASE READ ACTS 22: 1-3.
In speaking to the hostile audience Paul began by establishing a bond of fellowship. Paul provided a wonderful model for responding to hostility. Most people retaliate when under attack. Paul built bridges. He believed that if he could establish some common ground with these people, he could tell them of the salvation that he had found in Jesus Christ.
Paul’s audience was comprised of Jews who believed that Paul had betrayed them and their distinctive relation to God. Thus, in order to gain a hearing from this group, Paul needed to emphasize his credentials as a loyal Jew. One way to do this was to address them as Men, brethren, and fathers. Stephen had used the same words in Acts 7:2. Father was a respectful title for the older men.
Paul used the word defense to describe what he was about to say. Paul’s words were a defense against the accusations against him, but Paul turned his defense into a testimony. He defended his loyalty to his Jewish heritage, but he also showed how God had led him to become a follower of Jesus.
At the beginning the mob had been making too much noise for them to hear Paul. When he spoke to them in their own language, they began to listen. The universal language of the civilized world was Greek. Paul’s use of the native language of his hearers silenced the crowd. It was another way Paul stressed his Jewish heritage.
Paul had gained their silence by lifting his hand. But when he spoke in their own tongue, in Aramaic, the familiar language reminded the mob that Paul was one of them; they were all ears.
Paul began by stressing their common heritage. “I am a Jew,” he said, and they knew at once all that this meant. He was of their culture and background. He was steeped in the law. He had been as zealous for God as any of them.
He was educated in the same law, the same way of life, and same way of truth as they were. Furthermore, at age 13 he had moved to Jerusalem where he was taught by Gamaliel, one of the most honored teachers of his time. Gamaliel was called the “Beauty of the Law.” He was one of the seven rabbis to whom the Jews gave the highest title, “Rabban”, meaning (Our Rabbi.).
Since Gamaliel was a Pharisee, this meant that Paul had been taught the conservative position in Judaism, or according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers. And like his present audience, he was zealous toward God, as ye all are today. As they were persecuting Him, so he once persecuted Christians.
Paul was not simply pouring oil on the water as he tried to build bridges to his audience. He was not pointing out the common ground on which they stood simply to fend of their hostility. Rather, he was laying a foundation on which to teach them that Christ was the fulfillment of everything they had ever believed. Jesus was the bridge that could heal the rift between them. He was the one whom Paul wished to proclaim.
PLEASE READ ACTS 22: 4-5.
Paul was frank about his persecution of the church. It is mentioned in connection with all three accounts of his conversion. He also mentioned it in his letters. Acts 22:5 shows just how far Saul went in his attempt to stamp out followers of Jesus. He not only imprisoned people but also had people put to death. He did not even spare women. As Luke wrote in Acts 8:3 “he made havock of the church.”
How could such a religious man do such evil things? Jesus, in John 16:2 had told the disciples that many of those who would put them to death would think they were serving God. This was certainly true of Saul of Tarsus. He believed that “those of the way” were blaspheming God and would eventually destroy Judaism if they followed what Stephen had said.
Paul’s teacher Gamaliel was willing to let God show whether following Jesus was of God. Gamaliel’s pupil Saul felt that the believers in Jesus already had shown that they were not of God. Under Saul’s leadership the Pharisees joined and then surpassed the Sadducees in persecuting believers in Jesus.
Saul was so anxious to be rid of all believers that the asked for and received authorization to go to Damascus to find any believers and to bring them back bound unto Jerusalem. This trip proved to be the turning point in Paul’s life. After his encounter with risen Lord, he became a changed person. For that to happen, Paul had to overcome his past. This was something only God could do in him.
No one can move ahead in life with God until the chains of the past are broken. The sins of the old life must be forgotten. In a sense God tore out the old pages of Paul’s life, but God used Paul’s zeal, knowledge, and commitment in Christ’s work. The sins of Vs. 4-5 were removed, but the potential for dedicated service remained to be redeemed and renewed.
Paul later called himself the chief of sinners. He was amazed not only that the Lord would save him but also that the Lord would entrust him with such a mission. He said in 1 Tim. 1:12-17 that if God could do this in the life of such a sinner as he was, God could do it in anyone’s life.
PLEASE READ ACTS 22: 6-11.
Paul’s audience could agree with Vs. 1-5, but Paul then told them what happened on the road to Damascus. This is the most interesting incident in the life of the Apostle Paul. He was almost to the city when it happened. Suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about them. The time was about noon, but the light was brighter than the sun. Paul fell unto the ground. So did his traveling companions. Paul heard a voice asking him, Saul, Saul, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked “Who are you Lord?” Do you think Paul had some notion of who was speaking to him from haven? It doesn’t matter because the voice clearly announced. “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”
In that moment, Saul of Tarsus realized that all he had done had not been zealous service that pleased God but the worst of sins—persecuting the Son of God by imprisoning and killing His people. For the first time Paul saw himself as God saw him, and he did not like what he saw. We may have expected God’s wrath to strike him at any moment. He deserved no less for what he was doing.
This is a good example of Jesus closely identifying with His people. Saul had been persecuting follower of Jesus: now he learned that in persecuting Christ’s people, he was persecuting Jesus himself. Inasmuch as he did it unto them, he did it unto the Lord Himself.
Paul asked, “What shall I do, Lord?” Paul used Lord in both of his questions. When he used it in vs. 8, he probably thought he was addressing God or one of His angels. Now he knew it was Jesus—alive and speaking to him. When he said Lord in Vs. 10, he acknowledged that Jesus is the risen Lord.
Paul’s question, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” was not just a question about what to do now: it was a prayer of surrender to do the Lord’s will. Paul prayed it at the beginning of his Christian life, and he prayed it throughout his life. It was a prayer for all occasions—in making decisions, when facing trials, when more than one opportunity beckoned, and in every other aspect of his life.
What a contrast of Saul as he neared Damascus in vs. 6 and as he entered the city in Vs. 11! He had been the proud persecutor intent on extending his holy crusade to stamp out the followers of Jesus. Now he was a helpless blind man, whom others had to lead. He was learning lessons in humility and trust. When he had asked what to do next, Jesus told him to go into Damascus and he would be told what to do. His travel companions led him.
What did the others see and hear? “In Acts 9: 7 the companions are said to have heard the sound but not to have seen anyone. Paul’s account emphasizes their seeing; the earlier account, their hearing. Both accounts make the same point. The companions were witnesses to the experience and could verify that something took place. It was not merely and inner experience of Paul’s psyche. On the other hand, the companions were not participants in the experience: they had heard a sound but did not receive the message; saw a light but not the risen Lord.
PLEASE READ ACTS 22: 12-16.
The gospel transforms a person into Christ’s witness. For Paul that transformation began on the Damascus road and continued in the city of Damascus, according to Luke’s account of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9.
Saul spent three days in the darkness of blindness. He did not eat or drink, but spent that time in fasting and praying. He didn’t know that God was persuading a Jewish believer named Ananias to come to his aid. In this sermon to Jews, Paul stressed the Jewishness of Ananias, stating that he was a devout man according to the law. Ananias had a good reputation among the Jews of Damascus. The description of him in Acts 9:10 makes clear that he was a disciple of Jesus. Notice the ways Ananias helped Saul. This would carry weight with Paul’s hostile audience.
Ananias greeted the blind man as Brother Saul. They were fellow Jews, but knew that Ananias used the greeting as a sign of God’s acceptance of Saul into the family of faith in Jesus. When Ananias said, “Receive thy sight,” Paul described what happened, “I looked up and saw him.” What a joy it must have been to see again and to see first of all the face of a fellow believes. Saul had seen the faces of many believers whom he was persecuting. Here for the first time he looked into the kindly face of a fellow believer and brother in Christ.
Ananias delivered God’s message to Saul. Ananias called Him the God of our Fathers---that is, the God of Israel and thus the God of the Jews who were listening. God had chosen Saul to see that Just One and to hear the sound of His voice.
Verse 15 is the key verse, for it tells why God had chosen Saul. God called Saul to be His witness unto all men of what he had seen and heard. Later in his address, Paul spelled out that God was sending him to the gentiles. When he used the word “Gentiles,” the crowd became an angry mob again. Just as a witness in a trial tells what he saw or heard, so a Christian witness tells of Christ and a personal experience with Him, no matter what the reaction of the hearers.
Vs. 16 has been used by some as a proof text for teaching that baptism is the way that sins are forgiven. If this verse were the only Bible text on forgiveness, that interpretation would have a strong case: but scores of other verses connect forgiveness with something other than baptism. One way of describing how to be saved is calling on the name of the Lord. In vs. 16 the washing away of sins goes with Paul’s calling on the name of the Lord: “And now why delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling His name.”
In denying the saving power of the waters of baptism, we need to avoid making baptism unimportant. In the N.T., baptism was the way of professing faith in Jesus. Paul had prayed to Jesus as Lord. Now he needed to be baptized as a sign of his faith. His sins had been washed away, and the waters of baptism would reassure Paul and testify to others that his sins were washed away.
Throughout Paul’s defense, he never claimed that he chose or decided for himself anything about his Christian life. His choice was to persecute Christians. God was the one who stopped him on the road, revealed Jesus to him, and struck him blind.
Whenever we study Paul’s dramatic encounter with the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road, some of us cannot help but compare his conversion with our own experiences. Some people, especially those whose sins were especially evil, have dramatic testimonies. They can and should boldly tell others what they experienced when the Lord confronted them. Many other Christians, however, were saved when they were children, often children who were raised in a Christian home and in the church. When the latter group studies Paul’s conversion or hears a testimony of some one who had a dramatic conversion, they may feel intimidated.
You don’t have to have a dramatic experience to testify for the Lord. Those of us who were saved while we were young were saved from committing some of the sins those who were saved later in life committed. Thus we have a full life to give to the Lord and to His kingdom. The real test of a true experience with Christ is a godly life and an up-to-date relationship with the Lord.
When God saved Paul by His grace and called him to be a minister of Christ, He especially commissioned him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles; and wherever Paul went he invariably entered the synagogue and preached to the Jews first, yet it was always among the Gentiles that he found the most fruit.
Paul’s defense before the crowd in Jerusalem was his Christian testimony. By telling them what God had done in his life, he sought to proclaim the gospel as well as to defend the gospel and his mission of witnessing to others. Paul shared his efforts to be an obedient Jew before he met Christ. Then he shared his efforts to obey God and witness to others both Jew and gentile. Paul attributed the change that had occurred in his life to the power of the gospel. His experience can help us experience the Life Impact of this lesson, which is to use opportunities to tell others how the gospel has changed our lives.
Our next two lessons from 2 Corinthians deal with “GIVING.” This should prepare us for Christmas and the Lottie Moon Mission offering. A.V. Daugherty 11-30-03
(The lesson of 20001, 2002, and 2003 may be found on http://the weeks.org/av)
Being religious was not what God wanted for Paul; He wanted Paul to believe in His Son.
Many people today think it is enough simply for them to be religious but this simply is to true.
Everyone, whether religious or not, needs to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
Whenever the risen Christ confronts us, He not only saves us from sin but He also has a work for us to do in the world.
An important part of God’s will for us is to share our faith with others that they might know Christ also.
To share is a sacred duty but a high privilege also.