Acts 22 - Paul Tells The Roman Officials About His Conversion Story. His Rights As a Roman Citizen Keep Him Safe!

Click Here to Read or Listen to Acts 22

Paul addresses the Roman Council and then shares the story of how he was going up to Damascus to persecute Jewish Christians, when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus. This is one of the most famous conversion stories in the history of the bible. A lot of people will call their conversion, "a road to Damascus experience". 

We all go down different roads and have different intentions for doing so. But at one time in our lives Jesus invites us down a different road. The one that follows him. He said he was the "Way". He is the way to the Father and the way to eternal life. The early church were called "followers of the Way". 

Part of the beauty of Paul's conversion was that he was formerly killing Christians and now was preaching the gospel of Christ to all people. This gave him a lot more validity. Even his own people were persecuting him, because he was now preaching the same message of the kingdom that Jesus did. Paul was even there at the death of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. 

Verse 21 ends with the call of Paul, which was to go far away to the Gentiles. He had been engaged in this mission for the past three years before the Lord brought him back to Jerusalem, before the Roman courts. 

As the mob still raged against him, the Roman officer was not sure what to do with him because the Jews were inciting a riot. His main job was to keep order in the city. When he ordered Paul to be flogged Paul said, 

“Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”

Now Paul had some leverage. Even better yet, Paul was born a Roman citizen unlike the commander he was talking to, who had to buy his rights to citizenship. When they realized this, they were alarmed, so they released him. The next day the official called together the Sanhedrin, which was made up of the 70 elders of the synagogue. He asked Paul to address them.

Again, we see God ordaining all of these events from Paul's conversion to his Roman citizenship saving his life. God works the same way in your life. We don't always know why things happen to us, but God promises us in Romans 8:28, "He works all things together for good for those who call on his name."

How can your current life circumstances point to what the Sovereign Lord is doing in your life? 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
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. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more