Acts 22 - Are You A Follower of the Way?
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When 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. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates 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. 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.
Since the crowd is about ready to "lynch" Paul, he shares about his Jewish roots in Aramaic. This quieted down the crowd. Paul laid out his pedigree before them, as one who was in every way zealous for the Law like they were. He studied under Gamaliel, who was considered the greatest rabbi/teacher of his day. His commitment to Judaism showed when he zealously persecuted the followers of "the Way".
Although in Antioch the new believers were called "Christians", Paul called them "followers of the Way. Notice "Way" is capitalized. We know the "Way" is "Jesus". Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
Though Christianity is a religion, it is better described as a way of life. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus and His way of life. So often we have made Christianity into a doctrinal statement. Of course doctrine is important to keep us on track with right belief, but often it becomes the SOLE test for whether someone is a Christian or not. If you can give the right theological answers, then you're in.
The problem with this is that it makes following Christ more about intellectual assent, than a whole life proposition. When Jesus called someone, he asked them to lay down their lives and follow him. The proposition was not based about what someone said or thought, but their willingness to turn from what they knew was wrong and follow Him.
Repentance was necessary because you can't follow two masters. You can't say you are following Jesus and then serving other idols like lust, money, power, and prestige. This is the same today. It is especially true in the American church, where following Jesus can be more transactional in nature. If I recite a certain prayer and have enough emotion in it, I'm in the club.
I am saying this a little "tongue in cheek", because many people have authentically been reached for Jesus in this manner. But, the statistics show that many times these transactions with Jesus don't last very long. When hard times hit, or the emotional high goes away, many wonder if they really did accept Jesus, as their Lord and Savior. Many do it a number times to make sure they were really sincere enough the time before.
To be clear, Jesus chooses us, not visa versa. We He calls us we can either accept of deny it. The apostle Paul had a choice. He could have gone on leading his life as a jealous Jews persecuting Christians. After all Jesus, a mere mortal, claimed to be God. This kind of blasphemy was deserving of death according to Jewish Law. Of course, ikf this was true it was a whole other matter.
In closing, notice What Jesus said to Paul when he was persecuting Christians. Jesus told Paul it was he who he was persecuting. If and when you are persecuted remember this. If they persecuted Jesus, they will probably persecute you. If we are never persecuted, we might wonder if we are really living out the Way that Jesus laid out for us. Jesus said, "If the world hates you keep in mind it hated me first." John 15:18
Jesus, we thank you that you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Thank you for inviting us to walk in Your way and giving us the Holy Spirit so that we might lead a life pleasing to you. Amen.
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