It is a long time since I have heard a testimony of what a person’s life was like before coming to faith in Christ. I recall the days when people would share how disgusting their morals were and how Jesus gave them a new morality once they trusted Him for salvation. Some would even share of how they mocked, taunted, and persecuted Christians … just because they were Christians and were seen as “holy Joes”. What has happened? Are only “good people” saved now-a-days? I always felt that testimonies would spur me on to evangelism and thanksgiving. It would also remind me of how great salvation is … and how powerful the Gospel is, not to renovate but to recreate a soul … to make it alive to God. Testimonies also help us to remember what we were as we identify with the one giving their testimony. Please read again:
Ac 22:2 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. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as 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.
1) Paul tried to destroy the Church of God. This was a key statement for the mob to hear, because they were trying to kill Paul. Paul did this to Christians before he was saved. He had no respect for followers of Jesus (the Way). He wanted them dead … men and women without distinction. He even obtained authorizing letters from the religious leaders, venturing into Damascus to arrest Christians, taking them to Jerusalem to be tried, judged and punished for their crime of following Jesus Christ … meaning their crime of forsaking the Jewish God and the Law. He was saying … I was just like you! He identified with their passion to irradicate Christianity from the face of the earth. This is the one side of his testimony. A necessary part to be heard. I was like you … and soon he will say that he is no longer like them. Are you able to recall how you persecuted Christians before you were one? Does it shame you? Are you able to recall how you brought scorn upon the Lord as an unbeliever? Have you asked God to forgive you for this sin?
2) Paul’s dramatic conversion.
Ac 22:6 “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.”
(1) The dazzling, bright, piercing light. With letter in hand from the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, Paul was approaching Damascus around midday, accompanied by men likely seconded from the temple police to assist in arresting and bring “culprits” before the Sanhedrin, a flashing light struck Paul. It is noteworthy to know that this is midday when the Palestinian sun would be brightest and this unimaginable light shone … from heaven … downwards. Surely this was the brilliance and glory of God for it caused Paul to fall prostrate. Whilst travelling back from Charleston this afternoon with the family, I watched part of a video of a Grace to You Conference Panel discussion where the person leading showed clips of how movements today, use Bible words and concepts and use them in totally unbiblical ways to create a hype … amongst people, especially the youth and uninformed. One word was “fire”. There was a song group going on and on … singing over and over “fire, fire, fire” for 17 minutes and every now and then the speaker would shout “fire” … or “anointed” causing the dancing youth to go quite berserk. Another clip showed how lights could be manipulated and blended with pieces of gold material falling from the ceiling … and the speaker declared this was the glory of the Lord. None of this is of God. All of this is blasphemy … satanic! It is using the Word, Name, Image and Glory of God in vain. I share all of this to show how easy it is to bring scorn upon God! We cannot duplicate a onetime event in the Bible … such as this light that staggered Paul.
(2) The piercing voice of the Risen, Reign Lord. Whilst Paul’s companions could see the light and hear Paul’s talking, they could not hear the voice speaking to him … only he could … and the words spoken were very clear … ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ Remember Paul is testifying as to what happened before his conversion … he was still Saul! He was still the old man … the legalistic, pharisaical Christian hunter! He knew the light and voice were supernatural … but he was not clear as to who was speaking. He shows this by his question … ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The word “Lord” here means “thou” or “sir”. This term was used by a son to his father, in a court to a magistrate or to one given respect. To this he received the answer … I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.
(a) The speaker identifies Himself as Jesus of Nazareth! This is the one about who Christianity is all about. He is the one whom Christians say … died in our place to redeem us from our sin, was buried and raised on the third day and is now seated on the power seat in heaven and reigns. This is He who is the Godman, God incarnate, and Messiah! This is the one Paul rejected. He persecuted His followers, putting some to death and others in prison.
(b) Literally he hears … Saul … when you persecute My people you persecute Me. It’s like the thirteen year old who stated grade 8. The grade bully came to rough him up and he says … “touch me, touch my brother”. His brother was a grade 12 young man, a strapping rugby lock. Jesus was saying that when you touch His people you touch Him. The word “persecute” is interesting. Amongst the various meanings, used as it is here it means “persecute, molest, harass, trouble and drive away”. This was not only directed against Saul. It applies today too. Here the world is faced with a challenging warning. The way people treat Christians is the way they are treating the Lord Jesus. The provocative thought is that this also applies to the Church too! The way you treat a brother or sister is the way you are treating Jesus. The way a Christian wife or husband treats their Christian spouse is the way they are treating Jesus. Getting even more challenging … where God hates divorce and a Christian persists following through with it … what they do they are doing directly to God?
Our Heavenly Father, in which ever way we have persecuted You because we have persecuted Christians, before or after salvation … please forgive us. Mercifully descend upon each marriage that is troubled, where there is abuse, alcohol, drugs, unfaithfulness or the inability to communicate and rescue them, drawing them back to Yourself. Amen.