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Giving Our Testimony for God
The Book of Acts - Part 78
Acts 22:1-16
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - March 15, 2015
BACKGROUND:
*In this Scripture, Paul and his mission team have finished Paul's third missionary journey, and they have arrived in Jerusalem.
Paul had traveled hundreds of miles through Greece and Turkey spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He also discipled the believers and strengthened the churches.
*On top of that, Paul and the Gentile churches collected a large sum of money for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.
Then Paul travelled many more miles to bring the gift to Jerusalem.
But instead of being treated with gratitude and honor, Paul was treated with suspicion and disrespect.
*In Acts 21:20-26, the Jewish believers at Jerusalem accused Paul of heresy based on nothing but rumors.
So, the church leaders at Jerusalem asked Paul to go through a purification ceremony as a good-faith gesture against the accusations.
They also asked Paul to pay the expenses for four local believers who were planning to go through the purification.
And Paul did exactly as the elders asked, even though he had to buy a dozen prime animals for the sacrifices, along with other expenses.
(1)
*Paul was simply trying to do the right thing.
But Acts 21:27-40 tells us that a terrible riot broke out when some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple.
And Paul would have been beaten to death by that mob, if the alarm hadn't been sounded for the Roman soldiers to break up the riot.
*Paul was rescued by the soldiers, but he was also placed under arrest.
He had now entered a period of trials and tribulation.
All of Paul's travels from now until the end of Acts will be as a prisoner of Rome.
*At the end of Acts 21, Paul pleaded with the Roman commander for permission to speak to the crowd.
And Acts 21:40 closes the chapter by saying "when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people.
And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language. .
."
*Tonight, we will begin to explore what Paul said to the crowd.
Let's begin by reading Acts 22:1-16, and as we read please think about giving our testimony for God.
MESSAGE:
*Paul gave his Christian testimony to that angry mob.
But what about us?
Do we have a testimony to give?
If we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then the answer is certainly "YES!"
*1 John 5:9-12 says this to all Christians:
9.
If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.
10.
He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
11.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
*When we believe God's testimony about His Son Jesus Christ, He gives us a testimony!
And He wants us to share it.
One reason why is because there is such a great need.
People need to hear what God has done in our lives.
There are billions of lost people in the world today.
God wants us to help reach as many of these people as we possibly can, and our testimonies can help.
Your testimony can help change people's lives for all eternity.
*But God wants us to speak up, even if people don't respond in a positive way.
They didn't always believe Paul's testimony, and they won't all believe ours.
Some people will respond positively, and some won't.
As one author said: "They will either be glad, -- or mad." (2)
*I remember an incident years ago when I worked at Robins Air Force Base.
About 7 or 8 of us were in the corridor for a few minutes.
It must have been right after a meeting.
And the conversation was very pleasant, -- until the conversation turned to Jesus.
Almost as soon as His name was mentioned, it was like the waters parted, with the scoffers on one side, and the believers on the other.
*Everybody is not going to be thrilled to hear your story.
But God wants us to tell it.
How can we do it?
How should we do it?
Let's look at Paul's story and see.
1.
First, we should attempt to connect with our listeners.
*In vs. 1-3, one of the main things Paul tried to do was connect with his listeners.
There the Apostle said:
1. "Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defense before you now.''
2. And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent.
Then he said:
3. "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today."
*Notice Paul's tone in vs. 1: "Men, brethren, and fathers."
Is that how you speak to people who are trying to beat you to death?
Well, it generally is, IF you are trying to win them to the Lord.
*By the way, this is also the way God wants us to treat each other.
One great example is in 1 Peter 3:8-11, where Peter wrote these words to us:
8. Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9. not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
10.
For "He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile;
11. let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.
*God wants us to give this same kind of courtesy to those outside the faith.
*Then notice Paul's choice of language.
When he spoke to the commander just a few verses before, Paul spoke Greek, but now he speaks to the crowd in Hebrew.
He was making every effort to communicate to them in the best way possible.
*There were also two very different groups of Jews in that crowd: The Hellenists and the Hebrews.
The Hebrews were the Palestinian Jews brought up almost in the shadow of the Temple, very strict.
The Hellenists were the Jews scattered throughout the Roman Empire, and they were much more influenced by Greek culture.
*There was tension between these two groups, even in the church.
And this was the underlying cause of the contention in Acts 6 that led to the selection of deacons.
So Acts 6:1 says: "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution."
*Here in vs. 3, Paul said, "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia."
There Paul was connecting with the Hellenists.
But then Paul also connected with the Hebrews by saying that he was "brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law."
Next, Paul tied the Jews all together by saying that he was "zealous toward God as you all are today."
*Just like Paul, God wants us to try to connect with our listeners.
I'm not talking about watering down God's Word or compromising the Gospel in any way.
I'm talking about being sensitive in the way we address people.
*We should be looking for ways to connect with them.
Paul certainly did this, and we should do too.
The Apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22:
19.
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more;
20. and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;
21. to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law;
22. to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak.
I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
*God wants us to bend over backwards to connect with people so that they can get connected with Jesus.
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