Take Courage and Testify

Acts 23:1-11

We first meet Saul in chapter 7 of the Acts of the Apostles at the stoning of Stephen.

Acts 7:51 Stephen speaks his final words to the people, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Now before we meet Saul, it’s important to know that the name Saul means “prayed for” and that’s interesting because right before Stephen is stoned to death, He prays. In fact, it’s the last thing Stephen does before they stone him to death.

Acts 7:54 goes on and Stephen says, “54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

Acts 9 Saul is converted by God and will eventually take the name “Paul” which means “humble” or “modest”

For a quick recap of how we got to our text for today, back in Acts 21, Paul makes his way to Jerusalem and specifically the temple where he is ritually cleansing himself

Paul in his newfound humility before Christ will spend the next 25 years since his conversion, enduring persecution, mockery, beatings, shipwrecks, betrayals, abandonments, and imprisonments.

And now after being kicked out of cities all over Europe and Asia, he finds himself back in Jerusalem in Acts 21 and when he gets there, he reports to James the brother of Jesus and likely the head of the church at Jerusalem.

Paul tells them all about his evangelistic exploits, all the professions of faith from Jews and gentiles alike. Tells them about the churches that have been started and built up. The leaders he has trained and left in his place.

Paul has an amazing story to tell of how God has used him in the ministry and Paul now Paul had been warned about coming to Jerusalem and was told that imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem.

The elders of the church in Jerusalem tell Paul that they have heard about his ministry and they praise God together for what He has done using Paul.

This is an interesting time in church history because the church is really only about 30 years old. People who have been awaiting a messiah their entire lives, and as a people, have been waiting for a messiah since the garden and certainly since God’s promise to Abraham are still hearing about Jesus for the first time.

The gentiles are certainly being taught the whole gospel story for the first time

But for the Jews, all of the gospel elements already exist and so it’s really a matter of explaining to the Jews how Christ fulfilled the law and what it looks like to live in Sabbath rest in what Christ has done, rather than their own works or the sacrificial system.

The Christians are largely seen as a Jewish sect or cult that is now inviting gentiles to join them, and many Jews are having a hard time seeing how this works because until now, they have always thought that what made them set apart and different was their law, practices, and rituals.

The elders of the church in Jerusalem fear that Paul is being seen more a s a Jew who has apostatized rather than the true seed of Abraham and so they counsel him to go to the temple, ritually cleanse himself, give an offering, and show the people that he really is a true Hebrew.

Some Jews from Asia see Paul there and stir up a crowd against Paul, and they are beating him and so Roman soldiers come arrest or bind Paul, for his own safety

They bring Paul into the barracks, and he asks if the Roman soldiers will let him address the people from the safety of their protection.