Spirit-empowered Testimony

Rosario the Terrorist

Luis Palau tells of a woman in Peru whose life was radically transformed by the power of Christ. Rosario was her name. She was a terrorist, a brute of a woman who was an expert in several martial arts. In her terrorist activities she had killed twelve policemen. When Luis conducted a crusade in Lima, she learned of it and, being incensed at the message of the gospel, made her way to the stadium to kill Luis. Inside the stadium, as she contemplated how to get to him, she began to listen to the message he preached on hell. She fell under conviction for her sins and embraced Christ as her Savior.

The Spirit empowers your testimony by redeeming your past, revealing your calling, and reconciling sinners to God and each other.

Paul listens to James and the elders. He fulfills his vow and paid the tribute offering for each of the men. Jews from Asia saw Paul and didn’t care that he was trying to be a good Jew. They immediately stir up the crowd and make two false accusations about Paul.

First, they tell the crowd that Paul was teaching Jews and Gentiles to forsake the law of Moses and the temple. Keep in mind the Law represented how mankind lives with Yahweh, the Living Holy God and how they live with each other. Therefore it was sacred and always spoken of in the utmost regard. To deny it is to deny God himself.

The second false accusation is that Paul brought two Gentiles into the temple. There was an outer court where gentiles were allowed to walk freely in the temple. There was a barrier between the outer court and the Court of Women, which was about four feet high, that held a sign that read in Greek and Latin,

“Any foreigner who passes this point will be responsible for his own death”

A gentile walking into this area was the one offense for which Jewish authorities could execute capital punishment—even on Roman citizens—without consulting with Rome.

The temple was the sacred space were God would meet his people on earth. To defile the temple with the presence of a Gentile was a call for immediate death.

So the crowd drags Paul out of the inner court and into the outer court to kill him. The sagan, which is the chief to the temple guard, orders the doors of the Court of the Women shut, likely to keep the violence of the crowd away from the inner court. Theologian Craig Keener notes that Jewish Historian Josephus regarded the shedding of blood in the sanctuary as the “abomination of desolation,” so keeping bloodshed from the sacred precincts was important.

As they are beating Paul to death, the Roman tribune, which was located on the Northern side of the temple mount, had to rush down a set of stairs that got them to the temple mount within minutes of the chaos.

In Acts 21:32, it mentions soldiers and centurions. The garrison from which the soldiers came from housed around 600 soldiers. A centurion was a commander who was in charge of 80 men. Because centurion is plural, we can assume at least two units of 80 soldiers, 126, were in the outer temple doing crowd control.

Paul is saved by being arrested by the roman soldiers. As Paul is about to be brought back to the barracks for questioning, he asks to speak to the people. He is mistaken for an Egyptian who revolt leader who stirred up trouble earlier. Because Paul spoke Greek, which is what Egyptian business leaders spoke instead of Aramaic which is what everyone would have assumed he spoke, the Roman commander assumed Paul was a troublemaker. (Acts 21:26-39)

Paul corrects the commanders assumption by stating his nationality and where he is from, Tarsus, which was a prominent city in Asia Minor. Paul is granted the opportunity to speak to the crowd.

Before we get to Paul’s testimony it is worth noting God’s sovereign grace.

God is sovereign over the setting you give your testimony.

Paul was being driven by the Holy Spirit toward Jerusalem. The Spirit told him he would suffer affliction and imprisonment. God intentionally brought him to a place that was hostile to the gospel message.

God was well aware that Paul would be falsely accused and beaten for the name of Jesus. God also provided Roman soldiers to save Paul by arresting him. Having Paul arrested is what gave him the platform to give his testimony.

God will provide grace for whatever setting he leads you to testify.

Paul did not die at the hands of the Jews. He was saved by the Roman guard in order to address the people. The Spirit empowered Paul to hold fast and speak.

Jesus promised us that in our time of need the Spirit would speak for us before judges and officials, and even angry Jewish crowds who false accused Paul of antinomianism. Paul had to cling to this promise and the promise Jesus gave to all who would testify of him

Matthew 28:20 ESV

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Paul is given the opportunity to speak to his brothers in the outer court. He decides to give them his testimony of Christ work in his life. Darrell Bock sums up Paul’s testimony well when he says Paul’s testimony is a three-part argument:

“I was where you were” (vv. 3–5),

“I was called by God” (vv. 6–14), and

“I was called to be a witness to the nations” (vv. 15–21).

In a similar outline, Paul’s testimony helps you see how God uses your testimony to joyfully advance his kingdom by making much of Jesus in the church, community, and home.

Christian, your testimony proves Christ redeems your past (Acts 22:1-5)

All of us are zealous for something. Some are zealous for their political ideology. Others are zealous for their family. And still some are zealous for making money, being powerful, or having prestige. For Paul, like many Jews, he was zealous for his Judaism.

Paul opens with the first five verses showing the people that he is a good jew. First, he addresses them in Aramaic, saying he is a Jew. He then moves into his origin of birth. He tells them he was educated at the feet of one of the most prominent Jewish Rabbi’s alive at the time, Gamaliel. And it was likely he was educated there at the temple in Jerusalem.

Under Gamaliel, he learned to be zealous for the law, just as they were. He was so zealous for the law that he persecuted Christians (he identifies Christians as The Way in verse 4). He had men and women imprisoned and killed for the sake of the law and the temple. The High Priest and the council of elders can testify that Paul did these things and of his zeal. Paul has history with these people, and he is saying to them, “I was once like you!” Paul could identify with his listeners because his past was a lot like their present day reality; zealous for their religious identity.

All of us have a history littered with the consequences of misplaced zeal. Being zealous for pleasure, many of us hurt people to satisfy our addictions. Being zealous for wealth, many of us have exploited people, even those we love, for the love of money. For the zeal of power, we step on people to get to the top. Kids who are zealous for independence will hurt an defy their parents. I mean, the world has not shortage of zealots.

For Paul, his zeal was for his Jewish identity. He was and wanted to be the Hebrew of all Hebrews, just like every other good Jew at the time. And his past included a zeal that killed the very people he now represents, Christians.

Now, Paul stands before them, with all that history, with all that past, and he tells his own people that he is a changed man. He encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, and his life changed forever. Do you see the in the contrast in Paul’s testimony?

The power of your Christ-wrought testimony is the change that took place in your life. You once were lost and now you are found. You once were blind, but now you see. There is a contrast between the two ways of living your life. In the past, you lived like a pagan, without God and without hope in this world. Now, as His grace irresistibly drew you to himself, you live with God and his hope-Jesus Christ, joyfully advancing his kingdom by making much of Jesus wherever he leads you to do it. You have been changed and people who knew you then are shocked by what they see now.

I remember going back to my hometown several years after I was saved. I was at a cookout where i bumped into a few classmates of mine from high school. Of course they asked what I was up too these days, and I said I was a pastor of a Baptist church. After the awkward silence for a moment, I said what was on everyone mind, “You didn’t see that coming did you?” With a bit of laughter, everyone agreed. They knew me in high school. They knew what a pagan I was, and if you were to ask them then if I would become a pastor of a Baptist church, they would laugh at you.

Christ redeems your past by showing the world the contrast betwen then and now. Paul is making the point that he is good Jew because he respects the Law even more so in light of Jesus. Paul stands before them as a new man, with a new heart, that is just as zealous as it was before, accept that it’s zeal is now of the one who fulfilled all of the law.

Christian, God redeems your past by using it to show the world the new work he is doing in your life. There should be contrast from the old you and the new you. In your biography, there should be a chapter of change, where you tell the world I no longer live as I once did. God has redirect my zeal for the world toward His Son and His kingdom. Though I was once where you are, I am no longer there. I am a new creation living in a new identity.

Christian, your testimony proves Christ reconciles your relationship to the Father (Acts 22:6-14)

The High Priest and the Council of Elders had to be beside themselves hearing Paul’s testimony. There is no earthly way this man should be a Christian. And that is right! There is no earthly way to be a Christian. The Spirit of God has to change your heart, draw you to the Son, and give you new life, a contrast to the old life you once lived. In verses 6-14, Paul explains how the change happened.

Jesus came for Paul (Acts 22:10, 14).

Paul describes himself as the chief of all sinners in his letter to Timothy. He was an enemy to all of those who proclaimed Jesus as Lord, which made Paul and enemy to Jesus himself.

When Jesus reveals himself to Paul on the Road to Damascus with a bright light, one would think Paul’s life was over. The presence of Christ knocked him to the ground, which was a common response to encountering God in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 10:9). Paul is beaten. He is blind and on his knees. All Jesus has to do wield his sword and His enemy is conquered. To our surprise, that is not what Jesus does at all.

In verse 10, Jesus says

Acts 22:10 ESV

And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’

The word appointed is in the perfect tense. In Greek he perfect tense shows a completed action with lasting results. When Jesus tells him that he will learn what has been appointed for you to do, Jesus reveals Paul’s salvation and his work for the kingdom was decided in the past, and is part of God eternal plan. It was always God’s plan to save Paul, one of his worst enemies, in order to use him as His servant.

God revealed this to Ananias in a vision shorty after Paul road into Damascus. Ananias was hesitant to go to Paul because of his reputation, but God assured Ananias,

Acts 9:15 ESV

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

The word “chosen” is the word the Bible uses for God’s elect, those whom he has chosen before the foundation of the world. Though Paul was God’s enemy, the eternal plans of God, God had already set his love on Paul.

Ananias says as much in

Acts 22:14 ESV

And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;

Ananias shows Paul that it was God’s will to reveal Jesus, the Righteous One, to Him. Paul could not see Jesus until the Father revealed him to Paul, and in God’s sovereign grace it was his will to do that.

Paul’s testimony is your testimony. You were not looking for Jesus. Jesus came looking for you. He pursued you, knocked you off your horse, and revealed your blindness. He opened your eyes to behold him, and by faith, with these new eyes to see, you surrendered to Him, just as Paul did.

When I tell people my testimony, I tell them I did not go into a night club looking for Jesus. I was without hope and without God in this world. But God’s irresistible grace opened my eyes to see Jesus, not on a road to Damascus, but on the Causeway Bridge over lake Pontchartrain. My life up until that point was an offense to God. But his sovereign grace and love pursued me, even though I was an enemy, and saved me from his wrath. What else could I do but surrender to Him!

Paul surrendered to Jesus.

Paul got up and did as he was told to do. He fasted and prayed for God to reveal more of His plan. God sent Ananias to pray for Paul received his sight. Don’t miss Paul’s movement here. Paul acted by faith. He encountered Jesus and responded by believing Him. By faith we receive the salvation of the Lord. When you encounter Jesus you must accept him by faith. That is what Pal did, and so you must do.

Some may argue that Paul did not have much of a choice. Sure he did. He could of done what Jonah did, and ran form God. But Paul knew how that turned out. You can’t run from God. God’s grace is always sufficient to pursue and save His elect. John Calvin called this irresistible grace. It is irresistible because His grace will always accomplish what it sets out to do, save those whom He is calling to Himself.

God gives Paul a new mission

Paul mentions Ananias in verse 12 as a devout man according to the law. Paul is showing the crowd that a devout Jew like Ananias approved of Paul and his ministry. God used this devout Jew who was also a Christian, to reveal God’s plan for Paul’s new life.

Paul is reconciled to God in order to help other sinners be reconcile to God and each other.

Christian, your testimony proves Christ uses you to reconcile sinners to God and each other (Acts 22:15-22)

In verse 16, Paul is baptized expressing his new love and faith in Jesus. He returns to Jerusalem. to begin preaching the gospel to his fellow Jews. He’s in the temple praying, when God reveal to him that he needs to get out of Jerusalem because his fellow Jews are not going to accept the gospel message. Paul’s says

Acts 22:19–20 ESV

And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’

Paul’s point is that the Jews know that he is a devout Jew, which makes him a perfect candidate to preach the gospel to them. But God said,

Acts 22:21 ESV

And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

Now, the crowd was quietly walking with Paul up until this point. As soon as he said God sent him to the Gentiles, they explode with anger and wrath.

Acts 22:22 ESV

Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

If you have been reading the Monday Motivator that I text on Monday’s then you will know that we have been walking through The Sermon on the Mount. I opened that series with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, “‘If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian?” 

“‘If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.” Mahatma Gandhi

He had good reason for feeling the way he felt toward the church. He tried to attend a church in Calcutta but was told he was not welcomed. He was neither of the High Caste nor was he white, therefore, he did not belong in God's house with God's people. Because of the rejection, Mahatma Gandhi turned his back on Christianity.

What Gandhi experienced that day was prejudice. A fairly generic definition of prejudice is a preconceived judgment or opinion, often negative, toward another person. Paul’s testimony exposed the sin of prejudice in the Jews heart.

it was inconceivable that God would want any devout Jew to live among the Gentiles and telling them that God is making them his own people, as if they are on equal standing as a devout , law abiding Jew. A gentile will always be a Gentile.

Paul’s testimony shows just how out of touch God’s people are with his plan. It has always been God’s desire to be glorified and worshiped by all people, every tribe every nation, every tongue.

Just preach, Jason!

Conclusion

Ten years later, Luis met this convert for the first time. She had by then assisted in the planting of five churches; was a vibrant, active witness and worker in the church; and had founded an orphanage that houses over one thousand children.

The power of the gospel is able to turn a terrorist into a Christ exalting, God honoring, Bible preaching missionary. What a powerful testimony of the sovereign love of God.