Rev. Dr. Lim Kar Yong
04-11-2018
Acts 21:37-40 New King James Version (NKJV)
Addressing the Jerusalem Mob
37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to
the commander, “May I speak to you?”
He replied, “Can you speak Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?”
39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no [a]mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people.”
40 So 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, saying,
Acts 22:1-22 New King James Version
(NKJV)
Paul’s Defense at Jerusalem
22 “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. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, 5 as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ 8 So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 “And those who were with me indeed saw the light [a]and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. 10 So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, 13 came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. 15 For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17 “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance 18 and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ 19 So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. 20 And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting [b]to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Paul’s Roman Citizenship
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised
their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not
fit to live!”
The Apostle Paul is Christianity's first international ambassador.
He sowed seeds of a new faith that would one day impact the whole world.
He was thrown into prisons many times. Yet he remained faithful to his calling as an apostle to the Gentiles.
Paul was a great man who was used mightily by God.
The Apostle Paul impacted the world.
His years of active ministry was
only about 15 years or so.
Yet Paul impacted so much.
Paul's Background:
Paul was born in the city of Tarsus.
Paul was a diaspora Jew.
The Palestinian Jews grew up in Israel soil. They knew the Torah well and kept the traditions. Their lives often involved around the synagogues and kept pretty much to themselves.
In the first century, there's the diaspora Jews. Many of them settled on foreign soils. They spoke Greek and no longer their Aramaic mother tongue.
Yet Paul was different. Paul still spoke his Aramaic mother tongue. Under Gamaliel, he was trained in reading and interpreting the Scriptures. He was zealous for the law. He was a persecutor of those who were living against the law.
Paul had experiences in both worlds. He was the perfect man that God could use to impact the world.
He knew the Greco-Roman culture well. And he was well-versed in the Torah. He spoke in Aramaic and reached out to Gentiles in the Greek language.
Nothing in our lives happen by chance. God uses our lives' experiences and pains and trials for His glory. All these painful experiences can shape and stretch our faith in God so that we can emerge with a stronger faith in God. The Lord is preparing us for His kingdom through our daily experience. Let us not despise what we have been through. God is not finished with us.
Paul's Calling:
He was breathing murder and hatred for the people that had followed Jesus.
For Paul, anyone who followed Jesus had committed the sin of apostasy.
Acts 9:1-19 New King James Version (NKJV)
The Damascus Road: Saul Converted
9 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the
disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked letters from him to
the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way,
whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. 4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. [a]It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. 8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Ananias Baptizes Saul
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and
to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.”
And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much [b]harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children[c] of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord [d]Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.
19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
Paul was prepared to suffer for the sake of his calling in reaching the Gentiles.
Do we have a sense of what God has called us to do?
For some of us, God has called us to serve Him full time.
For the majority, God has called us to serve Him faithfully in the marketplace. 43,000 hours of our lives are spent in the marketplace.
May we be faithful to the calling that He has called us.
May we be the salt and light.
Paul's Silent Years in Tarsus:
Galatians 1:11-24 New King James Version (NKJV)
Call to Apostleship
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man,
nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.
13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Contacts at Jerusalem
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see [a]Peter,
and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles
except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write
to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)
21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.
Paul
was active in ministry from his 30s to 60s. He was active for 30+
years.
But there was a period where he lived in the wilderness in silence.
Paul was silent/waited for about 12-13 years, in his 40s, before starting his ministry.
The "silent years" were in between Paul’s conversion and Acts 11:25-26 (when "Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch"). We don’t know the exact sequence of events, but from Paul’s statement in Galatians 1:17-21, at some point Paul left Damascus (Acts 9) and went to Arabia , then back to Damascus. Then, after a brief time in Jerusalem to visit Peter (and he also met the Lord’s brother James), he "went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia."
Joseph lived 14 or 15 years before he saw his dream fulfilled.
It was only 15 years later before David became King of Judah and another 7 years before he was anointed King of a reunited kingdom of Israel.
Perhaps for some of us we have been waiting for God to tell us the right moment. Or we could be frustrated in waiting.
Waiting is the most difficult thing to do. We could be lost in the wilderness.
But that doesn't mean a period of being passive. While waiting, you could prepare yourself. Make use of the time to equip and prepare yourself. God will make it all worth the wait.
Let us resolve in our hearts to wait like Paul. God is never one second too early and He is never one second too late.
Reflections:
His background;
His
calling;
His
silent years prepared Paul to serve God faithfully.
Do we have a strong sense of calling of what God has called us to do? Are we prepared to wait upon God for His timing and to wait upon Him patiently?
Each of us has a story to tell on how God works in and through us.
Will we also allow God to shape, prepare and use us as instruments for His glory?
God will redeem all our mistakes and brokenness and use for His glory.
We pray that God will use us to make an impact in the world.
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