Acts Chapter 22
“Gentiles”.
This one single word triggered the crowd and they began rioting again so much so that the commander had to send in his man to bring Paul into the barracks for further questioning.
In the last chapter we learned of how Paul was falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. And he was given a chance to address the crowds.
When Paul spoke in Hebrew, they all kept their silence. But when Paul mentioned the word “Gentiles”, immediately their wrath was stirred up again.
What can we learn?
The Power of Your Own Story
Many a times we worry too much about what to say, how to say and when to say in Preaching that we never get started at all. We think we need to know all the answers to potential questions, all the bible verses about our faith and all the arguments before we are ready to tell someone about Jesus.
If anyone would be equipped to do this, it would be Paul. But when we read this chapter, he did not use the finer points of the law with the crowd. He did not draw passages from the Old Testament to show that Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesied.
Instead, he just shared his own story. He shared how Jesus touched him and changed him – from a persecutor of Christ to an advocate of Christ.
All of us has a story to tell. We have all been rescued from a life of sin to a life of freedom. From a life of disobedience to one of submission.
We do not need to be great orators or eloquent salesman to tell people about Jesus.
Like what Pr Daniel Chin said – evangelism is not as difficult as you imagine.
Not sure what to say? Just share your own story.
Prejudices
A few days ago, I overheard a conversation that suggested that some believers in church felt that they were treated as “2nd-class” because of the differences in race/nationality. And that made me reflect for a bit as to whether this was indeed true.
Can such a thing exist in the house of God? Among His own people?
In today’s passage in verse 21 when Paul mentioned “Gentiles” – immediately they raised their voices against Paul.
It was certainly strange as in many parts of the Old Testament, God had promised to bless all nations through Israel. In one of their most read prophetic books in Isaiah 49:6 – “…. I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
So why this violent reaction from the crowd?
When Paul mentioned that Gentiles would also be invited to know God and have a relationship with Him, it would mean that the Gentiles and Jews would be of the same standing before God.
They could not accept this. They had out so much value and importance to their traditions and national pride that they failed to see why others would have access to their God as well.
Are there things in our lives, our culture, our way of thinking etc that makes it difficult for others to come to God? Do we unconsciously place obstacles and non-essential things in their way of coming to worship and serve our God just because they are different from us?
Let us reflect and make sure we do not commit the same mistakes.
