Acts 22 Outline 1. Paul is allowed to address the crowd, and he shares his experience of meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road and what Jesus has done in his life since then (v. 1-21). 2. The commander orders him to be examined through scourging, but he changes his mind after learning that Paul is a Roman citizen and sets up a meeting with Paul and the Jewish leaders (v. 22-30). Overview Paul has an opportunity to address a crowd, and of course, he talks about Jesus. He does this by sharing his own spiritual story. This chapter is a good outline for how to share our spiritual story (our testimony). Paul shared about his life before Jesus, how he met Jesus, and what Jesus has done in his life since his conversion. Takeaways 1. Jesus obviously chose Paul-not the other way around. Jesus knocked Paul off his high horse and humbled him. 2. Persecuting the church is the same as persecuting Jesus (v. 7-8). 3. Ananias was brave and obedient. God used his obedience greatly (v. 12-15). 4. Sometimes verse 16 is confusing to people. It is not making baptism the means of our salvation. Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road. Baptism is symbolizing what Jesus did in his life. However, I do think it underscores the importance of baptism. 5. Jesus used Paul with Jews, but his ultimate plan was always to send him to minister to Gentiles (v. 21). 6. Paul’s focus was doing the will of God, but he did use his Roman citizenship as needed (v. 25). There is nothing wrong with us wanting our rights as the citizen of a country as long as our top priority and motivation is doing the will of God and not our personal comfort. 7. Paul referenced Stephen’s martyrdom in verse 20. I am somewhat speculating here, but it seems as though he must have been greatly influenced by Stephen’s testimony. My opinion is that he was touched by it, and then its truthfulness was confirmed when he saw Jesus alive on the Damascus Road. Seeing the risen Christ settled everything for Paul and instantaneously transformed his life.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 03:24:02 +0000
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