‘I Know My Rights!’
JCC 25.10.09 pm
Acts 22
Jewish nationalism was on the rise
Paul had to prove the integrity of his Jewishness
The Jerusalem church is providing an effective indigenous witness within its culture
Modern Gentile Christians opposed Jewish Christians’ keeping the law yet observe church and cultural traditions of their own
This is not the spirit of the New Testament, which calls people to forsake their sin, not positive or neutral elements of their culture
The earlier Christian Jewish people practiced the law and followed Jesus
The law is now fulfilled through Christ, so why did they, and why do the Jewish Christians even today still follow their traditions and laws?
Does it matter if they do or not?
Should we abandon culture?
Culture is a way of reaching people
I think culture allows people to keep links with their identity
Even Paul could say:
1 Cor 9:22 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Citizenship was a big issue
Still the same today
Citizenship in a Greek city gave one higher status than the many who were merely “residents” of the city
One became a citizen only by birth in a citizen family or as a grant from the city authorities
City pride and rivalry were fierce in ancient times, especially in Asia Minor, and Tarsus was a prominent city
Tarsus’ citizens were not automatically Roman citizens (it was not a Roman colony), but Paul saves his admission of Roman citizenship as a trump card in case he needs it later
Paul knew his rights as a citizen
People are treated differently based on their citizenship
The Roman rulers treated people differently if not Roman
Blacks treat other blacks differently than they would treat someone who is not black
Whites treat other whites differently than they would treat someone who is not white
Muslims treat other Muslims differently than if they were Christian
Christians treat other Christians differently than if they were not Christians
The reason for the difference in treatment is because like minds think alike
Even within the Christian Church, denominations treat each other differently
The reason for this difference in treatment is because like minds have like experiences
Quote: Race prejudice is as thorough a denial of the Christian God as atheism.
HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK (1878–1969)
As people belonging to Christ we cannot entertain prejudice of any kind
Heaven will be filled with all races and cultures
Rev 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands
After his conversion Paul changed in more ways than just his faith
Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to Stephen’s death
Acts 8:3 ..Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison
Acts 9:1 .. Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord
Paul had transferred a portion of his allegiance from being a ruling Pharisee to that of a great writer of Christian literature and a traveling messenger of Jesus
He changed from being a cold-blooded murderer and persecutor of the saints to one who loved and encouraged the Church
There were people who did not like Paul’s new message
Some people did not like what Paul had become
Maybe some of your friends and family don’t like what you’ve become
People who would rather see Paul dead than to see him continue preaching Jesus
Especially if you’re a Muslim and you become a Christian; you’re disowned; even the death penalty hangs over you
Verse 22 says that they listened until they had had enough and someone cried out “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he’s not fit to live.”
Paul’s enemies were once his old hanging out buddies
Verse 23 says that they began to tear off their own clothing
Not only that, but they also began to throw up dust in the air. In other words, they had decided to kill this man who had been one of them
Paul was no longer part of their world
He belonged to the heavenly Kingdom
He had been transformed by the renewing of his mind and he was no longer likeminded
Now his friends were an angry crowd who wanted to stone him and put him to death
That’s when Paul stopped and declared his citizenship
Paul asked those men who had him bound with cords, “Is it lawful for you to afflict a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” In other words, Paul asked them was if it was legal to punish a citizen, who has not been tried
The centurion didn’t want any parts of it, so he went over and told the commander of the army; ‘I think we’ve messed up for the man in our custody is a Roman citizen. He has not been tried; he has not been condemned under Roman law’
The commander said that he had paid a lot of money for his citizenship, for his advantage and for his protection
This commander is either a former slave who got enough funds to buy his freedom (as often happened), or he bought his citizenship by a bribe.
He had to be a citizen before he could be part of a legion; to have the status, he must have had a powerful patron or been one of the rare individuals who worked his way up through the ranks to this position.
Being freeborn normally gave one higher status than being a freed-person, and a slave-born citizen had limited rights
He may have replied in Latin: he was ingenuous, a citizen, by birth
Roman citizenship was bought and sold in the reign of Claudius, we know, at a high price: at a subsequent rate, for next to nothing
To put in a false claim to this privilege was a capital crime
Paul didn’t have only one or two citizenships but 4
Born around the year 3 A.D. in the Jewish community of Tarsus. Tarsus was the chief city and the capital of the province of Cilicia, located in Southeast Asia Minor
Paul had strict Pharisee parents who dedicated him to God, Jews by their faith
They lived in a community full of Jews, yet they were Romans because they lived in a Roman society and were a part of a Roman nation
Paul was Roman because he had been born a citizen of the Roman Empire
Paul’s parents named him Saul after the first king of Israel who was from the tribe of Benjamin
His parents also gave him the Latin name of Paul because of their Roman citizenship Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul
It was the name Saul that Paul changed along with his Pharisee upbringing when he had his religious experience
Imagine a totally different lifestyle
His citizenship credentials stayed the same when he was converted from Judaism to being a born-again follower of Jesus Christ
He took on a new citizenship, a Heavenly one
Scholars note that one could only achieve Roman citizenship in several ways:
(1) Born to a Roman father (so Paul)
(2) A citizen of a Roman colony
(3) A retired auxiliary soldier
(4) Part of a municipal aristocracy or other group honored by Rome
(5) And this was most common after being born in Rome or in a colony—a slave freed by his or her owner
In order to really understand this citizenship thing and its importance, we must first understand what it means to be a citizen
A citizen is a person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or a nation
A citizen can also be defined as a resident of a city or town, especially one entitled to vote and enjoy other privileges there.
There are benefits for a citizen in their citizenship
There are privileges granted to a citizen because of his or her citizenship
There is protection guaranteed by the society, by the city, by the state, or by the nation because of the citizenship of a citizen
And on the flip side, if the grantor of the citizenship is going to make all of these provisions for the citizen, then there must be some loyalty required of the citizen
You and I have also been given access to a citizenship that we can declare when our enemies are all around
You can declare that you didn’t have to pay any money for your citizenship
1 Corinthians 6 and 20 tells us, you were bought with a price, it wasn’t our place to pay for our citizenship
Like Paul, we were born into our citizenship, on earth and in the Heavenly
You may have one or more citizenships
If you want to be a citizen in Jesus’ Kingdom, you must be born again.
As a Christian you have at least two
I’m British, A West Midlander from the town of Walsall, but now I have the rights of Nottingham council, health authority, education etc. Walsall authority will not pay for Craig’s schooling because he doesn’t reside there
In New Zealand we had no rights to anything except emergency treatment, then further treatment was covered by insurance
There are benefits to being a citizen
Benefits in God’s Kingdom
New way of living; sin free
Divine provision
Access to a heavenly physician
Different language and culture
A right to freedom
A right to eternal life
As Christians, let us embrace each other as citizens of a heavenly calling
