Introduction
Have you ever shared your testimony of how you came to faith in Jesus with another person?
A 2022 Lifeway Research study found that 53% of professing Christians shared their faith in the past 6 months (see https://research.lifeway.com/2022/05/24/christians-say-theyre-seeking-but-not-having-evangelistic-conversations/).
That means that almost half of professing Christians have not shared their faith in the past 6 months.
A 2022 Christian Post article noted that more than six out of 10 professing Christians do not know how to share their faith with another person (see https://www.christianpost.com/news/two-thirds-of-christians-dont-know-methods-for-sharing-jesus.html).
In our last study in the Book of Acts, we learned that Paul had been wrongly accused of bringing a Gentile into the Jewish section of the temple precincts.
The Roman authorities arrested Paul, primarily to keep the Jews from killing him.
The Roman tribune who arrested Paul could not obtain a clear answer from the Jewish crowd regarding who Paul was and what he had done, as some in the crowd shouted one thing, while others shouted another.
So, the tribune ordered that Paul be taken into the Antonia fortress barracks.
That is where we begin today’s lesson.
Today, we will learn how Paul shared his testimony.
This is a very long narrative, and so we will only note some highlights in our study.
So, with that as an introduction, let us learn about the testimony of a preacher.
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 21:37-22:29:
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” 39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly 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 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 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.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 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; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 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.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
22 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.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. 25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Lesson
Acts 21:37-22:29 shows us Paul’s courage to speak out for Jesus.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. Paul’s Approach (21:37-22:2)
2. Paul’s Testimony (22:3-21)
3. Paul’s Attitude (22:22-29)
I. Paul’s Approach (21:37-22:2)
First, let us notice Paul’s approach.
Before anyone can get an audience for his testimony, two things are required.
First, he needs to speak in an understandable language, and second, he needs to identify with his audience.
Notice how Paul first spoke in the language of the people.
Luke wrote in verse 37a, “As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, ‘May I say something to you?’ ”
Paul spoke in Greek to the tribune, and this surprised him.
So the tribune asked Paul if he knew the Greek language.
The tribune assumed that Paul was perhaps an Egyptian who had stirred up a revolt and led four thousand men into the Judean wilderness.
The tribune was surprised by Paul’s sophisticated ability with the Greek language.
Paul’s ability to speak in Greek with the tribune had two helpful effects.
First, it immediately disarmed the tribune.
He thought that Paul was an Egyptian terrorist and was surprised to learn that his prejudice was wrong.
And second, Paul’s speaking in Greek led the tribune to permit Paul to talk to the crowd.
Then Paul switched from Greek to Hebrew (22:40).
Luke noted in verse 2 of Acts 22, “And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet.”
The second requirement for getting an audience was met when Paul identified with the Jews.
He stressed, as we learn from his testimony, that they shared common ground.
He was not holier-than-thou; he was a devout Jew, just like they were.
Therefore, when speaking out for Jesus, one must begin with the right approach.
One needs to speak in a way that people can understand, and one must find a way to identify with one’s audience.
II. Paul’s Testimony (22:3-21)
Second, let’s examine Paul’s testimony.
His testimony is a model of how to share one’s testimony with others.
A. Paul Speaks of His Pre-Conversion (22:1-5)
First, Paul speaks of his pre-conversion.
Paul continued to identify with the Jewish crowd by stressing his common Jewish heritage.
He noted that he was “a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia” (22:3a).
He was trained by the well-known Jewish teacher, “Gamaliel” (22:3b).
Moreover, he was “zealous for God”(22:3c), just as all of his hearers were zealous for God.
However, Paul went a step further because he even persecuted Christians to death (22:4-5).
Paul knew exactly what the Jewish people were concerned about.
He was connecting with them.
They were listening intently to his testimony.
B. Paul Speaks of His Conversion (22:6-16)
Second, Paul speaks of his conversion.
Paul shared with his hearers about his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus.
As Paul and his friends were nearing Damascus, a blinding light shone from heaven.
Paul fell to the ground and heard a voice asking why he was persecuting him.
Since Paul did not know who was speaking, he asked, “Who are you, Lord?” (22:8a).
The voice replied, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting” (22:8b).
Paul was utterly stunned.
He asked what he should do.
Jesus said to Paul, “Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do”(22:10b).
Paul discovered that he was now blind, and so he had to be led to Damascus.
There, Paul met Ananias, and God restored Paul’s sight through Ananias.
Moreover, Ananias said to Paul, “The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One[that is, Jesus] and to hear a voice from his mouth; for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard” (22:14-15).
Paul was transformed as a result of his personal encounter with Jesus.
C. Paul Speaks of His Post-Conversion (22:17-21)
And third, Paul speaks of his post-conversion.
Paul returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, which was near where he and the Jews were currently standing.
Jesus then called Paul to go and share the good news about Jesus and his resurrection with the Gentiles, as we read in verse 21, “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”
But that was as far as Paul got.
As soon as the Jews heard the word “Gentiles,” they became incensed.
The Jews wanted to kill Paul.
The Jews did not believe that Gentiles had access to God without first becoming Jewish proselytes.
III. Paul’s Attitude (22:22-29)
And third, let’s look at Paul’s attitude.
The tribune ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks, “saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this” (22:24b).
However, it was illegal to flog a Roman citizen.
Paul identified himself as a Roman citizen, which he was by birth.
That immediately caused the tribune to stop Paul from being flogged.
Next time, we will learn what happened to Paul.
Suffice it to say that nothing would stop Paul from testifying to the entire world that Jesus was alive and changing lives.
Paul was living proof of that truth.
Is that not the attitude that we who profess faith in Jesus should have, too?
Conclusion
If you are a Christian, let me encourage you to develop your testimony of how you came to know Jesus.
You have heard what Paul said in his testimony.
I want to share my testimony with you as well.
I was recently asked to share my testimony with the Florida Gideons at the State Banquet for Pastors in St. Augustine, FL.
I was asked to share my testimony because my conversion to Jesus involved the Gideons.
This was a pastor’s banquet, and I wanted to encourage pastors to encourage men in their church to become a Gideon.
Here is my testimony:
In 1970, I was thirteen years old when I started attending Pearson High School in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Sometime during the year, all 150 Standard 6 students, as we “freshmen” were called, were marched into the Assembly Hall for a special presentation.
There, I heard my first-ever presentation from the Gideons.
Frankly, I don’t recall what the man from the Gideons said that day.
All I know is that at the end of the presentation, we were told to get in a queue (which is a “straight line” in American English!).
At the front of the queue, a man from the Gideons gave each one of us a brand-new, shiny green pocket New Testament.
I am sure that I paged through the Gideons New Testament, but frankly, I did not pay much attention to its message.
Immediately after high school, I was conscripted into the South African Air Force.
After 4 months of basic training, I went to Air Traffic Control School.
Six months later, I qualified as an Air Traffic Controller and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the South African Air Force.
Shortly after becoming an Air Traffic Controller, I was sent to northern Namibia, much to my shock, to protect our border and support one of the factions in the civil war in Angola.
I was so terrified of the prospect of going off to war that I remember drinking myself to sleep on the train on the way to begin my assignment.
Up until that point, I had not concerned myself too much with spiritual matters.
Even though I had attended a wonderful church in high school, I believed I would live a long time.
I thought that there was something to Christianity, but I would wait until I was well into my retirement before I got serious about spiritual matters.
At that time, I lived my life for myself.
But now, suddenly, death was not a distant reality.
Death became an even closer reality when a friend of mine, who was a pilot, was killed in action.
I don’t think I was ever more sober than when I carried his body off the plane.
Meanwhile, my brother and best friend had each made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
They started sharing their newfound faith with me.
I argued with them about the truth of Christianity, but deep down I wanted to be sure that Christianity was the true way to eternal life.
The only book that I had taken with me to the war in northern Namibia was my little green Gideons pocket New Testament.
I read it often, and I prayed to God to save me.
After my first tour of duty in northern Namibia, I was sent back to South Africa.
While on leave, I visited my best friend in Port Elizabeth.
He took me to a service at his church on Easter Sunday evening in 1976.
It was there that God opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel, and by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone I became a Christian.
I am so thankful to God for the Gideons who placed this pocket New Testament in my hands.
In the providence of God, it was this Bible that he used to draw me to himself.
Some 55 years ago, someone may have sat at a table and heard an invitation to become a Gideon.
That man accepted the invitation and became a Gideon.
One day, he was called and asked to deliver pocket New Testaments to the Standard 6 students at Pearson High School.
How did he feel?
Was he nervous?
Was he apprehensive?
Was he scared?
I don’t know.
I do know he wasn’t a preacher.
But he accepted the assignment, and he handed out brand-new, shiny green pocket New Testaments to students he had never known.
I received that Bible.
I don’t recall saying, “Thank you.”
Years later, it was reading this Gideons New Testament that God drew me to himself.
And now God is using me to teach others about his amazing grace.
Every Gideon touches a life when he hands someone a Bible from the Gideons.
Most Gideons don’t know about the lives they touch this side of heaven.
When I get to heaven, I would like to ask Jesus to point me to the Gideon who put this pocket New Testament in my hand, so that I can go to him and say, “Thank you! Thank you for putting God’s word into my hands. It changed my life!”
But I suspect when I get to that man, I will again have to wait in a queue, along with many others, who also want to thank him for giving out Gideons Bibles.
As a pastor now, I regularly encourage the men in our church to become a Gideon.
All of them want their lives to have meaning and significance.
One way to do so is by becoming a Gideon.
Only God knows how many lives will be in heaven for all eternity because they served as a Gideon.
I am so thankful to God for the pastor who encouraged that man who gave me my brand-new, shiny green pocket New Testament to become a Gideon.
Friends, if you are a Christian, you have a testimony to share.
Tell others about what Jesus has done in your life.
And if you are not a Christian, you can become one today.
Repent of your sins and believe that the Lord Jesus has paid the penalty for all your sins. Amen.
