September 01, 2023 | Be On Mission
Paul Testifies of His Conversion & Call
Scripture: Acts 22:1-21(NIV)
1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”
2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.
Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’
8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me.
10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked.
“ ‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him.
14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
Devotional
A good testimony has some key parts:
MY LIFE BEFORE CHRIST
Paul was honest about who he was before becoming a follower of Jesus. He admitted that he was so zealous that he “persecuted the followers of this Way (Christians) to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison.” And when Stephen was martyred, he confessed, “I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.”
In a few sentences, how would you summarize your life before you knew Christ?
HOW I BECAME A CHRISTIAN
Paul told about his Damascus road experience, when he met the risen and ascended Jesus face to face. He relayed how another believer led Paul to Christ saying, “Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
How did you come to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
CHANGES CHRIST HAS MADE IN ME
Paul hinted at the new purpose for his life, when he told how Jesus had said to him, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” Much of this “Be on Mission” study has been an exploration into how Paul lived out that assignment.
In a nutshell, what is different about your life since you became a follower of Jesus?
WHAT CHRIST IS CALLING ME TO NEXT
Paul had said that he was willing to die for Christ in Jerusalem. He had his eyes fixed on Jesus, and planned to serve Him for the rest of his life.
What is Jesus calling you into in your future?
Poem
My Testimony
I know what it’s like to stand just where you are
I, too, felt the righteousness, justified, fire
Believing my own truth, believing my way
I fought against others, my anger displayed
But then a change happened, my vision was cleared
A great revelation, my pride disappeared
The Truth’s light came blinding, The Sword’s word I heard
The veil of lies lifted, new message preferred
I realized my striving against Spirit’s goads
I realized I’d traveled down destruction’s roads
My feet were converted from paths where I’d strayed
And fin’lly were set upon Christ’s chosen way
