Slices
Prepare
Reflect on your own experience of finding faith in Jesus, and give thanks for all those who nudged, nagged and nurtured you along the way!
Bible passage
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 baptised 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.”’
Paul the Roman citizen
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!’
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?’
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked. ‘This man is a Roman citizen.’
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?’
‘Yes, I am,’ he answered.
28 Then the commander said, ‘I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.’
‘But I was born a citizen,’ Paul replied.
29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realised that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.
Explore
Paul continues his defence with an account of his temporary blindness (vs 6–11). It’s no accident that he dwells on his sight-restoring encounter with stalwart Jewish leader Ananias, again including more detail than in the initial narrative: Ananias was influential in the city. Paul constructs a compelling case that following ‘the Way’ is compatible with Jewish orthodoxy, quoting the teacher’s words that God chose Paul to bear ‘witness to all’ (v 15) – a deliberate attempt to woo the crowd. He’s taking his time, choosing words and anecdotes carefully, to keep the audience with him as long as possible.
In my work, I train those participating in media interviews to hone their key messages so they can succinctly answer a journalist in 10 seconds, 30 seconds, one minute or two. Likewise, it’s good discipline to distil our own faith story into digestible chunks of varying durations, tailored to the audience’s predisposition. Paul is there way before me, packing a theological punch into his speech!
Claiming God has sent him ‘far away to the Gentiles’ (v 21) is more than the crowd can tolerate. Fury erupts. Threatened with torture, Paul calmly reiterates his legal rights. We too must be perceptive, not simply a pushover when attacked.
Respond
Imagine you’re shortly to be interviewed on Premier Christian Radio about why you’re a Christian. What is your 60-second response?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 3–5; Galatians 5
Pray for Scripture Union
All Together Now which begins today is a residential weekend aimed at families with fostered or adopted children. Pray that through fun activities, making new connections and cheering one another on they will learn about Jesus, as families.
Because a strong start begins with smart preparation
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