The Story
Luke is the one who wrote the book of Acts, so he is the one speaking. He traveled with Paul on his journeys, so he wrote about what he saw firsthand. In Tyre, Paul and his companions (his co-laborers in the gospel of Jesus Christ) stayed and fellowshipped with the disciples there for seven days. Through the Spirit, Luke said, they urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. In Caesarea they stayed with an evangelist named Philip who had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. After a number of days, a prophet named Agabus prophesied to Paul that he was going to be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and would be handed over to the Gentiles. Paul’s companions, and the people in the hearing of Agabus’ prophecy, pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. This is what Paul said:
“Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).When Paul and his companions arrived in Jerusalem, they were received warmly by the brothers in Christ there. The next day they saw James, and all the elders were present, as well. Paul reported in detail, Luke said, what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Luke said that when they heard this, they praised God. Yet, after several days, some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the temple. Luke said that they stirred up the whole crowd and seized him. They dragged Paul from the temple and tried to kill him.
The commander of the Roman troops, on the report of what was happening there, took some soldiers with him down to where the crowd was beating Paul. When the people saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul, Luke said. The commander arrested Paul and bound him with chains, as Agabus had prophesied would take place. The commander wanted to know what Paul had done, so the people shouted different things to the commander. Then the commander ordered Paul to be taken to the barracks. The crowd kept shouting for Paul to be done away with. Then, Paul asked the commander for permission to speak to the people. So, the commander let him speak.
Paul then gave his testimony of his past life as a persecutor of believers in Jesus Christ and how he had approved their deaths. Then, he told of how, when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute more believers in Jesus, he had seen a bright light from heaven and he heard Jesus speaking to him, “Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?” Saul asked the voice from heaven, “Who are you, Lord?” Then, Jesus let him know that it was him and that he was persecuting him. Jesus said this because when Paul persecuted Jesus’ followers, he was persecuting Jesus Christ. So, Paul asked Jesus what he should do, and Jesus told him to go to Damascus and he would be told there what his assignment was to be. Since the light had blinded him, he had to be led by the hand to Damascus.
When he arrived in Damascus, Ananias came to see him. He told Paul to receive his sight, and at that moment Paul could see. Then, Paul received his assignment from God:
‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name’ (Acts 22:14-16).I like what Paul said in chapter 26, vv. 15-18 when he recounted, again, his testimony, and he told of what assignment Jesus gave to him:
“‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’” (Acts 26:15-18).Backing up to Paul’s speech to the crowd (in chapter 22): When Paul recounted how the Lord had told him in a vision to leave Jerusalem because the people there would not accept his testimony about Jesus Christ, and then when he told how the Lord had told him to go to the Gentiles, this angered the crowd. They said, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” Wow! People don’t like to hear the truth when the truth hurts. The commander ordered Paul to be taken to the barracks and flogged but Paul appealed to the commander on the basis of his Roman citizenship. The commander released Paul, but the next day he brought him before the Sanhedrin. Paul addressed the Sanhedrin by letting them know that he had “fulfilled his duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” The high priest ordered that Paul be struck on the mouth for speaking those words, and Paul responded by letting him know that God was going to judge him.
Paul did not realize that the man who ordered he be struck in the mouth was the high priest, so he let them know this fact, in an apologetic way. Then, Paul used what knowledge he had of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and their philosophical differences over the teachings on the resurrection of the dead, to his advantage. He told them he was standing on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead. Then, a dispute broke out and the assembly was divided, Luke said. Some of the Pharisees came to Paul’s defense, because they believed in the resurrection of the dead, whereas the Sadducees did not. The dispute became violent, Luke said, so much so that the commander had to remove Paul by force just to protect him. And, then he took him back to the barracks. Luke said that the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said to him:
“Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11).The Application
When Paul accepted his assignment from Jesus, he did not do so blindly. He had been a fierce opponent and persecutor of believers in Jesus Christ, so he knew firsthand what he was up against and the real potential of great persecution and death awaiting him for his testimony for Jesus Christ. Yet, he chose willingly to be a follower of Jesus and to accept the assignment God had given to him for the remainder of his life. So, when Agabus prophesied that Paul was going to be bound and handed over to the Gentiles, this came as no surprise to Paul. He knew what awaited him in Jerusalem, yet he was willing to be bound and also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Many people throughout history and throughout the world have entered into relationship with Jesus Christ with this same kind of real knowledge and potential suffering and even death facing them for their faith in Jesus Christ, yet they chose to believe anyway. Yet, from what I have read and heard about these kinds of believers, I believe this kind of knowledge and understanding of what it means to truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ gives them a firmer footing in their faith and a stronger determination to stand out for Jesus Christ in being his witnesses and in living holy lives pleasing to God.
I really think we are at a disadvantage here in the USA because most of us have had it so good, and we have faced so little real persecution for our faith in Jesus Christ, though some of us do encounter persecution for our testimonies for Jesus for sure. Yet, because of this, it appears to me that we have a soft idea of what it means to be believers in Jesus and we think of our faith more in terms of the joy of Christ and our relationship with him and the fellowship of the family of believers and the pleasure of church gatherings. And, I think sometimes we forget that we came to Christ to forsake sin and to follow our Lord in full obedience and surrender of our lives to him and to his will for our lives. As well, we are in relationship with Jesus Christ to tell others about him and how they can come to know him, so they can have salvation and eternal life, too. Our lives are not to be our own once we come to know our Lord, yet this “soft” approach to faith in Jesus often leaves that part of the gospel message out and, as well, focuses more on what we get from it rather than what we are supposed to give back to Jesus. Paul gave it all for Jesus. Will we do the same?
When we think about all that Paul and other followers of Christ have had to suffer for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we consider the idea that we, too, are supposed to have that same kind of commitment to Jesus Christ, fear may grip our hearts and we may want to back down and take the easy road and the “soft” approach to Christianity. It is here that Jesus’ words to Paul are so encouraging. He told him to take courage. Why? Because God was in control, no matter the outcome. Jesus would never leave him nor would he forsake him or forget him. He would always be there with Paul to comfort him and to show love to him through all his sufferings for the sake of the gospel. Jesus would be his rock and his deliverer, though not necessarily delivering him from the sufferings, but carrying him through them, strengthening him in his faith as he went along. And, Jesus promised to supply all that Paul needed for the work of the ministry of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, too. And, the same promises given to Paul apply to us, as well.
Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for our sins and he suffered so much more for us than we could ever possibly imagine and so much more than would ever be required of us. Is it so much to ask of us that we give back to him our lives in full surrender to his will?
Never Will I Leave You / An Original Work / May 11, 2011
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb. 13:5).
“Never will I leave you, nor will I forsake you.”
Jesus is your Savior; love and comfort keep you.
He is your deliverer; Rock of your salvation;
Cornerstone, rejected by men; mighty God is He!
Hope of your salvation; He is your Redeemer.
He is living in you as your Lord and Master.
He will not forget you, nor will He neglect you.
He knows all about you; He will supply all you need.
God of your redemption’s perfect plan to save you
Sacrificed for your sin, so you’d be forgiven.
He loves and adores you; perfectly He made you
So that you might be His servant and child of the King.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/never-will-i-leave-you
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PkN6_lsTJk
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