The Puzzle, August 3-10, 2009
Trustworthy Witnesses
And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
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? 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?” 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.” 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:
“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: .... Acts 21:35-22:2
He said what? Here’s his one shot to make a defense for himself, to let the people know this has all been a mistake, that he is a law-abiding Jew, innocent of all the accusations. This is Paul’s chance to defend himself from his enemies. The guy is smart enough to do it, too. His education would rival or surpass anyone in the crowd; he speaks multiple languages. He can do this—he can get himself out of this mess and go free, if he does a good job of defending himself. He is in the right, and all charges are false. He has permission from the tribune to speak to the crowd, they’re listening (especially as he switches over to Hebrew, their language), and he tells them he is making his defense. What will he say?
One Shot
Paul gives his testimony.It’s the story of how he used to persecute Christians to the death, was going to Damascus to find more, when a light from heaven brought him to the ground and he heard the voice of Jesus for the first time. Paul details his conversion experience, up to the point where the Lord commissions him to minister to the Gentiles, which the mob takes as their cue to resume screaming at Paul.
He never even makes a defense. He uses his brief little moment to tell about the greatness of Jesus, the moment is over, now it’s too late to get himself out of this predicament; some are so livid they are vowing to kill him.
But the testimony went out. Paul’s one shot at defending himself was also his one shot at telling about what Jesus did for him. He chose the latter, which aroused the hatred of some, and left an indelible impression on others. Paul witnessed for Jesus! He had one chance, he took it and he made it count. A hostile mob heard about the life-changing power of Jesus Christ, they saw courage in action. Paul had one shot at witnessing to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. He used it, for Jesus. Trustworthy witnesses are like that.
Trustworthy Witnesses
Paul was a go-to witness. God knew he could trust him with the tough ones, and Paul would always come through. How many people did the Lord have who could be thrown into a mob, almost be torn apart, use his intelligence and training to speak the right language to the right people at the right time, then, when given the opportunity to defend himself before the angry crowd who had tried to kill him, spend his only chance on telling the story of what Jesus had done for him, without a single word about his trampled rights or his innocence? Paul was a trustworthy witness.This is the same Paul God had allowed to be beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, where Paul and Silas chose to spend their midnight time in the stocks praying and singing praises to God, as the other prisoners listened. God kicked the jail, their chains fell off, and their first Philippian convert was the jailer. Stuff like this doesn’t happen unless you have witnesses you can trust to praise you, when others would be crying or cursing. Is there any wonder why God would pick Paul to send to Rome, to witness before Caesar? Paul is such a trustworthy witness that God can tell him years in advance what His plan is, knowing that Paul won’t bolt or balk.
Other Types
There are different kinds of witness. Paul’s witness on this occasion is bold and up front. Its power is in its sincerity. He just says what happened to him that resulted in his conversion, without accusing anyone of anything, even though he had been badly mistreated. This is the witness of a sincere testimony.But Paul is not the only trustworthy witness in God’s arsenal. In the course of his testimony, Paul mentions two others, Stephen and Ananias.
Stephen’s witness was through powerful preaching and debate. Although it offered more of a confrontational tone, God used it. No one could stand up against him! Stephen’s witness was bold, pointed and courageous. Yet it pointed toward Christ. Stephen’s witness was one of martyrdom, mimicking the words of Christ even as he was dying. His courage made an indelible impact on many, one of them being Paul.
Then there was the witness of Ananias. His was a witness of obedience to God’s specific leading, expressed through kindness and acceptance. It was quieter, but it was so vitally important! Ananias was one of those trustworthy servants to whom God could give a daring assignment, knowing he would carry it out to the letter, and with a good attitude. Such was His trust in this disciple that He told Saul a man named Ananias was coming to him even before He informed Ananias! Ananias was a witness to God’s forgiveness and acceptance. His greeting of “Brother Saul” to a murderer of Christians helped lock in Saul’s conversion. The love and forgiveness of Christ flowed through an obedient disciple and opened the eyes and the heart of the one personally chosen by the Lord to witness to the Gentiles about the acceptance and forgiveness of Jesus.
Paul, Stephen and Ananias all had different types of witness, each of them effective. There are other types of witness, too, in addition to these. Sometimes we are witnessing without knowing it; at other times, we are warned in advance, such as when God told Paul he was going to testify in Rome. God makes it all work together. Our job is to pay attention, take courage and just do it!
Our Witness
Are we trustworthy witnesses? Can God call on us to testify to the great things He has done for us, confident that we’ll do it, given the opportunity? Or does He have to pass over us and go on to someone more reliable? Do we make the cut for those situations requiring a disciplined attitude? You know... sickness, unfair treatment, miserable circumstances, that sort of thing? Would God dare put us in a place like that when He needs someone to point toward Jesus and not toward their own pain? Are we so reliably obedient that He could slip our name to a needy soul, promising we’d come before He even informs us? Have we chosen to adopt the attitude of Christ’s forgiveness toward even our enemies, so God can use us as the final, convincing emissary of His own love?Jesus’ final promise to His disciples was that they would be His witnesses. (Acts 1:8) We’re not all the same kind of witness, but we can all become trustworthy witnesses, if we’re willing. It’s part of being a genuine disciple.
Too much of the time, when we hear the word “witnessing,” we confuse it with cult followers shoving magazines in people’s faces, or people with irritating messages on signs, or memorized plans presented like Kirby vacuum cleaners to unwilling, trapped listeners. I don’t think that’s at all what Jesus had in mind when He gave His followers that final promise. I think what He was seeing was much more along the lines of people who, with their dying breath, would proclaim their love for Him, tell of His goodness, and imitate His acceptance of all people, even those who would persecute them. I think He saw people who could be trusted to give a glowing testimony of how great it is to serve Him, when the situation would indicate a normal response of self-preservation and self-pity.
We could be trustworthy witnesses! We just could. I know God would help us. All we have to do is be willing to share God’s love with people, like Ananias did, or tell what Jesus did for us, like Paul, or brag on God like Stephen did. Will it lead to mobs or martyrdom? Well, maybe, but it’s not likely at the moment, in America. If we keep quiet much longer about our faith, and we purposely skip all those chances to say something good about Jesus, then our chances at persecution are going to mount, as our nation continues to languish without knowing a Savior they’re not hearing about, and more importantly, not seeing in the lives of disciples. If one day it does come down to martyrdom, the good thing about that is you only have to do it once, and you never have to do it, again!
Willing Witnesses
Do you suppose God would honor a prayer that we would be better witnesses for Jesus? Yeah. “Duh,” with a capital “Duh!”Not only that, but if we use the opportunities before us to brag on Jesus rather than defend ourselves, we’ll do a lot more good. If we publicly bless God rather than complaining about the Church, our witness is many times more effective. This is not that hard. It just takes some discipline. It also helps to see that the reason for this circumstance is not to make us miserable, but to give us an opportunity to witness, if we’re willing. And it’s a lot easier to pick out the witnessing opportunities when we’ve been praying for God to grant them to us! Then, all He has to say is, “There it is.” If we’re not looking for chances to praise Him, all we generally notice are reasons and opportunities to complain.
Divide and Distract
Why do we miss so many chances to be a witness for Christ? For one thing, we’re so easily distracted.I’m reminded of how easy it is to divide people into polarized camps as I read what Paul did in Acts 23. After the temple riot, Paul was brought before the ruling council, composed of Sadducees and Pharisees. The Sadducees were the skeptics of the day, scorning belief in resurrection, angels or spirit; the Pharisees embraced them all. An ongoing feud persisted between the two camps over their beliefs. All Paul needed to do to get the attention off him and pit these guys against one another was to cry out in their midst, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” (Acts 23:6)
That’s all it took. Instantly, the Pharisees sided with Paul, the Sadducees sided against him, and the escalating argument quickly grew violent. Once again, the Romans had to rescue Paul by force, but now, instead of having the entire mob focused against him, he had lots of reinforcements who had joined his side to rail against the others. With two sentences, he had cut his opposition in half and pretty well neutralized them. Instead of being united in fighting Paul, they were now engrossed in a battle with each other over the resurrection. Half his attackers had suddenly become his defenders. “Divide and distract” works. It’s why Satan uses it on us so often.
Dividing Lines
Were someone today in a position similar to Paul’s, with the spotlight on them, all they would need to do to create a diversion and enlist the help of many would be to drop one of these “dividing lines,” cleaving the audience into competing factions. Numerous controversies would qualify for this tactic, and it wouldn’t too much matter which side one chose; either position would bring both allies and opponents. Here are some samples of “dividing lines”:-“Everyone knows that speaking in tongues is the evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit!”
-“I believe in traditional worship, instead of this emerging church stuff!”
-“How can you be Christian and vote for someone who is not pro-life?”
-“The Republican party is the party of moral values!”
There are lots more dividing lines which could be used: Worship styles, baptism beliefs, social issues, doctrinal and political topics, the list goes on. And what would happen? A fight would break out—perhaps not openly, but at least internally, and the Church would once again be distracted from the assignment Jesus gave us of making disciples in His name, while His people duked it out among themselves over some side issue. “Divide and distract” is a tactic which has been used on us too many times.
The Answer to “Divide and Distract”
So, what’s the answer to “Divide and Distract”? Refuse to be either divided or distracted. I’m not saying we dumb things down to the least common denominator and avoid any issue where we’re not in automatic agreement. Nor am I suggesting that we ignore issues where we need to pray through what side we should take. What I’m advocating is the refusal to divide over things non-essential. The problem comes in as different people vary greatly as to what they consider “essential.” A whole lot of grace is required! Jesus is willing to provide it, if we are willing to use it. Refuse to let disagreement divide us. It’s O.K. to love Jesus and love one another from both sides of an issue.The other part of combating “Divide and Distract” is refusing to be distracted. Diversions are one of the oldest tricks in the book—getting people’s attention off something important by creating a crisis somewhere else. This opens the way for victory in the desired arena. The best defense is to not fall for the diversion, since the purpose of the diversion is not winning, but distracting. Stick with what’s important, stick with your team. Do those two things, and “Divide and Distract” falls flat.
I think God would like us to overlook our differences and love each other as people who are on the same side, even if we’re not. When we do that, it minimizes Satan’s ability to divide and distract us.
Our loyalty had better be to Jesus first, rather than our opinions, traditions or home team; otherwise, we’re suckers for anyone who wants to toss a grenade issue into our midst and watch us launch into one another instead of following Jesus and living by the love He commanded. The enemy of our souls will do anything to keep our focus off Jesus. There’s no way Satan can win unless he gets us distracted. He can’t win against a bunch of people with their eyes on Jesus, who are committed to loving one another, regardless of their differences. And it’s humiliating to Satan to engineer circumstances guaranteed to produce conflict and complaining in us, only to have us recognize it as an answer to prayer and an opportunity to witness to the glory of God!
The Puzzle, August 11-13, 2009
Safe with God
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” Acts 23:12-15
So, it’s settled. Paul, the apostle and the first missionary, is going to die at the hands of his countrymen in Jerusalem. His enemies have sworn not to eat or drink until they’ve killed him, there are over forty of them, and they mean business. Their rage has put them beyond caring about the danger or possible consequences to themselves. They want Paul dead. These are desperate men, committed to their plot. Paul’s a goner.
Enter: God. He always shows up, but nobody ever sees Him! This time He shows up in the form of a young boy, just visiting his uncle in jail. Somehow, Paul’s young nephew had picked up on the plot, the way kids do when no one thinks they’re paying attention and adults assume they’re too young to understand, anyway. But what the would-be lynch mob didn’t know was that this was a dangerous young man, and God was about to use him to foil their whole plan. The boy told Paul, Paul discreetly got him a private audience with the tribune, the tribune believed him and took prompt and evasive action with overwhelming force. Lysias the tribune utilized half of all the soldiers under his command, just to ensure that he didn’t lose a prisoner to a mob. The soldiers did a 35-mile, all-night march to get Paul to Caesarea; 70 horsemen continued on with him another 27 miles to Antipatris, where he was turned over to the protection of Felix, the governor. And that was that! So much for the ambush. 470 armed Roman soldiers make a pretty good bodyguard. When it comes down to it, though, all we need is God.
Safe With God
We’re safe with God. We need to know that—we’re safe with God. It’s not that we don’t have enemies—we definitely do—but we are absolutely, positively, ridiculously safe, with God.Paul’s enemies gave it their best shot—they vowed to not eat or drink until they had killed him. There were more than forty of them, pooling their hatred and discipline. And what does it take to defeat their plan? A kid young enough to be led by the hand when he speaks to the tribune. God uses a kid! (Not the first time. Nor the last.)
God is so good at what He does that He can put the whole thing in the hands of a young boy and overcome the hatred of forty men. God’s purposes are sure. Paul is His man, His apostle. No way is he going to die, until he has accomplished the purposes God has for him! It doesn’t matter how many people are trying to ruin us or even kill us. They can devote their lives to our destruction and still fail! God is a great Protector. We are utterly safe, with Him. He may use devious Roman tribunes or innocent kids with good hearing to do it, He may protect us with 470 Roman soldiers or with chariots of fire, but He will protect us. We are safe with God. Period. And when Jesus says we’re going across the Lake, we’re going, so we need not freak out about the storm! And when God says we’re going to Rome, we’re going to Rome! All the excitement is just God providing us with an armed escort and making sure we’ll get in to witness to Caesar. It’s all good. Part of the plan.
Intensities Compared
Something which bugs me about this passage in Acts is the intensity discrepancy. It’s not the difference between the passion of Paul’s enemies and the dedication and intensity of Paul; it’s the difference between all of them and us! That’s what bothers me.On the one hand is an apostle so devoted to Jesus that he’s willing to venture into Jerusalem despite repeated warnings about what will happen to him, there. Why does He go? Because the Spirit led him. He’s practically dismantled by a raging mob. These people probably aren’t too interested in hearing about Jesus! Paul gives them his heartfelt testimony, then absorbs the punches.
Then there are his enemies. Talk about intense! These guys are willing to get themselves killed, trying to rid the earth of Paul. Vowing not to eat or drink until he’s dead, and being more than willing to help make it happen? We’re not talking about mild opposition here!
Fast forward to the present day, to a nation founded on religious freedom, sporting “In God we Trust” on its currency. Where’s the intensity?
The contrast of the intensity of Paul’s enemies with the intensity of the average American Christian is startling. They were people willing to fast and risk their lives, just to kill someone they didn’t like; how many times have we engaged in fasting for evangelism or on behalf of someone we did care about? We’re usually laid back when it comes to evangelism, as in really laid back. “Who, me? Yeah, somebody probably should witness about Jesus. But not me. Hey, if it happens, it happens.”
Our foreign mission endeavors have been different. In that realm, we have heroes who have made notable sacrifices in order to engage people of the world with the Gospel, sometimes at the cost of their lives or the lives of their loved ones. You don’t do missions halfheartedly; it just doesn’t happen. Why, then, would we think our tepid efforts toward evangelism are going to budge America from its ungodly state? We have here a tougher mission field than most parts of the world, the exception being Muslim nations. It is going to take some courage from all of us, even from the kids (ala Paul’s nephew), to break Satan’s grip on our land. Are we willing to get intense about being a witness for Christ?
Intense Trust
We are so self-reliant in America; that includes the Church. We tend to put more trust in insurance companies than we do in our Lord! That’s scary, considering not only the ethical track record of the insurance industry but their motivation for being in that business (Hint: It’s not to keep us safe—it’s to make money!).Let’s renew our trust in God. We could choose to rely on God, in confidence that He will do whatever it takes to protect us, if we are to be protected. What would happen if we chose to trust God, like it says on the money? Would an intense trust in Him be rewarded? Besides, self-reliance is way over-rated.
The first missionary operated with great confidence, because God had told him he was going to Rome. Again and again, Paul draws on his faith in God’s promise. Shipwreck? “ It doesn’t matter. I’m going to Rome!” Poisonous snake bite? “I’m going to Rome! God said.” We could do with some of that same missionary confidence in the U.S. We also need more of the missionary zeal, where we get serious about things that matter to God, like sharing the love of Christ with people who don’t know Him.
What’s our place? From young kids to old missionaries, we all have one. When we realize how safe we are with God, it helps us develop an intense trust. The more we trust God, the easier it is to love in His name, because we know we’re safe. The more we love in His name, the more people come to know that they, too, can find a place of absolute safety—near the heart of God. It’s a life-giving cycle. And instead of intense hatred for our enemies, we’ll have intense trust in our God.
The Puzzle, August 14-18, 2009
Two Governors and a King
After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Portius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. Acts 24:24-27
What’s the theme of the book of Acts? It could be summed up in one verse, Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
The trumped up trial and the unfair treatment seem like persecution—and they are, but God is up to something, here. Like in a chess game, He’s moving one of His best men into position. Before it’s over, God will have used Paul to witness, face to face, to two governors and a king. Then it will be on to Caesar, himself. You will be my witnesses. Jesus wasn’t kidding!
Why There’s a Witness
The effectiveness of God’s witnessing plan depended on the faithfulness of His witness. In Paul, the Lord had a reliable, consistent servant. The reason there is a witness before not one, but two, governors and a king is because Paul is a man who refuses to compromise or to deny Christ, in order to save his own skin. The Jewish leaders don’t have a case and they know it. Now that the assassination ambush plot has failed, they hire a lawyer to butter up Felix and make up accusations everyone knows they can’t prove. Paul could have hired a lawyer, too, and probably gotten off, had he resorted to flattery, bribery or even mere silence. There was no evidence of any kind against him!Had Felix been interested in justice, Paul would have gone free. Felix, however, was corrupt, inept and loved bribes. Had Paul requested some money from the Jerusalem Church to bribe the governor, he still could have been released. Somehow, that mode of operation would have dinged up his fearless testimony, though, the one which sent Felix cowering, yet intrigued him. Felix had his chance to become a believer, with plenty of exposure to the Gospel and a genuine witness before him; he chose the cowardly route, lost his position anyway, due to his mismanagement, and in one last cowardly act, left a man he knew to be innocent in prison, just to satisfy the Jews, who despised the governor, anyway.
God’s Witness Protection Program
As tough as all this seems, continued imprisonment kept Paul out of the clutches of his nearby enemies, and offered him the opportunity to personally explain the Gospel to two governors and a king, ultimately setting him up for an appointment with Caesar. This isn’t a series of bad breaks; this is God’s witnessing plan! What makes it work is Paul’s refusal to compromise the way he lives out the Gospel, and his unwillingness to shut up about Jesus, even though doing either one might have gained him his freedom.When God gets a trustworthy witness, He really uses him! Tertullus might have been a hired spokesman for the Jewish leaders, but Paul was a bondslave spokesman for Jesus Christ. There was no contest. The lawyer couldn’t even convince a corrupt governor to act against Paul, yet when Paul spoke, the governor lost his composure and had to go smother his conscience with a pillow. An uncompromising life, accompanied by a bold testimony, is the kind of witness God likes to show off—it’s powerful!
That’s what this whole thing was about—God using a bold witness, disguised as a prisoner, to corner two governors and a king with the truth. God still uses faithful witnesses. He provides them with opportunities to testify about Him, often disguised as hardships.
Missed Opportunities
I’m so sick of us taking the compromise route! Hey, all we have to do is compromise our principles a little bit (sort of like a bribe), and the doors will swing open, then we can get what we want and be free to “minister”! Yeah, sure.In the process, whatever power might have been in our testimony is eroded by the glaring examples we set of being just like everyone else, instead of the stand-out witness of entire commitment to Someone other than ourselves.
Think of Paul’s testimony before Felix, then throw in a substantial bribe that gets him out of jail. What does it do to his testimony? What does it say about his courage, his willingness to suffer for Jesus’ sake? It ruins the whole thing! So, in order to get free to resume his missionary activities, Paul pays off the governor (which is the expected thing that everybody else seems to do). What happens next? He gets ambushed by his lurking enemies, or they bring him back to trial, now that they actually have a scandalous charge to bring against him which has merit—bribery of a public official! Or, he somehow escapes to a new mission field, where the message of the Gospel of being willing to suffer for the name of Jesus somehow comes out flat, seeing as how he had to do something illegal and immoral in order to be free to bring them this message. I’m glad Paul just stuck to his principles.
A Life of Integrity
Without a life of integrity, we don’t have much, when it comes to spiritual power. Because Paul refused to cave in to compromise, he had so much spiritual power it was scary. He intimidated governors and kings!Why not us? If we don’t give in to the rationalizations and compromises beckoning to us, we can have a testimony which is scary powerful. Who knows? God might end up placing us before governors and kings—or He might just give us the courage to talk to our relatives about Jesus, which, for many, would take more guts.
I’m not asking for imprisonment, martyrdom or anything along that line. I’d just as soon brag on Jesus from a church pulpit and even get paid for it! However, if God sees fit to place me somewhere I don’t care to be, in order to deliver a faithful, uncompromising testimony to someone who may be hostile to the whole thing, I pray that I’ll be a faithful witness, and God won’t have to pass over me and go on to someone He can count on to get the message out. And in the meantime, I think I need to practice more—like bragging on Jesus to people who already love Him, too, and living a life without rationalization or compromise, both of which ding up my testimony.
Jesus wants us to live an uncompromising lifestyle before Him. That way He can use us as an effective witness. If He can count on us to speak up for Him and not give in to fear or to pressure, He can place us anywhere and know that we’ll be a witness for Him. “And you will be my witnesses...” Acts 1:8
“He meant that for the apostles, not for us. That was just for people like Paul.”
Paul wasn’t there, when Jesus said that. Now, what’s our excuse? We’d better get witnessing. First, the power that comes when we entirely submit to the Holy Spirit. Second, the lifestyle that refuses to compromise our faith. Third, the words—all we need to do is tell how great Jesus is and what He’s done for us. It’s not that complicated, but it does take courage, which God provides. And to His faithful witnesses, God also provides something else: Opportunities.
The Puzzle, August 19-21, 2009
Chicken Brain
So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death. And as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him. But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable, in sending a prisoner, not to indicate the charges against him.”
So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:
“I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently....” Acts 25:23-26:3
Paul is standing before King Agrippa II, grandson of Herod the Great, who had tried to snuff out the life of the baby Jesus. With the king is his half sister and companion, Bernice. Festus, the governor, is there. The prominent men of the city are in the audience. The military tribunes are in attendance. The stage is set. For what? For yet another relating of the events which transformed Saul, persecutor of the Church, into Paul the missionary, and now Paul the prisoner, on trial for the sake of the Gospel.
The audience won’t be disappointed, nor will God. Paul could easily have pointed out the utter lack of evidence against him or the fact that there weren’t even any rational accusations to write down and send to the emperor, and he might have gotten off. Since it was the Gospel which landed him in chains in the first place, and there must not have been many friendly faces in that crowd, I would think that every logical thought in Paul’s brain would have been insisting that there might be better times to share his personal testimony than right now! “Say as little as possible, make them come up with evidence, don’t get them stirred up, and live to witness another day”—that’s what my brain would have said. That’s why I’ve led so few people to Christ, through the years, and almost all of them were people who had come to a church service, expecting someone to talk about Jesus. My brain’s a coward, a clever rationalizer and a poor evangelist. I love Jesus, but I have to get stuff past my brain. And my brain’s chicken.
Caesarean Altar Call
Paul seems to have been missing any kind of shyness gene, anyway, but common sense would still have dictated the necessity of keeping his mouth shut while in chains facing a hostile audience. Didn’t stop him. Out came his entire testimony, a whole chapter’s worth. He ended by basically asking a king to confess Christ as Savior in front of the military tribunes, city fathers and the governor. I would imagine it was the first evangelistic invitation given in that particular Roman audience hall, in the city named after the emperor. Nerve.America is in need of more witnesses for Christ. We have a lot of preachers, but it’s not the same to preach a sermon from a church pulpit as it is to trade off your chance at freedom for the opportunity to honor Jesus Christ. As long as we’re nervous about being labeled a fanatic or inconveniencing ourselves or others in some way by mentioning the Lord, our brains will generally be shutting us down long before we get into good witnessing territory. As long as our main fixation is on accomplishments and possessions, witnessing will be a hit-or-miss proposition for us, with misses in the majority. It takes courage to be a witness for Jesus. Sometimes we may even need to unhook the smoke alarm in our brain to get it to shut up and let us witness!
It wouldn’t take a whole lot of people whose life ambition it was to share the good news about Jesus with as many people as possible, to change the American landscape. Even a few would carve quite a trail.
Called to Be Witnesses
He wants us to be His witnesses. If we choose the compromise route to avoid pressure, we’ll also miss most of our witnessing opportunities, or we’ll mess up our witness by making it confusing to people. If we’re willing to give a kind testimony pointing people toward Christ, no matter if they’re a high-ranking political official and we’re on trial for our lives, or it’s a shy immigrant working a service job, God will use us effectively and repeatedly. We will notice witnessing opportunities everywhere, because we’re looking for them, and looking forward to them.In order to be effective, a witness must be sincere. I’m not talking “sincere,” as in an actress doing “sincere,” or a memorized vacuum cleaner sales pitch, complete with “sincere” closer. What I mean is a person whose life has actually been changed by Jesus Christ, telling the truth about what happened to him or her, like the woman at the well did, in John 4. A village outcast became the evangelist who led many in her town to faith in Jesus. Her past was beyond “checkered,” but she didn’t let it stop her from telling everyone in town about the Lord, with amazing results. How can we be effective witnesses for Christ? All we have to do is let people know how good God is, and what He’s done. From there on, I think it’s mostly just answering questions, honestly. Witnesses are not required to come up with an interesting testimony; witnesses just tell the facts of what they saw and experienced, and what they know.
The Right Witness for the Right Audience
Isn’t it interesting how God manages to connect the right witness with the best audience for that testimony? In talking to high-ranking officials and Jewish leaders, who would make a better witness than Paul, a former Jewish leader with a superior education, command of several languages, widely traveled, and so courageous when it comes to witnessing that being intimidated never seems to cross his mind? If I were God, looking for someone to park in front of Caesar, I would have chosen Paul, too!God doesn’t waste anything. This includes witnesses. He often uses our testimony by supplying us with just the right audience. That means if I will disengage my chicken brain, and courageously just tell the truth about how great Jesus is, God will place me in positions where the right people will hear that testimony. Some will respond and turn to Christ for everlasting life. Others may scoff, and go their own way, but with the barb of the Gospel firmly implanted under their skin. Some require a lot of festering before they’re ready to accept eternal life. Either way, God doesn’t waste His available witnesses. He’s still eager to grant forgiveness and a brand new life to whoever responds to the witness of a believer. Not a bad day’s work for a chicken.
Servant Connection
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