Tell the Story

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

TELL THE STORY

Acts 22:1-11

2:1 "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. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and 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 also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers 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.

NIV

Paul now stands before those who wanted to kill him, but at present, he is under the protection of the commander of the Roman army and stands just outside the barracks. Paul told them of his previous life as a faithful Jew who hated the people of the Way and went after them to persecute them, but then he told them of his encounter with Jesus of Nazareth.  From all the accounts of his travels and his testimonies to all the Gentiles throughout Asia, Galatia, Corinth, Ephesus, Thessalonica, as well as all the other places he boldly spoke about Jesus, we know Paul was passionate in his faith in Jesus. Although this is just the beginning of his testimony before the people, we want to focus on the fact that Paul had an incredible testimony about his encounter with Jesus and wanted to share it with others. How do we relate to the encounter with Jesus? Have we had an encounter with Jesus that comes close to Paul's? Have we had any encounter with Jesus, or do we just call ourselves Christians and sort of live according to some of the scriptures, at least the ones we chose? Do we have a testimony about an encounter that changed our lives forever, as Paul's life was changed? How many times have we shared our encounter with Jesus? Do we share anything about Jesus with anyone? Speaking on a personal, or in the first person, I have had an encounter with Jesus, an overwhelming encounter, including a miracle that changed me forever, that turned my life completely around. Am I perfect? No, I will never be perfect until I reach my heavenly home. But the encounter brought me from that city of darkness and death, over the chasm, by the cross of Jesus, into the city of light and life. I love to tell the story of unseen things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. Paul loved to tell the story, and we should all love to tell our story of our encounter with Jesus.