Acts 22:15

Sunday, 3 December 2023   “For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Acts 22:15   Paul was just told by Ananias that the God of their fathers had chosen him to know His will and to personally see and hear the Just, meaning Jesus. With that, he next says, “For you will be His witness.”   At this point, Paul leaves off the words of Acts 9:15. Those words would have been completely abhorrent to them –   “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.’”   The part about “the children of Israel” would have been no problem, but mentioning the Gentiles would have put them into attack mode, as will soon be seen. Rather than that, he tells the crowd that he was selected to be the Lord’s witness.   The other apostles were told they would be His witnesses as well –   “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8   As for what Paul is expected to witness, it is to be directed “to all men.” This would include the “Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel” of Acts 9:15. Any and all whom he encountered would be those he was to tell the good news about. This would have been much easier for him than the other apostles.   He was raised in a Gentile land; he was a Roman citizen, making his testimony more likely to be received by many; he was comfortable around highly placed leaders; he spoke many languages, allowing him to travel more easily throughout the empire, etc. What the other apostles would struggle at, he would be able to effortlessly accomplish, speaking to any and all. With that noted, Ananias continues with, “of what you have seen and heard.”   These things are not merely referring to the encounter he is now describing. Instead, it will encompass the personal revelations that he will receive directly from the Lord, his encounters with others, as he travels, and so forth.   Of his personal revelations, he mentions these in several passages, such as 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Galatians 1:11-17, Ephesians 3:1-7, etc.   Life application: Paul was deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. He didn’t need to be trained in what was contained there, something that takes much of one’s life to even begin to grasp. The other apostles did not have this wealth of knowledge.   Where they could easily tie Jesus in with the more common parts of Scripture, Paul could give the theology behind why it was so. This was especially necessary because he would be dealing largely with Gentiles. Because of this, a deeper theology would be needed to overcome barriers that naturally existed.   Today, Christian theology is highly refined because of the words of Paul. But it was not this way at the time of the early church. Paul’s evangelism made this possible, and his writings continued to do so during his life. And because they were maintained by those who received them, they continue to provide clarity even today.   Unfortunately, people spend more time reading about the Bible than reading it. This is unfortunate because it does not provide a sufficient grounding to know if what is presented aligns with Scripture or not. Above all, we must put reading and studying of the word, directly from the word, as the most important part of our day each day.   On the day this commentary was typed, a note from someone who attends the Superior Word Church messaged with the following comments –   “I sit on my couch today ... and I just read Galatians. ... Today the scriptures have come alive in me like never before. ... I understand belief, faith and grace like never before and ... I wanted to share it because I truly feel free today in my spirit and I understand why Christ had to come to die. I before always had the head knowledge but now I have it written on my heart. I just wanted to share my testimony with you. ... Your constant encouragement to read the scriptures have [made them] come alive in my heart today.”   This person, whether attending online or in the building, has heard many sermons, but through direct study of the word, the book of Galatians made a particular impact that could not have come otherwise.   Each day, be sure to pick up and read the Bible, the source of our knowledge of God in Christ. You will be blessed as you do.   Lord God, Your word truly is a lamp for our feet and a light to our path! Thank You for Your precious and glorious word. Amen.