37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?”
“Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?”
39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.”
40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
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. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I 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 the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates 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.
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 baptized 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.’ ”
- Acts 21:37-22:21
Before Paul is no longer able to be with his people, he gives one last message. He shares his testimony- from where he was born to how his ministry came about. Throughout Acts, we followed his journey from being another one of those Jews to becoming a great leader spreading the Gospel to followers of Jesus in this area. Paul was basically anti-Christian when we first met him. He threw innocent people in jail, later met and talked to Jesus, went blind for a second, changed his name, got baptized, left Jerusalem to travel to other countries and talk to Gentiles, people not of his own. His ministry started here when he finally met Jesus.
It's time to look back on Paul's legacy. He converted so many people into Christianity. Specifically, Paul taught them who Jesus was and why he matters so much in our faith. With his biblical knowledge, close relationship with God, faithful friends and community, and trust in the Lord, Paul did great missionary work. That legacy continued on to other believers and eventually led to us today learning about the Bible.
Every follower of God has their own story and own testimony. Our testimony started from the day we were born. Then one day, we got to know Jesus (hopefully). From there, we start our own ministry and will continue Paul's legacy. Say that you were in Paul's position right now and you only had one thing left to say before you die. What would your relationship with God look like in that current state? As a follower of God, what would you say to the people around you? What would your testimony be? I encourage you to share your testimony and your story to someone you trust within the AYL/Harvesters community.
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