Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live." And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?" When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen." So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I am a citizen by birth." So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
In this passage we see Paul once again being persecuted for preaching the Gospel. He was causing a near riot to the point where he was taken in just based on the commotion he stirred. Unfortunately the whipping didn’t come after they found out what he might have been doing wrong, instead for them they planned on whipping him before to get him to reveal what he was doing wrong. As they were about to flog him, he revealed his Roman citizenship by birth. Israel was being occupied by the Roman Empire at this time and because of this they let him go because they were afraid of the implications of hurting one someone of Roman birth.
Paul’s Roman citizenship continued to play a part in opening paths for his missionary journey because his unique background allowed him opportunities that the Jewish disciples didn’t always have. God created us with our unique identities so it makes sense that God would take advantage of this when calling us into ministry. God uses all things for good for His glory. This includes things like our upbringing, our cultural background, our experiences and even our hardships to break barriers and open paths for us as we are called to do His will.
For me, God used the fact that I’m an Asian American graduate of the Academies @ Englewood to help understand and serve the same type of high schoolers years later. I can lean on my experiences to see what struggles they may have and empathize with their difficulties. Dr. Hall might not be Asian but God used his time studying Asian American Faith for his doctorate as well as his time in Taiwan to expose him to a culture that he would eventually minister to. When we allow ourselves to be used by God, God makes the most of who we are and uses all of who we are. It’s a testament to the power of our God but also encouraging to know that something as simple as your citizenship, ethnicity or just where you went to high school can be used to open unique opportunities.
Pray to God that He would use you, that you would would find your calling and that you would understand how your own unique background can play a part.
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