ACTS 22:3-23
Acts 22:3 Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honour God in everything I did, just like all of you today.
Acts 22:4 And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison.
Acts 22:5 The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the followers of the Way from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.
Acts 22:6 “As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me.
Acts 22:7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
Acts 22:8 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’
Acts 22:9 The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me.
Acts 22:10 “I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’
Acts 22:11 “I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.
Acts 22:12 A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus.
Acts 22:13 He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!
Acts 22:14 “Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.
Acts 22:15 For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard.
Acts 22:16 What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’
Act 22:17 “After I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple and fell into a trance.
Act 22:18 I saw a vision of Jesus saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem, for the people here won’t accept your testimony about me.’
Act 22:19 “‘But Lord,’ I argued, ‘they certainly know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
Act 22:20 And I was in complete agreement when your witness Stephen was killed. I stood by and kept the coats they took off when they stoned him.’
Act 22:21 “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’
Acts 22:3-21
Key:
Green – shared word for word
Yellow – approximate or stylistic
Blue – unique
You have a much better handle on the uniqueness of this speech now after spending the time on it that we have. We could do more. I could have worked through the speech word by word analyzing everything but I choose to take as many of you with me as possible rather than risk losing some of you. I have already written 15 Gems on the speech, this is the 16th. What I intend to do from this point on is to mop up on your questions and responses and then deal with the punchline. So I would estimate that we have two more Gems on Paul’s speech to go after this one.
So I decided I would give you the opportunity to gather your remaining questions and share them to make sure I have covered everything that requires comment. There are some aspects to the speech that I have not commented on. Some deliberately to give you the chance to find interesting elements without me prompting you. There may be things I have meant to comment on and forgotten about or there may be features that I haven’t covered that you are busting to have answers to. Now is your chance to ask before I move on. Send your questions in the normal way.
Ask the LORD to open your eyes and show you the depths of His Word. Read this week’s Nugget to see my latest revelation from Him. He WILL answer you. But likely not instantly.
Some people are old at 18 and some are young at 90. Time is a concept that humans are fixated on.
Ian Vail
LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is.
Psalm 39:4
Teach us Lord to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Start today! Ask Him to give you insight and wisdom from His Word and He will.
Ian Vail
Send me your questions. I like to leave no stone unturned.
Ian Vail