And I said, Who are you, Sir?
And He said, I am Jesus whom you persecute; but rise up and stand on your feet, for it is for this reason I appeared to you, to appoint you a servant and a witness both of what you saw, and in what I shall appear to you, having delivered you from the people and the nations, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God, in order that they may receive remission of sins, and an inheritance among those being sanctified by faith in Me. [LITV]Acts 15-18
“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.
“And the Lord replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentilesto open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” [NLT]Acts 15-18
“I said, ‘Who are you, Master?’
“The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you. I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’ [MSG]Acts 15-18
These are very important verses in the book of Acts. They are also very important statements in Paul’s defence before Agrippa. What is intriguing is these verses are all one sentence in Greek. So I have given them to you in three different translations. The astute ones among you and those who have done Deeper Bible 101 will be able to work out why I have given four verses to you in these three versions.
I suggest you spend some time before the next Gems looking carefully at these verses and glean from them what you can before I start to look at them in detail in the next Gem. There is much to be gained from a careful look at these verses. Some asked questions about them when I called for your questions but I simply summed up the issues by saying: The importance of verses 16 to 18.
So why would I now give you verse 15 as well?
Look carefully at everything surrounding these four verses. They are indeed important, for Paul, for Agrippa, for readers of the book of Acts down through the ages and for us today.
When a Christian stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs.
Corrie ten Boom
Linger long and often in his presence. Meditate on his grace. Ponder his love. Memorize his words. Study His Word.
Max Lucado
Do you put more into your belly than you put into your brain? Study the Word of God.
Ian Vail
The quality of your Bible study is set by the questions you ask yourself. The more honest & real the questions, the more you’ll grow.
Ian Vail
(S)he who finds their own Gems comes alive to Bible study. Capture the thrill of digging deeper in God’s Word and you will never be the same.
Ian Vail
The best teachers show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see. (Given to me by a bunch of Brazilian Kiwis along with a small ornamental spade.)
Anon
