Saul's Mandate to Capture Believers

God's Urgent Call
Calling of Prophets

Called to Preach

Acts 22:1-5 The Message

22 1-2 “My dear brothers and fathers, listen carefully to what I have to say before you jump to conclusions about me.” When they heard him speaking Hebrew, they grew even quieter. No one wanted to miss a word of this.
2-3 He continued, “I am a good Jew, born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia, but educated here in Jerusalem under the exacting eye of Rabbi Gamaliel, thoroughly instructed in our religious traditions. And I’ve always been passionately on God’s side, just as you are right now.
4-5 “I went after anyone connected with this ‘Way,’ went at them hammer and tongs, ready to kill for God. I rounded up men and women right and left and had them thrown in prison. You can ask the Chief Priest or anyone in the High Council to verify this; they all knew me well. Then I went off to our brothers in Damascus, armed with official documents authorizing me to hunt down the followers of Jesus there, arrest them, and bring them back to Jerusalem for sentencing.

For Reflection

When Paul spoke, he was talking in the common Hebrew, not the more formal Hebrew used in the scriptures. Here was a man who spoke the language of common folks in whom they could be confident.  Paul's confession also boosted their opinion of his credibility.  Notice that in his confession he suggested that he was following a well-accepted concept of God's will as interpreted by the Jewish religious establishment.  Thus, Paul distances himself from the Priests and aligns himself with the people.  Paul showed that he was living the life he advocated for them.

Pray

Pray that you will not be as blind to the truth as Paul had been.  Pray that you will embrace God's gift of the Gospel and read, hear and speak the language of the Way of Christ.