Message: In Acts 22 Paul had been accused by
an angry mob, turned over to the government and beaten until he told them he
was a Roman citizen. He stood before them and tried his hardest to relate to
them by speaking in the Hebrew language and sharing his testimony. He shared
his whole story, reminding them that he once stood accusing and punishing
believers just like they were doing. As he shared the details of his salvation he
spoke about God telling him from the beginning to get out of Jerusalem because
they would not accept his testimony.
Command: Heed the warnings God gives me.
Promise: God will not leave us even when we allow
our determination to take over.
Warning: God will warn us but he won’t stop us.
Application: We know that Paul had been warned
numerous times to stay away from Jerusalem and God had blessed his ministry to
the Gentiles but Paul was so determined that he went anyway and he suffered greatly
for it. This isn’t to say that God wasn’t with him and didn’t bless his work,
but he suffered hard through all of it just as he was warned. I think sometimes
we get so determined for something and in spite of warnings from those who love
us, we suffer exactly what we were warned about. God doesn’t leave us alone in
these situations and he certainly blesses what we do in his name. We just
suffer as a result of our determination and God won’t stop us from doing it.
