12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[d] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.[e]’
15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 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.
17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to 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.’
Acts 26:12-18 (NLT) 中文
Paul on Trial
Paul is in the middle of one long, God-ordained, trial of over 2+ years. It started in Jerusalem with the Jewish leaders accusing Paul of religious crimes. He’s now in Caesarea. He uses each trial to share his testimony, his call to the gentiles and the gospel. God continues to intervene to foil plots to kill him. Paul declined a request by Roman governor Felix to go to Jerusalem to stand trial. Rather, He leveraged his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. Now he’s presenting before King Agrippa and a host of others.
Why are you persecuting Me?
In the process of persecuting these followers of Jesus, Paul is changed… dramatically. “Why are you persecuting Me?”, asks the Lord of those Paul is persecuting. “These words changed Paul’s world. He immediately understood that Jesus was alive, not dead. [Paul] understood that Jesus reigned in glory instead of being damned in shame. He realized that in persecuting the followers of Jesus he persecuted Jesus, and in persecuting Jesus he fought against the God of his fathers.” (Enduringword.com)
Calling and gospel
Paul is then given his calling, appointed to be Jesus’ servant and witness (v16) of what he’s seen and what he will see in the future. This is to Jews and gentiles; but especially to the gentiles. And of course, he preaches the gospel: repent and believe and be forgiven.
Under what power?
Verse 18 is a shocking reminder that all mankind needs to, “turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.” We’re all under one power – Satan or God. We’re all walking either in darkness or light. It takes a miracle to change. It is triggered by faith. As a preacher shared this past Sunday, faith is like a light switch connected to the power of God. In this case, for redemption.
RЯeflection
- Which are you under – the power of Satan or God? Are you in darkness or light? If you don’t know, then you’re living in darkness because you can’t see the light. But God is calling you, drawing you to the light. Click here or contact us for more information and support in this transformation.
- Again Paul takes every advantage to preach the gospel to his audience. Do we have this on our agenda, through prayer and relationship, in the relationships God has given us?
