"Only Life Changes"

Father God, let this touch someone’s heart and give them the incentive to read on more Your Word in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
It reads in Acts 22: 1-21 NIV
“Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’ “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

“Paul the Roman Citizen: Acts 22:22-29
The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, (their way of rejecting a bad message)the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship. “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

“Paul Before the Sanhedrin” Acts 22:30:, The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

When Paul had spoke to the Jews in Acts 22: He offered them his defense.
Paul was born and raised Jewish.
Paul was taught by Gamaliel.
Paul was zealous for God (as they were now).
Paul had persecuted believers along with the other Jewish leaders.
Paul had an encounter with God.
Paul was blinded.
Paul was given his sight back by Ananias.
Paul was told to tell the world about Jesus.
Paul continued to pray in the Temple
Paul was told to leave Jerusalem because people wouldn’t believe the news about Jesus there;
Paul held the coats for the Jews who stoned Steven to death (22v.20) was sent by God to the Gentiles.

A good way to make sure God is in the words we say: Don’t speak right away. Gaze intently at knowing what your words are for. Doing this always reminds us of who we are in God’s eyes, and how precious people are to God. It also gives us the opportunity to wait on God. It’s His words we wish to speak! It also gives our audience ample time to look you in the eye and receive you as someone who cares about them sincerely. Eye contact is vital when communicating. Paul would say something they all knew and that he lived before God in all good conscience. Cause Paul knew that his conscience was a gift from God. So, Paul had to take care of his mind. The high priest, Ananias, ordered Paul to be slapped! Paul rebuked Ananias for breaking God’s law with this act. He called him a whitewashed wall. The Jewish leaders asked Paul if that was the proper way to talk to God’s high priest. Paul of course responded with an apology. Because Paul didn’t know Ananias, was a high priest and the Scriptures were clear about not speaking evil of those who ruled over us. Paul realized the members of the high council were both Saducees and Pharisees. The Saducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees did.
So, Paul had the resurrection in common with the Pharisees, his own fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Yes! He declared he was on trial for believing in it as they did. This made the Pharisees guilty too! Pharisees, believed in the resurrection, angels and The Holy Spirit. Saducees, believed there was no resurrection, no angels and no spirit. This caused a dispute among them. Some of the Pharisees jumped up and began defending Paul. They decided that an angel or a spirit must have spoken to Paul. They played tug-o-war with Paul’s arms, arguing about his innocence or guilt. The commander interfered because he feared they’d tear Paul (a Roman citizen!) apart, so he ordered him to be taken back to the fortress.
“So, in Acts 23:11 NIV: The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.'” God came and spoke to Paul. And God encouraged Paul and told him he would evangelize Rome. Some Jews were not satisfied. They vowed together to kill Paul before they touched food or drink again. About forty Jews vowed to do this to Paul.
The Plot to Kill Paul reads in Acts 23:12-22:
The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.” But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” So, he took him to the commander. The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?” He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.” The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.” (If the commander had any doubts who was really guilty, he knew for sure now that it was the Jewish leaders who were ready to break Roman law in order to have their way.)

“Paul Transferred to Caesarea”: Acts 23:23-26
Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.” He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias,

(“To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. Acts 23:27-35)
This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
Caesarea is famous to this day because of when the Romans took full control of Judaea in 6AD, Caesarea became their administrative capital. With the transition to full Roman province, Judaea became subject to direct Roman rule, replacing a system of semi-autonomous vassalage that had existed since the Roman Republic conquest of the region in 63 BCE. The change was enacted by the Roman emperor Augustus after an appeal by the populace against the ill-rule of Herod Archelaus. Today, holidaymakers can attend concerts in the beautifully restored Roman amphitheater and can see remains of Herod’s Palace, which later served as the Roman governor’s palace or ‘praetorium’, and where Paul was kept prisoner for two years.
“Let’s Pray”
Dear Heavenly Father, what an amazing, life-changing experience it was for Paul to be confronted on the road to Damascus by Jesus, Himself. Lord, I am so thankful that You can and will save anyone who humbly turns to you for forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Thank You for this insight into Paul’s life, from being the most zealot of persecutors of the “followers of the Way” to being the greatest missionary for the gospel of grace. Thank You that Paul use’s his words to teach us to this day to listen and to make sure we do not leave the Lord out of any part of our living. Use me, Lord, in whatever way You choose, to further Your gospel in my corner of the world. Thank You Lord that You are closest to the givers and blessings them as they bless You in all they say and do in righteousness. I give You all the honor, praise and glory in Jesus Precious Name Amen.

(Power Verse)
No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD.

Isaiah 54:17 NIV: