Acts 22
As we pursue the Lord, there are bound to be moments where we are used to spread the gospel. We are the body of Christ and it is our duty to show others the gift of salvation that Christ has so freely given to us. As most of us know, this job is never as simple as it sounds. Many people are difficult to reach, each living for their own agendas and wandering through life on their own accord. Nonetheless, our duty remains and we must seek out how to accomplish it. Luckily there are many great examples in the Bible of people who do well in spreading the word, Acts 22 containing one of them.
As Paul begins his address to the angry mob, he makes it clear to us that one of the best tools we can use in spreading the Gospel is our commonality with others. He knows the Jewish mob and what they appreciate, and he uses that to his advantage in his defense. Being a Jew educated by Gamaliel, Paul knows that he can earn the crowd’s ear if they are aware of his great credentials. After all, what crowd would receive a lecture from someone with no knowledge of what he speaks?
But this doesn’t only give the crowd assurance that Paul is intellectually strong in the ways of the Law, but also that he is one of them. Being a Jew himself who has converted, his story will carry much further than if he were to be some gentile from a far-off land. Paul once shared the same views that they do, and now he has changed. That means something!
This gives us great insight into how we should address others as believers. Paul began by being personal with the crowd, showing how he had once been very much like them. He had been in their shoes before, being one of the most zealous of Jews in the persecution of the church. Yet despite all of his prior convictions, he gave it all up in an instant when faced with the glory of Christ.
I believe that we can share a similar sentiment about our lives with others when spreading the word. We were all once a part of the world, we all were slaves to our sin and struggled with the same things as those who don’t know Christ. We have enjoyed the same pleasures as them, and have endured the same difficulties. We aren’t some far-off people that have no clue, but instead are real people who have lived much like them before.
This isn’t to say that everyone has endured the same struggles or has the same passions, of course not! But when we show someone that we can have at least a general empathy for their struggles, that we have been in similar dark places, it creates a trust that can allow for a conversation overflowing with the love of Christ. Once this trust is established, we can explain how Jesus has changed our lives and given us new meaning.
From the story, we know that the hard-heartedness of the crowd didn’t produce much change in that moment. However, I still believe this is still an essential take-away from this chapter. We must relate to those around us to allow the love of Jesus to seep in. This does not mean sparing the truth, but instead creating a space for others to trust us in giving them the truth. Use the experiences that the Lord has brought you through to create connections with others and show them the love of Christ. Just as Paul did, show others how much Christ has changed you!