In Acts 21, the Apostle Paul was arrested following a riot in the Jerusalem temple. This gave Paul a lot of opportunities to be a witness of Jesus! First, he gave a defense to the crowd of who he was in the past (22:1-5), how he met Jesus and was baptized (22:6-16), and how his life changed (22:17-21). After Paul appeared before a contentious meeting of the Jewish council, Jesus stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome” (23:11).
It would be a long road to Rome, the capital city of the Empire. Paul would endure beatings, imprisonment, death threats, and even a shipwreck. Through it all, he would testify to two different Roman governors (24:22-25, 25:6-12) and King Agrippa (26:1). When Paul made his defense, what did he say? He talked about who he was in the past (26:2-11), how he met Jesus (26:12-18), and how his life changed (26:19-23).
Paul is a great example of Peter’s teaching: “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15-16). Paul had hope, and He was prepared to make a defense for the reason for it. It’s time for us to prepare, too.
This week, think about your story – what is your reason for the hope that is in you? You can listen to our sermon and then print and complete this post to start applying it.
First, write down your story in three parts.
· Who were you before you met Jesus?
· How did you meet Jesus?
· How has your life changed by knowing Jesus?
Second, read your story to some trusted loved ones (e.g. children, grandchildren, parents, spouse) before the end of the week.