"When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ."
Acts 18:5
Testimonies are typically viewed within the framework of depositions and trials, where written and verbal statements are rendered or recorded daily. In the courtroom of law, to testify is to authenticate that an event or a series of events transpired. Testimonies are declarations of fact, which can often carry severe penalties if the people professing them knowingly dispense false information. In both civil and criminal matters, witness observations and reports are critical to discerning the truth. Testimonies do not relate to legal proceedings exclusively; they apply to Christianity as well for believers encounter moments daily to present and represent Jesus Christ. I remember such an opportunity that I had some years ago.
In college, I served as a part-time praise band director at a large metropolitan church. The church possessed a sizeable staff and considerable resources. Therefore, it was not uncommon for the leadership to receive calls from other congregations seeking guidance or interim assistance, as was the case when a small, rural church contacted our music minister. A representative from the countryside church explained that their youth pastor had recently accepted a ministry position at another fellowship. As a result, they were in need of guest speakers for an upcoming youth group summer camp trip. The music minister mentioned that I should consider preaching at one of the retreat services. I was tempted to decline the offer on the spot, but God urged me to dedicate thought and prayer to the proposition, so I requested time to think about it.
“As an aspiring music minister, what business do I have giving impressionable youth a gospel message,” I initially asked myself. I rationalized that I was not a skilled orator and that I lacked sufficient experience composing sermons, particularly sermons tailored to young people. But as the days went by, my excuses and self-contrived limitations were eliminated one by one. God convicted me and compelled me to accept the invitation. Committed to the event, I began to prepare a testimony. I sat motionless in front of a computer for hours on end, unable to write anything of substance. Because sharing my testimony had never been an active discipline, it took me awhile to develop the ability to document Christ’s movement in my life. Eventually, I found the inspiration and encouragement to put an outline on paper.
As the day of the speaking engagement neared, I grew more and more apprehensive about it. Although God had affirmed that I should publicly disclose my testimony, I continued to allow personal inhibitions to flood my mind. A tidal wave of internal tension engulfed me. I beseeched God to remove my reservations and doubts and let the Holy Spirit work through me. It was an appeal that I prayed repeatedly. On the night of the youth service, I was introduced to the teenagers by one of the camp sponsors. As I stood in front of the adolescents, I scanned the eyes of those in attendance. I was moved by the expressions of longing and sadness. I sensed many of the young people were dealing with emotional heartache and discouragement, perhaps in part with having to bid farewell to their youth minister. It was apparent to me that they were eager for truth and desperate for hope. As I opened my Bible, the Holy Spirit inundated me with assurance. He furnished me with the heart and voice to testify of His greatness. All my uncertainties, specifically my capacity to proclaim an enthusiastic testimony, were immediately absent from my mind. All I could feel was a hunger to communicate what God had done in my life, that God had saved me through His Son, Jesus Christ, and that I was being renewed daily through the Holy Spirit’s constant provision of grace, mercy, counsel, and encouragement. In the Lord, there is the dawn of a new day, whether it is in this life or the life that is to come. In Him, there is a satisfying peace, even when confronted with troubling circumstances. Therefore, no heart should be distressed if the God of eternity is controlling it.
My testimony was not natural; it was supernatural. On my own, I would have either been too fearful to speak or too prideful to admit my dependence upon heavenly aid. But in God, I found the desire to witness, as well as the urgency to witness. That event validated God can overcome all fears and inadequacies if we trust Him enough to supply us with the necessary purpose, perspective, and passion.
The apostle Paul possessed a spiritual drive to testify about Jesus. Even though he was the recipient of brutal attacks and protests, Paul exhibited an unrelenting mission to tell the world about Christ. Often harassed and mocked, Paul never stopped evangelizing. He was undeterred in his quest to help people find salvation. As the narrative of Acts 17 closed, Paul was preaching in Athens. The text does not indicate Paul was physically harmed or threatened by the intellectually, idolatrously-prone elite in Athens, but the people were not especially warm to Paul’s message either. When the peoples’ receptiveness in Athens withered away, the apostle left and journeyed some fifty miles southwest to Corinth (Acts 18).
Corinth would soon become a vital city for the propagation of the gospel. It was a maritime city, which had established substantial infrastructure and influence. Positioned between two seaports in modern-day Greece, the city had a storied past. Archaeology excavations reveal the Corinthian territory was populated as far back as 2,000 B.C. By 350 B.C., Corinth had become the most inhabited and productive city of mainland Greece. But eventually Corinth drew the ire of Rome, resulting in its decimation in 146 B.C. at the hands of the Roman military. The city was burned to the ground. The Corinthian men were slaughtered on site while the women and children were sold into slavery. For nearly a century, Corinth was largely vacant. But just before he was assassinated, Julius Caesar ordered Corinth be rebuilt in 44 B.C. Corinth soon reemerged as a place of economic significance via a lucrative shipping trade in the Mediterranean area.
Much like Athens, the residents of Corinth embraced the worship of Greek gods. The city contained many idolatrous shrines, including memorials dedicated to Apollo, Hercules, and Poseidon. When Paul arrived in Corinth he met a man named Aquila who had been forced to flee Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because of an edict released by the Emperor Claudius. The edict banned Jewish people from living in Rome. Aquila and Priscilla were apparently knowledgeable and approving of the message of Christ for Acts 18:2 states Paul sought out Aquila and Priscilla to converse with them and, it would seem, to lodge with them. After determining them to be committed, loyal believers, Paul teamed up with them. We discover that Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla not only shared a zeal for holy truth but they also shared a common profession: tentmaking.
Although we tend to think of Paul as the great evangelist, apostle, teacher, writer, and preacher, Paul was also a capable tradesman. Tents were a necessity for soldiers and shepherds, vocations that demanded portable quarters since such people were always on the move. Tentmaking, in general, was not an elevated position in the first century career hierarchy. Paul was not ashamed of his skillset, which is something he had probably acquired and refined during his youth in Tarsus. He was disposed to put in an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. He even financed his own missionary endeavors so that he might not be an economic burden on the churches and communities he was serving, or planning on serving (Acts 20:34). Though he was imminently trained and educated, Paul took on a practical and unassuming occupation so that his Christ-centered mission could advance.
That Paul would devote himself to serving alongside Aquila and Priscilla signifies he valued a person’s character more than a person’s class. Paul took many otherwise unnoticed individuals in his charge and tutelage. He cared more about a believer’s heart more than anything else. If someone was sincere to the cause of Christ and displayed a steadfast spirit, then Paul was determined to put that person’s dedication and effort to good use (which helps explain why Paul was hesitant to let John Mark rejoin him in Acts 15). Aside from his mentorship and business partnership with Aquila and Priscilla, Paul actively reasoned the Christian stance in Corinthian synagogue worship services. Time and time again we see Paul’s motivation to persuasively argue the case for Christ. He did not advocate an insolent gospel, but an inviting and intelligent gospel. He was not afraid or ashamed to speak the truth in love.
Eventually, Silas and Timothy, who had been in Berea, came to Corinth. Upon their arrival, Paul was all the more eager to preach and testify to the Jewish people that Jesus was the Messiah. It could be that the update Silas and Timothy shared about the churches in Macedonia encouraged Paul so much that he was spurred to carry on and honor that which had been started. Or perhaps the reuniting of his support team spiritually revived Paul and gave him a newfound impetus to effectively present the gospel in Corinth. Either way, Paul was not shy or timid about conveying his testimony. His desire to proclaim Christ did not stem from a self-serving nature; it was a response to the Holy Spirit’s movement in his soul.
But many Jewish people resisted Paul’s message and became abusive. Paul symbolically shook out his clothes, akin to removing unwanted dust from dingy cloth fabric, denoting that the apostle was free from the obligation to testify to such an obstinate people. The Jewish people were responsible for their hardheartedness and defiance. Paul said their loss would be another’s gain for he would exclusively occupy himself with witnessing to the Gentile Corinthians. Even though Paul turned his evangelistic focus away from the Hebrew community in Corinth, some Jewish residents and proselytes became believers in the Lord, as documented with the conversion of Crispus, a synagogue ruler, and Titius Justus, a Gentile who lived near, and was likely a member of, the synagogue. After this we read that many Corinthian people were saved and baptized.
Later, Paul had a vision of Jesus. Christ reinforced Paul’s calling to testify of Him. He told the apostle to keep preaching in Corinth for the Lord’s protection would be upon him. Therefore, Paul stayed in Corinth some eighteen months. But his prolonged tenure was not without further conflict. The Jewish people formed an alliance to thwart Paul. They apprehended him and brought him before the Roman governor of the province of Achaia (which Corinth was the capital city of), Gallio. The swiftness upon which this plan was carried out identifies a seething desire on the part of the Jewish people to see Paul painfully punished, if not murdered.
The charge the people levied against Paul was that he had persuaded Israelites and Israelite sympathizers to worship Jesus, which they deemed to be an act contrary to the Mosaic law. As in previous chapters of Acts, this accusation was a distortion of the truth. Paul did not forbid the practice of Old Testament traditions and observances; he endorsed the acceptance of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial offerings. A vast majority of Jewish people could not understand this. As a result, they were adamant Christians, like Paul, be brought to justice for their perceived blasphemy. Because of their spiritually stubborn resolve, they utilized any means necessary, including the Roman courts, to justify their rejection of the gospel.
When the matter was brought before Gallio, Paul was prepared to give his defense. But before he could address the Roman governor, Gallio turned away the case since it pertained to Jewish law and customs, of which he obviously had no interest in. After summarily dismissing the proceeding and ejecting the people from his presence, the Jewish people became furious. Demanding retribution, they seized a man named Sosthenes and beat him in front of the court. One would hope that Gallio would have maintained decency and order in his precinct and put a stop to the abuse of Sosthenes, but Acts 18:17 states Gallio showed no concern for Sosthenes’s wellbeing. It is probable that the Sosthenes identified in Acts 18 is the same individual Paul referred to in the opening address of his first epistle to the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:1) Maybe he, like Crispus, was a synagogue ruler who found Paul’s testimony to be convincing and true. Sosthenes presumably accompanied the apostle to his trial with Gallio as a sign of his support for Paul’s ministry.
Paul tarried in Corinth after this incident but later set out for Syria with Aquila and Priscilla. Before Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla left Corinth, Acts 18:18 denotes the apostle shaved his head because of a vow he had made (although some scholars make the case that Aquila may have shaved his head, not Paul, based on the Greek text construction). There is a plausible indication that this action was, in fact, performed by Paul because of a compelling yearning to worship at the temple in Jerusalem, where the apostle intended, presumably, to deliver a hair offering. This may seem like an unusual account in the modern-day setting, but this deed was not bizarre in the ancient Hebrew-centric culture for God outlined such criteria in a select vow known as a Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:18). The Jewish community, by and large, considered vows a sacred, critically important undertaking, which deserved a strong sense of urgency and sacrifice (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5). In the upcoming verses of Acts 18, Paul refused to be delayed in Ephesus (conceivably to make his sacrifice in the city of David), which solidifies that a Paul-initiated vow (rather than an Aquila-initiated vow) is more logical. After Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla sailed from Corinth, they landed in Ephesus. Aquila and Priscilla decided to remain there while Paul made preparations to journey on. But before he departed, Paul went to the local synagogue and presented his testimony, attempting to excite the Jewish people to believe Jesus is the Messiah. The Hebrew residents in Ephesus did not arbitrarily dismiss Paul’s message. Because their curiosity was peaked, they requested Paul spend more time in Ephesus to speak further about salvation in Christ. Paul graciously turned down their recommendation (probably because of his aforementioned zeal to go to Jerusalem), but promised if it be the Lord’s will then he would return to Ephesus.
Scripture supports Paul maintained the right balance of divine and human autonomy. The apostle had private ambitions for God’s kingdom-building work, but those ambitions were secondary to God’s overarching providence. He mindfully purposed to perform the mission and tasks sanctioned by God. Thereafter, Paul went to Caesarea and then greeted the church (probably referring to the church in Jerusalem) before going on to Antioch, thus completing Paul’s second missionary expedition. One wonders if the visit to Antioch refreshed Paul as he fondly remembered the evangelistic harvest he and Barnabas had sown so many years earlier.
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul commenced his third missionary journey, strengthening the believers throughout Asia Minor. As Paul visited many places, including Galatia and Phrygia, a Jewish man named Apollos, a native of Egypt, appeared in Ephesus. Acts 18:24 says Apollos was fluent in Scripture and possessed extensive schooling, which is validated by his former residency in Alexandria, a city well-known historically as being a center for scholarship and academic excellence. Apollos was educated in the way of the Lord (confirming Christianity’s westward expansion) and began teaching in Ephesus with great vigor and fervency.
Acts points out that Apollos had only experienced the baptism of John, not the baptism of Jesus, prior to his arrival at Ephesus. John’s baptism was a moral repentance in preparation for the work of Christ. Jesus’ baptism, on the other hand, is a spiritual repentance that symbolizes a lasting grace and enacts the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. Although Apollos was gifted in speech and intellect, he did not fully comprehend the legacy of Christ. Apollos’s understanding of Jesus’ life and ministry was not as comprehensive as it should have been, in regard to training up new or young disciples. This passage underscores that the mature Christian must maintain both a thorough knowledge (of the Bible) and a thorough faith.
Aquila and Priscilla, Paul’s former students, heard Apollos preach and invited him into their home so that they could convey the way and Word of God (as it related to Jesus) more sufficiently to the eager convert. Already the investment Paul made in Aquila and Priscilla was yielding huge dividends. After Apollos had sufficiently been instructed in truth under Aquila and Priscilla’s guidance, he longed to employ his wisdom and eloquence for communication by pronouncing the tenets of Christianity. Desiring to go to Corinth (where Paul had recently departed), the disciples in Ephesus wrote a letter of commendation informing the Corinthian church that Apollos was an authentically skilled spokesman who merited service opportunities. When Apollos started witnessing in Corinth, he made an immediate impact. Acts 18:28 states he convincingly refuted the Jewish unbelievers in Corinth by efficiently debating that Jesus is the Messiah predicted in Scripture. Once again, Scripture is highlighted as the essential source for evangelism and bringing about lasting, spiritual transformation.The power of testifying about Christ is a theme repeated throughout Acts, specifically in Acts 18:5, when Paul dedicated himself to preaching and proclaiming Jesus’ lordship. His example, like that of so many other disciples, imparts three key aspects of God-honoring testimonies. One, God-honoring testimonies are devoted. Paul routinely experienced rejection and pain because of his willingness to share his faith. He was frequently injured and afflicted, both emotionally and physically, due to his allegiance to Jesus. He was persecuted and hounded by numerous unbelievers. But Paul never gave up testifying about the grace of God. He endured the hardships, recognizing that he was not working unto man, but unto the Lord. Paul would come to write of the challenges of ministering to the world, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7). Clearly, a heart filled with salvation is a heart that flows with devoted surrender.
Two, God-honoring testimonies are demonstrative. Paul was not ashamed to demonstrate the measure of his relationship with God for he proclaimed Jesus unto the ends of the earth. The apostle’s testimonies were not unspoken convictions. They were not secret stirrings. They were outward expressions that corroborated the permanent change that engulfed his life. Paul’s testimonies verified Jesus had ransomed and revived him. They overwhelmingly articulated the goodness of Christ’s love.
It is important to note that the demonstrative nature of God-honoring testimonies are not elaborate productions laced with superficial speech. They do not base their appeal on a sensational script or story, nor do they base their allure on a generic formula or fanciful form. God-honoring testimonies base themselves on the direction, digression, and delight of the Holy Spirit. They declare and display honesty, integrity, and humility. They draw attention to the incredible and glorious nature of salvation, as made available through Jesus’ atonement.
Jesus told His disciples that they did not need to be concerned with rehearsing evangelistic lines or developing a persuasive speaking finesse. What they needed to do was trust God and let the Holy Spirit provide the words to say when witnessing opportunities were unveiled (Matthew 10:19-20). Therefore, testimonies rely on God’s ability, not man’s. No eloquence on our part could ever adequately expound the greatness that accompanies Christ’s eternal forgiveness of sin, but we should endeavor to disseminate the Lord’s redeeming message with sound speech and coherent reason.
Three, God-honoring testimonies are direct. Paul did not conceal his testimony or reserve it for one sect of society. When one audience spurned him, he sought another one. Paul relentlessly enunciated God’s saving grace. His own reformation through Christ offered undeniable evidence of God’s propensity to effectively and drastically alter lives.
The righteous model of the Jesus was ever before Paul’s spiritual gaze. The apostle aspired to emulate Christ’s character. Throughout Christ’s earthly ministry, the Lord was direct and approachable. He moved people to evaluate and exercise God’s standard, as opposed to the fleshly inclination to adopt the world’s standard. Jesus continually pointed humanity to His Father. His sincere, straightforward method was not widely accepted at the time, but it was necessary.
The ears of many are attentive to what we say. We bear witness to our beliefs daily through our discussions and our decisions. In the courtroom of life, where our actions and confessions are examined, challenged, and scrutinized, testimonies are pivotal to helping those lost in darkness find the light of Jesus, where we receive emancipation and liberation. May we actively strive to tell others about it.
Do you have a heart and voice that perpetually renders God-honoring testimonies?
No comments:
Post a Comment