Acts 23.11 11 The next night the Lord came and stood by
Paul. He said, “Be brave! You have told people in Jerusalem about me. You must
do the same in Rome.” (NCV)
When the King of Heaven comes to stand beside someone, it
only means good things. In Acts 23 Paul was currently under arrest for the accusations of
the Jews, which were a complete mystery to his Roman captors. The Romans were
mystified as to what Paul had actually done and why the Jews were so stinking
mad about it. And so, in jail, captive, Paul is visited by the King of Glory who
told him: “Be brave! You have told people
in Jerusalem about me. You must do the same in Rome.” God had a heart not
only for the people in Jerusalem, but for the people in Rome as well. God has a
heart for people everywhere.
Interestingly, God didn’t tell Paul it was going to be
easy, nor did He release Paul from jail in the middle of the night like He did
for Peter (see Acts 12). No, the Lord simply said, “[As] you have told the people in Jerusalem about Me you must also tell
people in Rome.” God only expects us to do as we’re told – nothing more,
nothing less. And we’re to tell them
regardless of how they treat us as we do. Some will listen, some won’t, and
some will get very hostile over it, accusing us of terrible things to boot!
But it’s about Him. It’s always all about Him. Paul
understood that and so must I.
This morning I heard of a pastor in Nigeria who’d been
burned to death this past week for telling people Jesus Christ. Just a hunch,
but there will probably be more glory in that pastor’s death than there was in
his life. You might wonder, what kind of
nonsense is that!? It’s not nonsense but obedience to the One who calls us
to do as He asks whether in life or in death. The result of that obedience does
wonderful things even if the obedient is put to death or put in prison.
Though it isn’t described fully in Scripture, Paul did
eventually arrive in Rome where he lived and taught and probably founded a
church or two or three or four (or a hundred, who knows); and only tradition
tells us that he met with the Roman Emperor Nero. God used this saint to share
about Him. As Paul had shared in his own homeland, he also shared in the
homeland of the occupants: the Romans.
Lord, today I am reminded of what You have called me to
do: You’ve called me to tell people about You. Rich, old, young, poor, it doesn’t
matter – You’ve called me to tell them about You and that’s what I want to do.
May I be found obedient and may I surrender my agenda to Yours in order to tell
others about You – perhaps even before a king if you so choose. Help me to be
faithful God. Amen.
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