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Acts 22:3-16
Paul addressed the people in these words:
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia,
but brought up in this city.
At the feet of Gamaliel I was educated strictly in our ancestral law
and was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.
I persecuted this Way to death,
binding both men and women and delivering them to prison.
Even the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify on my behalf.
For from them I even received letters to the brothers
and set out for Damascus to bring back to Jerusalem
in chains for punishment those there as well.
“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’
And he said to me,
‘I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting.’
My companions saw the light
but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to me.
I asked, ‘What shall I do, sir?’
The Lord answered me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus,
and there you will be told about everything
appointed for you to do.’
Since I could see nothing because of the brightness of that light,
I was led by hand by my companions and entered Damascus.
“A certain Ananias, a devout observer of the law,
and highly spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
came to me and stood there and said,
‘Saul, my brother, regain your sight.’
And at that very moment I regained my sight and saw him.
Then he said,
‘The God of our ancestors designated you to know his will,
to see the Righteous One, and to hear the sound of his voice;
for you will be his witness before all
to what you have seen and heard.
Now, why delay?
Get up and have yourself baptized and your sins washed away,
calling upon his name.’”
The Word of the Lord.
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I read a line recently, “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
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I’ve not thought about my faith journey in those terms before – needing evidence to prove I’m a Christian. But if anyone were to be put on trial for our faith, as it were, then Saint Paul would be the easiest to convict.
Consider the evidence:
He’s claimed to see the Risen Lord; his thirteen pastoral letters account for nearly one-half of the New Testament; he is one of the most travelled missionaries in history; he established some of the very first Christian communities.
And he was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked, and left for dead more than once after preaching about his love for Jesus.
Paul didn’t conceal his faith. He was determined to share it, no matter what the cost.
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What about me? What “evidence” might there be to show I’m a Christian?
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Only God knows it all.
But give others a reason to call you a Christian today.
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Image credits: (1) Inspirational Wall Decal, Amazon.com (2) Conversion of St. Paul, Caravaggio (3) St. Teresa of Calcutta