252 – Acts 22: God Gave You a Story to Give Away
God gave his people a story to
give away to the world
And I
will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing… and in you all the families (nations) of the earth shall be
blessed.” GENESIS 12:2-3 ESV
May God
be gracious to us and bless us, and make his face to shine upon us, that your
way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. PSALMS
67:1-2 ESV
Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations… MATTHEW
28: 19 ESV
Paul followed God by sharing
his story with the world around him
“Brothers
and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” ACTS 22:1 ESV
Being real about my past makes my
story relatable
“I am a
Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the
feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers,
being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the
death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest
and the whole council of elders can bear me witness…” ACTS 22:3-5 ESV
Being clear about what Jesus did
gives my story hope
“As I was
on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven
suddenly shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to
me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are you,
Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of
the one who was speaking to me. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the
Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all
that is appointed for you to do.’” ACTS
22:6-10 ESV
God calls us to give our story
away even when it’s difficult
Jesus
calls us past our prejudices
And
all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from
his mouth… “I tell you, there were many widows in Israel… and Elijah was sent
to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon (Gentile). And
there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of
them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian (Gentile).” When they heard these
things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove
him out of the town… so that they could throw him down the cliff. LUKE
4:22, 25-29 ESV
Jesus
called Paul beyond the cultural norm
“And
he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Up to this
word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with
such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” ACTS 22:21-22 ESV
When I push the world away, I’m pushing
God away from my life
Community Group
Discussion Guide