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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
In Acts 21:35, Luke describes a wild scenario. Here we see mob violence as serious as we read about today. The crowd follow the soldiers, who arrested Paul for his own safety, shouting - "Away with him!" This is how a faithful servant of the living God can be treated at times, even while in the place of prayer.
There are many similarities to the arrest of Jesus, Who said, "Follow Me", but we very seldom consider this aspect as even one of the possibilities.
Once Paul gets his breath back, he asks the Commanding Officer - "Can I have a word with you?" The officer asks - "Do you speak Greek? Aren't you that Egyptian terrorist?" Aren't you the leader of the revolution who led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?" They did not even know who he was!
Paul answers, "NO. I am a Jew from Tarsus - a citizen of no ordinary city. Please, let me speak to the people." The commander gives Paul permission to speak to the crowd - and there is a large number of people. They want to get rid of Paul, but Paul's desire is to speak to them about Jesus Christ! What a man! He is not concerned about himself, nor his own personal safety and security, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Gospel. Paul knows its ability to change lives, when people hear it proclaimed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul is not concerned about his reputation. He simply wants to use this opportunity to fulfil his ministry - his calling in Christ.
As he begins to speak there is a great silence, as a hush falls upon all who are listening. Paul gives his testimony. He switches from Greek to Aramaic - a form of Hebrew, which was the language of the people. Here is a perfect example of how to give your testimony.
It is so personal. It is firsthand. It is all about what God did for him, as he recounts how he met Jesus Christ. Paul refers to himself some 18 times, and yet all the glory is given to God.
When the opportunity presents itself for you to give your testimony regarding your faith in Jesus Christ, endeavour to give all the glory to Almighty God, our heavenly Father.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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