Clean Defense

 

Clean Defense

Acts 21: ⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic

 

Acts 22: ¹ “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.”

 

² When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet.

Then Paul said: ³ “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. ⁴ I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, ⁵ as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.

 

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“Why aren’t you going to the bachelor party?” I was asked. Following GOD was new to me and I wanted to get it right this time. After returning to praying to GOD and really listening to the HOLY SPIRIT, I didn’t want the old way anymore. I tried to explain why I didn’t want to attend, but felt they thought I was judging them.

 

There were times when I tried to defend my faith.

There were times when I explained the wrongs I did.

There were times when I let everyone know I am no better than anyone else.

 

Paul hushed the crowd by speaking in a different language. He explained where he came from and more importantly, how devious he was towards GOD’s people. He explained how zealous he was in persecuting those who followed JESUS in an ironic attempt to follow the Law of Moses, given by GOD. His defense was no longer that he was right, rather he was wrong.

 

GOD wants me to explain to people that I was and still am a sinner.

GOD wants me to tell people that all of my sins make me deserving of the place made only for Satan’s destruction.

GOD wants me to let people know that only the love of JESUS can save them, just as HE saved a sinner like me.

 

Admitting my sins of lying, lusting, lurking and laziness helps others do the same. I mean, who wants to try to be like perfect people? GOD made salvation easy, but humans make it hard by telling others to clean up their act before they come to GOD.

 

HE wants people to come to HIM just as they are. In fact, the more clean a person thinks they are, on their own power, the further away from the truth they become. I am glad GOD loves me in the middle of my sins and has forgiven me for all of them.

 

Have you stopped certain sins and think you are clean because you stopped?

Do you think you are better than “that” person?

Will you stop comparing yourself to others and start looking for those who need to hear how many sins GOD saved you from today?