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Commentaries
English
Acts
  
16“’But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you,18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’19Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come - 23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”


Christ did not allow the crushed Saul to become pessimistic and hopeless over the knowledge his sins. Instead, He told him to obey the faith immediately. He both commanded and encouraged him to make bold steps forward, for the appearance of Christ had meant to the stubborn murderer nothing less than the mercy of forgiveness, as well as a call and sending into service. Jesus did not choose Paul to be His witness in order to discuss theological issues, or merely feel the ebb and tide of sentiments. Much more, he was to tell the people how he had encountered the living Lord. Thus, the glorious Christ became the content of Paul’s testimony. His Lord assured him of His personal protection and presence, so that he might not go to the Jews and Gentiles alone, but filled with the name of Jesus in His divine power. He who worked against Paul or arrested him would be committing an aggression against God himself.
Dear brother, did you hear Christ’s call to preaching? Did you recognize Jesus in His glory in the Gospel? Then study with us the Lord’s command to testify and serve actively in verse 18, so that you may understand Christ’s intent, and grasp the seven meanings of preaching.
1. Your fellow man needs the eyes of his blind mind to be opened through your testimony, reflecting the living, present Christ.
2. Following that, he may know his Lord Jesus, the Light of the world, and abandon his darkness, with resolution and sincere repentance.
3. Since every normal man is bound with the devil’s chains and malicious power, he is in need of deliverance by Christ, who frees and delivers him deep in his heart by his divine power.
4. He who believes in Christ crucified is saved from the wrath and judgment of God, and he comes to the Holy One serving and worshiping joyfully.
5. The forgiveness of our sins and purification of our hearts are practically realized through our connectedness to God.
6. Where the Holy Spirit dwells in a prepared heart, he becomes the guarantee of the glory to come in us.
7. We do not gain all these spiritual gifts through keeping the law, but through faith in the living Christ, who works and saves all those who resort to him.
Dear reader, did you become personally free from the power of Satan? Do you serve God with a purified heart? Did you confess your sins and leave them behind? Do you walk in the light of Christ? If so, the mighty Lord calls you to tell people about His salvation, that many may be saved through your testimony. Listen carefully to what the Holy Spirit says to you.
Paul said to King Agrippa: “Christ’s appearance and instruction overcame me, and I obeyed the Lord of glory immediately. My meeting with Christ was the motive of my works. I had to preach the message to repent and turn to the Savior in Damascus, in Jerusalem, and in every place of the world. Christ is living. I had to preach and say to everyone, ‘Turn back from your dead works, and serve the Holy God. Die to your pride, and carry out the will of the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit. Do not continue in your selfish imaginations, and do not build your future on your illusory uprightness, but recognize that you are about to become devils. Then stretch out your hands to Christ, that he may save you. You professors and prominent lawyers are in urgent need of a savior. Sinners and criminals know spontaneously, however, their need of repentance and new life.
Because of the testimony about people’s need of salvation, which was proclaimed by the crucified and risen Christ, the Jews hated Paul. The reason for the attack of the fanatics in Jerusalem had nothing to do with defiling the temple, nor sedition, nor denying the law. It came only as a result of his love for Jesus Christ, and his active testimony. This is why the Jews tried to kill him, for they did not believe that the crucified Jesus was living. They objected to this thought, as otherwise they would have had to confess that they were all killers of the Son of God and reprobates.
The Lord Jesus kept his servant in the temple from the roaring multitude so that he might be able to continue to bear testimony to the divine truth before both kings and paupers, before wise philosophers and ignorant uneducated. His testimony was in full agreement with the Law and the Prophets. The Son of God did not come as a political savior, but as the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world. The reason why the Man Jesus was born of the Spirit of God was to reconcile men to God. No one else could do this work. He proved to be the Almighty One, for He overcame death, granted us freedom from the bondage of sin, and exempted us from the wrath of God. Salvation is not only for the Jews, but is available also to all Gentiles. Christ is the Triumphant One. His Gospel is carried to all countries, which nothing can prevent. His light shines in the darkness.

Question
What are the seven principles in Christ’s command to preach?