Acts 22-28: “A Minister and a Witness,” July 31-August 6

“Christ Appears to Paul,” from the Bible Video “Be of Good Cheer“

Paul travels for one last time to Jerusalem. On his way there, he is warned that he will be in danger. He responds, “I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

In Jerusalem, Roman soldiers rescue him from an angry mob and take him into custody. Thus begins a lengthy period of incarceration: two years in Caesarea under the Roman governor, Felix, and his successor, Festus, nearly a year at sea (including three months on Malta after being shipwrecked), and at least two more years in Rome.

And that is where the book of Acts leaves us: Paul under house arrest in Rome, with no end in sight, yet just as active in sharing the gospel as ever. He receives visitors. He expounds the scriptures and testifies of Jesus Christ “from morning till evening…preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him” (Acts 28:23, 31).

Here are some of the principles I’ve learned from this part of Paul’s life:

1. A witness must be fearless.

After the Roman soldiers saved Paul from a mob that was trying to kill him, his first request was to be allowed to speak to the mob. He shared his story, knowing that many of them did not approve of his beliefs, but wanting them to hear his experiences. (See Acts 22:1-21.) The following day, he spoke briefly to the Sanhedrin. (See Acts 23:1-10.) Shortly after, he testified before Felix (Acts 24:10-21) and then before Festus and King Agrippa (Acts 26). On that last occasion, he opened his remarks by sharing his enthusiasm for the opportunity: “I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee” (Acts 26:2).

Paul’s commitment to the truth was inspiring to Joseph Smith, who encountered severe opposition when as a 14-year-old boy, he tried to share an extraordinary spiritual experience with friends and neighbors. “I felt much like Paul,” he later wrote, “when he made his defense before King Agrippa…. There were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision” (Joseph Smith—History 1:24).

In the Book of Mormon, Alma and his friends demonstrated the same commitment after having a similar experience to Paul. They traveled around the land of Zarahemla, “”publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers” (Mosiah 27:32). See this blog post, comparing their experience with Paul’s on the road to Damascus: Alma and Saul.

2. We benefit from prophets only to the degree that we listen.

With Roman soldiers protecting him, the mob in the temple listened to much of Paul’s story. But when he told them that Jesus had sent him away from Jerusalem to preach to the Gentiles, they were not wiling to hear any more. “Away with such a fellow from the earth,” they shouted, “for it is not fit that he should live” (Acts 22:22). Then they threw off their robes and tossed dust into the air. Anything to avoid having to hear the rest of his story!

If that seems unreasonable, the Sanhedrin was far worse the following day. Paul barely got through his first sentence—”Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”—when the high priest commanded a guard to smite him on the mouth (Acts 23:1). It’s pretty hard to get through a story under those circumstances as well!

Agrippa did better. He listened as Paul recounted his conversion story, his missionary journeys, and the persecution he had experienced in Jerusalem. When Festus shouted that Paul was insane, Agrippa continued to listen. At the end of Paul’s testimony, Agrippa said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). So close, but not quite there!

As Paul would later lament in Rome, it is all too common for people to close their eyes, their ears, and their hearts, and fail to receive the blessings God sends them. See the following blog post on this topic: How Can I Be Healed?

3. We can do the Lord’s work even in difficult circumstances.

In Paul’s epistle to Philemon, he called himself “a prisoner of Jesus Christ” (Philemon 1:1, 9). Prisoners may be limited in their movement and activities, but they are still capable of doing good and influencing other people.

Like Alma and Amulek, Nephi and Lehi, and Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, Paul was able to continue experiencing miracles, receiving revelation, and preaching the gospel even while he was incarcerated.

We all experience different kinds of constraints. Like Paul, we can exercise faith in God by taking advantage of our opportunities instead of focusing on what we can’t do. Here’s a blog post on that topic: Imprisoned.

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