Acts 26:16

Monday, 1 April 2024

“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. Acts 26:16

In the previous verse, Paul had asked the question, “Who are You, Lord.” Jesus then responded, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” Now, with Paul’s mind certainly overwhelmed with that thought, probably in absolute terror concerning what disaster must surely be coming upon him, Jesus continues, saying, “But rise and stand on your feet.”

The words which Paul conveys in this verse are much fuller in the sense of the commission during this divine visitation than were recorded in either Acts 9 or Acts 22. Paul is carefully orchestrating his words because of the audience that surrounds him. With that, he continues the Lord’s words to him, saying, “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.”

What Paul is saying is more of a condensed form of the first vision along with the words given to him through Ananias as well as from the trance that he referred to in Acts 22:17-21.

He is giving his report of the overall account in this manner in order to show that he was, in fact, chosen and designated to take the actions he had taken. As for the word that he uses here for “minister,” is the same as that which he used when speaking of himself in 1 Corinthians 4:1, there translated as “servant” –

“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

It signifies an attendant, an underling, or a servant. HELPS Word Studies says of this word, “properly, a rower (a crewman on a boat), an ‘under-rower’ who mans the oars on a lower deck; (figuratively) a subordinate executing official orders, i.e. operating under direct (specific) orders.”

Paul was appointed as Christ’s underling to carry the message of the gospel to all those he would encounter. At this time, it was to a gathering of royals and high officials.

Life application: Paul’s words convey what happened, even if they are condensed from several events that took place over time. As he is in a court setting, he needed to get to the point concerning his calling as well as his commission. Therefore, he began with the initial vision and then added information to that which was based on his original calling.

Depending on the forum in which you are standing, it may be appropriate to keep your words short and direct. If you are given a time limit, it is good that you stick to it. It is nice to be heard about a matter that is important to you, but it is also good to be brief and concise.

If you are given a time limit and you go beyond it to any measure at all, each word you speak will be taken in a different light than you intend. People will normally begin to shut your words out and no longer care about what you have to say. This is because you have shown a disdain for their time or the rules by which you were asked to speak.

Let your words be carefully chosen but few in number. In this, you will generally have the greatest impact concerning what you are trying to relay to others.

Lord God, help us to be direct and to the point in our conversations. May this especially be so when we share the gospel. Otherwise, the very people we desire to convert may eventually get worn out from our overzealous words and begin to tune us out. Help us to know when to speak, what to speak, and when to conclude so that we have the greatest chance of touching their lives with our words. Help us in this, O God. Amen.