Acts 21:17-22:21 | Staying True to ChristSample

Finishing Well

Paul stood before the angry mob that tried to kill him. He stood, testifying about his former way of life. Testifying that he was like they are. Trained by that great, revered master of the Law, Gamaliel. Zealous for God’s law, also persecuting followers of the Way. Not content to limit his zeal for the Law to Jerusalem, but even traveling as far as Damascus searching out those who he viewed as traitors and threats to God’s holy way.

He testified about how Jesus came to him, about what it did to him, and about how a devout observer of the Law who was also a follower of the Way ministered to him. Testifying to the miracle and prophecy he received. Testifying to Jesus as the “Righteous One.” Think about that – the Righteous One. To a people seeking righteousness (that is, after all, what their zeal for following the Law was about), Paul puts forward Jesus as the righteousness of God. Testifying to how this demands he obey the Righteous One’s command to leave Jerusalem, because in their zeal, God’s chosen people would reject the Righteous One. Testifying how Jesus commanded him to go to the Gentiles. Testifying with all sorts of subtle clues in the hopes that what Jesus had done in his life would be received by the Jerusalem Jews. (Go back and reread how Paul shares his testimony in Acts 22. Pay attention to all the ways he identifies with them, points them to Jesus as the source of what they claim to be zealous for, and how he tries to get them to see why zeal for the law demands obedience to Jesus.)

He saw it through.

Near the end of his life, Paul writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7, NIV).

Paul’s ministry was marked by impassioned pleas and testimony. In the beginning of Acts, Jesus told his disciples they would be his witnesses. Paul saw it as the greatest honor that Jesus would consider him a disciple and call him to be his witness, too. Paul’s words at the end of his life are a powerful testimony. Staying true to Christ isn’t about a moment—it’s about a life lived in loyalty to him. Every small act of obedience matters in the long race of faith.

Not that it mattered. Despite his best attempts, the mob didn’t give him a chance to finish. At least not his appeal to them. But that didn’t keep Paul from finishing well. Because our ability to finish well does not rely on how others respond or interfere. Finishing well is about staying true to Christ. And that’s what really matters. Period.

Questions

What legacy of faith are you building? What distractions do you need to lay aside to finish well?

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