He Obeyed Christ’s Orders (Acts 26:19–23)
He Obeyed Christ’s Orders (Acts 26:19–23)
Paul said at his trial, “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” Paul, the leader of opposition against Jesus, was now being led by Jesus, and the persecutor was now a preacher. The man who had caused others to suffer would himself suffer greatly as both Jews and Gentiles opposed his ministry and his message. If you need to be reminded of some of Paul’s ministry pains, or if you think your own situation is unbearably difficult, read 2 Corinthians 4:1–12 and 11:16–29.
If we were to ask Paul, “What did the Lord do to you throughout that entire experience on the Damascus road?” he might refer us to Philippians 3:12–14 and underline the words “Jesus took hold of me” (v. 12). Our King James Version uses the word “apprehended,” which means “to seize, to grasp, to get your hands on.” God arrested Paul! God put one hand on Paul and the other hand on His will for Paul and brought them together and kept them together throughout Paul’s ministry. He wrote that his consuming desire was “to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (v. 12), and that same desire should control us.