Zealous

Last week, we read that while Paul was in Jerusalem, he was falsely accused, physically attacked and then arrested. Now, he has asked to speak to the crowd that attacked him. Over the next couple of days, we will listen in on what he said.


Acts 22
3 Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today. 4 And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, arresting both men and women and throwing them in prison. 5 The high priest and the whole council of elders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished.“ 6 “As I was on the road, approaching Damascus about noon, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone down around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the voice replied, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 The people with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice speaking to me. 10 “I asked, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ “And the Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are to do.’ 11 “I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions. 12 A man named Ananias lived there. He was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law, and well regarded by all the Jews of Damascus. 13 He came and stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And that very moment I could see him!“


Zealous. There is nothing wrong with being zealous (our mission at Eastside is to develop passionate Jesus followers). When properly focused, zeal can create a lot of good. When misdirected, zeal can create a lot of damage. Did you notice the subtle shift in the direction of Paul’s zeal? His zeal for following God shifted to zeal for how you followed God. When our zeal loses sight of following God (in even the slightest way), it has the potential to become divisive and eventually shift to anger (like it did for Paul). We aren’t any different than Paul. If we are not careful, our zeal for following God can shift to zeal for a particular cause or ministry or organization or style of worship or political issue ... and that zeal can shift to anger toward those that disagree. How do we avoid the shift? For Paul, it required personal time with Jesus and someone that could speak truth into his life. Are you spending time alone with Jesus on a regular basis? Is there someone in your life that can help you “course correct” ... someone that can open your eyes to the truth if necessary? If not, you might want to check the direction of your zeal.