Stand for Truth

Acts 21: 26-40

Have you ever been harassed by a person or group of people, I have and it all happen in the seven grade.  In the seventh grade, I was one of the smallest boys, and had a mouth that was not able to back up my cocky attitude.  That is a recipe for bringing trouble into your life, and I did attract some young hooligans that began to want me to back up my attitude with action.  It seemed like for that whole school year it mattered not where I was they found me and all they wanted was to fight, and I was not smart enough to just get whipped and have it over with, so for a year I lived in fear of that group of boys.  At some point down the road I learned to not be so cocky and to keep a little better control of my mouth, and some of those boys and I began to get along. 

But that was not the case for the apostle Paul, his harassers were Jews from Asia seeing him in the temple with these four Christian Jews who Paul was paying for their purifying along with himself, and the seven days were almost completed.  This is doctor Luke’s account of what happen: “When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”

(Acts 21:27-36 ESV)

Not one thing they said was true, the mob had no understanding of truth, but mobs are never the place one should look for truth!  In the United States, and in an election year, and to our shame as a people and nation, truth is not what is being looked at.  What is so shameful is that often it comes from people who go by the name of Christian.  What can we learn from this Scripture; to examine all that is said and once someone has lied publicly, we should no longer be part of that group, but stand with the Paul’s of our day, stand for the truth.  For were there is truth there is freedom!

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice