AN UNLIKELY WITNESS

AN UNLIKELY WITNESS

Acts 9:19-31

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

January 22, 2006

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound –

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind but now I see.”

These familiar words were penned by John Newton, an unlikely convert, having turned in life from trading in slaves. They could have also been penned centuries earlier by another unlikely convert, the Pharisee Saul. No one would have expected John Newton to become a Christian, much less a pastor. Even more so, no one would’ve expected Saul to become a follower of Christ. He, of course, had been trying to destroy every follower of Christ upon whom he could lay his hands.

Such unlikely converts can only testify to a grace of God that reaches into the most stubborn and willful of hearts. John Newton wasn’t exactly looking for Christ, and Saul of Tarsus certainly wasn’t – not at all! He was trying to destroy the Church, not become a part of it! But God had other plans in mind for the two of them.

As for John Newton, he loved to tell the story of his conversion. Even until the time when he died at the age of 82, he never ceased to be amazed at God’s mercy on him.

We are told that, shortly before his death, he was losing his faculties in eyesight and memory. The congregation was fully aware of this. Finally, the congregation appointed a spokesman to tell Newton that he should consider retiring. “What,” replied Newton, “shall the old Africa blasphemer stop while he can still speak?”

At another time, John Newton was quoted in saying: “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Savior!”

As the final act of witness of such an unlikely convert, Newton had the following etched on his gravestone:

John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy.[i]

As for Saul, or Paul, we find that he was no less ever grateful for such mercy to one so undeserving. For example, in one of the last letter he wrote as found in the New Testament, he said this in I Timothy 1:12-17:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

These words, written when Paul was a prisoner in Rome, indicate a life-long gratitude for God’s mercy, and a life-long desire to witness to the same. But of course, the desire of this unlikely convert to give witness to the matchless grace of God was kindled from the very beginning.

Luke tells us that Saul spent a few days with the disciples in Damascus, but that’s not all he did! “At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.” His encounter with Christ on the Damascus Road had been so powerful, and his conversion so radical, that he simply could not wait to tell others.

You might say that such a move on Saul’s part made the front page of the Damascus Tribune! We are told, “All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’” You can just imagine the editorial page, with such varied perspectives as the ones we find today regarding President Bush!

But then it got ugly. Resistance turned to conspiracy to kill him. Paul found out about it, just as he would later on in Jerusalem, and in so many other locations throughout the course of his missionary endeavors. He would move on. But he would not remain silent. This unlikely convert would continue to be an unlikely witness, testifying to the depth of God’s grace made known in Jesus Christ.

Now, if you are a Christian, you may well be or not be an “unlikely convert.” I certainly hope

you have not tried to destroy the church (!), but like Saul of Tarsus, you may have had a radical conversion in coming to faith in Christ. Then again, you may not have had such a dramatic turnaround. And yet you trust in Christ and are committed to following Him faithfully. You are a convert then, regardless of how you first came to Him.

Are you then, an “unlikely witness”, as Saul of Tarsus was? Well, if you had a dramatic turn-around conversion, people might look at you and say, “What a difference there is!” And so I suppose you might be considered to be an “unlikely witness”!

Then again, you may not have had a “Damascus Road Experience.” But there is a character about you that speaks of a work of grace that is both unusual and undeniable. Ah, then, you are both a convert and a witness for Christ, and let not one of us here this morning ever forget this!

Like Saul, we all have opportunities to speak to others of the reality of our Christian faith. I find that, here, I Peter 3:15-16 provides good counsel for us:

In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously of your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

I am a Christian today in large part because I asked another college student regarding the hope that he had. His faith was evident to me in the manner in which he carried himself. Similarly, someone may well be watching us, waiting for just the right moment to ask us for the reason for the confident hope we bear in this world. Are we prepared? Have we given thought to what we might say in response? Do we not have a faith story of our own to tell?

Two months ago in November, I had the privilege of leading a new officer training session for our elders and deacons. I began the session by asking the officers-elect of when they they first heard about Christ and became a Christian, and what church background, if any, did they have in growing up and in more recent years.

We went around in a circle, and when everyone had finished, I could’ve closed in prayer right then and forgotten all about the training! I was deeply moved, and it all was a matter of simply giving the reason for the hope that we have! There had been no preparation, no advance warning of such a question being asked of them. It was a matter of simply telling the story of God’s grace that had been at work in their lives.

Now, while we can all share our witness verbally, giving our faith story and the truths of Christ to others, let’s not forget that our life-witness is just as important as what it is we say.

Luke tells us in our passage for this morning that Saul gave his testimony in the synagogues right away, growing stronger in his understanding and his witness. “Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.” (v.22)

At the same time, however, all those who knew Saul watched him ever so carefully. The difference Christ was making in his life was so real and authentic that his opponents wanted to kill him! But the difference Christ was making was also so authentic that Barnabas dared to meet personally with Saul, and then to take him personally to meet the apostles.

This, again, leads us back to the counsel of I Peter 3:15,16. Any verbal witness we give in response to the hope we have must always be confirmed by the way we live, by our “good behavior in Christ.” Sad is the witness of a person who upholds Christ in words, but who denies Him in deeds!

For example, there are those who speak well of Christ, but whose manner of life is joy-less, even hope-less. Apparently, the pioneer missionary Hudson Taylor was quite different. The founder of the China Inland Mission, he experienced more trials and challenges than most of us ever will ... sometimes with great sorrows. But those who watched him could also tell that there was something very true, very real and authentic about his faith.

In one biography, Taylor’s manner of life is described in this way:

Frequently those who were wakeful in the little house at Chinkiang might hear, at 2 or 3 in the morning, the soft refrain of Mr. Taylor’s favorite hymn [“Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what Thou art …”].

He had learned that for him, only one life was possible – just that blessed life of resting and rejoicing in the Lord under all circumstances, while he dealt with the difficulties, inward and outward, great and small. [ii]

There would often come forth the praise of an admirer, for this man who rested and rejoiced in the Lord under all circumstances. But Taylor would respond as he once did in saying, “I often think that God must have been looking for someone small enough and weak enough for Him to use, and that He found me.” [iii]

Dear friends, we don’t have to be missionaries to far away places like Taylor to have our lives count in the way of a faithful witness. But like Hudson Taylor, we can live authentic lives of faith in the realm of God’s amazing grace, and with the sweet companionship of Christ.

And we can also affirm with Taylor, that God can and does use even the small and the weak for His kingdom, and for His glory.

May God’s amazing grace continue to reach out to so many, as He uses the witness of people like you … and like me … today!