Movatterモバイル変換

Acts 1:8,22
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth…

Acts 10:39-41
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: …

Acts 23:11
And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

of.

Acts 4:20
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Acts 26:20
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, andthen to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

to everyone
The inclusivity of "everyone" underscores the universal scope of the Gospel message. This reflects the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles, a theme prevalent in the New Testament (Galatians 3:28). It also aligns with the prophecy inIsaiah 49:6, where the servant of the Lord is made a light for the nations. The early church, as seen in Acts, was marked by its outreach beyond Jewish communities, fulfilling the promise to Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his seed (Genesis 12:3).

of what you have seen and heard
This phrase emphasizes the personal experience and testimony of the apostle Paul. His encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-6) is a pivotal moment that transformed him from a persecutor of Christians to a proponent of the faith. The emphasis on "seen and heard" highlights the importance of firsthand experience in the apostolic witness, similar to the apostles who were eyewitnesses of Jesus' ministry (1John 1:1-3). This personal testimony is crucial for the authenticity and authority of the message being proclaimed.

• The phrase announces God’s initiative; Paul did not volunteer—he was chosen.

•Acts 9:15 affirms this calling: “He is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel”.

• The future tense (“will be”) points to an assured outcome, echoingEphesians 2:10, where believers are “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.”

• Paul’s conversion turns a persecutor into a servant, mirroring1 Timothy 1:12: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service”.

• The possessive “His” centers everything on Christ; Paul’s life becomes evidence for Jesus’ resurrection power (Acts 1:8).

• A witness testifies to facts, not opinions. Paul’s sermons in Acts repeatedly focus on Jesus’ death and resurrection (e.g.,Acts 13:30–31).

•2 Corinthians 5:20 underscores the role: “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us”.

• The reliability of a witness rests on firsthand experience, underscoring Paul’s Damascus Road encounter.

• The scope is universal—Jews, Gentiles, kings, commoners. Paul’s later journeys fulfill this reach (Acts 26:20).

•Romans 1:16 affirms the same breadth: “The gospel…is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek”.

•Galatians 3:28 andColossians 1:23 reinforce that no ethnic, social, or geographic barrier exempts anyone from hearing the gospel.

• This universality reflects God’s heart that “all people be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4).

• Paul’s testimony is anchored in tangible reality: the blinding light, the voice of Jesus, and the instruction from Ananias (Acts 9:3–6, 17).

•Acts 26:16 repeats Christ’s words: “I have appeared to you…to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you”.

• The apostle John uses similar language of personal experience in1 John 1:1–3, highlighting the credibility of eyewitness proclamation.

•Acts 4:20 models this stance: “For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard”.

• Personal experience coupled with divine revelation produces a compelling, authoritative witness.

Acts 22:15 declares that God sovereignly commissions Paul to serve as Christ’s representative, testifying to all peoples from the overflow of his direct encounter with the risen Lord. The verse underscores divine calling, Christ-centered message, universal audience, and eyewitness authority—components that still define faithful gospel witness today.