PAUL’S LIFE TESTIMONY, Sarah Barry
PAUL THE ROMAN CITIZEN
Passage: Acts 22:22~29  
Key verse: 28
Paul the Roman Citizen
22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!(A) He’s not fit to live!”(B)
23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks(C) and flinging dust into the air,(D) 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks.(E) He directed(F) that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”(G)
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” he answered.
28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.
29 Those who were about to interrogate him(H) withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen,(I) in chains.(J)
Cross references
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
1. Rid the earth of him! (22-24)
When Paul told the crowd that Jesus had sent him to be a missionary to the Gentiles, they began to throw dust in the air and shout, 'Rid the earth of him!' The Jews had been chosen by God to be a nation of priests, to bring the knowledge of God to the whole world. But they rejected the Messiah and they rejected their mission. They became Satan's tools, and screamed for the death of God's servant.
2. A Roman citizen (25-29)
No one could explain to this Roman soldier that the real problem was the Jewish rejection of their mission to the Gentiles. Paul was stretched out to be flogged. He did not cringe or become fearful. He challenged the officer's authority to flog a Roman citizen. God protected him. Paul's Roman citizenship would eventually take him to Rome.
Prayer: Lord, even though Satan doesn't like missionaries, help me to serve you as a missionary throughout my lifetime.
One Word: Don't be intimidated by Satan