Joyful Moments in Christ

Sometimes our prejudices can blind us to the truth. This is exactly what happened in Acts 22. Paul was seen traveling with Gentiles, and people assumed he had brought his new friends into the temple, a violation of Jewish law. Their anger was stirred up, they attacked Paul, and he was ultimately arrested by the Romans.

Paul’s Testimony and the Crowd’s Reaction

Given the opportunity to speak, Paul chose to share his conversion story. The people listened quietly—until their deep-seated prejudices were triggered again:

And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”

Acts 22:21-22 (ESV)

The moment Paul mentioned that God, their God, had sent him to preach to the Gentiles, their outrage erupted. Instead of considering whether Paul’s claims might be true, they reacted with anger at the idea that God might extend salvation to anyone other than the Jews.

Guarding Against Prejudice

How often do we fall into this same trap? We believe we know best, but then we encounter a passage in the Bible that challenges our perspective. In that moment, we are faced with a choice: will we cling to our prejudices, or will we listen to God?

How can we ensure that we’re not allowing prejudices to rule our lives? When we let hatred or bias drown out God’s voice, little good can come of it. In Paul’s case, he was fortunate that God sent Roman soldiers to rescue him from his own people!

A Choice to Follow God

There may come a time in our lives when we face a critical decision: will we be the one persecuted, or the one doing the persecuting? Will we fight for God, or against him?

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

Paul chose wisely. Let us pray that we will, too.

Reflection Questions

1. Are there areas in your life where prejudices might be influencing your thoughts or actions? How can you address them?
2. How do you typically respond when confronted with a biblical truth that challenges your perspective?
3. Have you ever judged someone based on assumptions rather than seeking the truth? How can you avoid this in the future?
4. How can you ensure that you are listening to God’s voice rather than allowing personal biases to guide your decisions?
5. In moments of conflict, are you more likely to be the persecutor or the one standing firm for God’s truth? Why?

Reflective Prayer

Consider using these verses to pray using the ACTS method: Adoration, Confession, Thankfulness, and Supplication:

• Adoration: Praise God. Do these verses bring any specific characteristics of God to mind?
• Confession: Tell God that you are sorry for specific sins. Do these verses bring any specific sins to mind?
• Thankfulness: Show gratitude towards God. Does anything from these verses inspire gratitude?
• Supplication: Make requests for yourself and for others. Does anything from these verses inspire a prayer?

If helpful, you can use a prayer journal template.

Subscribe

If you enjoyed this post and wish to receive more Christian content, feel free to subscribe to my newsletters!

Related Resources

Visit the Joyful Moments in Christ homepage for all posts, or scroll through other blog posts related to persecution and prejudice:

English Standard Version (ESV): Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.