Acts Bible Study: Day 33
Today’s passage: Acts 22:23–29
Focus verse: The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. (Acts 22:29)
After Paul says that God would send him to the Gentiles, the people go berserk. They scream and throw dust in the air. The commander needs to get Paul away from the riotous crowd and orders the soldiers to take Paul into the barracks.
Once inside and away from the people, the commander tells the men to whip Paul and interrogate him to find out what the fuss is all about.
As the soldiers stretch him out, Paul asks if it’s legal to punish a Roman citizen without a trial. Of course it isn’t, and Paul knows it.
So does the Centurion. He at once reports this news to the commander, who never thought to check on this important detail.
He goes to Paul and asks, “Are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes, I am,” Paul states.
“I had to pay big bucks for my citizenship,” the commander replies.
“I’m a citizen by birth,” Paul says.
The soldiers who are about to flog him pull back. They almost broke Roman law by whipping Paul. The commander worries because he ordered a Roman citizen be put in chains. He could get into a lot of trouble for that.
Citizenship has its advantages, and for Paul, it saves him from a beating.
Citizenship results in two classes of people: those who are citizens and those who aren’t. The citizens have rights and privileges that noncitizens don’t.
Many churches today have a similar concept. It’s called membership. And for many of the churches that don’t have membership, they have a similar notion that goes by different names.
Regardless, membership has its privileges. But it divides the church into two classes. Members have rights and privileges, nonmembers don’t.
Though it makes sense for a country to have citizens, it doesn’t for churches. Jesus never told us to get members. He told us to make disciples.
When it comes to our standing with God, membership doesn’t matter, but following Jesus and being his disciple does. In fact, it’s the only thing that matters.
Jesus told his disciples to not get excited that evil spirits obeyed them, but instead to celebrate that their names are written in heaven.
In similar fashion, John talks about having our names written in the book of life. Those people whose names aren’t in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, but those whose names are there will enter heaven.
Being a citizen or a member will mean nothing when we die. The only thing that matters is if our names are on God’s list. Having our names written in heaven and in the Lamb’s book of life means we’ll spend eternity with Jesus.
Questions:
- What does church membership mean to you?
- More importantly, is your name written in God’s records?
[Discover more about having our names written in God’s record in Luke 10:20, Hebrews 12:22–24, Revelation 13:8, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:15, and Revelation 21:27.]
Tips: Check out our tips to use this online Bible study for your church, small group, Sunday school class, or family discussion. It’s also ideal for personal study. Come back each Monday for a new lesson.
Read more about the book of Acts in Acts Bible Study: Discover How the Early Church Can Inform What We Do Today, available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover.
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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