Paul's Testimony of His Commissioning By God

Paul's efforts to spread the Gospel have been taken to different venues as he was forced to defend his ministry. He was back in Jerusalem with his missionary travels over but that did not bring an end to his evangelism.

Rumor had it that Paul was teaching that believing Jews had to live like Gentiles and stop all Jewish practices. Jews visiting Jerusalem leveled two charges against Paul – one that he preached against the temple and the Law and two, that he had brought a Gentile into the inner temple area that was restricted to Jews only. This was seen as proof that he had a lack of respect for the temple. Truth was he did not preach that Jews had to become like Gentiles nor did he teach that Gentiles had to become like Jews. He had spoken to Jews concerning their Jewish practices making clean that no practices under the Law were necessary for salvation.

The situation was so intense and hostile that it became life threatening with God intervening by means of the Roman army. He gave his defense by relating his testimony of God calling him and sending him to the Gentiles so that what he had been doing was ordained by God. He hadn't come up with a plan for his ministry but rather had to dedicate himself to doing what God had told him.