| Church School Lesson: Tell Me What You Know |
"Tell Me What You Know"
August 16, 2026
Background: Acts 22:3-15; Print: Acts 22:3-15
Key Verse: Acts 22:14-15; Devotional: Psalm 86:1-10
Acts 22:3-15 (ESV)
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;
15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
Acts Chapter 22 (Commentary)
22:1-5 Paul began to address the crowd that only moments before had been beating him to a pulp. They had become angry with him based on false pretenses, so Paul wanted to clarify who he was and what he had been doing. He began by explaining how much they had in common. He was a Jew, spoke Aramaic, had been educated by the great Pharisee Gamaliel, and had been zealous for the law (22:2-3). How zealous? He had persecuted this Way to the death (22:4), “the Way” being an early title given to Christianity (see 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). He had been concerned with nothing other than arresting, punishing, and jailing believers (21:4-5). If anyone had wanted to destroy the Christian faith, it was Paul. If they doubted him, the Jewish high priest and council of elders could verify it all (21:5).
22:6-16 One day, though, while he was pursuing the followers of Jesus, Paul ran right into Jesus himself! The risen and glorified Lord asked Paul, Why are you persecuting me? (21:7; see commentary on 9:1-19; 26:12-18). To persecute Christ’s people, then, is to persecute Christ because the church is his body. Yet Jesus hadn’t come to punish Paul; he had come to draft him into service to take his gospel message throughout the empire. Paul didn’t learn this, though, until he obeyed God and went to Damascus to meet a believer named Ananias who healed him and gave him his marching orders to be a witness for [Christ] to all people (21:11-15).
Paul was saved for a purpose, and the same is true of all believers. Christians are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do” (Eph 2:10). The Lord didn’t inform Paul about his purpose until he went to Damascus as commanded. Many Christians want to know God’s purposes for their lives, but they’re unwilling to obey the clear commands that he’s already given. But God hits a moving target. Follow God in faith; do what you already know you’re supposed to do. By doing so, you’ll show him that you’re serious about pursuing him so that he can begin guiding, directing, and ordering your steps.