But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
This verse is Paul, in a speech before King Agrippa, recounting an encounter that rewrote his entire life. Paul had been a Pharisee — a highly educated, intensely devoted Jewish religious leader — who viewed followers of Jesus as dangerous heretics. He was actively traveling to the city of Damascus to arrest Christians when a blinding light threw him to the ground and a voice identified itself as Jesus, the very person Paul believed was a dead fraud. In this verse, Jesus gives Paul two simultaneous things: a command to stand up and a formal commission. 'Servant' in the original Greek denotes someone working under another's direct authority, while 'witness' means someone who testifies to what they have personally seen and experienced. Jesus tells Paul this role will grow over time — it includes both this moment and things he hasn't yet been shown.
Jesus, I've spent time face-down too — not always from a vision, but from failure, grief, and the weight of who I've been. Thank you that your first word to me isn't a verdict. It's 'get up.' Help me stand in the purpose you've given me, and trust you to show me the rest as we go. Amen.
Paul is face-down in the dirt when Jesus tells him to stand up. He came to Damascus absolutely certain of himself — his credentials were impeccable, his mission felt righteous, his certainty was total. And then, in about thirty seconds, all of it came apart. The man he'd been hunting was apparently alive and talking to him. Everything Paul had built his identity on — his education, his zeal, his authority — just dissolved into the dust he was lying in. And Jesus doesn't let him stay there. 'Get up.' Not: 'First, let's talk about the people you imprisoned.' Not: 'Do you understand how wrong you were?' Just — get up. There's work to do, and you're part of it. The person most violently opposed to Jesus becomes his most widely traveled messenger. If you've ever disqualified yourself from being used — because of who you used to be, what you used to believe, what you did before you knew better — Paul's story is worth staying inside for a while. The invitation sounds exactly the same: get up. I'll show you the rest as we go.
Jesus names Paul both a 'servant' and a 'witness.' What's the difference between those two roles, and why do you think both were given in the same breath?
Has there been a moment in your life — a failure, an encounter, a sudden realization — that effectively ended one chapter of who you were and started another? What was that transition like?
Paul was actively causing harm when Jesus called him. Does knowing that make you more or less inclined to believe that God can use you, given your own history and failures?
How does it change how you relate to hostile or difficult people in your life — people who seem certain they're right and you're wrong — to know that God transformed someone exactly like that into his closest messenger?
If Jesus said to you today, 'You are my witness of what you have seen' — what have you actually seen him do that you rarely or never talk about? What's keeping you from saying it?
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
Romans 1:5
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2 Corinthians 12:7
If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Colossians 1:23
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
1 Timothy 1:12
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
1 Corinthians 15:8
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8
That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:16
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Revelation 1:2
Get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with authority,] not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you,
AMP
But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
ESV
'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;
NASB
‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.
NIV
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.
NKJV
Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.
NLT
But now, up on your feet—I have a job for you. I've handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what's happened today, and to what I am going to show you.
MSG