In Acts 22 and 23, we see some of Paul shine through. I don’t take these to exactly be the holy Spirit taking over. In Acts 22, he does receive Devine revelation of his safety, but when he is taken to trial, he speaks to the Roman guards as a Roman, reminding them that he has not faced trial and, therefore, may not be punished. In Acts 23, when he speaks to the Sanhedrin, he raises a point of contention between the two factions - think left wing vs right wing in politics - by bringing up resurrection of the dead. Rather than fighting a useless battle, he allows them to fight themselves and is ultimately escorted out. In doing this, he also spoke truthfully that he was on trial for believing in the resurrection, but the plan was the same as that with the Romans: know the audience and use their rules and worldview. While Paul could have easily abused this, he used it for the kingdom.
In our lives, we can learn from this. Go to people with their own point of view. Speak to them in a way that makes sense to them. After all, Paul later says in a letter that to a Jew he was as a Jew. At Mars Hill, he reminds the Romans of a statue that they themselves worship to “and unknown god.” What does this mean if not approaching people in a way that is receptive to them?
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