ALMOST Persuaded
“King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets?
(The Acts of the Apostles 26: 27-28 NASB)
I know that you do.”
Agrippa replied to Paul,
“In a short time you will [almost] persuade me to become a Christian.”
What are some of the blessings you have in Christ?
What are the reasons for your joy, even when a life-season you are walking through is difficult?
The apostle Paul was in chains when he faced the king, under arrest for his proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord. Paul, a Roman citizen had appealed to speak to Caesar, and so he was on his way to Rome; however, in this passage, King Agrippa had agreed to grant an audience to the Lord’s bond-servant Paul.
Imagine the scene that day.
- The large doors of the throne room swung open, revealing the king dressed in his array of purple, denoting his place of authority.
- The prisoner Paul wore the same tattered clothing he had worn from the day he had been cast into prison.
See the room.
- Inside the throne room, the king sits upon his throne.
- The prisoner stands shackled in front of him.
See the two men.
- One man—King Agrippa—is an earthly king but one enslaved in his sins.
- The other man—the apostle Paul—is an evangelist and one who rejoices in the freedom of sins, forgiven and accepted by God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
See the king & See the KING!
- King Agrippa was the current king.
- The apostle Paul served as an ambassador of the KING of kings!
Truly, this was not a trial but a public opportunity for a believer to proclaim the Good News of the gospel message of Jesus.
In the Bible, we read the apostle Paul’s letter to young Timothy. He wrote, reminding Timothy to continue in the Father’s will despite the struggles & to remind Timothy of God’s promise to remain with him, to never forsake him.
“It is a trustworthy statement:
(The Second Letter of Paul to Timothy 2: 11-13 NASB)
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
If we are faithless,
[HOWEVER]
He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
- The Bible is clear—There is something—SOMEONE—the world can never take from those who have believed.
- The Word of God assures us—There is a gift—JESUS CHRIST—the faith in His death, burial & resurrection the devil cannot steal from those who have received.
- The Holy Scripture promises us—There is an inheritance—GOD’S ETERNAL SALVATION—the joy in knowing our name is written in the Book of Life, forever sealed, never lost to those who are called God’s children.
God is sovereign and since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, this world has been full of problems. This was true even in the day when JESUS HIMSELF, the SON of GOD walked on earth. The followers of Jesus are called to suffer for Christ, for the sake of the gospel. This has been & will always remain true until the day Jesus returns.
Nevertheless, God wants His children to remain joyful in Him.
- We are commanded to rejoice always, and this is not God’s suggestion but God’s command.
- We are commanded to pray without ceasing, and this is not the LORD’S request but His command.
- We are commanded to give thanks in everything, and this not our human thinking but God’s will for our lives in Christ Jesus.
The Bible proclaims these so!
Just read The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Then, as we do read, our eyes may move from verse eighteen to verse nineteen, and we will see how we are to serve as ambassadors of Jesus Christ—
“Do not quench the Spirit;” (The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 19)
As the calendar of days marches toward the holiday of Thanksgiving and then turns toward the time of Advent, we are reminded—to be thankful & to remember the Messiah who came as a babe in the manger. As we are thankful for God’s gift of salvation & we are thankful for the intimate relationship we have with God through His only Son Jesus, let us:
Count our Blessings.
Yes, name them out loud, 1-by-1.
Reflect & Recall our Salvation moment.
Yes, remember how God redeemed you.
Consider how God has walked you through past struggles & troubling times of life.
Yes, share your faith with someone you know today.
Ponder the glorious heavenly home you have been promised by your Father God.
Yes, witness and testify to another because you never know who might move from—
ALMOST to PERSUADED & SEES the TRUTH of JESUS CHRIST & BELIEVES in HIM today!
“Agrippa replied to Paul,
(The Acts of the Apostles 26: 28 NASB)
In a short time you will [almost] persuade me to become a Christian.”