But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. I am speaking the sober truth. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak frankly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can make me a Christian so quickly?”
Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 26:25-29
The Apostle Paul’s desire that those in his audience “become the same as I am” was about something far greater than class, education, fraternity, neighborhood or any of those other things on which we put so much importance. First and foremost, he desired that they know Jesus Christ for who He was … the Messiah … the risen Lord … the Son of God. He desired that they have more than just head knowledge of Him … that they would invite Him into their heart and have a personal relationship with Him. Second, Paul desired that they too would be free to preach the Good News and witness to what Jesus had done for them. “…except for these chains…” Paul was proof that the Good News could be proclaimed in chains but how much more effective they could be without them.
We need some folks who are the same as Paul. Can you be counted in that group?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment