1) How obvious is your faith? How apparent to those around you is the fact that you are a follower of Jesus?
2) What does it take to persuade someone to follow Christ? What is your part in this process?
3) What do you do when God’s plans seem to contradict what makes sense to us? How do you respond when life happens in ways you don’t understand?
As Paul continues his defense before Festus and Agrippa, he pleads to the reality that all that has taken place concerning Jesus was not “done in a corner (26:26).” That is, Jesus lived, died, and rose again in full view of everyone. Even more, God had been preparing the way for Christ through the prophets for generations. The question for us is this – do our lives clearly demonstrate the reality of Jesus in the world today? I pray that those around us see Jesus and that our faith is not lived out in a corner.
Paul’s defense was more of an evangelistic appeal. His words were certainly received this way by Agrippa (26:28). Although we know it is the work of God’s Spirit in the lives of those far from Him that ultimately draws people, we have the privilege and responsibility to help “persuade” them to follow Christ. Paul said is this way in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
The Jews had no case against Paul. Rome could find nothing he was guilty of. In fact, King Agrippa said, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (26:32).” But Paul’s freedom was not God’s plan. Years earlier, God told Paul, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome (23:11).” God’s plans don’t always make sense to us. At these times, we must learn to defer to His wisdom and His perspective. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
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