19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

Acts 26:19-23 (ESV) 中文

Paul on Trial

Paul is in the middle of one long, God-ordained,  trial of over 2+ years. It started in Jerusalem with the Jewish leaders accusing Paul of religious crimes. He’s now in Caesarea. He uses each trial to share his testimony, his call to the gentiles and the gospel. As he mentions in his testimony, God continues to intervene to foil plots to kill him. Rather than stand trial in Jerusalem (and face certain death) He leveraged his right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. Now he’s presenting before King Agrippa and a host of others.

Gospel priority

Paul testifies that his work, his ministry, yes, his life, is one of obedience – obedience to His Lord who sent him to proclaim His gospel. And he did not delay. As he recounts and we remember from what we studied earlier, Paul started sharing the good news immediately in Damascus. After some time, he went to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem to confirm the message he was sharing. Then he headed off to other parts of Judea and then to the gentiles in Asia minor and Europe.

Gospel call

And what is this gospel? Verse 20 tells us: “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance”. This is why he was persecuted. Repentance is the first step. No one likes to repent. As we’ll soon see, as conviction of truth and sin sets in, both Festus and Agrippa will distract and avoid the need to repent.

Turning to God, in faith comes next. Again, this is not natural. It requires humility to admit that we need help, that we cannot save ourselves from sin. All the years of denying sin and/or trying to cover it up by our own good works come to nothing. In fact, the Bible tells us, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;“ (Isaiah 64:6)

Hope

For there is hope. Paul reminds Agrippa (and instructs the crowd) that the Law and Prophets (the OT) proclaim the Christ (Messiah) would come. He will suffer, die, then be raised to life so all who believe in Him would likewise have new life, eternal life (John 3:16-17).

RЯeflection

• Reader, is the Spirit of God moving in your heart and mind right now? Is He convicting you of sin, your inability to save yourself. Is He drawing you to repent and turn, in faith, to Him, to Jesus, for forgiveness and new life? Click here or  contact us for more information and support in this transformation.
• Fellow believers, pray for those around us to see our good works and glorify the Father (Matt 5:16) and come to faith. Be faithful in prayer for them. Let our light shine. Open our mouths to declare the glories of God. (Psalm 71:8)