Acts 26:24-28 - Suddenly Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Your long studying has broken your mind!” But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. I speak words of 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? But I know you do—” Agrippa interrupted him. “With trivial proofs like these, you expect me to become a Christian?”
Paul had finally gotten an audience in Rome. The King…Agrippa….called for him and allowed him to defend himself against the charges of the Jewish Leaders. Paul spent as much time as they would allow describing his Jewish education and upbringing…claiming the promise of God to rise someday from the dead to Heaven…confessing his past sin and persecution of the Christians…testifying how God had radically met him personally on the Damascus road and changed his whole outlook on Christianity….and how God had called him to preach to all people about the truth of his love.
Festus used his usual crass nature to call Paul insane…and then King Agrippa joined in with some sarcasm of his own. Their sarcasm and hurtful statements only intensified Paul’s need to present the gospel to them. He did not back down…he did not return their disbelief …he used his last words to testify that nothing was trivial or insane about His God.
It is a reminder to me to never let myself be tricked into defending my faith with sarcasm… bitterness or anger. When people around me are beginning to reject the only hope they have in this world of life…my response should be a quite calm…a peace that allows God to speak the one word through me that might be the convincing point for one more believer...or the ability to quietly walk away knowing I have done my part to present the truth.
Over and over in Acts I read that God allows free choice. Once I accept the challenge of sharing the gospel with others…I can accept His love and become a passionate worker for the kingdom like Paul…reject the truth flat out and go the opposite direction….or become like the leaders of that day and use religion for personal entertainment and ill gain.
I admit that as a believer I have done all three. Reading the Bible and daily prayer are beginning to help me stop making any other choice but being passionate like Paul. I will also admit that it is easier to be passionate when you can present your thoughts in the form of a blog. There is not much interaction…I haven’t encountered much disagreement in the 5 years I have been blogging.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I am called to present your gospel…not to make choices for the ones that hear it. Forgive me for the times that I have let myself be tricked into arguing or allowing anger to stop me from speaking the truth. Help me to be more like Paul…and let my heart be so completely consumed by you that my prayer for others is just like Paul’s in verse 29…. And Paul replied, “Would to God that whether my arguments are trivial or strong, both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.” Amen.
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