Same

This week, we are finishing up our journey through Acts by looking at one section in each of the remaining chapters. Yesterday, we heard Paul’s brief trial before Festus. Today, we are actually going to take a look at statements of Paul’s defense before King Agrippa II throughout Acts 26. Just to give you some background on Agrippa II ... his great grandfather tried to eliminate Jesus when he was a baby (check out Matthew 2:1-17) ... his great uncle had John the Baptist beheaded (check out Mark 6:14-29) and tried Jesus (check out Luke 23:7-12) ... and his father killed James and imprisoned Peter (check out Acts 12:1-11). This was the man Paul was speaking to ...


Acts 26
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.” So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense:

Paul shared his childhood ...
4 “As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem.”

Paul shared his beliefs ...
9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.”

Paul shared how he came to believe who Jesus was ...
12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, ... 13 ... a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. ...

Paul shared the change that believing in Jesus made ...
19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached ... that all must repent of their sins and turn to God ...

Here’s how it ended ...
24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!” 25 But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do - ” 28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” 29 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.”


Same. One of our passions at Eastside is the passion of reach ... telling others about our life change. In this chapter, Paul gives a great example of how to do that ... sharing your past and the impact it had on what you believed, sharing what caused you to believe in Jesus and sharing the changes that have taken place because of that belief. I think sometimes we are afraid to share because we are afraid we don’t know enough; but there is a great scene, earlier in Acts, where Peter reminds us that our priority is to simply do what Paul did ... share what we have “seen and heard” (check out Acts 4:8-20). To help with some of those fears, I would encourage you to take some time to think through and write out your story ... your life change, so that you will be prepared to share it when the opportunity presents itself. A couple years after this trial, Peter would write a letter that would include some more encouragement and instruction regarding this passion of reaching (check out 1 Peter 3:15-16). He talks about sharing our hope gently and respectfully while living a life that reflects that hope. Like Paul (and Peter), I do want people to be the same as me ... changed, because of my hope in Jesus; but that will only happen if we reflect that hope ... with how we live and what we say.