You
would think that if you were doing things for God, everything would turn out
right.
A
number of years ago I had the opportunity to do a wedding for Rick and Chris
and then over the next three or four years I had the opportunity to watch them
grow as Christians. I remember the day that I got a call and actually beat
the ambulance to their house when their child went into a seizure and ultimately
into the hospital. Soon after that Rick was in Bible College and the next thing
I heard, Rick and Chris had joined a team of missionaries and were on their
way to Brazil with the gospel. They had been there about eight or nine months
and Chris’ health problems became so significant that they had to turn around
and come home.
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You
would think that if you were doing the right things for God, things would turn
out right.
Here
the apostle Paul is, trying to live faithfully before God as carefully as he
knows how. He’s been on trial now for two years. Been in prison. There’s
been the transition from Felix to Festus and now the king of the area, Agrippa,
and his wife Bernice, arrive and they want to hear this story too. Festus invites
Paul in one more time to make a defense of his faith in Christ; to basically
explain why he’s in prison.
Acts 26 is the speech that Paul makes. He reminds Agrippa that he’s heard this story
before. This is not new news to him. He knows about Jesus. This was not done
in a corner. Paul talks about his conversion experience. He identifies his
call to serve God. After Festus interrupts the speech Agrippa speaks. “Do you
think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul
replies, “Short time or long – I pray God that not only you but all who are
listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” And then
the king gets up and leaves.
Sometimes
the things of God are a bit hard to understand. And yet, Agrippa understood
them perfectly. He knew that in the midst of this testimony Paul was calling
for some kind of decision on his part. His response basically was, “Not now,
thanks, I don’t think I want to believe this. I don’t think that you understand
that I have some objections here. You think that just because you preach one
sermon to me that I’m supposed to somehow respond and I’m going become a believer.”
Actually,
what happened was, he decided Paul was innocent of the charges. There was no
criminal action on Paul’s part but since Paul had appealed to Rome to see Caesar,
to Caesar he must go.