Acts 26:19-23

                                                                     Acts 26:19-23

“Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 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. For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 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: 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.”

 

Paul continues to testify to Agrippa by explaining what God’s confrontation and commission caused him to do. Any encounter we have with the Lord and the Word of God should bring about change in our lives.  It certainly brought radical change to Paul’s life.  Instead of putting believers in prison, he began to promote belief by sharing His testimony and the Gospel with others.

 

PAUL RESPONDED TO GOD’S VISION BY PREACHING REPENTANCE: Paul’s response to the call of God on his life was to be obedient and preach a message of repentance.  He began to preach where he was in Damascus, then to Jerusalem, the region of Judea and then to the Gentile nations.  This sounds like the patter we could see in Acts 1:8 when God commissioned the disciples.  This is what all of us who are believers are called to do.  We must help the people in our lives turn from their sin, trust Christ, and follow Him in every aspect of their lives.  We are to be intentional about taking this message to people who are close and those who are far away.  The purpose of our lives is to spread the Gospel to all nations.

 

PAUL RECEIVED GOD’S HELP TO PROCLAIM THE RESURRECTION:  Just as God had promised to help and protect Paul when He commissioned him; Paul testifies that God had helped him all along the way.  Some might question the validity of that claim since Paul was in chains.  However, we can clearly see that Paul is still alive despite the Jews multiple attempts to kill him.  Paul is still boldly preaching the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to kings, judges, and governors.  The way God keeps His promises may not be the way we expect, but He is always faithful.  Paul rests is defense on the fact that he was simply obeying the call of God to preach the Gospel of repentance and resurrection.  All of us should stand accused of the same thing.

 

APPLICATION: We must seek to take the Gospel across the street and across the oceans.  Our lives and our words should be a call to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died for us and raised from the dead.  We can trust God to help us and protect us in His ways as we step out in obedience to Him.

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