A wonderful day with my favorite gal in the whole world! It started with a visit to the doctor, but it went on to be a fun day running around. We made it a “vacation” day! Thank You, Father, for blessings beyond measure!
Acts 26:24-32 (<<click here to read the passage)
One of the biggest hurdles that Christians strive to get over is sharing the Gospel and all that it puts on the line, without being hateful, self-righteous, and loathsome in regard to those who do not know Jesus.
Paul did not shy away from boldly proclaiming the truth the some of the most powerful people in his world at that time. He said he obeyed what Jesus had commanded him to do. He preached to Jews and Gentiles alike that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. v20b NLT
The Amplified Bible puts it this way, they should repent [change their inner self—their old way of thinking] and turn to God, doing deeds and living lives which are consistent with repentance. v20b AMP
Sin is sin and repentance is absolutely necessary. But I don’t see condemnation. I don’t see hate, self-righteousness, or loathing. He knew he was speaking to sinners (Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, were brother and sister!) but he didn’t lay them out, speaking of their sin. Instead, he laid the truth out.
Paul proclaimed nothing except what the Prophets and Moses said would come to pass—that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) was to suffer, and that He by being the first to rise from the dead [with an incorruptible body] would proclaim light (salvation) both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” vs22b-23 AMP
He desired to bring them to Jesus, and He – that is, Jesus, not Paul – would deal with their sin. And Paul came so close to making that introduction for verse 28 reads,
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time [and with so little effort] you [almost] persuade me to become a Christian.” AMP
It seems he was speaking sarcastically, but I’ve always held that there’s a little bit of truth in everything we say…whether we want to admit it or not. Agrippa could not escape the truth, he had heard it and understood. The only thing was he didn’t embrace and accept it.
Boldly share the truth of the Gospel with whoever will listen but leave the judging and turning…let Jesus deal with their sin.
(Regarding today’s picture: Jesus’ response to the self-righteous men judging a woman caught in the act of adultery – “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you? …Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:10-11 NLT)
Aug 15th, 2022, Mon, 9:03 pm
