S: Acts 26
O: Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa—both in the legal sense, as a defense against the charges against him, and in the spiritual sense, as his personal story of encountering Christ.
While Festus was not persuaded, saying “You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” Agrippa, having the Jewish context Paul was addressing, understood what he was getting at, replying “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?”
Nonetheless, they both agreed “This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment.” and “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
While one might have thought that Paul had made a mistake to appeal to Caesar, in actual fact, back in Acts 23, God had already told Paul he was going to Rome, so this effectively meant that the Roman government would cover the cost of his journey to Rome!
A: Sharing our testimony—our personal journey to faith in Christ—is a powerful way to share the Gospel. People may argue against doctrine, but they can’t deny the reality of your experience. While not everyone will be persuaded, as we saw with Festus and Agrippa, it can plant a seed that causes them to reflect and seek the truth.
P: Father, help me to be alert to opportunities to share my story. Give me the wisdom to share it in a way that points others to you and the courage to speak even when I don’t know how they will respond. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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