Even in prison, Paul preached. Given an audience with King Agrippa, Paul preached Jesus as the crucified and risen Messiah. When Festus told him his great learning was making him insane, Paul appealed to Agrippa’s knowledge of the events in Jerusalem. Then he asked him if he believed the prophets. Agrippa thought Paul was trying to persuade him to be a Christian. In this, he was correct. Paul was trying to lead him to Christ.
We are tempted to say, “Isn’t that nice? That is what preachers are supposed to do.” But if Paul were standing with us today, he would say, “So are you.” He wrote to the Corinthians, “The love of Christ constrains us . . .God has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:14). Do we expect to persuade others to become Christians? If not, why not? What are we doing today that is more important than leading others to Christ?
After his conversion and calling, Paul spent the rest of his life trying to lead others to become followers of Jesus. He admitted it to Agrippa. “I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today will become (Christians) as I am.” A song emerged from the Jesus movement in the US in the 1970’s. Chuck Girard wrote these lyrics, “Accept Him with your whole heart. And use your own two hands With one reach out to Jesus. And with the other, bring a friend.” Talk with someone about Jesus today. Bring them with you to worship on Sunday.
