Paul stands there in his prison uniform likely looking like a beggar compared to the royalty of the king that was about to judge him. To the world Paul may have looked like a beggar. He may have looked like he had no friends, no wealth, no earthly position and to mortal eyes it may have seemed like he stood alone but little did king Agrippa know, that as Paul was standing before him he was escorted by heavenly escorts. He did not know that Paul was not his usual prisoner. Had the glory of just one of these Angel’s by Paul’s side flashed before them, it would have caused their royalty to pale in comparison, they would have been forced to fall to the earth as helpless mortals, as it happened at the tomb.
He may have stood before the king in chains but those guards and king that surrounded him did not realize that they were chained to a much greater extent then was Paul. Paul’s chains had been broken after encountering his Lord, his repentance was great and therefore his Lord released him from the enemies chains.
Says the beloved John, “The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” The world knows not Christ, neither will it know those who follow Christ. They are sons of God, children of the royal family, yet their princely claims are not recognized by the world.
Paul stands before them with his hand outstretched, he tells his testimony of how he was part of a strict sect of religion and how he was a pharisee. He talked about how he thought and believed that he needed to do many things that were against Jesus. He explains how he shut up many saints in prison on the demand of the chief priests, even voting against these saints in full agreement that they have no right to live any longer. Not sparing the details of the life he used to live, he tells them how he punished them often in every synagogue. being exceedingly enraged against them, he persecuted them even to foreign countries.
After sharing how he once used to be, he goes on to share what brought his ways to an end. As I journeyed to Damascus, with authority from the high priests at midday I saw a light from heaven shining, a light brighter then the sun. When we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. He speaks on how Jesus said that He will send him out to open blind eyes, to turn them from darkness to light.
He tells how he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision but went out to declare that people should repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance. For this reason the jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. He spoke of Christ’s death and resurrection.
After his testimony, Festus cried out with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. Acts 26:24-25
Paul’s words were too much for poor Festus. He said you are mad, which in this case doesn’t mean angry but as mentally ill, if you look up the definition, more less mixed up in the head. Interestingly enough the words of Festus are actually still repeated today. When a lost soul picks up their dusty bible and sees for themselves what their duty towards God is. Many religious people will say, you are crazy, your mixed up and then some will say that they study too much. Sometimes, all it needs is the mention of Jesus’s name and your labeled as someone that’s in the wrong. Is it not every souls right and duty to place themselves in front of the Words of life and see what they need to do to have access to this eternal kingdom that is to come?
Aren’t we as pilgrims, here for one reason only and that is to work out our OWN salvation with fear and trembling? Didn’t the reformers fight for this very thing, wasn’t there an insane amount of blood shed because freedom to follow your conscience was not allowed? Didn’t they fight that every individual may have the right to study God’s word and to have the right to follow the convictions that the Holy Spirit places on them? There is only one shepherd and woe unto the earthly shepherds that think that they have the right to steal the lambs from God’s fold and that they have the authority to make these lambs follow in their footsteps, rather then in the masters footsteps.
Surely He will ask those souls, where are my lamb’s that were under your care and why did you hinder them from coming to me, why did you hinder them from coming into my fold? If we really care for other souls we would surely not persecute them for this is not of God but is a Rome tactic that has a satanic power attached to it. God is a God of free will.
After Christ rose, he questions Peter 3 times and I think we need to dwell on this conversation between Peter and Jesus and see what it means for us today. He asked Peter, do you love me? Peter assures him that he does and Jesus then tells him to feed his lambs. Jesus questions Peters love towards him 3 times and 3 times after Peter confessed his love, He said feed my sheep.
Jesus wants us to know that our hearts must truly love him before we can have any part in feeding and tending his lambs. He’s not talking to Peter only but to those that are in charge of feeding his lambs. In his eyes we are not fit to feed his lambs if our hearts do not truly love him. We are not fit to feed his lambs if the love of God has not yet entered and transformed our hearts. A heart in love with it’s creator is a heart that will sincerely care for the Lords lambs. Such heart will not steal his lambs away from his fold.
Jesus was betrayed by his disciple and He knew all of Judas’s thoughts but yet He chased after him with a hunger and love for his soul. He who knew Judas’s heart, washed his betrayers feet with a intense desire to win his unconverted heart. He did not shut him out or shun him but rather HE kept him around until the bitter end. This is love, this is the love that his disciples will also have when the love of God has surrounded their hearts. We will have the love that Jesus had for lost Judas and we will follow his example on how to deal with a lost soul. Would we have the love to fall down on our knees and wash the feet of the one that was about to cause you unbearable heartache and torture? Would we even want to be in the same room as this person? His love is a burning fire and if we can’t see it then hopefully one day we will.
Captivated by Paul’s testimony, king Agrippa’s heart must have cried out for the same freedom experienced by the prisoner chained before him. Notice how Paul had a golden opportunity to plead his case of innocence and to try to escape his prison cell but he had a greater aim in mind. He shared his testimony hoping to win souls that were still in the enemies prison house. Here is a man in a earthly prison, desperately trying to free his enemies from this spiritual prison house. Here is a man that knows what true freedom is and yet these men in front of him assumed that they had control over Paul’s freedom when in reality they were the ones that were in need of freedom.
After Paul shared his testimony the king must have seen that Paul was not a common prisoner. As Paul desperately tried to open the eyes that were heavily veiled by the enemy, the kings heart was stirred he said, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Almost was a mighty king brought down on his knees, almost was he persuaded but he did not allow his heart to go there and he turned away from the undeniable convicting power that the Holy Spirit had on his heart.
Notice how often throughout history the kings found nothing wrong with God’s people but religious leaders pushed for judgement to fall on God’s saints. This spirit is still alive today and religious leaders are more aggressive with mistreating his people then the ones in high authority that don’t claim to believe in anything. This Spirit will go on until time shall come to an end, this Spirit will persecute everyone that will rather stand on God’s words then on the words of men. By religious leaders our Lord and the reformers were called just about everything that you could call a person, heretics, false prophet, possessed by demons, trouble makers.
Notice how a perfect angel long ago went against God, how the religious leaders went against the Son of God, how the Catholic church went against God’s people in the dark ages. This angel works best through religious people and this will be his strategy for this is the most deceptive, effective way. Look how many angel’s joined his side in heaven and they helped him fight against God. Look how many were on the Pharisees side and they gave the religious leaders even more power to persecute Jesus, for see how many cried out crucify him. The religious leaders needed a people to side with them, to give them power to persecute. In the dark ages the Catholic pope had plenty on his side that gave them power to persecute God’s people, all in the name of God.
The time will surely come and may we not be a religious Paul who takes part in persecuting God’s people. Paul thought he was doing God a favor but yet he was directly striking against him when he lifted up his hands against God’s sheep. Paul did not yet understand that he was persecuting the sheep that knew the voice of their shepherd. So will it be with us when we hear and obey the voice of the Shepherd and join his fold, we will not be loved or understood by many.
the apostle said “I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am,” Acts 26:29
Here was a prisoner, locked up for no reason, for doing the will of his father but yet he says he wishes that they all were such as he was. Many of them surely thought that he lost his sanity for why would they wish to be in his shoes, or to do what got him to be bound up in prison? They just saw with dim eyes what Paul had found in his Redeemer. They saw a man that stood alone but yet heaven was there by his side if people saw it or not. They saw a man that seems to have nothing but yet he had everything that a heart could possibly need or want since the day the scales fell from his eyes and he saw his need for his Redeemer.
An interesting thing to note is kings that were evil had more compassion towards God’s people then did the religious people down through the ages. Pilate saw nothing wrong with Jesus and he by no means wanted to have anything to do with judging him. While he believed not in God he was still not as blind and full of wrath towards the Son of God as were the religious leaders. King Agrippa saw nothing wrong with Paul and you can see he had no rage against him, he even let him go for he saw nothing wrong with him, it was the religious leaders that had a problem with him. Isn’t it quite something that God could work more in these king’s hearts then he could work in the hearts of the religious people?
