gospel conversation

“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

Acts 26:27-29

Paul turns his defense before Herod Agrippa into a definite gospel conversation. Festus, the newly appointed Roman governor of Judea was given the strange case of Paul after succeeding Felix. And being pretty unfamiliar with Jewish religious issues, brought in Herod Agrippa, the Jewish figurehead ruler controlled by Rome, to advise him on just how to properly write up the charges against Paul so he could send the case carefully on to Rome for Caesar to decide.

Paul shares his testimony of conversion… of coming from a sincere and zealous Jewish upbringing, to being a leader of the Pharisees. All that was easy for Agrippa to understand. Paul goes on to share his personal encounter with Jesus that put him solidly in Christian belief, turning him from a hater of Christians into a preacher of the gospel. A resurrected Jesus saved Paul, and called him to preach the gospel everywhere — particularly among the Gentiles. And Paul immediately obeyed Jesus, convinced of the Old Testament prophesies of resurrection, by encountering a resurrected Messiah, and preaching that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are the center of God’s new atoning for the sins of the world. This was a message Paul was convinced was worth living, and perhaps dying for.

Paul is not afraid to press that compelling truth into a straightforward, strategic question to Agrippa, even as Herod is the one deciding his fate. The gospel is worth believing, and Paul knew that Agrippa was well-versed in scripture. So this conversation moved from leaders questioning Paul to Paul questioning them! Agrippa’s smug response was no escape either. Paul kept pressing in, concluding that no matter how long someone takes to process the gospel, his hope was that people would believe as solidly in Jesus as Paul himself did! And that is a gospel courage that Christians should seek to practice as we share Jesus with our neighbors and the nations.