ACTS

ACTS 26

Act 26:1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:

Notice how God is allowing Agrippa the privilege to hear the gospel. Agrippa actually thought that he was the one to grant permission to Paul but I believe God is as work making sure those in authority hear the gospel as well as others so that when judgment comes in 70 AD God is fully justified in allowing the coming judgment. However, we must remember that the Jews lost their homeland because of unbelief but that doesn't mean that God has cut them off entirely. They will be grafted back into their own vine after a season. In 1948 the nation of Israel came back to life. It as a nation has not yet recognized Jesus as their Messiah but during the tribulation period spoken of in Revelation, they will discover the real Christ after being fooled for a season by the anti-christ. The great thing is that many Jews (not the nation as a whole) have come to Christ from all over the world. Messianic congregations have sprung up all over the United States and other places in the world and we can rejoice to see this. They are being grafted back into their own vine. Bible prophecy is coming to pass in these latter days.

Act 26:2 I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews:
Act 26:3 Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
Act 26:4 My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews;
Act 26:5 Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

When any religion gets away from their first love which is God and becomes harsh and judgmental adding to the commandments of God or substituting their own commandments ignoring God's commandments, they can get what we call a religious spirit. It can get so bad that they actually put people to death thinking they are doing God a favor. This is what happened throughout history. We need to face up to this and not try to cover it up. In order to correct false ways we have to discover them, repent of them and change.

The first persecutors of believers in Jesus Christ were Jewish religious leaders. They thought they were helping God.

The second persecutors of believers were the secular Romans. The false religion of the Romans were pagans who believed in many gods. The first Christians were accused of atheism because they believed in only one God.

The third group of persecutors were the Christians against Jews and other Christians who disagreed with the apostasy that the church had gotten into. The Roman Catholic Church grew big and powerful. They used forced conversions, persecuted and put to death those that dissented from their view. They did as the religious Jews before them and substituted the own commandments in place of God's. They lost their first love and hated their brethren.

The third group of persecutors were protestants groups that had left their first love, forgetting how they were persecuted by the Roman Church and began to persecute their own dissenters. The Church of England, the Calvinists and other protestant groups that had mixed church and state began to persecute the Anabaptists and other groups who held onto the word of God.

Later in the United States the Puritans started out great but began to persecute the Quakers and others who disagreed with them.

When the holiness movement started with John Wesley, they were not as severely persecuted but they were isolated cases of persecution.

When the Pentecostals first started in the United States. There were Pentecostals in other parts of the world also but I have to write of what I'm familiar with. The Pentecostal churches in North Carolina were shot at, some churches burned down by the established denominations of their day.

We have to read and learn these things so that we also do not allow ourselves to lose our first love and begin to persecute those that disagree with us. We are to preach the gospel, not do harm to dissenters.

This never means that we accept false teaching and join ourselves in one ecumenical group of Christians for political power and unity. We must stand for the faith once delivered to the saints. We must stand for sound biblical doctrine but we must do it having the perfect love that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True unity is by the spirit and by the truth of the word. We can't be unified with those that have forsaken God's word.

The church was unified under the emperor Constantine but that unity was a false unity that destroyed the church. That is not true unity. We need the unity of the spirit. The Holy Spirit will not unify us in a lie.

Act 26:6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:

Israel was given the hope of a promised Messiah through Moses and the prophets. They did not recognize him when he came.

Act 26:7 Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
Act 26:8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

The teaching of the resurrection of Jesus was a big stumbling block to the Jews because they were not looking for a Messiah to save them from sin but to deliver them from the Roman oppression. They didn't want to admit that they rejected and killed the very Messiah that God sent to them as promised by Moses.

Act 26:9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Act 26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
Act 26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.

Paul was zealous for his religion but was wrong. The religious leaders of that day were zealous but wrong.  How do I know?  By their fruits.  They put to death people that did good. 

Act 26:12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
Act 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
Act 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 26:15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
Act 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
Act 26:17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

This is some message here. The gospel that Paul was to preach would open the eyes (spiritually speaking) and turn people from darkness of false religion, the darkness of sin and the darkness of unbelief. They would be delivered from the power of Satan in which he deceived them into believing false teaching. Forgiveness of sin is part of the gospel necessary for salvation for sin cannot enter the kingdom of God. God will give this inheritance of forgiveness of sin and eternal life to those that are sanctified by faith in Jesus. Glory to God for this promise is to all (Jew and Gentile) who would believe.

Act 26:19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Act 26:20 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

This is one of the verses to support the holiness doctrine. True conversion to Jesus will produce repentance from sin which means actually turning away from sin and living for God. Holiness is produced in the life of a true believer. They will not achieve perfection overnight but as they walk in the spirit denying the flesh they will start to produce a life of holiness in spirit and in truth. Not a made made holiness that produces legalism but a holiness that comes from within in the depths of our spirit and springs forth from our inner being. This produces the fruit of the spirit: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Yes it will cause us to dress modestly as a result but the modest dress alone is not holiness. Giving up the wearing of jewelry for example is not holiness but some of us just lose our desire for those things when we begin to be mindful of the Lord more and more and we care less for the world. We have to be careful of legalism which is not real holiness. A person who dresses modest yet doesn't judge others is more of an example of someone who may have true holiness in their hearts. If we only have outward show of holiness and are harsh with those that do not see as we do, it is not real holiness.

Act 26:21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

Paul wouldn't die until the Lord was ready to call him home.

Act 26:22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:

Actually the true gospel will not contradict the law of Moses and the Old Testament. Paul only taught what Moses and the prophets said would come.

Act 26:23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.

The whole book of Isaiah speaks of this. Isaiah 53 foretells the suffering of Christ.

Act 26:24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.
Act 26:25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but I speak forth the words of truth and soberness.
Act 26:26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
Act 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

I believe a song was written about these words, "Almost Persuaded." Yet to be almost persuaded is not enough to save the soul from being lost and without God.

Act 26:29 And Paul 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, except these bonds.

Paul never once wished for anyone to suffer being sent to jail and in bonds like that which was done to him.

Act 26:30 And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them:
Act 26:31 And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
Act 26:32 Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Caesar.

There were many times when Paul could have been free if he didn't say or do something to endanger himself. Yet I believe Paul was being obedient to God and allowing himself to be in bondage in order to preach to those in high places of authority because he also was one who use to have that authority and wanted to warn them not to make the same mistakes that he did in thinking he was doing God a service when in fact he was persecuted those that represented God.

Acts 27