Acts 26:19-32

(Acts 26:19-32)

 

Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.  For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.  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:  That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.  And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.  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.  King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.  Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.  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.  And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they that sat with them: And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds. Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar.

 

Then said Agrippa unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar. In front of Festus, the newly appointed governor, Agrippa, and his sister Bernice, Paul continued his story from chapter 25 to chapter 26. Particularly in Chapter 26, Paul tells the story of a time when he believed in Judaism in the past, and tells how much he hated Christians and persecuted Christians severely. Then one day, on the way to Damascus, Paul confesses that he meets Jesus Christ, whom he was persecuted. The encounter with Jesus in Paul's life changed his life completely. After meeting with Jesus, Paul clearly knows what he should do for the rest of his life.

 

Paul did not go against God's calling, and even in the face of death, he did his best to fulfill his mission of preaching the gospel. At times he was struck by stones and almost died, and at times he was forced to run away from those who tried to catch him. And now he was caught as a sinner and was in an isolated situation waiting to be taken to Rome, but he did his best to put the Word into practice, even after meeting Jesus no matter what situation he was in.『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:  That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. 』 When the prophets and Moses said that it would be in the future, "Jesus Christ will suffer, and he will rise first from the dead and bring light to Israel and the Gentiles." Regarding Paul's zeal, Festus, the governor, mocked Paul with a sarcastic tone, saying that Paul was crazy because he studied a lot of studies. Delivered.
Rather than being withered, Paul boldly speaks to King Agrippa, calling for a decision to believe in the message of the gospel he preached.

 

Paul was Paul who met Jesus on the way to Damascus and then made every effort to preach Jesus Christ in accordance with the call to preach the Gospel to the Israelites and Gentiles, the purpose of which God called him. Many others, including King Agrippa, Governor Fessdo, and Bernice, left, and returned, saying that Paul was not the one who had committed the death penalty or deserving of bondage. Then he left Agrippa and the governor of Bethdo, saying that if this man had not appealed to Caesar, he would have been released.

 

26:22 and 23 summarized Paul's life as his calling and preached the gospel to Israelites and Gentiles throughout his life. This verse shows that we are writing about missions that are spreading to the end. Through Paul's confession, Paul's passion for preaching the Gospel is boldly preaching the Gospel before the governor and the Bunbong King. Even if he hears that he is crazy, even if he is threatened with life, he has preached the gospel to the end.

 

In the course of the apostle Paul's expropriation to Rome, Paul testified to King Agrippa the voice he heard from Damascus, telling everyone to repent and return to God to do what is worthy of repentance, so that the people tried to arrest him and kill him. Are talking. Faith without repentance is impossible in God's eyes. It's just a belief that people believe in themselves. The voice that the Apostle Paul heard is 『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. 』 The premise of this word is that man cannot return himself to God from the power of Satan. It is as if the Hebrew people, who were the people of King Pharaoh, could not leave Egypt on their own. That's why they cried out. And God sent Moses.

 

The prayer of reception is fake. All humans are slaves to Satan. It is a slave to the world. Humans are the beings who can never escape from the world. Humans cannot live without everything in the world. They are all under the wrath of God. The body of the Hebrews lived under the wrath of King Pharaoh. By the way, when they cried out to God, what God showed at the Passover was that he showed that everyone in the world is under God's wrath. So, when they turned from Satan's power to God, it was God's wrath that the saints learned.

 

To be released from God's wrath, this is repentance. To be released from the power of Satan is not called repentance. What is released from the power of Satan is called redemption (redemption). But redemption and repentance are attached. These two things stick together like the two-sided nature of a coin and make us reborn. On the cross, the Lord was caught and killed like a delicious beast of a wedding feast. The Lord Himself came as a sacrifice 2,000 years ago for his feast. He does not come as a sacrifice this time. This time, he comes as a priest as a judge. The Lord will separate sheep and goats. All lands of Damascus, Judea, Jerusalem and even the Gentiles must repent and turn to God. But if you do not repent, you cannot turn back. To be converted is regeneration. Those who are not born again must cry out to repentance.