Truth Magazine

By Bruce J.  Dehut 

One of the saddest proclamations noted in the New Testament is that of King Agrippa in Acts 26:28. Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

The biblical record gives no statement beyond this, of Agrippa’s inclination towards Christianity. As far as we know, the king passed from this life failing to commit himself to the saving power of Jesus Christ. But this fail- ure was not due to a lack of knowledge or opportunity on Agrippa’s part.

An Expert in Jewish Protocol 

Agrippa II was the great grandson of Herod the Great. The Herodian house descended from Esau and were of Edomite stock. The land in which they dwelled was con quered and added to the Jewish state about 130 B.C., and they submitted to the rite of circumcision and embraced Jewish religion. Most of the Herods were educated in Rome and were considered ceremonial, half Jews at best (Unger’s Bible Dictionary). The apostle Paul was well aware of this fact, and counted himself fortunate to finally give an account of the charges against him to Agrippa, “especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews” (Acts 26:3). Paul had spent over two years in confinement, pleading his case before Felix, who had a “more accurate knowledge of the Way” (Acts 24:22) and Festus, who couldn’t even put into words the charges against Paul (Acts 25:26-27), because the accusations were based upon what Festus called, the Jews superstition and the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 25:19). Paul knew that not only was Agrippa an authority in Jewish customs, but he most assuredly was aware of the commotion caused by Jesus of Nazareth and his followers (Acts 26:26-27).

He Heard the Gospel Preached

Paul declared to Agrippa that he himself was a devout Jew, looking anxiously for the fulfilment of promises made to the fathers (Acts 26:6-7). He goes on to say that he was a militant Pharisee, persecuting Christians even to foreign cities (Acts 26:11). But he relates to Agrippa his encounter with the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. How, by the grace of God, he became a minister and witness to both the Jews and the Gentiles concerning the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16-18). Paul left no doubt that his mission included instructing people to “repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:19). Paul nailed Agrippa right between the eyes when he asked the question he already had the answer for: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe” (Acts 26:27) 

An Ego Problem

Maybe one of the reasons that king Agrippa wavered was due to his lack of acceptance by the people. Josephus mentions that Agrippa’s father, Herod the king, was “keenly fond of popularity and possessed much personal magne- tism.” His status among the Jews was definitely heightened when he harassed the church and murdered James (Acts

12:1-3). However, his son Agrippa II was never popular with his subjects and might have lost even more esteem in the eyes of the Jews if he had converted to Christianity. History tells us that eventually he joined forces with the Romans to abuse the Jews and destroy Jerusalem in A.D. 70. So either way, he came out on the bottom of the popularity poll among the Jews.

Fear of Losing Power 

King Agrippa could have been hesitant because the Romans were the ones that had carried out the crucifixion of Jesus. Why would they hesitate to remove Agrippa from his throne, strip him of his riches and possibly execute him? But Jesus assures us that nothing is worth holding onto if it costs us our souls (Mark 8:36). God orchestrates the rise and fall of kingdoms (Rom. 13:1), Agrippa’s would be no different. 

Without Excuse

We could speculate all our lives about why Agrippa chose not to become a Christian that day. But just like the Gentiles that Paul addressed in his letter to the Romans, king Agrippa was without excuse. Romans 1:20: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

Lesson To Be Learned

God has an answer for all our procrastinations:

• We all have heard (Col. 1:23).
• We are to put aside our egos (Luke 9:23).
• Hold nothing of this world dearer than our souls (Mark 8:36).
• We are all without excuse, all have sinned (1 John 1:10).
• Why Wait (Acts 22:16).

King Agrippa’s words were obviously the inspiration to Phillip P. Bass’ hymn “Almost Persuaded.” How true the words ring in the latter portion of the last verse:

“Almost” cannot avail;

 “Almost” is but to fail;

“Sad, sad, that bitter wail

“Almost – but lost!”

If you are vacillating about becoming a Christian, don’t!

By Marcus Vondracek

In 2 Timothy 3:1-4, Paul writes, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” If we were to take the first and last items listed, we would have “lovers of themselves rather than lovers of God.” What a fitting description of the world we live in today. There are multitudes of people who do not care about the God of heaven, who loved them enough to send his only Son to die for their sins. Instead, there are individuals who are only concerned with themselves and how they can enrich themselves with the pleasures of this world.

Paul further states in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, hav- ing itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” We see around us, even in the religious community, the precise thing of which Paul wrote. Many are no longer concerned with the teachings of the gospel, let alone, obeying these teachings. We now have preachers and teachers doing exactly what Paul said they would — telling the unwilling hearers only what they want and desire to hear.

The account of the conversion of the Ephesians in Acts 19 is a breath of fresh air when we look at the condition of those in the world around us. These men had a characteristic that is worthy of notice. They were willing!

Willing Hearts

The Ephesian men had willing hearts. These men, like all men created by God, had free will to make their own choices. The first description presented to us is that they were disciples. They had made the choice to follow the teachings of John the Baptist, which included the kingdom of heaven, baptism of repentance, and belief in the Son of God (Matt. 3:1-3; Acts 19:4). They were men who were searching out the truth. The Scriptures give us plenty of examples of those who had willing hearts. When Moses was gathering the materials to build the tabernacle, he was instructed by God to take from the people who were of a willing heart and a willing spirit (Exod. 35:5, 21-22, 29). King David, when teaching his son Solomon how to serve God, said, “Serve him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind” (1 Chron. 28:9). King David and the people rejoiced greatly “because they offered willingly to the Lord” when they gathered materials to build the temple (1 Chron. 29:9). Amasiah “willingly offered himself to the Lord” when King Jehoshaphat numbered the mighty men of valor (2 Chron. 17:16).

Paul stressed the character of willingness in his letter to the Corinthians when discussing the subject of giving to the Lord. “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” (2 Cor. 8:12). Our willingness and purpose are far more important to God than the amount. The Macedonian brethren “first gave themselves to the Lord” (2 Cor. 8:5). A willing heart is needed if one is to serve God. This is demonstrated by the Ephesian disciples, something not seen among many today.

Willing to Listen

The Ephesian disciples were willing to listen. The religious world today is in such confusion and chaos. Everyone states that he is right and that his church will get the sinner to heaven. This confusion has turned many an ear from listening to the good news of Jesus. Jesus told the unbelieving Jews, “Why do you not understand my speech? Because you are not able to listen to my speech” (John 8:43). People are confused, frustrated, stubborn, and do not understand the word of God. Why? Because they are unwilling to listen! The Ephesian disciples were truly willing to listen. Paul came to them preaching about things of which they had no knowledge, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2), yet they were willing to listen.

Willing to Accept the Gospel

The Ephesian disciples were willing to accept the gospel. In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught that the good ground or the good hearts of men would, after hearing the word, accept it (Mark 4:20). Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, thanked God “because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). The Ephesian disciples had been baptized into John’s baptism, thus Paul “explained the way of God more accurately,” teaching them that they needed to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. They were willing to accept this teaching of Paul, even though it was foreign and new to them. Sad to say, too many people today are more like the Jewish disciples, who were not willing to accept the teachings of Jesus and “went back and walked with him no more” (John 6:66).

Willing to Obey

The Ephesian disciples demonstrated their willingness to accept Paul’s teachings in the fact that they were will- ing to obey. Jesus further stated that the good heart that accepted the word would “bear fruit” and be active in the work of the Lord (Mark 4:20). Paul went on to say that the word of God was “effectively working” in the lives of the Thessalonian brethren (1 Thess. 2:13). What do we see in our Ephesian disciples? “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5). They did not complain, gripe, fuss, get mad, laugh, or reject. They simply did what they realized they needed to do, and they obeyed.

What a refreshing and encouraging example that we can read of in God’s word — the willing Ephesians of Acts 19.

By Joshua Gurtler

As Paul entered into the sin-ridden port city of Corinth in Acts 18:1, his expectations might have been running a little lower than usual. Paul had just arrived from Athens where he had received some ridicule as well as some fruit in the Lord, neither of which were to be compared to what was about to take place. He immediately joined himself to a couple of the same trade and he began making tents until his support from Macedonia arrived via the hands of Silas and Timothy (2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15; Acts 18:5).

What a great weight of responsibility now lay on the shoulders of the apostle to the Gentiles. Corinth was a sin-sick cesspool of the vilest sort, yet this was to be his audience for the next few months. He at once engaged in “testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:5). This effort was met with resistance in the form of blasphemies (Acts 18:6). What a discouragement this could and might have been, yet he continued his proclamation, next going to the house of Titus Justus (Acts 18:7). Here the word found the good soil of honest hearts and Crispus and his household were baptized (Acts 18:8).

We will take a moment to note the interesting fact that baptism was obviously considered a necessary element to enter the kingdom of God in the New Testament and attain all the privileges and blessings as a child of God. In case one may wonder whether the baptism here was only an isolated, unique incident to the Corinth church, we have but to turn and read 1 Corinthians 12:13 where we are told that the whole church in the city of Corinth was “baptized into one body” (see also 1 Cor. 1:14-16). Of course, shortly after this, thanks to the help of a band of some of Paul’s ungodly, closed-minded Jewish brethren, he was brought before the Roman Proconsul to stand trial. The charges were dismissed as a farce and Paul pressed on to Syria (Acts 18:12-18). This is the history of the beginning of the Lord’s body in Corinth to whom Paul eventually wrote at least three letters (see 1 Cor. 5:9).

I recently heard a sermon in which the preacher said, “The Bible is clear about the subject of salvation in the New Testament, and if anyone has any questions then all he needs to do is to sit down and read the book of Acts.”

How simple and yet how true. Why is it that mankind must question, criticize, and reject God’s biblical directives given for our own well being? The conversion of the Corinthian brethren, which involved hearing and believing God’s word, repenting of their past wickedness, confessing Christ as the Son of God and Lord, and being baptized into Christ for the remission of their sins, is the simple and repeated method we see in the Scriptures. Modern critics, the de- nominational world, and even some of our own brethren will mock the “five fingered plan of salvation” as being that which has its origin in man. Take away the fingers if you like, but what steps do we need more or less in order to gain entrance into the kingdom of God? I’ve also heard talk of doing away with the invitation at the end of every worship service and whether or not we should even mention baptism when we teach one the gospel of Christ! Change for the sake of God’s word is always a good thing, but change for the sake of change should always be questioned as to motive, consequence, and scriptural authority.

Inevitably, sin entered the body of saved believers in Corinth at which time Paul wrote a searing but loving letter of rebuke and admonition. “What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentle- ness?” is how he put it in 1 Corinthians 5:21. The sins of fornication, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, thievery, drunkenness, reviling and swindling are listed as those that some had previously engaged in before their conversion (1 Cor. 6:9, 10). In the same letter we learn that some of them are back at it, adding even more sins to their already lengthy list. When Paul directs his first N.T. letter to the church, he specifically addresses the problems of division, quarrels, and sectarianism (ch. 1); jealousy and strife (ch. 3); arrogance (ch. 4); fornication and the tolerance of sin (ch. 5); taking a brother to law (ch. 6); misunderstandings of God’s marriage law (ch. 7); causing a brother to stumble from personal liberties (ch. 8); idolatry (ch. 10); headship and abuse of the Lord’s supper (ch. 11); spiritual gifts and the usurping of authority in the worship by women (chs. 12- 14); and misunderstandings on the resurrection (ch. 15).

Paul did not overlook these sins with such excuses as, “we need to give them time to grow” or “we might be too hard and run them off” or “we should tolerate their sin under Romans 14 since they are the weaker brethren” (1 Cor. 3:1, 2). Paul recognized sin in the camp and confronted it as such. This is our example and pattern which we too often fail. Frequently, we would rather look the other way when sin enters the church, and sometimes we may even fail to teach the “whole counsel” when speaking with a non-Christian. But all too soon we will stand before God almighty and render an account for the deeds we have done and the blood of the souls of mankind which stain our head and our hands (Acts 20:26, 27; Ezek. 3:18). If we don’t do our best to call for true conversion as Paul did the Corinthians and to keep the church pure, we may someday be the ones God is purging for the purification of his Church (Eph. 5:26, 27).

By Joshua Reaves 

I was speaking with a close friend and brother the other day and we were talking about different things that can cause spiritual problems in our lives. He was telling me that no matter what the problem seemed to be in his spiritual life, much of the problem came down to the question of humility. His point seemed very appropriate with the title of my article. Am I being humble enough to face God’s will and not turn the other way, or do I have too much pride to give up my own will and repent? No wonder Peter says in 1 Peter 5:5, “. . . God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It seems that pride has always been one of man’s most powerful oppositions. It took a certain amount of pride for Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 3:1-6). It also caused Ahab to take a vineyard that was not rightfully his (1 Kings 21:2), and caused Peter to stand in the way of Christ carrying out the Father’s will (Matt 16:22, 23). Though Peter had the best intentions in mind, he was not yet willing to yield “self” and submit completely to the Father’s will. 

The Lord desires hearts that are willing to put away the pride of the old man and finally say, “Lord, thy will be done.” The Philippian jailer had the type of humble attitude that the Lord is pleased with. Acts 16:22 says that the magistrates commanded Paul and Silas to be “beaten with rods.” It goes on to say in v. 23, “And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.” This man, who was about to be transformed into one of God’s chosen vessels, may have actually beaten and ridiculed Paul and Silas. In any case, the Philippian jailer was commanded to make certain that Paul and Silas would not escape by placing them in the innermost prison and fastening their feet into stocks. Paul and Silas, refusing to let the circumstances keep them from rejoicing, began to sing songs of praise and continue in fervent prayer to the Lord. Paul was learning by experience the lesson which he afterward taught the disciples in the very same city, saying: “In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6, 7).

The prisoners must have heard the message of rejoicing and realized that God was behind it because as soon as a great earthquake opened the doors of the prison and loosened their chains, they froze in their places, so to speak, and did not try to escape (Acts 16:28). However, the jailer was not aware that none of the prisoners had escaped and drew his sword to take his own life. The jailer was convinced that taking his own life would be a much better fate than falling into the hands of the ruthless Roman government. If they had found the next morning that the prisoners had escaped, the death he would undergo would be dreadful at best. What was worse than that, the Philippian jailer was floating on the brink of eternal damnation. There seemed to be no hope left in the life of the Philippian jailer. That is, until the words of Paul came echoing forth from every prison wall, “Do yourself no harm for we are all here.” The Philippian jailer “ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas” (v. 29).

After he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” He was not asking what he should do to save himself from the anger of heathen gods, for his appeal would not have been to Paul and Silas, for they did not worship these gods. Neither did he ask what he should do to be saved from the wrath of his superiors; he had nothing to fear from them, since the prisoners were all safe inside the prison. The answer that Paul gave implies the meaning of his question; he was asking what he must do to be saved from his sins. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” they replied, “and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). 

Then the Philippian jailer took Paul and Silas to his house and they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all his household. The jailer took them the very same hour of the night and tended to their stripes, then immediately he and his family were baptized. Paul must have felt the irony of delivering this message of salvation to a man who was much like he had once been, a man who possessed a great status in the Roman government and was privy to the persecution of Christians. Surely this event had been on the mind of Paul as he wrote to Lydia and the rest of the saints in Philippi saying, “. . . in nothing shall I be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:20, 21). The Philippian jailer humbled himself and obeyed the word that Paul and Silas had presented to him. Then, in an act of Christ-like kindness, he took them to his own home and set a meal before them.

The Lord has promised us in Matthew 7:8 that “everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

We can learn much from the Philippian jailer. There is much to be said about his willingness to become a child of God in spite of his ever-growing status as a Roman citizen. So much can be learned from the way he treated Paul and Silas, showing a true transformation in spirit. But most of all, the Philippian jailer is a wonderful example of a seeker. He sought with desire, fear, and with a humble spirit that was truly pleasing to the Lord.