Paul was not afraid to ask kings to give their hearts to Jesus.
Bible Study Ideas and Commentary for Acts 26:19-29
Lifeway gives us one lesson from Paul's multiple hearings before the rulers in Judea. In each one, he shares his testimony, shares the gospel, and gives an invitation. If Paul can do it to the men who had power over his freedom, we can do it with the random person standing next to us in line at Walmart. Oh, and there's also great tips for crafting your testimony.
Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” (26:28)
When We Studied This Passage in 2018
I forgot to look at my previous post before writing this post. There are just a few overlaps.
Here are the things I cover in that post:
Phobias of public speaking
Asking someone to make a hard choice
Having your testimony include the gospel
About Felix and Festus
Apologetics
Author's Note: This week, I'm leaning into my Serendipity Bible. The questions that it asks are simply better than anything I could come up with. You can still find this Bible on Ebay, and Lifeway has replaced it with the Life Connections Study Bible:
It's filled with discussion question ideas. I prefer to come up with my own stuff, but not this week.
Getting Started: Things to Think About
Do You Talk with Your Hands?
I talk with my hands. I've been watching myself for a few days, and I don't talk with my hands while on the phone, like the person in this gif. (Of course, that's probably because one hand is stuck holding the phone!) But other than that, I am the person that if you tied my hands behind my back, I don't know if I could communicate. How about you? Do you talk with your hands? Care to demonstrate?
This is kind of a silly discussion question, but it is based on one of my favorite verses ever:
Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. (26:1)
I have absolutely no idea if that means Paul talked with his hands, but I sure like to think it does. Me, talking with my hands, just like the Apostle Paul! 😊
Do You Keep Up with Any High-Profile Court Cases?
There are so many court cases; no one can keep up with them all. But I'll admit to following certain cases when I've heard about them. Usually, it's cases related to (self-proclaimed) Christian leaders.
Do you remember that crazy "Bling Pastor" story out of Brooklyn? It's not exactly high-profile, but I kept up with it.
(That MinistryWatch site stays up to date on these sorts of cases.)
Most recently, I've been following the sad story of Matt Queen,
He was a professor and administrator at Southwestern Seminary who hid information from federal investigators related to a sexual abuse claim at the seminary. Last week, there was another update that he finally resigned his pastorate. I followed it because there is a universe in which I made different life choices and ended up in that same office. Would I have done the right thing? I sure like to think so, but I know for certain that Queen went into that job expecting to do the right thing.
And then of course there are stories like the Menendez Brothers. Because all of that went down when I was in high school/college, my friends and I were all ignorantly aware of the story (if you know what I mean), so my ears perked up when I heard it was about to be reopened:
What about you? Do you follow any court cases? Why those specific ones?
Paul's "court case" would have been high-profile for the time. It involved pretty much every Roman ruler in the area, and it resulted in an appeal to Caesar himself!
How Do You Handle Being Criticized?
Let's say you're in a group meeting or other public setting -- you say something, and someone is critical of it. How do you respond?
Tuesday, at the Georgia Baptist Convention, someone called for an amendment to the Convention By-laws. The amendment was spoken against (reasonably but forcefully) by a few in-the-know people, and the Convention unanimously rejected the amendment. I also voted to reject the amendment, but it got me thinking -- if I were that person who put forward the amendment, how would I feel right then with basically everybody around me opposed my idea? I have to think it would burn me up.
I've been in plenty of meetings where my ideas have been shot down. The older I get, the better I feel I get letting that roll off my back.
But what about in matters of faith? Just because it's the most recent major split, I think about the "traditionalists" in the Once-United Methodist Church who have spoken passionately about preserving their traditional beliefs, only to have their beliefs soundly rejected at general conference. (This person uses the word "heartbroken"):
But this same thing happens at state meetings, at local church meetings, and even in personal conversation.
Have you ever had your testimony or gospel presentation soundly rejected by another person? How did that make you feel? How did you respond?
I prefer the way the Serendipity Bibie phrases this question:
How do you handle situations where your faith is criticized or questioned? # I don't get into those situations. # I ask God to give me strength. # I thrive on those situations. # I wilt. # Other.
But to turn this into a real discussion question, simply add two follow-ups:
Why? -and/or-
Describe that particular situation for us.
Paul is going to have his testimony -- his passionate appeal -- rejected by the judge over him. I'm sure that disappointed Paul greatly. How would it have made you feel?
Have You Ever Stood in a "Hearing"?
I put "hearing" in quotes because we all immediately think of standing before a judge. And that could be the case for you! But I am thinking about any time you stood before somebody in a position of authority in order to defend a request or statement. For example, have you ever had to verbally defend a request for a raise? Have you defended a paper in school? Things like that.
Here's where this question is going -- how did you feel while preparing for that hearing? How did you feel during the hearing?
I had to defend my dissertation. Now, I felt extremely good about it because I was extremely over-prepared, and I knew everybody on the panel. I had guessed the sorts of questions they would ask and come up with answers to everything I could think of. There were a few weaknesses in some pretty specific places, but I had plans to handle them. And sure enough, the defense went very well. But the feeling I had about 10 minutes after I left the room was overwhelming. I had no idea how tense I was until my body told me that it was over.
I know that Paul was extremely prepared for his hearings. But I can't help but think that he must have still been very nervous/tense in the hearing itself. Paul was prepared to die for Jesus -- that's not a question. But I'm sure he didn't want to die because he said something stupid!
This Week's Big Idea: Preparing Your Testimony
We've talked about this before, and we'll talk about this again. Our church, like most churches I know, has done multiple versions of evangelism training. And yet, the statistics remain that most Christians in our country are not comfortable sharing their faith or their testimony.
Here's a great Serendipity Bible question to that effect:
Paul shared his Christian testimony every chance he could. How often do you share your story of faith? # never # occasionally # rarely # frequently
I'm not letting the cat out of the bag to say that at this week's Georgia Baptist Convention, Thomas Hammond announced that they were going to develop a massive campaign with the result that every member of every Georgia Baptist church would be comfortable sharing their testimony and the gospel. There's really nothing audacious about it -- it's just what the Bible commands:
14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. 16 Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, (1 Peter 3)
But why don't we work on it this week? Last week's and this week's focal passage is just Paul sharing his testimony. And like Serendipity said, Paul shared his Christian testimony every chance he could!
Not surprisingly, this was our focus when we studied Acts back in 2018:
I can make this pretty simple: your testimony describes three things:
"My life before Christ"
"How I met Christ"
"My life after Christ"
That's it.
Campus Crusade offers these tips:
Questions to help you create your “my life before Christ” section:
What about my life before Christ will relate most to the non-Christians I know?
What did my life revolve around?
Where did I get my security, identity or happiness from?
How did those things begin to let me down?
Questions to help you create your “how I came to Christ” section”:
When was the first time I heard the gospel?
What were my initial reactions?
When and why did my perspective begin to change toward Christ?
What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Him?
Why did I finally decide to accept Christ (or give Him complete control of my life)?
Questions to help you create your “my life after coming to Christ” section:
How is my life different now?
List some specific changes in your character, attitude and perspective on life.
What motivates me now?
What do I live for?
Even though my life still isn’t perfect, how does knowing Christ help me deal with that fact?
And then Campus Crusade offers these tips:
Pray before you write out and share your story.
Write the way you speak.
Don’t be overly negative or positive. Be honest.
Don’t criticize or name any church, denomination, organization, etc.
Think about your listener(s). Avoid overly-religious terms.
Keep it short. Aim to tell your story in three to five minutes.
Practice telling your story until it becomes natural.
I would only add one thing: on your "how I met Christ" section, make sure that it includes a rather clear gospel presentation. It can be simple! But you want to say things in such a way that if that person decides to become a Christian, they can just do the same thing you did.
If you want more, you can check out our website -
Have fun working on this! You have the very words of life!
Where We Are in Acts: Still in Custody
This section of Acts would make an excellent Netflix docuseries, if Netflix cared anything about biblical truth. It includes a series of trials, a murder plot, and powerful people having semi-important discussions in beautiful rooms.
After last week's mob murder attempt (Acts 22),
Paul has a hearing before the Sanhedrin
Paul has a hearing before Felix
Paul has a hearing before Festus
Paul has a hearing before Agrippa
Before the Sanhedrin, Paul reveals the hypocrisy of the group by bringing up the resurrection of the dead (which Pharisees believed in but Sadducees did not), resulting in a full-scale row between members of the Sanhedrin.
Before Felix, Paul rightly pointed out that the Jewish argument against him boiled down to a dispute about the resurrection of the dead, which was not criminal. Felix agreed with him, but was really hoping for a bribe.
After two years, Felix was replaced by Festus. The Jews complained about Felix's corruption, and Felix had been the governor for 7 years. Festus quickly reopened the case. Festus wanted to move the trial to Jerusalem, but Paul refused and appealed to Rome. When attempting to explain the case to Agrippa, Festus dropped this gem:
18 The accusers stood up but brought no charge against him of the evils I was expecting. 19 Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. (Acts 25)
Isn't that the heart of the world's problem with Christianity?
Anyway, Festus invited Agrippa to listen to Paul, and that's this week's passage.
Interesting Historical Fact
You might have noticed this odd verse:
25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.” (Acts 24)
Why would Felix care at all about righteousness, self-control, and judgment? You saw my note about that his rule was rather smeared by corruption, right? Well, it turns out that Felix coaxed Herid Agrippa I's daughter Drusilla (Agrippa II's sister) to leave her first husband when she was 16 (!!) and marry him to legitimate his rule in Judea. You remember how sensitive Herod I was about his sinful marriage...
Before Part 1: Please Read the Rest of Acts 26
Paul says some very important things in here, including,
3 especially since you are very knowledgeable about all the Jewish customs and controversies.
6 And now I stand on trial because of the hope in what God promised to our ancestors,
8 Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
Paul's audience is familiar with Judaism, so he will understand the key points. And knowing those key points, nothing Paul says should be considered absurd.
If we're using the "before Christ / met Christ / after Christ" testimony structure, verses 4-11 are Paul's "life before Christ" description; verses 12-18 are Paul's "how I met Christ" description, and this week's focal passage is Paul's "life after Christ" description.
It's a really useful structure to consider for your testimony.
The Serendipity Bible asks this very interesting question:
What was the main point Paul wanted to make? # that he was still a faithful Jew # that the real reason he was on trial was his belief that Jesus was the Messiah # that he had a personal encounter with Christ # that he was doing what God had called him to do # he desired all should believe
I wonder if more than one response might be true?
Part 1: Paul's Changed Message (Acts 26:19-23)
19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me. 22 To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place— 23 that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.”
When I say "changed" in the title, I mean "changed from his message before Christ". Now that Paul has met Jesus, his message is now that Jesus fulfills everything he had said he believed in.
But more than that, he is now compelled to share that message with everybody around him -- including King Agrippa! Don't sleep on how powerful it is to show a person enough love to share the gospel with them.
[Important Note: be careful about this. I have been around some "evangelists" who leave other people feeling like "targets" rather than someone they cared about -- a notch in the belt rather than a soul they wept over. You can be assured that Paul wept over every single soul he ever met.]
Note that Paul did NOT dwell on the offenses of the Jews. He jumped past that to the message itself. Look at two verses in particular:
I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance.
saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place— 23 that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.
Are there sufficient elements of the gospel message in those verses? What could you unpack about the gospel from them?
[Btw, no one expects us to be the apostle Paul in crafting our testimonies! In a pinch, feel free to quote the Bible in your testimony where appropriate.]
Application
I think this one's pretty logical: what is God doing in your life right now?
Part 2: A Predictable Response (Acts 26:24-26)
24 As he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad.” 25 But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment. 26 For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner.
On the one hand, I take away from this that Festus and Agrippa aren't complete nutcases like the OG Herod, or Nero. They listen to Paul mostly patiently, they speak to Paul respectfully. But on the other hand, they aren't going to believe Paul.
Again, please see how Luke is reinforcing his major themes:
Roman officials do not find Christians to be rebellious or criminals
Christianity is reasonable and sound
[and if you go back to verse 22] The Messiah would suffer
Salvation is for all people
Both Festus and Agrippa are going to deflect what Paul says, probably because it hits too close to home (the conviction of the Holy Spirit?). Festus knows enough about Judaism to know that Paul's words are reasonable -- all one has to do is agree that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
"Not done in a corner" isn't a strange phrase. Judea might have been considered a backwater "corner" in the Roman Empire, but it wasn't a corner to the men placed in charge of Judea by Rome! Everything related to Christianity was in full view of Festus -- no secrets here.
Paul then uses that to push Festus into the proverbial corner -- "if what I am saying is reasonable, then should you not listen to me?" But let's get to the last section and see what he says to the other "judge" in the room.
Part 3: An Unconvincing Rejection (Acts 26:27-29)
27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.” 28 Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” 29 “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”
Paul's boldness before Roman authorities is incredibly admirable. Just wow.
You see, Paul isn't really defending himself from criminal charges -- he's pushing for a response from Festus and Agrippa! Paul pivots from Festus to Agrippa because he knows his question about the prophets will force an answer. Everything Paul has said to Festus also applies to Agrippa (Herod the Great's great-grandson). If Agrippa rejects the prophets, he has a crisis on his hands. If he admits the prophets, he has a Paul on his hands. So he deflects, just like Festus did. (Politicians. Sheesh.)
I imagine Agrippa saying his line with a very nervous chuckle. He's in a very awkward spot. Saying "yes" to Jesus would have serious political and social ramifications, and he was too much a politician to answer with his heart. (Note: pray extra hard for politicians. They can easily put themselves in not-a-great position.)
Paul responds with a matter-of-factness that we could all learn from. Your Lifeway material pointed out that Paul didn't use flattery in his addresses to Felix or Festus (unlike the Jewish prosecutor), and here is the payoff. If you don't use flattery to get someone to listen to the gospel, you don't have to offer sweeteners (that you have no authority over) to get someone to respond.
Combine that with Paul's explicit statement in Romans 9 (about his fellow Israelites) --
3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.
And it becomes clear that in his trial(s), Paul wanted his accusers (who were not in the room at this time) and his judges (and their entourages) to become Christians more than anything. That's a testimony. Go back a few verses --
23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in.
That's who was in the room! Paul basically invited all of them to become Christians.
[Fun unproveable side note: Did any of them become a Christian? Well, how do we think Luke learned about the things Festus and Agrippa said without Paul present? ...]
Application
Your testimony needs to include a call to salvation (what we call an "invitation" in Baptist churches). Give that person a chance to accept or reject, like Paul did. You can be gentle about it! Especially if you think you'll have a chance to talk to them again. Paul was gentle with Felix knowing he would see him over and over again. But here, he's a little more forceful with Festus and Agrippa, probably because he knows he's about to be sent away.
Final Application
The Lifeway material suggests pairing off and practicing your testimonies. Well, that's right in line with the tips Campus Crusade gave about testimonies -- they need practice! You want to get them down to a comfortable 3-5 minutes. Yes, it would be nice to have a captive audience of people who are patient to listen to you, but we shouldn't assume for that.
This calls us back to one of the earlier questions from the Serendipity Bible: how often do you share your testimony?
If you answered rarely or never, the follow-up is this: why not? Usually that answer comes to one of two things: you don't think you know any lost people, and you don't know what to say or how to say it.
Practicing sharing your testimony will help you with the latter. But your group can help you with the former. Talk through the people you know/places you go -- let them help you realize the number of people around you who might not know Jesus.
And then you can all pray together for the courage and wisdom to share your faith with the people whom God puts in your path.
Fun Historical Illustration
I grew up attending a Methodist church, so I've known the name Peter Cartwright for a long time. Cartwright was a firebrand Methodist circuit preacher in the Midwest frontier in the early 1800s. He claims to have baptized 12,000 people (!). (His autobiography from 1857 made him nationally famous.)
Anyway, I bring Cartwright up for this famous story (which may be a legend). Cartwright was a "Jacksonian Democrat" (the difference being that Cartwright opposed slavery; when people tried to legalize slavery in Illinois, he ran for office and defeated Abraham Lincoln for the state legislature 🤯), and one day President Andrew Jackson came to hear him preach. The elders of the church where he was preaching that day asked him to butter up the president for their sakes. But the first thing he said was this:
I understand that President Andrew Jackson is here this morning. I have been requested to be very guarded in my remarks. Let me say this: "Andrew Jackson will go to hell if doesn’t repent of his sin!"
After the service, Jackson thanked him for his boldness. Coincidentally(?), a few years later, Jackson professed faith in Christ.
I'm not going to say that Cartwright was a New Paul, but his uncompromising commitment to his convictions and his willingness to preach salvation at every possibility is a big part of the reason why the Methodist Church grew so rapidly in Illinois during his lifetime.
It's a fun story. Knowing what I know about Cartwright and Jackson, I believe it happened.
Most importantly though, God wants us to be bold in speaking our convictions. He wants us to be unafraid of rejection. He wants us to find our truth, our comfort, and our validation in Him.