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ALMOST PERSUADED
SATURDAY, MARCH 27
Acts 26:24-32

Matthew 19:21-22

 

“But when the young man
heard that saying,

he went away sorrowful…”

 

ALMOST PERSUADED
 
Many people know what the truth is. They are convinced of the truth that they are sinners and accept without question that they are worthy of judgment. They agree that there is no other way but Christ. They understand it is only by faith in Jesus Christ that they can be saved. The enigma, however, is that they never truly believe. They never take the step forward to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.
 
Knows the gospel: Paul knew King Agrippa’s background of living in a Jewish nation and pleaded with him to believe. The “knoweth” in verse 26 means intellectual apprehension or understanding. However, without the Spirit, one can never fully understand the gospel.
 
Agrees with the gospel: Paul was confident of King Agrippa’s knowledge of the prophets. Now he wanted the king to proceed from knowing to agreeing. Agrippa’s answer to Paul’s question in Acts 26:27 did not mean that he was on the brink of becoming a Christian, but that he realised that Paul was trying to use Agrippa’s belief in the prophets to lead him to agreement with what Paul had said about Christ. It was an expression of Agrippa’s contempt towards Paul’s persuasion. Agreeing is far from receiving Jesus. “Almost” is the distance between agreeing and truly believing, and it is as far as hell is from heaven.
 
We have to understand that there is nothing that can overcome the reluctance of the human heart to believe the gospel, except by the grace and mercy of God. Nevertheless, we must do our best to explain the way of salvation. This must be accompanied with earnest prayer to God.
 
What assures success in evangelism is the truth that the Lord has chosen those whom He will save before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). If you are unsure whether you are one of God’s elect, the only way to settle the matter is to “confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9). Will you?
 
THOUGHT: Do I care about those who have not yet believed?

PRAYER: Father, give me a heart to win more souls for Thee.

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