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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
In Acts 26:19, Paul speaks about how God gave him a vision, and he had NOT been disobedient. What Jesus told me to do I have done. What I am doing and saying now in this courtroom is simply my being obedient to Jesus.
Verse 20. I have gone everywhere calling men to repent, and to behave as though they have repented. This is why the Jews caught me in the Temple, and tried to kill me. Today I stand here and testify to small and great.
Paul was approaching the end of his life, although still with much work to do. Seek to approach the end of your life knowing that you have been faithful to Jesus and His Word. Paul is preaching in that courtroom - from the Old Testament - preaching that Christ should suffer and die and that He would rise again from the dead. Paul preached the truth. Paul preached Jesus having been crucified and now risen from the dead, and he called people to repent. He did not go around telling people that they were all right. Paul did NOT make the church cheap - nor shallow - nor superficial - nor artificial.
Here he is offering the salvation of Jesus Christ to all who were in that room, and Festus cannot take any more, and he interrupts with a loud voice, "Paul you are out of your mind". You are insane - 'manic' - mad - daft. "No I am not" - Paul quickly and confidently replies. What I am saying is true and reasonable. King Agrippa is familiar with all these things. Yes, he was, and perhaps more familiar than he wanted to be, and perhaps a bit convicted of sin, as he must have heard family tales of all that had been going on over these past 60 years since Bethlehem - angels - shepherds - wise men - miracles - a Man called Jesus Christ crucified in peculiar circumstances and apparently risen from the dead - and one of his followers martyred without any proven charges. Of course the king would know all about what had been going on, because nothing was done in a corner.
Paul replies confidently because his confidence was in Jesus Christ. If your trust and faith and confidence is in the risen and living Jesus, then you too will be able to answer confidently and courageously, when required.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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