Saturday, July 27

A Settled Faith

Acts 26:19-23

“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,” Acts 26:22, 23

The apostle Paul found himself in custody facing a difficult trial in which he was called upon to answer for himself regarding his ministry. Paul was being accused by the Jews of being a blasphemer since he regularly preached the resurrection of Jesus. For his own safety, Paul appealed to Caesar, so he found himself standing before King Agrippa, giving his testimony. He told of his persecution of the saints, then his conversion on the road to Damascus. He summarized his entire ministry by claiming the goal of seeing everyone repent and turn to God, through faith in Jesus Christ. This was the foundation of his life, not just his faith. He lived his life based on the truths of the gospel of Jesus.

What would it be like if we were in a position of defending our actions before the authorities? Could we, with Paul, confidently say that the evidence of our lives points to the gospel of Jesus? If we have been converted by the power of the resurrected Christ, then our lives will show evidence of that resurrection power. More than that, we would realize that we exist for the sole purpose of seeing transformed lives among the people around us. We are here to accomplish the mission of sharing the good news of Jesus and seeing souls saved. May we take our commission seriously and see the gospel as transforming our lives as well as our eternities.

JUST A THOUGHT: The gospel transforms lives.

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