I am, except these bonds.” Paul was a persuader because he was persuaded, persuaded that nothing could separate him from the love o f God in Christ, persuaded that the Lord was able to keep that which he had committed unto Him against that day. Knowing the terror o f the Lord, he persuaded men. Visualize fo r yourself this scene. See the haughty rulers on their pedestals and before them this little Jew, this ambassador in bonds, with his bodily presence weak and his speech contemptible. Especially think o f the contrast between Agrippa and Paul, an enslaved king and an enthroned pris oner! Herod Agrippa was the last Jewish king in Palestine and Paul was the representative o f the coming King o f the Jews, now rejected but one day to sit on David’s throne. Agrippa’s forefathers had all been mixed up with Christianity. His father had executed James. His grandfather had murdered John the Baptist. His great-grandfather had killed the children at the birth o f Jesus. It was Christ and Antichrist facing each other. In such a situation the disadvantages appear to be on Paul’s side as he stands there a manacled minister, a prophet in prison. But do not forget that, instead o f wishing he were a king, Paul wished that the king could be a Christian! Thank God fo r a Gospel that makes a preacher, instead o f wanting to be a monarch, wish that all monarchs could be m in isters! Paul’s MOTIVE is m an ifest: he is out to make Christians o f all he meets. He witnessed before small and great and, whether jailers or Caesar’s household or women by the riverside, Pharisees in synagogues or angry mobs in Jerusalem, he would convert them all to Jesus Christ. A MAN like that with such a MISSION and MESSAGE and going at it with such a MANNER and MOTIVE— do you wonder that he shook the world ? He said that Christ appeared to him to make him a minister (verse 16 ). He speaks o f the Gospel “ whereof I was made a minister” (Eph. 3 :7 ; Col. 1 :23 -25 ). He did not make a preacher o f himself nor did others make one o f him. It is a Divine work, not the product o f schools. When God is allowed to make a complete work o f it, He produces a preacher on the pattern o f Paul. He may not be o f the same size and caliber, nor produce the quantity, but the quality will be the same and the essential ingre dients will be found in this order: a Man, a Mis sion, a Message, a Manner, a Motive. And all o f it is wrapped up in another word by the same preach er, “ Not I, but Christ.” OH
justification. We are not sent to give the world good advice or merely to hold up an Ideal Charac ter or the Master Teacher. We are witnesses to two stupendous historical events, that Christ died and rose again “ according to the Scriptures” just as here Paul joins Moses and the prophets with the glorious news. This was the message o f the early church. It is the message o f every true preacher through the ages. Ours is not a secret to be hidden but a story to be heralded. It is a day o f good tid ings and we hold our peace. The Gospel is NEWS fo r everybody, N fo r North and E fo r East and W fo r West and S fo r South. “We are His wit nesses o f these things.” Paul was not only a MAN with a MISSION and a MESSAGE ; he declared it in a MANNER that led Festus to say, “ Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” I believe that not only the content o f Paul’s address but also the way in which he delivered it brought this interrup tion from his pagan listener. Here the great apostle was following in the steps o f his Lord whose friends said o f Him, “ He is beside Himself” (Mk. 3 :21) and o f whom the Jews said, “ He hath a devil and is mad” (John 10 :20 ). The manner o f the preacher may also be a tes timony. “When they saw the boldness o f Peter and John . . . they marvelled” (Acts 4 :1 3 ). Here again not only the message but the manner o f it arrested attention. Abraham Lincoln used to say that when he went to church, he wanted the preacher to preach as though he were fighting a swarm o f bees. Evidently he expected the minister to be excited about his message. The old quip, “ I f the congre gation goes to sleep, wake up the preacher” is good advice. Men have been beside themselves fo r lesser causes. I f the cheap concerns o f life can so intoxi cate men as to make them lose themselves, should not the message o f the Gospel make a man “ drunk on new wine,” a fool fo r Christ’s sake? Said Mat thew Mead, “ I f the preaching o f Christ is to the world foolishness then it is no wonder that the dis ciples o f Christ are to the world fools.” Moody said, “ You are not good fo r anything until the world considers you a fanatic.” I f the Gospel is not true, nothing matters; i f it is true, nothing else matters! Finally, Paul reveals his MOTIVE. Agrippa said, “ Almost thou persuadest me to be a Chris tian.” Whatever he meant, Paul answered, “ I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as
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JUNE, 1967
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