1145
THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
' statem ents. Agrippa answered Paul w ith a contemptuous sneer, “ You are trying w ith a little trouble and in a short time to make a Christian out of m e,” and then the hearing came to an end. Paul had shown th a t the death and resurrection of Christ had been foretold by the prophets and if Agrippa as a Jew believed the prophets, he ought also to believe th a t Jesus was th e Messiah promised by them. The sequel confirms I Cor. 1:26-29. FRIDAY, NOV. 18. I I Cor. 10:10-18. P a u l’s Personal Appearance. There is very little authentic testimony regarding the personal appearance of Paul. Only two passages in the New Tes tam ent refer to it and they yield implica tion rath er th an information. T raditional accounts are not trustw orthy, nevertheless they agree in certain im portant respects. In the “ Acts of P aul and T hekla” (th ird century) P aul is described as ‘‘under sized, w ith meeting eye-brows and full o f g race.” John of Antioch (sixth century) says th a t P aul was ‘‘stoop-shouldered, w ith gray eyes, aquiline nose and ample beard. He had a genial expression, was sensible, earnest, accessible and inspired w ith the Holy S p irit.” Nicephorus (fif teenth eentury) w rites th a t ‘‘Paul was short in statu re and slightly bent. His face was pale and his eyes were bright. His nose was prom inent, his beard thick and long, and head and beard were sprinkled w ith w hite h a ir.” All te sti monies agree in statin g th a t Paul had a pleasant and w inning countenance. I t is personality, not physique, th a t eounts. Paul was reflecting and radiating Christ. I I Cor. 3:18. R .V . SATURDAY, NOV. 19. I Pet. 1:18-25. Purified Through Obedience. P a u l’s invariable testimony before his judges was concerning a heavenly vision to whieh he had not been disobedient. The trouble w ith many people is th a t they are disobedient. They hear God’s call and do not .obey it. They have an ideal of the Christian life and make no effort to actualize it. I f we would obey always, in little things as well as great, our life each day would be lifted to a higher plane until we stood in the presence of God. ■There are visions of earth as well as of heaven bu t he who follows an earthly vision only remains unsatisfied. There is a heavenly vision of the glory of God in the face o f'J e s u s Christ th a t Paul had and th a t every child of God may have, th a t woos him from the world, inviting him
king had come to v isit the governor and was entertained w ith royal festivities for many days. Why does he burden his guest w ith a m atter of business? Because the king was a Jew and may be able to help the governor out of th e dilemma which he has brought upon himself. L ittle did these men know th a t the eye of God was on them and th a t everything they said was being noted and would mot only be scanned by centuries b u t would, meet them a t the resurrection which th eir pris oner preached. ‘‘How little do men think th a t the secrets of the most p rivate letter, the counsels of the cabinet, the movements of kings, of governors,, and of m inisters of state, of m ilitary chiefs and th eir men, no m atter who or what, are all open before God who sees all and forgets noth ing .” WEDNESDAY, NOV. 16.—Acts 26:1-18. P au l Before Agrippa. Agrippa I I was the great grandson of Herod the Qreat, and was the la st of the Herod fam ily celebrated in history. B er nice was his sister. The Herods were fond of display and Pestus gratified theiT humor by an imposing spectacle. We are told th a t Agrippa and Bernice w ent in sta te to th e Praetorium , he in his purple robes and she blazing w ith jewels, both w ith th e golden circlets of royalty about th eir foreheads and attended by a proces sion of followers in th e most gorgeous E astern a ttire . I t was an informal hear ing ra th er th an a judicial trial. ^ P a u l’s case was no longer under the jurisdiction of Pestus, it belonged to th e Emperor. Paul may have had a more intelligent audience on Mars H ill b u t never before had he had one of such high earthly rank and power. I t was a lite ra l fulfilment of M att. 10:18. P a u l’s chains gave him th e audi ence and th e occasion. I t is not the^ as sembly of a court room. I t is a high- class audience gathered to hear the Gospel. THURSDAY, NOV. 17. Acts 26:19-32. P a u l’s Discourse. P a u l’s address may be divided into two parts. The first p art, verses 1-11, contains in b rief th e story of his life un til his con version. The second p art, .verses 12-23, tells of his conversion and activ ity as a Christian preacher. Analysis may give the mere outline bu t cannot even suggest the emphasis, suggestions, assumptions and implications of th e discourse. Much th a t Paul said was unintelligible to Pestus who finally interrupted him to say th a t his mind was unbalanced. P au l then appealed to Agrippa to confirm the tru th of his
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker