Acts 26 - Something Doesn't Come From Nothing!
“I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” 30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
As we read of Paul's testimony before King Agrippa, we see he uses this opportunity to engage Agrippa on his own belief system. At a certain point one might ask, "Who is on trial, Paul or King Agrippa?"
When Paul says, "The king is familiar with these things", he is pointing to the fact that Agrippa was well aware of the Jewish customs and laws.
"Josephus (Ant. 20.7.1) notes Agrippa’s thorough instruction in Jewish law. Coins minted under his reign bear Torah symbols—further confirming respect for Jewish tradition. Archaeological finds at Caesarea and Banias (Paneas) similarly attest to his role as patron of synagogues, underscoring Paul’s confidence that Agrippa knew the prophetic corpus." - Bible Hub
"Festus recently came from Rome, and perhaps didn’t know much of what had happened with Jesus and the early Christian movement. Yet King Agrippa did know, and Paul appealed to his knowledge of the open, historical events that were the foundation for Christian faith – things that were not done in a corner." - Enduring Word Commentary
Though Paul was definitely an apostle, perhaps his greatest spiritual gift as an evangelist. Paul asks a rhetorical question of Agrippa, then adds his own feeling on the subject. He says,
"King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
Agrippa is aware of what Paul is doing. Paul is trying to persuade him to be a Christian. It seems as though he might be getting a little hot under the collar, so he leaves the room. He doesn't think Paul has done anything deserving death or being put in prison.
So what can we learn from Paul's evangelistic methods? First, he started with a point of agreement, the Jewish scriptures. If Agrippa believed in the Jewish scriptures, he also believed in the prophets, which all pointed to Jesus. This is why so much of Paul's preaching in the synagogue was connecting the Old Testaments prophets to Jesus the Messiah.
"Paul questions Agrippa’s belief to confront him with the logical and moral necessity of embracing Jesus as the prophesied, risen Messiah. By appealing to Scripture Agrippa already recognized, Paul exposes the king’s responsibility, transitions from legal defense to gospel invitation, and exemplifies evangelistic strategy rooted in prophetic fulfillment and the authority of God’s word." - Bible Hub
One of the ways I have used this technique is to find out if someone believes in God? If they do, the question is do they believe they we were created by God. If they say "no", then who did create them or how did they get here? If they say yes, it would make sense that God would want to reveal Himself to those He created in His image.
If a person doesn't believe in God, it is a more difficult task. The next logical question would be then, "How did we get here?" Most will lean on the theory of evolution, but if you study evolutionary theory, it is problematic on many fronts. Many of its critics have never had these questions answered.
For instance, most evolutionists would also advocate the "big bang theory" as the source of the beginning of creation. Here is the reader's digest version of the "big bang theory".
"The Big Bang Theory is the leading scientific explanation for the origin of the universe. It proposes that approximately \(13.8\) billion years ago, all matter and energy were compressed into an infinitely hot, dense point (a singularity) that rapidly expanded, cooled, and continues to grow today." - Google Gemini
But the question is where did this matter and energy come from. Another person put it this way, "Who was the banger who caused the bang?" Logically something cannot come from nothing!
"From a logical and philosophical standpoint, every created or contingent thing ultimately needs an external cause to exist—it cannot bring itself into being. Because it was not a necessary part of reality, it requires a sufficient reason, a set of conditions, and an originator to exist." - Reasoons to Believe
So you can see that the Christian worldview has just as much plausibility, as any theory like evolution to explain the origin of life. Something has to come from something, and we believe that something is God. God has always been and always will be. God is eternal and immutable. But God is also personal and chose to reveal himself as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He created us by His Word, He redeemed through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, and He continues to sustain all life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, thank you for revealing yourself to us. You are both transcendant and imminent. You created the heavens and the earth, but we are the crown of Your creation. You want us to know you personally through Your Son, Jesus. His death on the cross forgave us of our sin and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Your Spirit lives in us and assures of our faith and is a downpayment of our future inheritance! In Jesus' name, Amen.
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