14 Almost Persuaded
Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
This, unfortunately is the way most professing Christians are, and the problem is that they don't know it! Jesus has taught many, many things in the Gospels. Many people, who wouldn't think of missing a Church meeting, do not obey His commandments, nor do they see them as being important. They instead, go about keeping within the guidelines of the particular denomination that they are affiliated with! The things that are taboos in their fellowship they try to distance themselves from, but whatever is practiced they feel comfortable doing, EVEN THOUGH in many cases JESUS CHRIST SAID NOT TO!
Professing Christians don't seem to see the importance of the words and commands of Jesus, let's look at what He said about this: Luke 6:46. "And why do you call Me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?”
Matthew 24:35. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
John 6:68. “Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.”
John 14:24. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.”
John 15:7. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.” Matthew 7:24. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and
acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.” Matthew 7:26. "And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
Matthew 12:37. "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
Listen to what King Agrippa said in Acts 26: 28. “And Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian." We have no record of this coming about, the time evidently didn't come for this King to be persuaded, but the question now before us is this, Are you persuaded?
"How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?"
Everything about this question endows it with solemn interest and presses us to ask “What does it mean?” Escape what? If we neglect so great a salvation, what shall we fall prey to?
The question itself implies that there is a danger of something, and presupposes that you are likely to neglect it, and if you do, you will certainly fall into danger. The question implies that we must be saved from something; that we must make an effort to receive this salvation; and if we don't we will be utterly destroyed!
God has made great sacrifices, and in this has demonstrated His sincerity. As the Scripture says in Romans 8:32. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” God's love has already given us all things necessary for our salvation, 2 Peter 1: 3. “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
Do you have the feeling that you are waiting for something to happen and that when it happens you will be ready to be serious before God, are you thinking that at that time you can completely dedicate yourself to God? If this is your case, if you feel this way you are living in great deception, you are in deep trouble and don't even know it! You are not waiting on God, GOD is waiting on you! Wake up, and realize that the old Devil has you just where he wants you, waiting for something to happen that is not going to ever happen!
Hebrews 3:13-15 “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; While it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.'' What does this saying mean, "TODAY is the day of salvation!" Do you find yourself thinking, “I Know I'm Not Quite Right With God!” all you are saying when you say this is that you do not have a pure conscience before God, and this is dangerous. Listen to the Apostle Paul: Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And also, 1 Corinthians 9:23 “ And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”
Is Philippians 1:21 true in your life? It should be and can be, the only thing that is needed is for you to desire it! Yes, this is true, we as human beings only go after the things we desire, this is a sort of law, like the law of gravity. Be certain of this, if you do not desire to follow Christ into His humility, meekness and patience, you never will! If this desire is not a deep desire of your heart you will continue on the broad road that leads to death. Many people live in a fantasy world, inside of their own minds, they tell themselves the things they want to believe, this type of thinking will keep you in bondage all of your natural life here on earth. Again I say WAKE UP, is it as true in your life as it was in Paul's life, that for you to live is Christ, and to die will be gain?
Acts 28:24 “And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe.” Which group are you like? Are you being persuaded by what is being said in this little tract, or do you not believe the things that are being said
here? Listen to Jesus, and be persuaded, the Gospel of Jesus is not a “Simple, “all you have to do is,” thing. The gospel demands a complete change in your life. You might ask “What change, what does Jesus demand to see changed in my life?” The answer is easy enough, He wants to see everything changed in our lives; He wants the very foundation of our lives changed! Listen to some of these demands: Matthew 5:48. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Does this sound like a simple little “All you have to do thing?” At first glance doesn't it sound impossible to you, and without God's help, God's miraculous work in our lives, it would be impossible and it would never be done. But hold on to this for it is very important, this is what our Lord demands, and therefore this is what He will bring about!
Another one: Matthew 14:33. "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
Does this sound like a “No sweat thing” a little simple, easy, all you have to do thing? Again, not to me, Jesus is demanding a complete overthrow of all selfishness in our lives. Are you starting to see that the Gospel is only “Good news” to those that are truly tired of the life they now have, and are willing to give up their life as Jesus demanded in Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.”
These are the very words of our Redeemer. Unless we deny our “self-life” we will lose our chance of gaining the true life. The reason for this is simple, and if you have really studied the Word of God you already know the answer to this question. Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” You can see by these very clear words, that the old nature, or flesh, sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. The Scripture tells us here that as long as we have not died to the self-life “We cannot do the things that we please” This experience becomes known to everyone who tries to follow the will of God, without first truly having a birthing of the Lamb of God take place in themselves. All you will find happening is the experience that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans chapter seven; this is called the “Romans seven experience,” this experience brings us to realize that we are truly wretched! Romans 7:24 "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" Nothing but a full birth, and a continual breathing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in us, can be a deliverance from all that which is earthly, sensual, and devilish in our fallen nature.
This is the whole labor of a preacher to the end of the world. He has nothing to preach to sinners, but the absolute necessity, and the true way of being born again from above. If he doesn't do this one thing that is so necessary, but instead, starts disputing about words and doctrines, and teaches professing Christians to be zealously separated from one another, for the sake of being saved by different opinions of faith, works, justification, or election, etc., he has forgotten his errand, and has become a blind leader of the blind. For all that is called faith, works, justification, sanctification, or election are only different expressions of the restored Divine life, and what it does in us. It can have no existence in you, until you have become a new creature in Christ.
When preachers forsake the true Gospel and instead argues about doctrines, this is what oftentimes happens. Ephesians 4:18. "Being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness."
Again, Jesus said in: Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” Take notice of the fact that many will be on the broad road that leads to destruction; few will find, and stay on the road that is narrow and leads to life. Be honest with me here, does all of this really sound easy to you? We must enter a new life, a new way of thinking and a new way of doing, we can't take along any of our “old ways” on this narrow road for they just won't fit!
Many people read this portion of Scripture and really don't even think of what the Savior of the world is saying. He is saying that it is difficult to give up our old ways, it is not easy to follow Christ. At the same time He is saying that it is easy for you to stay the way you are, selfish, wrathful, envious and proud, self-willed, false, and conceited. We can have all of these tempers in place in our lives and yet be absolutely shocked when we are accused of having even one of these attributes! This is why it is so easy for people to profess to being a Christian and yet posses none of Christ! We fool ourselves by not seeing ourselves as we truly are. Who would not want to get off of a road that they knew led to destruction? The reason we stay on the road to destruction so long is because we don't realize that we are on it, unfortunately, some stay on it their entire life!
Please look at this next Scripture and allow God's Holy Spirit to elucidate it to your mind. Matthew 7:17-23 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
Jesus the Son of God is telling us that if His fruit is in us, it can never be bad fruit, it must always be “Good fruit,” and if we have not been converted then the fruit of our lives is always bad fruit. Jesus is warning us that if we have a practice of lawlessness, which is to say a practice of sin in our lives, we will be told distinctly that He never knew us, and for us to depart from His presence! Understand what He is saying here, these people that He used in this illustration were people that had prophesied in the name of Jesus ,and in His name had cast out demons, and in His name had perform many miracles! These people were not just pew warmers, they had power with God, but were still in the practice of sinning. (lawlessness)
You won't want to hear the Lord of Glory Jesus Christ say these things to you. These words of Jesus are clarified in 1 John chapter 3, starting with 5. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. How clear is John's message to the Church, Jesus came to take away sin, has your sin been taken away, or are you still practicing sin? Are you abiding in Him? I ask this because anyone and everyone who is abiding in Him does not have a practice of sin in their lives! The Apostle John is the one who said this “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” 1 John 3:6
If you do practice sin then, you don't know Him! Do not be offended, this is the truth. Let’s look at it this way, many people say that there is only a very little difference between the life of a believer and the life of a person of the world. The Bible doesn’t teach this, instead the Bible has this to say 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Do you understand that God expects a complete change in our lives. The Scriptures speak of this; we are to be a new creature, our “old things are to be gone! 2 Corinthians 5:17. God puts it in our hearts to walk as He walked, and do as He did while He was here on earth.
In fact Jesus expected us to do more in some areas. John 14:12. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. KJV