Almost a Christian

Nobody can say what impressions there were in the heart of King Agrippa when he said to Paul, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). Never before had he heard such words as he had just heard out of the mouth of the apostle. We read in Acts 25:22 that it was the desire of the king to “hear the man myself.” That man was Paul, the vessel chosen by the Lord to bear the name of the Lord before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). King Agrippa was of the posterity of Herod the Great. We cannot say that he was an ignorant Gentile, for Paul said, “I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews” (Acts 26:3).

It is in this history that, for the second time in the Scriptures, we read the name given to God’s people — Christians. It must have our attention that in every place of Scripture where we find this name, the church was experiencing trials and oppressions.

We read the history of Paul’s conversion, as related by himself, in two places, namely, Acts 22 and Acts 25. Dear reader, many histories of conversions have been written, and it can be useful to read them. Indeed, we hope that our children and adults will read them. However, we may never forget that they were written by people. And although they were written under prayerful looking to the Lord, the writing, not the conversion itself, always remains human work.

Who is able to explain what happens in his or her heart when it pleases the Lord to stop them upon the broad way, directing them to and placing them on the narrow way? Certainly, they can write a part of their experience, and when it is the work of the Lord, one can perceive this; one can feel it when reading it. Also, when God’s people come together, and the Lord gives boldness to speak and grants light from above on the things which have happened in their lives, then it is unforgettable for the hearers.

But what must it have been for the hearers there in that “place of hearing” (Acts 25:23) to listen to the apostle Paul speaking about his own conversion. There we see not only Agrippa, but also Bernice, who had come, the Scripture says, “with great pomp.” There were also chief captains and principal men of the city, and also Festus. The Lord gave His servant an excellent opportunity to proclaim the truth. Worldly people, traveling to eternity, might now hear what the Lord had done in the life of one of the greatest enemies of the church.

In the life of kings and queens upon this earth, there are moments when the Lord touches them. The life of those in authority is distinguished from the life of those whom we would label as “people of the street.” They are distinguished in many ways. To mention only one thing, in certain of the churches in the Netherlands there are the royal places, pews for the members of the royal house. And what a blessing it is for a country and its people when they may see the regular attendance of their king or queen, or of the princes or princesses, at the worship services in God’s house, where they may hear how they ought to serve the only King of heaven and of earth.

Then we may also see something wherein they are equal with everyone else. We mean to say that when the truth is proclaimed by one of God’s servants who have been called by Him, then all the hearers, great and small, are under the same truth and testimony. In recent weeks we have all heard what has happened within the royal family in England, how in the early morning of August 31 the life of the Princess of Wales was cut off in an accident in France, and this mother of two children, with two other people, was suddenly summoned to appear before God. What a calling! What a message!

Every day, I hope, we read in our Bible, in the so-called King James version. My dear readers, there are many proofs in the history of England that it has pleased the Lord to work there in the hearts of many. What spiritual blessings were given there! Their well-known “old writers” are silent witnesses of it. Those blessings were also within the walls of the royal palace. King Edward VI, who was taken away in his youth, was a God-fearing ruler. And it was the custom of those royal persons to enter into God’s house as an example in the midst of society. You can read also in history how dependent upon the Lord King William III was when he departed from the Netherlands with his great fleet.

Now, in our portion of Scripture, we also meet one of the distinguished members of the family of Herod. It is the Lord who had placed him, Agrippa, before His servant Paul, and who had placed Paul before Agrippa. We hear out of the mouth of Paul that he thought himself happy to stand before Agrippa and those who were with him. And then the words spoken by the apostle were not without result.

What was the result? It was such a result that Agrippa had to confess nearly to become a Christian. What is a Christian? A Christian, not a nominal Christian, but a true Christian, lives through and out of the merits of Christ. That is only by grace and by faith. A true Christian knows that he is and remains in himself a condemnable, completely corrupt person who cannot do anything good without the help of the Lord. A true Christian is a regenerated person; he or she was not the first to seek the Lord, for He alone is the origin and beginning of their spiritual life. A true Christian cannot live without the Holy Word of God, nor without His chosen people upon this earth, nor without the ordinances of God.

Also, a true Christian lives by breathing spiritually, by praying. And without the Holy Spirit he can neither believe nor pray. A true Christian is in a heavy struggle against a three-headed enemy. And, in conclusion, a true Christian cannot live without Christ. Although He is again and again such a hidden Person, they cannot live without Him. It is only such people who have a future, in spite of all their afflictions and adversities.

As this worldly King Agrippa listened to the account of the apostle Paul, he saw a certain value in the life of these people, these Christians. There was an agitation in his conscience, which caused him to utter the expression, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” For a brief moment he was standing at the border of the kingdom of heaven.

A comparison can be made between Orpah and Agrippa. Both were under the impression of a child of God and that which they heard out of his or her mouth. Here we can also see the presence of a historical faith. Agrippa was not without this faith. Was the apostle content with this answer upon his words spoken in the midst of this gathering? The Lord willing, we hope to see this another time.

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