BibleProject | Upside-Down Kingdom / Part 2 - ActsSample

After Paul appeals to be tried in Rome, Festus relays all that happened to King Agrippa. This intrigues the king, and he decides he wants to hear from Paul personally. So the next day, Luke tells us that everything is arranged and many important authorities accompany Agrippa to hear Paul testify. Luke then writes the third account of Paul’s story and defense. But this time, Luke’s record shows Paul sharing even more details about what happened on the day he met the risen Jesus. When the blinding light shone around Paul and he heard the voice of from Heaven, it was Jesus speaking in a Hebrew dialect. Jesus called him to share his transforming experience with the Gentiles and the Jews, so that they too could see the light of God’s forgiveness and escape the darkness of Satan. Paul obeyed Jesus’ command and shared the truth about Jesus’ sufferings and resurrection with anyone who would listen, showing them from the Hebrew Scriptures that Jesus was indeed the long awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews. Festus can’t believe Paul’s story, and he shouts that Paul is out of his mind. But Agrippa sees the coherence of Paul’s words and admits he’s close to becoming a Christian. While Festus and Agrippa disagree about Paul’s state of mind, they both agree that Paul didn’t do anything worthy of death or imprisonment.

Read, Reflect, and Respond:

• Reflect on the beautiful irony in Paul’s story: literal sight was temporarily taken away from him so that he could receive eternal spiritual sight and share it with others. What questions, feelings, or thoughts come to mind as you consider this? 


• Carefully review the purpose Jesus gave to Paul (see Acts 26:18) and compare it to Paul’s prayer for the church in Colossians 1:9-14. What do you observe? What can this tell us about Jesus’ desire and purpose for all his followers?


• Are you close to becoming a Christian? Pray and ask God to help you see the truth. Ask him to persuade you to know and experience who Jesus really is.


• Do you know anyone who is close to becoming a Christian? How can you share your experience of Jesus with them today? Take a moment to pray for them now with Paul’s words in Acts 26:29 in mind: God I pray that you will gently persuade this heart to see the light of your forgiveness and receive the hope of your Kingdom.