Application for Faithful Witness

Jul 14

Below is a helpful excerpt from Tony Merida’s commentary on Acts 26 that quickly walks through Paul’s approach to evangelism in Acts 26.

We could draw a seemingly endless number of application points from this text with regard to being faithful witnesses in the modern world. I’ll focus on nine.
Address Unbelievers Respectfully (26:1-3)
Paul’s generous and courteous comment to Agrippa reflects the spirit of Peter’s words to Christians living in a hostile culture:
In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. (1 Pet 3:15-16; emphasis added)
What we say is more important than how we say it, but our delivery methods and tone matter to God and to those we’re addressing. Therefore, we should seek to blend truthfulness with tenderness and courage with compassion.
Express What It Was like Not to Believe (26:4-11,14)
Paul’s recounting of his former way of life before his conversion illustrates this approach. Sometimes it helps people understand the gospel when we explain our perspectives and practices prior to our acceptance of Christ. In sympathizing with our audiences in this way, we may gain better hearings. To be clear, our personal stories are not the gospel, but our ability to identify with our listeners is important.
Think about ways you once “kick[ed] against the goads” (v. 14) and be prepared to summarize your experiences. Doing so can ready you to connect with hearers when you tell the good news. Plan to lovingly explain your former assumptions, misconceptions, and even sins from which the Lord delivered you. Not everyone has a story as dramatic as Paul’s, but choosing personal transparency can go a long way in helping you connect with audiences of all sizes.
Aim to Exalt Jesus, Not Self (26:12-15)
Paul’s Damascus road story is ultimately a story about Jesus, not one about Paul. The apostle always took care to keep Jesus the hero of his testimony, and this is a great reminder that Jesus should always be the clear hero of the personal stories we tell too. It sounds too obvious to mention, but when speaking to unbelievers, we should speak a lot about Jesus. Like Paul, we must keep talking about him again and again. Even when we begin a spiritual conversation by talking about our own lives, we need to use threads of those stories to point hearers to the Savior.
Share the Need for and the Benefits of the Gospel—with All Types of People (26:16-18)
The evangelists in Acts kept speaking about the Lord’s grace in opening eyes, in transferring people into the kingdom of light, in transferring them into the power of God from out of the grip of Satan, and in granting them an inheritance. So, like Paul, we must speak to all people groups, “both small and great,” about their need for the gospel and about the amazing benefits of embracing the gospel. We must speak honestly about the sinful condition of humans and about the amazing grace of Jesus toward sinners.
Stick to the Message of the Resurrection and the Call to Repentance Based on Scripture (26:19-23)
If you ever have any doubt about what to say when bearing witness, head for the cross, to an account of the resurrection, and then give a clear call for repentance. From the first chapter of Acts onward, Luke continues to emphasize the Messiah who suffered, died, and rose from the dead. Present in the preaching of the apostles was the promised Messiah of the Scriptures. And also present was the call to repent and believe. Until we see Christ, let’s not get tired of talking about the heart of the gospel.
Rely on the Help That Comes from God (26:22)
Paul’s comment in verse 22 reminds us that our help comes from God. To be faithful servants and witnesses of Jesus, we need to rely on Jesus for power and grace.
Make Specific Application Boldly (26:24-28)
The gospel demands a response, and we should be ready to pose some probing questions to our unbelieving neighbors. We must give them clear chances to accept or reject Christ. Paul certainly did so with Agrippa. Be respectful but not cowardly.
Be Prepared for Rejection and Ridicule (26:24)
Festus called Paul insane, and we may expect similar comments to be aimed at us when we follow Paul’s example. We’re simply called to deliver the message about humanity’s need for Jesus. Only God converts. We can thus trust him with the results of our efforts, and we can rest in his presence when attacked.
Pray for the People You’re Evangelizing (26:29)
Paul’s words to the crowd, “I wish before God,” remind us of what kind of hearts we as modern evangelists need. Paul prayerfully desires everyone in the assembly to know Jesus. This suggests that he has a heart of compassion toward his hearers. We shouldn’t see unbelievers as projects, then, but as people made in God’s image who, because of sin, are in need of God’s salvation. We should desire that they come to know the same saving grace that we have experienced through the Savior (cf. Rom 10:1; 1 Tim 2:1-4).
May God grant us help to make his grace known to a broken world in loving ways. That same grace that changed Paul has changed us. We must proclaim it.