The Power of a Gospel-Changed Life

Jul 14

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Have you ever met someone famous? How did you act? You probably got a little shaky and tongue tied. I know you didn’t act like yourself.

I want you to think about Paul in the text we’re about to study. He stands before King Agrippa. Jesus had earlier said to His disciples in Matthew 10:18-20, “and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

“King Agrippa II was the latest of the Herod Dynasty, the last of the Herods to meddle with Christ or his followers. His great-grandfather was the King Herod who had feared the birth of the Christ-child and murdered the male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The grand-uncle of Agrippa II had murdered John the Baptist, and his father, Agrippa I, had executed James and imprisoned Peter and was eaten with worms as punishment for allowing people to worship him as a god right there in Caesarea (12:20-23).
With Agrippa was Bernice, his sister, who was one year younger. She had once been engaged to Marcus, a nephew of the philosopher Philo. Then she married her uncle—Herod, King of Chalcis. But now she was living incestuously with her full blood brother Agrippa. So notorious was her conduct that when she later became the Emperor Titus’s mistress, he had to send her away because of the moral outcry of pagan Rome. Agrippa and Bernice were a sick, sin-infested couple.”[1]

This is who Paul was talking to. And it previously says they came in “with great pomp.” They were presented as big and important, and Paul was made to seem smaller and smaller, standing before them in chains. He didn’t act shaky or tongue tied. He was just as bold and clear as he would be to a pauper on the side of the road. His life had been transformed by the Gospel, and he was there to testify.

Acts 26

Embrace the Hope of the Gospel (6-8)

Paul stands before King Agrippa and says, “And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers.” Earlier, twice, we saw Paul say he was on trial for the resurrection. Here he’s saying he’s on trial because of his hope. Hope in what, though?

Paul’s hope is tied to the fulfillment of God’s promises throughout history, culminating in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s not a new idea. It goes all the way to the beginning. But even from the beginning it pointed to Christ.

Paul’s hope is ultimately rooted in the resurrection. It’s a hope that’s future-oriented—looking ahead to eternal life—but also present, empowering us to live victoriously now. It’s a hope that says, no matter what trials or persecutions we face, our faith is not in vain. That’s what hope in Christ brings us. It’s not wishful thinking. It’s anchored in certain realities, both now and for the future.

Every single one of us will find ourselves at some point on trial for the hope that we have. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Peter 3:15, and in it we’re told to give a defense for the hope that is within us. All of us will find ourselves at the point in life where we must give a defense of our hope. Are we the type of people who have a hope that sustains in the dark difficult days of life OR are we people that have a hope that’s fleeting?

Embrace hope in Christ. Cling to it. The resurrection assures us that our hope has substance and power. It provides comfort and strength amidst anything we face. Just as Paul stood firm, we too are called to hold fast to this hope, and not only that, but to let it radically transform us.

Allow the Gospel to Radically Transform Your Life (9-18)

Look at verses 9-18. Paul shares his story, his testimony. He starts by recounting his past zeal in persecuting Christians. Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees, driven, zealous, completely convinced he’s right and completely convinced he’s honoring God—until that fateful day on the road to Damascus. Jesus confronts him with a blinding light and a piercing statement: “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

When you encounter Jesus—truly encounter Him—you cannot be the same. Paul’s transformation is incredible. From persecutor to preacher, from hater to herald of the gospel. Jesus appoints Paul as a servant and witness, sending him to open the eyes of the Gentiles, turning them from darkness to light. Paul’s life is a vivid example of the gospel’s power to transform. If God can transform Paul’s life, nobody is too far from His grace.

We see the word “turn” in verse 18. It means to turn around or to revert, indicating a complete change of direction. Paul, who once persecuted Christians, made a radical “turn” towards Christ. I want you to think about that in your own life. If you’re heading the wrong direction, you will never get where you need to go unless you turn around. And the further you keep down the wrong path, the further you get from where you need to be. And where you need to be is where Jesus is. You need to be completely in His will. And you need to be completely surrendered to Him.

Have you allowed the gospel to transform you as radically as it did Paul? The gospel calls us out of darkness into light, from bondage to freedom. It invites us to leave behind old ways and embrace a new life in Christ. This is called repentance.

Repentance and Faith are Central to the Gospel (19-23)

In verses 19-23, Paul highlights his “obedience to the heavenly vision,” preaching repentance and turning to God. He shows that his message is in line with what the prophets and Moses said: that the Christ would suffer, rise from the dead, and bring light to both Jews and Gentiles.

Paul’s message—the message of the gospel—calls for a response: repentance and faith. It’s not just about a mental agreement or a surface-level change. The gospel is true, but believing its truth isn’t what makes it the gospel. The gospel is for you. It’s not something to just believe. It’s something to be saved by. It’s something to transform you from the inside out.

True repentance means turning away from sin and turning towards God, a change evidenced by our actions and a renewed life in Christ.

Paul’s message in verses 19-23 emphasizes “repentance” and “turning to God.” The Greek word translated “repent,” literally means to “change your mind.” As Paul modeled, repentance doesn’t mean just nodding in polite agreement with God, and continuing the same way we were going. When we turn our thoughts toward God—when we truly agree with Him about what is right—our behavior should follow. Like a car, we go in the direction we are pointed. So, when we truly turn our minds and hearts toward God, our actions change accordingly.

Paul also talks about “deeds in keeping with their repentance.” True repentance produces tangible changes in your actions. Genuine repentance leads to a genuine transformation. “While good works aren’t the basis of salvation, they are the fruit of salvation (2 Cor 13:5-7; Gal 5:22-23; Eph 2:8-10; Titus 2:14; 3:8).”[2] There should be evidence of your repentance.

So, examine yourself. Is repentance and faith evident in your life? If it is, you have a life that visibly displays the gospel.

Proclaim the Gospel with Boldness (24-26)

When Paul shares his testimony, Festus interrupts, accusing him of being insane. But Paul, with calm assurance, responds, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.” He appeals to King Agrippa’s knowledge of the prophets and boldly declares the truth. He says, about Agrippa, “to him I speak boldly.”

Paul’s boldness in proclaiming the gospel, even in the face of opposition, is a powerful example for us. He doesn’t waver or soften his message. His confidence comes from his deep conviction in the truth of the gospel. It doesn’t matter who he’s talking to. All people need the gospel. Both “small and great.”

The great preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones, after delivering a sermon at a meeting at Cambridge University, a minister invited some students over to his home to as him some questions. One student said to Lloyd-Jones, “I listened to your sermon. And I can see how this sort of message appeals to farmers around here, but I fail to see how it’s relevant to academics like myself and my colleagues.” To this Lloyd-Jones replied, “Well, the last time I checked, Cambridge students were made of the same dull clay as the farm workers in the fields.”[3]

Y’all, all people need a Savior. We are called to proclaim the gospel with clarity and conviction, trusting in the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of our listeners. Our boldness, like Paul’s, is a testament to our faith and the transformative power of the gospel. So, we must boldly proclaim the gospel and trust that it has the power to save, as Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”

Allow the Gospel to confront (27-29)

Finally, verses 27-29, Paul directly confronts King Agrippa, boldly challenging him on his beliefs. Agrippa’s response is, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

The gospel confronts us with the reality of our need for salvation and the call to follow Christ. Paul doesn’t shy away from challenging Agrippa. He invites him to respond to the truth. The gospel isn’t just a message of comfort; it’s a call to belief and repentance.

It’s not just what Paul says that is incredible. It’s how he says it. He is talking to the king while he himself is in chains. But because he has Christ, Paul is really the one who is free, and the king and all who are listening are the ones in chains. As he said in verse 18, Paul was there proclaiming the gospel, “that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Tony Merida says,

“In this captivating scene the people listening are actually the ones in chains, in spiritual bondage. Paul, on the other hand, can still soar in joyful praise even while physically chained. He wants freedom for his audience.”[4]

Are you allowing the gospel to confront yourself and others? Are you willing to let the truth of the gospel challenge your beliefs, actions, and whole way of life? The gospel calls for a response. It calls for genuine repentance and the transformation that flows from it. Would you believe? And would you proclaim?

[1] R. Kent Hughes, Acts, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1996), 324.

[2] Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Acts, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2017), 374.

[3] Quoted in Begg, “Persuasive Preaching.”

[4] Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Acts, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2017), 375.