Acts 26

Devotional by Stephanie Rogers

Read Acts 26

Acts 26

Paul’s Defense Before Agrippa

26 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense:

2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am going to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially because you are familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and in Jerusalem, is known by all the Jews. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, 7 to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?

9 “I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

Paul Tells of His Conversion

12 “In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so 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.’

19 “Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass: 23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”

24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” 25 But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

30 Then the king rose, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them. 31 And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.

Devotional

Paul’s life serves as an example of bold and unwavering faith in the face of hardships and criticisms for the sake of the gospel. In Acts 26, he fearlessly proclaims the gospel, holding nothing back. What stands out the most to me is the simplicity with which Paul delivers his testimony, plainly sharing what his life was like before he trusted in Jesus and experienced his conversion.

Galatians 2:20 reveals Paul’s mindset when he states, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” This mindset is evident in his actions in Acts 26. Despite facing criticism, Paul remains steadfast in his commitment to follow Jesus, showing no regard for personal safety or others’ opinions. The point of Paul’s address is not to save himself but to lead those listening to Jesus. While focused on sharing the truth, he is respectful, waiting for permission to speak, even while unjustly detained. In this passage, Paul shows us how to share our testimony in challenging circumstances.

Is there someone in your life who needs to hear how Jesus has changed your life and how he can change theirs?

24 thoughts on “Day Twenty-Six | The Book of Acts”

  1. Dear Lord,

    Give me boldness to witness to my brother John. He is lost and dying without Jesus! Make my testimony compelling to him I pray.

    2. Lord, give me the confidence to witness to my mom and my nephew. I want to witness to them what the Lord has done for me. I received so many blessings from my Lord Jesus Christ. He has helped me to walk with faith and meet. HALLELUJAH AND AMEN!!🙏📖🙏⛪

  2. What stood out to me in this passage was the purpose: “ to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so 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.’…”. This is the purpose that God let Paul know what he was henceforth to do in carrying out his mission. What an awesome God we serve! Turning darkness to light! From the power of Satan to God! Receiving forgiveness of sins! Sanctified by faith in me! What powerful words! May we be reminded of the PURPOSE in our journey as Christians! Bringing others to the light so that their eyes may be opened and the forgiveness of their sins to be sanctified by faith! In Jesus’ Name we pray! Amen! Amen! Amen!

  3. Indeed, each of us has testimonies to share; our lives are testimonies. We need look back on our journey till this day.

    May we always seek guidance from God and trust in Him.
    Acts 21:10-14-Prophesy was shared to Paul on how he would be bound and others pleaded with him not to travel that he would be killed and in Acts 23: 12-14, we read of 40 men taking an oath not to drink or eat until Paul is killed.
    Despite all of these, Paul obeyed the call of God; nothing scared him.
    We now see how throughout this journey he is spreading the word of God in every location.

    God is the master planner, Paul’s testimony was needed to win more souls and grow the kingdom of God.

    Strengthen us Lord to speak boldly, love one another and always trust in Your plan for us. Seek You first in all we do and obey. In Jesus Christ name, Amen!

  4. God can lift you out of the deepest, darkest pit of despair and bring you into the LIGHT of His LOVE!! We serve a God who can SAVE and CHANGE us!! Lord, give me the BOLDNESS of Paul to share with others my testimony and ENCOURAGE them to TURN TO YOU🙏🏾❤️

  5. God has worked powerfully in my life from my salvation story, to our marriage testimony, and our testimony of the loss of our 20 year old daughter, and how God has shown up in so many ways throughout my life. This passage really stood out to me today “To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great,” God did not create my troubles and suffering, but he will be glorified in those experiences and I can share how God has been present in our lives through those times.

  7. I always love how Paul does not shy away from his life before Christ. He doesn’t try to pretend that he was/is perfect. He makes his past, part of his testimony. So many Christians want to forget who they were before Christ. Not only is grace part of salvation, but so is mercy!
    Even in Romans 7:15-25, Paul shares his continued struggles with being a human.

  8. 29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am…”

    Pray without ceasing that the Father would use you to plant seeds and/or reap the harvest whether the opportunity presents itself at a moments notice or appears as the result of months/years of prayer…

    Be ready & willing…and obedient… Be respectful, gentle and loving… I am amazed in the changed life of Paul (Gal 2:20)!

  9. There is truly no joy like the joy you experience when sharing your faith and testimony with someone, especially if there are similarities in struggles. I’m hopeful in believing God will continue to use my story to bring glory to His name and to advance His kingdom.

  10. Lord, help me be more intentional to take the time to share with people how Jesus has changed my life in a simple, sincere, clear, concise and courteous way, so that they can believe that you can change their lives too.

  11. Paul witnessed to untold numbers of people in his lifetime. His testimony has reached countless others by reading the accounts of him in the New Testament and through his own writings. I can’t imagine the total number to this point! Wouldn’t it be grand if each of us had this effect in our lives?

  12. Yes I have many friends and relatives that need salvation. Please join me in praying especially for my son and daughter and a Jewish friend that I will be visiting on February 13th. Thank you.

  13. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” A goad is a long pointed stick with a sharp end that was used to prod cattle. If an ox reacted to being prodded along and kicked back, the pointed end of the stick would cause pain. A little research reflects that Paul may have been struggling with a guilty conscience. After all, he had held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death and he approved of their acts. But something about the way Stephen accepted his death must have made Paul uncomfortable. The Lord was pointing out to Paul that, by persecuting Christians, he was just hurting himself.
    I’m thinking that I need to pause and give Ananias the spiritual credit he deserves. The Lord gave Ananias the mission to take Paul in and the Lord would use Ananias as the human instrument by which Paul would regain his sight. Naturally, Ananias was a bit perplexed and probably a lot apprehensive that he had been chosen to meet up with the man who had been rounding up the believers in Christ and putting them in prison where there were beaten . And Ananias was in Damascus where Paul had come to arrest the believers. Ananias put his trust in the Lord and obeyed.
    One lesson I see is that, if I ignore my Lord and Savior, I hurt myself. Another lesson is that if I want to be all-in as a Christian, I need to trust and obey Jesus.

  15. What will always stand out to me is that the best way to be a witness to someone is to use your testimony about how God was active in your life and that you remember that he made the commandment of how his creation is groaning and that we are to yearn for his return. I always believe in that from Acts 1:8 whereas us being the witnesses.

Comments are closed.