Day 314, or November the 10th. Keep it short
and simple. Our thoughts today come from Acts
chapter 26, verse 1. Then Agrippa said to Paul,
You have permission to speak for yourself. So
Paul motioned with his hand and began his defence.
Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Paul
spends his last months in Caesarea being questioned
by Governor Festus and King Agrippa before appealing
for trial before Caesar, as was his prerogative
as a Roman citizen. His trial before Festus was
aided and abetted by King Agrippa and his wife
Bernice. Interestingly, King Agrippa, who was
Jewish and an expert in Jewish laws and customs,
scorns Paul's attempts to persuade him of the
truth about Messiah, and dismisses his attempts
by saying, Do you think you can persuade me to
become a Christian so quickly? Paul replies,
Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both
you and everyone here might become the same as
I am. And now today's action step. Are you like
me, sometimes unsure of what to say when people
show an interest in the Christian faith? It seems,
when in doubt, Paul simply gave his testimony.
Bear in mind the fact that Paul was a learned
Pharisee, and as a Jewish religious leader, very
used to arguing his case, dipping into the Scriptures
regularly for suitable proof texts. However,
when he is presented with a perfect opportunity
to take this approach with King Agrippa, who
was an expert in Judaism, he resorts to making
it personal, simple, and straightforward. It
just tells how Jesus has impacted his life. In
a similar vein, the story is told of Dr. Karl
Barth visiting the USA and being asked to summarize
the theological meaning behind his renowned work,
Church Dogmatics. After a brief pause, he said,
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells
me so. As has been said many times, Kiss, K -I
-S -S. Keep it short and simple. Don't fall into
the trap of trying to impress people with your
eloquence. Kiss, and leave the rest to the Holy
Spirit.