Christian Persuasion

Witness “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Acts 26:28

Paul has just shared one of the most powerful proclamations found in the Bible. You can almost sense the anointed atmosphere as you read of Paul’s reasoning of Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgement to come. He had caught Felix’s attention and he told Paul that he would like to meet with him again to discuss these Christian principles. King Agrippa responds by saying “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” What made Paul’s defense so powerful was not only that he was led by the Holy Spirit, but also his motive was not to proselytize, but to persuade.

Paul never attempted to compel someone to become a Christian just for the sake joining a Church. In fact, I don’t think he ever invited someone to Church as much as he Invited them to Christ! The mentality down through the years is that people come to Christ through the Church, when really, it’s the other way around. People come into the Church through Christ and Christ alone. I am not trying to undermine the importance of inviting them to church, but the invitation should extend out further than that. The model that we have before us in the book of Acts is one by which we point people not to a building, but to a person, the person of Christ.

The difference between proselytizing and persuading is the motive behind the one who is doing the witnessing. To proselytize is to convert one from one belief into another belief. To persuade someone is to convince them that what you believe about a philosophy, ideology, or religion has a great effect on how you live your life and carry yourself. We could also call it Conviction! Paul was so convinced and convicted about the truths of Christ and the Gospel, that his witness of it toward Felix and Agrippa got them to thinking about them on lives and how they stood in the light of God’s judgement. Felix’s and Agrippa’s response demonstrates the power of the Holy Spirit working at both ends of the spectrum.

In order for you and me to fully persuade one to become a Christian we have to be fully persuaded ourselves. If we have no confidence in ourselves or any conviction about us, then we will never have the affect on others that Paul had on these two men. Paul went on to tell Agrippa “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.” (29) Basically what Paul was saying was I wish you were like me! This is the art of persuasion. To have confidence in yourself and God’s work in you is essential before you can expect to persuade others into believing what you believe.

Pastor Robby