”“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen— that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.” Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!” But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—” Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.” Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, “This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “He could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.”“
Acts of the Apostles 26:19-32 NLT
The will of God, his gospel and his plan supersedes all human authority and decorum. There is no place or station that its message is not needed and not relevant. Paul was an auspicious man. He was driven to succeed in everything that he did and this unbridled passion almost led to his own ruin. God reveres his polarity and used it to his glory because he knew that Paul would not stop moving in the direction that he set him. God is not a respecter of men and neither would his gospel or his servant be. Festus’ reaction to Paul proves this point. He knew that Paul was trying to be heard at every level of Roman society and believed that his message could convict even the highest officials. Indeed, this would eventually happen with Constantine. Despite this, so many modern Christians shackle the gospel to lesser men with lesser agendas. Would that we all demand that the message of our God deserve an audience with the king. Would that we all not be ashamed of the power of salvation contained therein. It doesn’t matter if the message is received. Certainly Festus and Agrippa faded into history. It matters that the message is given its rightful standing as a timeless decree without border, station or limits.
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