Today's Word -- Almost Persuaded

 

Acts 26:28

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost you persuade me to be a Christian." 

ALMOST: in the realm of, the sphere of; the condition in which something operates from the inside; the nature of, the thought of

PERSUADED: have confidence (in), convinced 

King Agrippa, having had conversations with the Jewish people over whom he ruled, knew what the prophets had spoken of concerning the coming Messiah. Paul knew this and reminded him so (verse 26). Paul spoke with such confidence and belief in his voice and manner that this king Almost believed, was Almost Persuaded. While Scripture does not tell us, I'm under the impression that Paul's sermon resonated within King Agrippa and would not let him go. 

It is not our place to know who went to heaven and who did not. It is our place to share Jesus with as many people as we can so they don't miss heaven. I want my family and friends in heaven with me. I want the strangers I meet in heaven with me. I want those who come against me for my faith in heaven with me. I don't want anyone to die without Jesus. I pray that with my last breath, someone would hear Jesus from my lips and make that decision to believe in Him fully. 

It won't be easy to answer this call to salvation. Some, like Festus (vs 24) will call you crazy to your face. They'll insult you, make fun of you (mock), beat you up, kick you, torture some of you and even kill you, believing that they are honoring God by removing you the believer from the face of the earth. Answer the call anyway. The Holy Spirit is tugging on your heartstring right now. 

Don't let yourself be "Almost Persuaded": BE PERSUADED. 

Almost Persuaded

Acts 26:27 & 28 “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have almost persuaded me to be a Christian.”

Almost. Very nearly. Just about. Not quite. Not at all. Almost there is not there yet. To be almost to one’s destination is to not be there yet. Never arriving is not at all there. Almost convinced is not convinced. Almost saved, but not.

By mere reasoning of The Word we cannot be convinced of the need for a Savior. We need The Holy Spirit to reveal to us the Truth of God’s Word to our souls: we must, and make no doubt about it, seek for and allow God's Holy Spirit to guide us through God's Word into the revelation of God's saving grace.

Mark 12:28-34 "And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, 'Which is the greatest commandment of all?' And Jesus answered him, 'The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God Is One LORD: And thou shalt love The LORD thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely thus, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.'

And the scribe said unto Him, 'Well, Master, Thou hast said The Truth: for there is one God, and there is none other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, 'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.' And no man dared ask Him any question. "

Almost persuaded="not far from". These two men know the prophets, know the commandments, but are not quite persuaded to believe on The Name of The LORD Jesus Christ for their salvation.

A person can memorize a great deal of Scripture with their minds, but if The Word is not planted deep within a person's heart, then there is no understanding of The Word; nor is there a reverence for The Word. David Koresh memorized quite a bit of The Bible, but lacked the power of The Holy Spirit to reveal what this Word meant. His reasoning of The Word was his own; his logic was flawed. Because of his unbelief in the Truth of The Word, and his charismatic speech, he was able to lead many to damnation, because they believed him and did not believe God for themselves. They were far from being persuaded.

Almost persuaded is "not yet". To be Almost Persuaded is to be in a hopeful condition. A 'not saved yet' place, but there is still hope that he or she will believe.

The train has arrived, and waits for all passengers to board. You stand in wait, hoping the train is real, because you have been waiting for a train like this, but you are not sure, not yet. The train whistle blows, the conductor calls out "All aboard!", yet you stand, looking around, waiting, pondering the reality that this train could be the one. The one who brought you to see the train has already boarded and handed their ticket to the conductor.

It's the glory train, and The Holy Spirit is calling to all who will hear and listen, "Come". The one who shared the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ with you, says "Come. Let him that is thirsty come. Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17)
Is your soul thirsty for Jesus? Are you ready to believe in the Truth of God's Word? Are you ready to board that train? Are you almost persuaded? "Believe on the Name of The LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16:31