*** SHOW NOTES (not fully edited or a transcript) ***

Lead:

Do we have the right expectation in responses to truth?

Intro:

Hey, first I want to give a shout out to those who’ve reached out in one way or another this last week — my first love language is words of affirmation, so I don’t get tired of hearing your feedback. And I love your questions, too. (If you ever wonder why I choose some of the topics I choose, that’s where some come from. I even appreciate you noticing like when Scott shot me a note that said, “Hey, you sounded a bit de-energized today.” Thank you, and the truth is that when I do this with you every single day, you just get the real me. But then if you and I met at a coffee shop every day, we’d have our moments too, right?

We’re right now in our reading we’re in the middle of Paul’s kerfuffle. He gets arrested and falsely accused…which should sound familiar: what are martyrs almost always accused of? Sedition. Crimes against the state (and I know some of you are seeing this in your own countries right now in 2019).

Anyway, Paul’s brought before the council — the Sanhedrin — and causes a stir when he makes it clear in no uncertain terms that what he’s on trial for is the resurrection of the dead (meaning Jesus). They send him to Felix to be tried, and he tells Felix the same thing.

So our story picks up today with Paul having been in prison two years. You’ll hear that he ends up in front of yet another judge, Agrippa, and I want you to listen for Agrippa’s interesting response. Then I have a question for you in our All Our Minds segment.

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Bible:

Passage: Acts 25-26
Translation: ESV (English Standard Version)
Verses: 59
Words: ~1375

All Our Minds:

So Agrippa hears the gospel — the good news that the person and work of Jesus is all about him doing something for us that we can’t do for ourselves — and Agrippa responds, “Yo, dude, you think I’d become a Christian just like that?”

And my question for you is, “Why not?”

In one sense, it does seem weird to think someone would just repent of their junk and start following Jesus right on the spot. But I want to challenge us — me too — that in any other sense, if someone tells us something that is true, why wouldn’t we just accept this new truth?

The bottom line

In the world of marketing we know that, despite what people think about themselves, they make decisions emotionally and then justify logically. The truth is that most objections to Christianity aren’t logic-driven, they’re emotionally-driven. Is there any reason why someone shouldn’t accept truth right on the spot? No. But we’re not helping the cause if we don’t minister to the whole person…head and heart.

Wisdom:

Passage: Psalm 106
Translation: ESV (English Standard Version)
Verses: 48
Words: ~788

Love you!

-R

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

Sources and resources:

Thank you for supporting this ministry should you choose to use the Amazon affiliate links below.

Not used today, but one of my faves! —> Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2505.

#916: Acts 25-26 | Why not right now? | Psalm 106