Agrippa replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”
— Acts 26:28
In King Agrippa’s response to the apostle Paul, we find something revealing — not only about Agrippa, but about Paul himself and the kind of man he was.
The Context
It is worth understanding the situation Paul was in. He was under arrest, facing trial, and depending on the outcome, he could have faced death or a prolonged imprisonment — which is precisely what happened. One might reasonably expect that under these circumstances, Paul’s primary concern would be talking his way to freedom, presenting the best possible defence for his own survival.
But that was not what was on Paul’s mind. Instead, he used the occasion of his trial before King Agrippa to share the gospel. He knew that Agrippa was familiar with the prophets who had spoken of a coming Messiah — and so he pressed that point directly:
King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do.
— Acts 26:27
It was this move that prompted Agrippa’s response — in a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.
A Pattern, Not an Exception
This was not an isolated incident. In his letters, we see that sharing the gospel was the constant preoccupation of Paul’s heart. He asked the Ephesians to pray for him specifically for this:
…and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.
— Ephesians 6:19
And he made the same request to the Colossians:
…praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned.
— Colossians 4:3
In both of these prayer requests — written from prison — we see what actually filled Paul’s heart. Not his comfort. Not his release. Not financial security or personal gain. The one thing that occupied him was the charge he had been given by his Lord — to preach the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. He had said it plainly to the Corinthians:
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
— 1 Corinthians 2:2
A Challenge to Our Priorities
This attitude of Paul’s should stir something in us, because we are prone to a very different set of preoccupations. The cares and comforts of this world — the pursuit of success, financial freedom, pleasure, reputation, and security — have a way of crowding out the one charge our Lord has given us. The Great Commission can easily become an afterthought in lives oriented primarily around personal advancement.
Paul shows us what a reordered set of priorities looks like. And his response to Agrippa captures it perfectly:
And Paul said, “I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.”
— Acts 26:29
Even in chains, Paul’s deepest desire was not freedom for himself — it was that everyone in the room would come to know Christ.
The Charge We Have Been Given
May this be our desire as well — that sharing the gospel sits at the very top of our list of priorities, not buried under the weight of everything else we are chasing. May the Lord convict us and reorient us, so that like Paul, the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the main driver of how we live and what we pursue.
Amen.
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