Almost, but Lost

The Apostle Paul was a faithful servant of Jesus Christ who suffered much for his faith all during his ministry. Being a convert from Judaism, the Jews despised him and his message and sought at every turn to destroy him. At long last they imagined that their success was in hand only to see it slip away by Paul’s appeal of Roman citizenship. Thus we find Paul in Roman courts in Acts 24, 25 and 26. 

First he appeared twice before a judge named Felix. After two years he appeared before judge Festus where he was constrained to appeal his case directly to Caesar. About this time Festus asked king Agrippa to hear Paul’s case and he agreed to do so. 

Paul denied any wrong doing against the Jews and their religion. He detailed his own rearing in that religion. He proceeded then to relate his conversion to Christ and how “That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people [the Jews], and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). 

Festus responded to this presentation of the Gospel by saying, “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad” (26:24). Paul denied the charge and declared that Agrippa assuredly knew of these things. Turning directly to the king, Paul said, “King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest” (26:27). 

The sad end to this encounter is quietly told in Agrippa’s reply: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). “And Paul said, 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” (26:29). There is no biblical record that Agrippa ever was saved, or that he ever heard the Gospel again to have an opportunity to be saved. 

Would to God that all who read this would also be altogether as Paul: forgiven of his sins, justified freely from all things, possessing the very righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and assured of a home in Heaven. But to be almost persuaded is to be totally lost. 

A man in our congregation did the math for me to amplify an illustration that I have often used. A pilot flying an airliner from San Francisco to Honolulu, off course by only one degree on his compass, will miss the islands completely. The math says that the pilot will miss Honolulu by forty miles! He was almost on course, but he still missed his destination by forty miles. 

Agrippa was almost persuaded. But he was lost. You may be almost persuaded . . . almost, but lost. Decide to receive Christ today.