Acts 26:28 states, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”
While sitting on the beach at a picnic table, I saw a man carrying a small boat motor down the dock. He was about to step into his little boat with the motor, but he wasn’t watching closely. The boat had drifted a little way from the dock and I could see he was going to miss the boat and step into the water. I wanted to yell a warning, but wasn’t quick enough. He almost stepped into the boat, but ended up in the lake. Almost was not good enough.
King Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian. Paul did his best to witness to him, sharing his own testimony of how he had come to Christ. It was Paul’s desire that everyone would know Jesus (Acts 26:29). Festus also sat there and heard Paul’s testimony. Verse 24 says, “And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.”
Why do people almost become a Christian? Are they influenced by those voices around them? One day we will all have to answer the question, “What have you done with Christ?” When Agrippa answers that question he won’t be able to blame Festus.
What a precious thing it is to hear the Gospel clearly presented. To turn that away, we choose Hell as our everlasting destination. I doubt Agrippa thought about that. He was a king and probably thought he controlled his own destiny. In a sense you and I are kings of our lives, until we die and King Jesus decides our destiny. If we are wise we will let Jesus be king now, becoming His follower, a Christian.
Before Festus and Agrippa heard Paul’s testimony, Felix also listened to Paul (Acts 24:24). He actually heard him share his faith in Christ. In the next verse he said he would call for him when it was more convenient. It turned out that two years passed and there never was a good time (V. 27).
Satan is always working behind the scenes to make sure we don’t follow Christ. He is happy when we say “maybe later,” or “I almost believe.” I knew a man who tried Mormonism, Buddhism, and even dabbled with the Christian faith, almost becoming a Christian.
When I was a teenager at altar call time, we sometimes sang the hymn “Almost Persuaded,” by Philip P. Bliss: “Almost persuade, now to believe; Almost persuaded, Christ to receive. Seems now some soul to say, Go Spirit, go Thy way, Some more convenient day On Thee I’ll call.” Verse 3, “Almost persuaded, harvest is past! Almost persuaded, doom comes at last! Almost cannot avail; Almost is but to fail! Sad, sad that bitter wail: Almost, but lost!”
This hymn was based on the words of King Agrippa. Jesus said in Matthew 13:42, “And they shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Choose Jesus now, or join King Agrippa in the flames wailing, ALMOST! ALMOST! ALMOST!….
