09. Agrippa, Paul Did Not Waste His Audience

Acts 26:24-29

Paul was the prisoner.
Agrippa was the king.

Paul could have used the moment to defend himself, gain sympathy, or argue for his release.

Instead, he did something far more important.

He tried to make a disciple.

Paul told his story. He explained what Jesus had done in his life. He spoke about the resurrection. He connected the gospel to the prophets. Then he turned directly to Agrippa and asked:

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

Paul did not leave the conversation at the level of information. He moved toward response. He was not satisfied that Agrippa had heard the truth. He wanted Agrippa to respond to the truth. That is disciple-making.

Paul did not waste his audience.

He saw more than a king. He saw a person who needed Jesus.

And Paul was not thinking only about Agrippa. Listen to what he said next:

“I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me today, might become such as I am, except for these bonds.”, Acts 26:29 WEB

“Not only you, but also all that hear me.”

That is the heart of a disciple-maker. Paul looked at a room full of people and wanted every one of them to become followers of Jesus.

What if we lived with that same burden? What if we stopped seeing people merely as coworkers, neighbors, relatives, classmates, customers, or acquaintances? What if we began seeing them as people Jesus loves, and people who could become disciples?

There may already be an Agrippa in your life.

Someone who will listen.
Someone who has questions.
Someone who respects you.
Someone who has seen what Jesus has done in your life.
Someone who may be closer to responding than you realize.

But here is the uncomfortable question:

Will you ever ask them?

We often hope people will somehow discover Jesus. Paul did not merely hope. He spoke. He testified. He asked questions. He invited a response. He intentionally tried to move people toward Jesus.

That is where many of us stop short.

We attend church. We study the Bible. We pray for the lost. We talk about the Great Commission. We may even tell someone that we are Christians. But when was the last time we intentionally helped another person move one step closer to becoming a disciple of Jesus?

When did you last ask someone: “What do you believe about Jesus?”
When did you last share your testimony?
When did you last invite someone to read Scripture with you?
When did you last begin discipling someone?

And even that is not the finish line.

Jesus did not command us merely to get people to make a decision. He commanded us to make disciples. That means when someone responds to Jesus, we stay with them. We help them learn to obey Him. We teach them how to pray. How to read and obey Scripture. How to share their testimony. How to reach the people already in their lives. And then we help them do for someone else what someone did for them.

A disciple makes disciples. And those disciples make disciples. That is how multiplication begins.

Paul himself was evidence of it. Someone brought the gospel to Paul. Paul carried it to others. Those people carried it to still others. The gospel kept moving from person to person, household to household, city to city.

What if Agrippa had said yes?

What if he had surrendered to Jesus? What if he had then reached the people around him? What if the king had become a disciple-maker?

We do not know what Agrippa ultimately did. But we do know what Paul did. Paul gave him the opportunity.

And that may be the challenge God is placing before us.

You cannot force anyone to follow Jesus. You cannot manufacture repentance. You cannot change a human heart. But you can do what Paul did. You can tell your story. You can share the gospel. You can ask the question. You can invite someone to follow Jesus. And when they respond, you can help them become a disciple who makes disciples.

So who is your Agrippa?

Whose name comes to mind right now?
A neighbor?
A coworker?
A family member?
A friend?
Someone God has already placed within your reach?

Do not simply pray that someone reaches them. Perhaps God placed you there to reach them.

Do not merely hope the gospel spreads. Carry it to someone.

Do not merely seek a decision. Make a disciple. And do not stop with one generation. Make disciples who make disciples.

Paul did not waste his audience. Will we waste ours?