If you take a Bible Concordance and look up the word, witness, or witnessing or witnessed, you will find they are mentioned 33 times in the book of Acts. The word witness is found first in Acts 1:8 and the last time in Acts 26:22. 

Our text gives us the longest of Paul’s defenses in the Book of Acts. It is the third time that Luke repeats Paul’s testimony of his conversion. Paul uses this opportunity once again to be a witness for Christ. Paul was bold in his witness as he stood before Festus, the governor of Caesarea and King Agrippa, confronting them with the claims of Christ.

The passage is broken up into the following outline:

1. PAUL IS BROUGHT BEFORE KING AGRIPPA (25v.23-27)
2. PAUL SHARES HIS BACKGROUND (26v.1-7)
3. PAUL CALLS FOR A RESPONSE (26v.8-23)

Paul addresses King Agrippa, who is a nominal (cultural) Jew "familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews", that this “hope” that was promised to the Jews is worthless if there were no resurrection of the dead (v.6). Paul argues that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a historical event, not a fictitious one. It is proved by eyewitness testimony and by the changed lives of the witnesses. It is supported by the Hebrew Scriptures.

In this passage Paul insists that the centre of his whole message is the resurrection. His witness is not of someone who has lived and died but of One who is gloriously present and alive for evermore. He loved to tell about how Christ changed him from a religious, narrow-minded, bigoted Pharisee to a committed, warm-hearted and open Christian. Christ changed Paul's whole nature.

Our response to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection should be a genuine repentance/ turning from our sin and living a life of obedience and fruit that displays the work of the Spirit of God in our lives.

Getting Started

1. A poll conducted by a church directory service a few years ago revealed that over 50% who choose to come to church were simply invited by someone else. Why did you choose to come to NLC?

Read Acts 25:23-26:23

2. What insight, principle, or observation from Sunday’s sermon did you find to be the most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling?

 Digging Deeper

3. Luke documents Paul’s testimony before Agrippa and records a few times when Paul used the word ‘HOPE’. Can you identify in our text how many times the word ‘HOPE’ is used, and in which verses?

4. Paul wrote in Hebrews 6:19 about the hope that we as Christians have through Christ. How would you explain the meaning of that picture in that verse to an enquiring non-believer?

5. Why is it important to assert the factual basis of the Christian faith? In other words, if believing in Christianity gives us a happy life, what difference does it make whether it’s true?

 The Heart of the Matter

6. Our ‘hope’ as Christians must be ‘hope’ in having and knowing Jesus in our life, not ‘hope’ for what He might give us, nor for the things of this world. What are some of the temporary worldly ‘hopes’ that the devil has tempted you to cling onto instead of Christ?
7. Some people argue that to require repentance for salvation is to add works to faith alone. Why is this not valid? 

8. The Pharisees religiously stuck to their self-imposed standards and kept their man-made rituals and requirements while their hearts were far away from God. Can you relate to this? What were some of these rituals and man-made rules that kept your heart away from Christ?