Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-10-20
DIR. MARION MICH. HULL.

what offense to charge him with when
the prisoner was transferred II hap
pened Just ut that time that Agrippa
came to pay mis- respects to the new
procuratOr. Agrippa was nominally the
king of Judea, and was an appointve of
the emperor. The Romans threw that
SOD to the Jews Ey allowing the son
of Herod the Great to be called the
king. Bernice was his sister, and q
very beautiful but corrupt woman. She
came with her h"other-huaband on this
occasion.
When they had been there few days
Festus spoke of. the famous prisoner
and of his qua-darX. Agrippa had
heard OF him often and expressed a
desire TO see him This suited Festus
exactly, because ii gave him an oppor-
tunity to tickle the kings vanity, and
at the same time to get from MIN an
expression Of what was the real trou-
bic, so that he might be better able to
write the facts to Caesar. On the NOR
row, therefore, with great pomp and
display, the king, the governor, and
their retainers filed into the audience
DOM of the palace. When they had
been seated a small man. delicate and
worn and ugly, was brought in chains
between two soldiers. FestuS stated
the case again, ard then Agrippa per-
mitted Paul to speak for himself.
The calm recital of the facts given
BY Paul, including his own autobiogra-
ply, and the impassioned appeal which
he made to the assembled court. give
us one of the finest specimens of ora
tory that is on record. We shall not
study it in detail here.
HIS CALL AND. COMMISSION
Paul recited how conscientious he had
al of 70 hot
book his life had been to these Jews.
They were very well aware how Jealous
ne had been in doing things contrary
to Jesus of Nazareth.
Nothing less therefore, would have
changed his career than the thing that
did happen: namely, a vision and the
voice of the risen Christ. But when
he saw Him and heard the voice, his
whole life was changed. Then he re-
ceived commission from this same
risen Christie be a minister and.
witness of the things that he had seen
and should see. And his sphere of ac-
tivity was to be the Jews and to the
Gentiles as well. To the best of his
ability he had been striving to carry
out that commission.
There is a very interesting sugges-
On in the Greek words which are here
translated minister" and witness"
The word minister does not carry the
idea that we ordinarily have of the
leader of a congregation with certain
perauisites. 1t means IAN under-oars-
man." subordinate And the word
witness is almost the same from
which we get our word martyr" This
was the call which Paul received-to
be IAN under-oarsman," subordinate"
and martyr"
Paul's commission was two-fold--to
Tighten the way and to turn from dark
ness to light, and from the mastery of
Satan to the mastery of God.
.s HIS RESPONSE.
Here was the distinguishing charac-
teristic of Paul; here was the point in
which he differs from $50 many. He
was mot disobedient to the heavenIy
vision The word there translated
disobedient is interesting. 1t is the
negative, o sfthe word which ais trans
lated faith or belief. If we might para
phrase this we get the thought, he did
not have to argue with me to make
me believe what he said and do right
All, how often is that our trouble! We
intend a great deal more than We do,
and sometimes God has to argue with
us to make us believe that He really
said it and that He really means for US
to do this and the other
There is another thing which distin-
guished Paurs life. He not only start
ed at once in his path of obedience to
the heavenly vision, but he continued
We have been given new visions every
day; not the same kind that Paul had
on the road to Damascus, but just as
truly visions of the risen Christ. He
speaks to us just as truly, just. as sure
ly. But unlike Paul we delay to obey
them. Shall we not determine that we
will not be disobedient to the heavenly
vision, and that we will continue to be
not disobedient day by day and mo-
ment by moment?
That Paul lost himself in his yearn-
ing for others is shown by the close
of this dramatic day in his life. So
earnest had he become in his appeal
that the Roman governor, who knew
nothing of visions and prophets and
dreams, rose and interrupted him,
Paul you have gone crazy. You are
talking nonsense" he said. But just
as coolly he turned and with the ut
most courtesy said, II am not mad
your eXcellency, but speak words of
reality and of soberness;" then turning
to Agrippa he urged him to believe what
the prophets had said.
But Agrippa was not prepared to give
up his life of sin. The idea that Paul
MAKE MN q CHTlSlldn ID IN
so short a time was absurd and so he
said sneeringly, do you think with
just little bit of reasoning you are
going to make me a Christian" (using
the term which was a reproach in that
day.. t-
But Paul in his earnestness took ad-
vantage of the ambiguity of Agrippa's
statement. and said, 81 would that
whether in little or in much not only
thou but also all those who hear me
this day might be such as / am (and
then raising his hands with the chains
on them except these bonds" In
other words, he realized that what he
had was so much to be desired that he
wanted every one who heard him to
have 1t, too; have the joy of forgive
ness, have the peace and the assurance,
and the hope which come to the follow
ers of the Lord Jesus Christ, to those
who believe in His name. But he did
not want them to share the sorrows.
He wanted them to have the joys only.
Just there was another secret of
Paurs life. He knew that what he had
was so good that he wanted everybody
to share it with him. And when our
faith in Christ is such that it makes up
appreviate the joys that come with it