"I'm Not Who I Was"

Acts 26:1-32

Since Paul's arrest, he's been able to tell his story over and over again. This seemingly bad event in the life of Paul has resulted in the gospel message being revealed to many Roman leaders. God's promise that he would send Paul to the Gentiles is being fulfilled in a very big way, although perhaps not in the way Paul expected. Nevertheless, important and influential people are hearing the gospel.

Paul gives his testimony once again in today's section of reading, this time before King Agrippa, who responds "Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?" (Other versions translate this as: "“You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (New King James) or "In a short time you will persuade me to become a (A)Christian." (New American Standard) The sense here is that it wouldn't take much more effort on Paul's part.)

Paul's testimony here regards the way he's changed since his encounter on the road to Damascus. Once the foremost persecutor of Christians, Paul is now among the foremost advocates of Christ.

There's a song in current rotation on the radio that I've had going through my head the last few days. It's by Brandon Heath (no relation to my wife's family) and it's called "I'm Not Who I Was." I thought of that lyric while reading today's passage. The song itself is more specifically about forgiveness, but it speaks generally of the personal change that comes from a relationship with Jesus.

When we tell our stories, it's my hope that we can share about how we've changed -- how we're not the same anymore since we've met Jesus.





- Drew Clausen