From Chaos to Christ: A Village Transformed
**This podcast is taken from our Global Video Report: EMPOWER CONNECT February 2025 Edition**
Almost Persuaded
Scripture: Acts 26, 2 Corinthians 5:11, Isaiah 1:18 – 20
RON:
Hello friends.
Today, I want to take you for a few moments to a place on the Mediterranean coast of Israel called Caesarea.
A Place That Stays With You
Whenever I am in Israel, I always make time to visit a particular spot there. It is where King Herod built a massive palace complex right beside the water. It is also the place where the Apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa to explain the Gospel and answer the charges against him. The walls of that room are long gone, but the flooring remains. There is a plaque marking the site. I like to stand there, open my Bible, and read the account of Paul addressing Agrippa. Every time, two words stand out: “Almost persuaded.”
A Question That Still Matters
Agrippa said to Paul, in essence, “Are you trying to persuade me to become a Christian?”
And Paul replied,
“Yes. I absolutely am.”
That moment captures something essential about the Gospel.
What It Means to Persuade
To persuade is to convince or win someone over. But not only through words. It happens through actions, attitude, and character. This is how Paul lived. Scripture tells us he reasoned, explained, and persuaded both Jews and Gentiles. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:11: “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.”
How the Gospel Advances
This same kind of persuasion is happening around the world today. Believers are sharing Christ with loved ones, neighbours, friends, and even officials. Not forcefully. Not aggressively. But respectfully, persistently, and with grace. And when someone is truly persuaded, something real happens. There is repentance from sin. Faith in Jesus alone. And new life through the Holy Spirit. That is biblical conversion. It is turning from false belief systems to the only Truth.
India: A Life Changed
Recently, a leader in India shared a story that deeply moved me. In a central Indian city, there was a man who was six-foot-four, powerfully built, violent, and constantly drunk. He terrorized the streets. He broke into homes. People were afraid of him. One day, a national missionary was in the village sharing the Gospel, not realizing that this man was listening just behind him. Led by the Holy Spirit, the missionary went over, laid hands on him, and prayed. A week later, the man searched everywhere for that missionary. When he found him, he said, “Can you say those mantras over me again? When you prayed, for the first time in years, I slept peacefully.” The missionary said, “I was not chanting mantras. I prayed for you in the name of Jesus.” The man asked, “Who is Jesus?” So the missionary shared the Gospel. And the man was persuaded. He gave his life to Christ. He followed the missionary for months to learn. Then he attended Bible school. Today, he is a pastor. His life changed so dramatically that 40 to 50 percent of his entire village came to Christ. They were convinced that Jesus is real.
When the Gospel Takes Hold
This is what persuasion looks like when the Gospel takes hold. Lives change. Communities change. Truth becomes visible.
Almost Persuaded
But not everyone responds the same way. Some are fully persuaded. Others are almost persuaded. And that word “almost” matters. Because it means standing close to the Truth, but not stepping into it.
An Invitation from God
I want to close with Isaiah 1:18 – 20:
“Come, let us consider your options,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they can become white as snow.
If you are willing and obey, you will eat the good things of the land.
But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured.”
God is still inviting people today.
To reason with Him.
To see the Truth.
To choose life in Christ.
A Final Call
Many have been persuaded. Many more are almost persuaded. And the Gospel continues to spread. Come. Let us reason together.
