Christmas is a great time to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day, all according to the Scriptures. (I Cor. 15:3-4) In reality, it is always a good time to be spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. We certainly observe this in the life of Paul. After he “saw the Light”, it was as though he was making up for lost time. He spoke to others about Jesus, no matter where they were in the echelons of society. I would like to note several examples after his three missionary journeys, on his way to Rome, when he testified of Christ to the Jerusalem mob (Acts 21:37-22:21), to Felix, the governor (Acts 24:16-25), and to Festus, the next governor, with King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 25:23-26:29). For the mob and the last three, he gave his personal testimony.
For these three occasions, he did not see any immediate fruit. The mob responded “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” Then they cried out, tore off their clothes, and threw dust into the air. Felix responded, “Go away now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” We are not told whether or not a convenient time ever came for him. Festus exclaimed with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!” King Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” These are certainly not the type of responses Paul was desiring, but they did not stop him from continuing to proclaim this saving message.
By the grace of God, Paul followed the admonition of the following verses, “in season and out of season”, and so can we. (If you are interested in receiving the business card size tracts from Bezeugen Ministries to aid you in this important task, let me know and set you up to get a free set of 31 each month.)
Mar 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
1Co 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!
1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
2Ti 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.