If I asked you to turn to Acts 29 in your Bible, you would quickly discover—if you didn’t already know—that there are only 28 chapters in the book of Acts. Acts is the story of Jesus’ disciples becoming His witnesses to the ends of the earth. They were filled with the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended into heaven, and planted churches all throughout the Roman Empire. They were persecuted, jailed, and even killed for their faith. The reason this story trails off at the end of Acts 28 is because it’s an unfinished story. Acts 29 is the rest of the story. It is the story of us.
The same Holy Spirit that filled the disciples in Acts is the one who fills us when we place our faith in Jesus. We are filled with the same Holy Spirit who dwelt in Paul, a man of deep convictions. Paul’s convictions were so deep that he went to Jerusalem even after the prophet Agabus warned him that death awaited him there. In Acts 21:13 Paul says, “For I am ready not only to be imprisoned, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Paul’s convictions led him to testify about his conversion on the road to Damascus before Festus and Agrippa, leaders in Roman government. How much are we moved by our convictions? If faced with the choice of denying Christ, being put in jail, or even dying, what choice would you or I make?
The Gospel calls us to convictions, not mere preferences. People do not lay down their lives for preferences; they die for convictions. Gospel transformation leads to Gospel convictions. After Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, his life was transformed, and his convictions were so strong that he did die for them. Gospel convictions drive us to speak and live boldly for Jesus. They can even be dangerous to our health. The Gospel is not safe—it wasn’t safe for Paul and it isn’t safe for us either. In America, we may not face death or imprisonment, but people have lost jobs and important relationships because of their Gospel convictions.
Gospel convictions are not just important, but necessary for kingdom advancement. Let’s ask ourselves, “What kind of Christian am I really?” Are we willing to lose our jobs? Our relationships? Are we willing to be imprisoned? Are we willing to die? Are we willing to be Acts 29 Christians?