And verse one, twenty-six and one. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. What a permission. Then Paul stretched forth his hand and answered for himself. Notice how happy he is. I think myself happy, King Agrippa. because I shall answer for myself this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews. Notice that. All the things whereof I am accused of the Jews. Let us turn over to the twenty-sixth verse. For the king knoweth of these things, the same thing, before whom also I speak freely. For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him, for this thing was not done in the corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Paul said I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether, such as I am, except these bonds, or a Christian. getting to the end of our studies on this book, I think this is about the seventy-fifth message and we're likely concluded next Sunday, chapter twenty-seven in the morning, Lord Willingham, chapter twenty-eight at night. One night this week I was wondering about the message for this morning and I thought possibly seeing we skimmed over a lot in chapter twenty-six, we might go back to it and give what I think is the message of the whole book of the Acts. Three times over you have the word Christian mentioned in your Bible. You've likely had that drawn to your attention more than once. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch in chapter eleven. It simply means they had embraced Christianity. That's why they were called Christians. Then you read over in I Peter four, sixteen, if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf. And if you suffer as a Christian or for Christianity, there's nothing to be ashamed of. And certainly the Apostle Paul did exactly that. He suffered. for the sake of Christianity. He was God's messenger to the nations, God's chosen vessel, to make Christianity known to the nations. And then in this chapter where the apostle is talking to King Agrippa, in his very persuasive way, he had made everything so clear. That's why we emphasize those things These things, those things, King Agrippa, you've heard it all. You know why I'm involved. You've heard everything. He has confronted King Agrippa with all the claims of Christianity, true Christianity. And that's why I want to speak on what true Christianity is. But we mentioned this. We have it in our ad in the newspaper. what Christianity really is, its meaning, then its message, its marks, or its manners, and also its miracles, its mystery, and its manifestation of the Lord's coming, and its many, many enemies. Now, what is Christianity? Well, Christianity as far as I think your Bible teaches, and anyone who studies the Book of Acts, and also the epistles, Christianity is simply Christ and his whole body of Christian believers, quickened into one body. And all of this is based upon the unerring word of the living God. And Christianity is the message of the New Testament. Now, Christianity is not an organization, for there's many organizations that don't believe in Christianity. Some do. Christianity is not a religion. There are many religions that do not believe in Christianity. Some believe some of Christianity. And Christianity is not a philosophy. a system of thought and ethics. For there are many philosophies in the world, all kinds of philosophies, and many of them have no time for Christianity. And so Christianity is something that's very distinct, and it belongs to the New Testament, this age of sovereign grace. I'm thinking on this, I thought, now what passage could really summarize for us in a capsule what Christianity really is? And I thought of Ephesians, four, and four and six. And this is what you have. There is one body and one spirit, even as here, called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. There is true Christianity. So I've already mentioned there are a lot of organizations, religions, and philosophies that don't believe in these things that I've read in these verses. Some believe some of them. But Christianity believes all of these things, every one of them, one hundred percent. And you'll notice that last verse, verse six that we read, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you are. There you have the source of true Christianity. The God and the Father is the source. Then you have the shelter of Christianity. He's above all. His own, those washed in precious blood. Then you have the supply through all. We're but generals only. Blessed Master, filled with all thy wondrous power. Cry through us, thou canst use us every day, and every hour. That's when we're yielded. And then finally, and in the fourth place, the strength of Christianity in you all. The strength of Christianity is Christ in you, the hope of glory. You cannot be a Christian unless you have Christ in your heart. You cannot live a Christian unless you have Christ in you and he's expressing himself through you. And it has been said on many occasions, there is only one true Christian who ever lived or is living now, and that's the Lord Jesus. He lived in person when he was here nineteen hundred years ago. And in the measure he's living through you, it's Christ living through you. And in the measure you live the Christian life, it's Christ that's doing it. I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh are lived by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. That's the meaning of Christianity. What's the message of Christianity? Well, the message of Christianity, I think, is very clear. We've gone over it at different times, of course, from various angles. I've never taken this up before, something I believe the Lord gave the other night after the midnight hour. And you'll notice here Christianity has something to say, and Paul is the spokesman, and he's an eloquent spokesman. He's the one God chose to really make known what Christianity was. Peter carried it to the Jews, but Paul was the one who carried it into Europe. And since then it's been scattered all over the earth. Wonderful Christianity. And you notice how Agrippa here says in verse one, Thou art permitted to speak. Paul, I'm going to give you that permission. Just tell us now what's on your mind. Christianity has a message. And it's a wonderful message. Paul says, I'm happy to speak. And later on, at the close of the chapter, he said, I speak freely. Isn't it nice when Christians can say, when they're given the opportunity, happily, I'm happy to tell you about Christianity. I'm happy to tell you what Christ means to me. I do it freely. I do it gladly. I speak of myself. This is not hearsay. This is not something partial. This is something that's real. It's genuine, and I'm glad to speak for myself. To give my own personal testimony as to what Christianity is and what it means to me. In connection with the Apostle, His message was really twofold. The real burden of His message was the resurrection. As you'll notice what He says to Agrippin, verse eight, God doth raise the dead. Yes, here's where we all begin. If Christ hadn't risen, there'd have been no Christianity today. All the fabric of Christianity. upon an empty tomb. Christianity is based upon our risen Christ. And so time and time again, through the Acts, the Apostle Paul speaks of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was this that brought the flesh to the cheeks of those priests and to those Jews that infuriated of the resurrection. You know, I was quite struck last night. I don't know whether you saw it on the news or not, about in Israel today they are erecting a scene, a city, a town over there so they can make Western movies. That's quite interesting, isn't it? And they say, just like what you have of Warner Brothers and these other places out in California where they shoot all these Western movies. And they've got a place in Israel, and they're going to make Western movie movies right over in Israel. And you know one of the things they're going to have on exhibit to attract the tourists, and this is what struck me, Jesus Christ Superstar. The Jews will tolerate that. because the superstar makes no reference to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That the first thing that came into my mind, I thought, yes, they'll allow that to be there, because it doesn't emphasize the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It leaves them in the tomb, and the Jews will tolerate that, but they will not tolerate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And that's the message of the book of the Acts, that Jesus Christ rose again. And I think you have the message to manward in verse eighteen. What a wonderful verse that is, to open their eyes to turn them from darkness to light from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins, and also to receive that fellowship that is the inheritance of the justified now this is the message of the gospel a wonderful text to open their eyes here's illumination the instance of God's word given light and one of the two things that the word of God enlightens man to in the gospel the message of Christendom for nineteen hundred years. What's the first thing that man has to be enlightened to or about? And it's the Word of God that enlightens him. He's lost. He's lost. That their eyes might be open. And no one's ever going to be saved until he discovers he's lost. The entrance of God's Word giveth life. And so when we hear the gospel, we make the discovery, an unpleasant discovery. I'm just a poor lost sinner. I am a lost sheep. All we like sheep have gone astray. We've turned everyone to his own way. Yes, here's the gospel, the illuminating message that tells me I'm lost. But it doesn't stop there. The gospel tells me how I can be saved. My eyes get open to the remedy. That's what I'm interested in. The family's not here this morning, but we mentioned this morning about little Hudgens girl going down to New Orleans, having these disturbing headaches. And they are disturbed. It's very serious. The doctors here don't know what to do. How much is going to depend upon the doctor's report? Will it be a happy illumination, or will it be a sad one? Will the light of the doctor's revealed be? Yes, we've discovered the cause, but we can also say we've discovered the remedy. We'll be able to treat it. and she'll be a good help. It's a sad thing if they say we've discovered the trouble. There's no hope. That's a sad situation. Wouldn't it have been sad if that's all the gospel had been to us? If God had declared your loss, your poor lost sinners, yes, we're sinners. We know we're sinners. We're helpless sinners. What can we do? If that had been the message, it would have been a heavy message, a sad one. But all, there's a glad part to the message. That is, a remedy. Christ died for us. He shed his blood to put away our sins. And we can be saved. That's the message of the gospel. By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves is a gift of God, not a works, lest any man should boast. Then you have conversion in this text. It tells you plainly, through or from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. Here you have a change of element or sphere, from darkness to light. You were sometimes darkness, but now you're light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. And like the blind man in John nine, once I was blind, now I see. A change of sphere of element from darkness to light. Isn't that nice? But there's also a change of masters and government here. For it says concerning... from Satan unto God. That's a nice thing. Satan, your master. Now, when you get saved, you've got a new master. That's God in Christ. Sin is a slave. Salvation sets you free. Sin is a bondage, but sonship is liberty. And so you see the message of the gospel. the conversion that the gospel presents. Then you also have something else. You have redemption. It says the forgiveness of sins. That's redemption. It also says here, among them there's fellowship, that are sanctified, there's holiness, and an inheritance, there's glory. All this is in the message that Paul preached. What a wonderful message it is. The gospel message as you have it in verse A.D. But then the third thing, the manner of life. When putting down these things and picking them up, these words for these headings, I thought of the word manner. I wondered if people would understand what that meant in the ad. And I was thinking about it. And then I thought of the word marks. Paul says, I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, Christianity is based upon some marks in the hands and feet and sides of the Son of God. And Christianity bears those marks to this day. And Paul says, I bear in my body the marks of Christ or the marks of Christianity. His body showed the scars because of his claim to Christianity, his love for it, and his preaching of it, and willingness to die for it. I wonder if there are any marks of Christianity on you. and he marks in our lives whereby others can tell that we are Christians, real marks. I think of these scriptures in Second Timothy three, but thou hast fully known my doctrine and manner, here's the word, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, and Colmium, Listera, what persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution, you'll get some marks. Then in Galatians, from henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the mark, and you could add the characteristics of the Lord Jesus. Titus II teaching us that denying ungodliness Christianity, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly,righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. And then over in Acts chapter two, Then they that gladly received His word were baptized, and the same day they were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly. In the Apostle's doctrine, here are some of the marks of true Christianity, continuing steadfastly in the Apostle's doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayer, and fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles, and all that believe were together, there's a lovely togetherness, and had all things come, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need, and unselfish. and they continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house to eat their meat with gladness and singleness of part there's a mark of Christianity having an eye single to the glory of God these are the marks the manners the characteristics of true Christianity a true Christian can say I know my sins are forgiven. I know I have eternal life. I know I have peace with God. I know I'll never perish. I know I belong to Christ. I know I shall be with Him, and I'll be like Him forever. But you know there's a sad verse over in Titus that says this. Many profess that they know God, but in work, marks, manners, and characteristics they deny. Yes, many professed in it, oh God, but it works. They deny it. Today, why, if you were to go up to some people and say, are you a Christian? They'd be offended if, sir. Do you think I'm a heathen? Why, sure, I'm a Christian. I live in Christian America. Is America Christian? You know the impression Russia has of Christian America, of what Christian means to them, or christening even if you want to use that word, it's a liquor bottle broken out of battleship. It's more than that. Christianity is something that's living. Christianity is vital, but there's such a thing as national Christianity. America's called a Christian nation. It's anything but. There are heathens in the depths of Africa that do things today and have more respect for one another than millions of Americans. And so you can be... a national Christian, or you can be a nominal Christian, be called a Christian. But the vain thing, are you a true Christian? Not nationally, not nominally, but naturally by nature. That is a new nature, not the old. You have a new nature. All that are in Christ are new creatures. Old things are passed away. All things have become new. Here you have real, genuine, bona fide Christianity. And then the miracles of Christianity. Why Christianity began with miracles? The very birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in sin was a miracle. The miracle of his birth. The miracle of his life for man living in this world without sin. And oh, to think of the miracle of his death. What was miraculous about that? In that he laid it down. He dismissed his spirit. That's not natural. That's not natural. So this was supernatural. A man that had power to lay his life down. When the moment came, his work was done, he dismissed his spirit. You can't do that. And so his very death was supernatural, it was a miracle. And then the miracle of his resurrection. And think of the miracles that he performed during his life. He performed twenty-two recorded miracles. And he's been recording them ever since. John says in his last verse in the Gospel of John, he says, you know, if all that were to be written, if everything could be written, that Jesus did. The world itself couldn't contain the books that should be written. Yes, Christ is still performing miracles. One thing that stamps Christianity is miracles. The miracle of sovereign grace. How wonderful. When you see a poor sinner and he's turned right around, a drunk becomes a sober man. A harlot becomes pure as a lily. A family is disrupted on the verge of breaking up. The children know nothing of the Bible. Cursing and swearing is the order of the day, fighting and so on. And I know some cases in my own life's ministry. Two or three especially in Durham. where the gospel got in, the man got saved, the wife got saved, and the children one by one were led to the Lord. The father got a job, and today they're living one. In fact, they've been living well for many years. Some of you may have met the man I'm talking about if you went to Bristol County. He's a wonderful man. and one of the men on the ministerial association, one of the preachers on the ministerial association in Durham, who were trying to fight the gospel as it was preached to the gospel center. He broke in one night during the discussion and the criticism of the gospel center. He says, gentlemen, I want to tell you something. He said, about three blocks from me, there are several poor broken-down houses. There's some poor families living there, three or four drunk. He said, it's all. But he says, you know, in the last three or four months, I noticed a family coming out of that little group of homes, if you can call them home. And he said, they come by my house, all neatly dressed, a Bible under each arm, smile and they wish me the time of day as they pass when I'm sitting on the veranda. He said, I've gone down to investigate. The homes improve. They've taken a pride in the little God. He says, brethren, I don't know what it is they've got down there, but he says whatever it is, if it makes such a change in men and families, he says, I'm not going to criticize, and I thank God for it. Still there are miracles. The gospel is performing miracles every day. The Word of God does it. Salvation is supernatural. It's a miracle. Only God can do it. You can't save your old soul. Salvation is on the law. Then you come to the mystery of it, and we haven't much time to go into the mystery of Christianity. For Christianity is a mystery. What's the mystery? Individuals gathered out of all nations and fused into one body, one body. For nineteen hundred years something's been mysterious has been going on and as it is said concerning satanic activity the mystery of iniquity doth already work but there's a mystery of grace that's all so at work and it has been working for nineteen hundred years God is visiting the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. And silently, sacredly, spiritually, but surely stone is being added to stone. Member is being added to member. And a church, a living organism, is being built. And what does Paul say in Ephesians three? And firstly, how that by revelation God made known unto me the mystery, as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ or in Christianity, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men. This wasn't known in the Old Testament. and has now revealed unto the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh, This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church, Christianity, true Christianity. That bond that exists between husband and wife, when the two become one, so it is. The gospel broke down the middle wall of partition between two Jew and Gentile, and made of the twain one new man. And many women are being gathered out of all nations. The Spirit of God is at work, and He's uniting into one glorious body of which Christ is the head, a living organism. That is Christianity. And it's a mystery, but it's at work. And it's a glorious, glorious success. If you were to take the time to read the seven mysteries of Matthew thirteen, you would see what's going on today during this church age or the age of Christianity. And I want to say this, that those parables... And those mysteries refer to the church age. The kingdom that was spoken of in the Old Testament and promised to Israel is not in question there. Because the king came and they rejected him. And they rejected the hurls of the king. Now something new that was never known before is introduced. And that's why those parables in Matthew thirteen are called the mysteries of the kingdom. And if you don't know what they are, I'll just run over them quickly with you. You remember how the Lord sows the seed in that first parable. And here is Christ through his children, sowing the seed ever since Pentecost. Sowing the word of God in the field which he says is the word. This is the gospel going out, the gospel message. Then you remember the wheat and the tares, the second mystery. And this is interpreted. Here is Satan, and he's trying his best to more or less make counterfeits. Counterfeiting, counterfeiting the real thing. Christ is sowing wheat. The enemy sows tares. For the Lord Jesus said in interpreting and explaining this mystery, he says the enemy is the devil. And so Christianity starts. And soon as Christianity starts and quick begins to appear, the devil comes along and he starts to try and conquer them. And he plants terror. That's his business. Satanic influence and activity. And then the third parable, that of the mustard seed speaks of the rapid growth of this mystery in its mystery form. Now this thing comes into a great big tree. This is abnormal. A mustard seed never was intended of God to become a great big tree because naturally it doesn't. A mustard seed only grows through a little small shrub. But what's he talking about? When Christianity gets started, there are those like Constantine who embraced it as a national religion and made all his armed forces get baptized and so on. And now the word Christian embraces saving and loss. Christendom has gone way beyond the proportions that it ever intended of God to be. It includes just about every bird who will settle in its branches. as that parable teaches. The real and the unreal. Then you have the leaven hid in the meal, the three measures of leaven hid in the meal. What does this mean? Here you have truth being permeated with evil, for the leaven speaks of error. And today how Satan has succeeded In permeating the pure plain gospel message with error. All kinds of leaven. All kinds of leaven. Then you have the next one, the fifth one. And here you have the man that gave all he had to possess the field because there was a treasure in it. Strange that treasure is Israel. And for the time being, Israel is scattered during the church age. but Christ has paid the price for the field a little time will come when this will be reinstated. She's scattered now and set her side during this church age. Then the parable, the sixth one, of the pearl, the merchant man who sold all that he had to purchase the pearl, and the pearl is the church. And then the fisherman, pulling in his nets, and he finds that fish as well as good ones. And that speaks of when the Lord shall come, only the ones who are saved will be caught up. There will be a time of separating at the end of the church age when only those who are saved by the grace of God and belong to real Christianity. The body of Christ will be caught up to rest left behind for judgment. then you come to the manifestation of Christianity what does this mean he says behold I show you a mystery in Corinthians fifteen fifty one behold I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment and don't let anyone tell you that a partial rapture some of the church is going through the tribulation it says All will be changed. All born again Christians. They that are Christ that is coming. They'll be changed in a moment. Just one moment. In a moment of time. The same moment they're going to be changed. And in Romans eight, nineteen twenty three, for the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. the manifestation of the church. And verse twenty one, because the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of the body. This poor groaning, sighing, suffering creation, today is groaning. What's it groaning for? Deliverance, release from its bondage of corruption. And when will that release come? Only when Christ comes and takes his people home at his rapture, the manifestation of the sons of God, when all who have been saved in the church age will be together. And when Jesus Christ comes and takes his church home and this world becomes the arena for all the judgments of the revelation, then Christ will set up this kingdom, then will earth go and seek and earthly glory begins. Sighs will be hushed, and songs will be sung. Then there will be deliverance in Zion, and not till then. Even the millennium and the eternal state owes all the glory that will characterize them to Christianity that began when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Those who will be in close proximity to Christ, who are eternity will be as bride. Then Israel, and then the nations of a new birth. What about the enemies of Christianity? There are many. As we've been going through the Acts, we've noticed the high priest, the Sanhedrin, the council, they led the persecution against Christianity, the enemies of Christianity. It strains the most bitter enemies of Christianity has been religions. What does Paul tell us in Philippians three, seventeen, eighteen? Brethren, the Paulers, together of me and Mark, them which walk so as ye have us for an example, for many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Enemies of Christianity, these are professors and not possessors. And today you have modernism. And it's one of the bitter, foremost enemies of true Christianity. I have a name that they live but are dead. So you have religion fighting it, the priest as represented by the priest. There you have religious opposition to true Christianity. Then the pagans, we noticed concerning the Ephesians, when they sang, and cried out, great is Diana of the Ephesians, paganism in the Acts, fighting through Christianity. Then you have these politicians. You have Felix. You have Festus. You have Agrippa, these three governors. Festus, what a heater. You have his procrastination when I have a more convenient seal. You may call it procrastination, but you might as well hit it on the head. He rejected the claims of Christ. He rejected Christianity, as Paul presented it to. Now what about Festus? What was his fault? Poor Festus. When you read the story, he was an ignorant man. He said, Paul, you're just a mad man. Much blurring doesn't make you mad. You're trying to make somebody out of his head, poor ignorant, festive, another enemy of Christianity. What about King Agrippa? King Agrippa, yes, you were brought to the very brink of a decision. Paul presented to you the claims of Christianity, of what Christianity was. and you were impressed and you were being drawn closer to the line, Agrippa. You saw the logic. You saw the earnestness of that little Jew. This word gripped your heart and conscience. You felt the power tugging at your heartstream. And then you pulled yourself up short. You kind of woke up. you are just about being drawn in to make a decision for Christ and embrace Christianity. Then you say to Paul, almost, you almost got me. Almost, persuadest thou me to be a Christian. But he mustered. I've he turned out to be an enemy of Christianity. You have, yes, first of all, the priests. Then the pagans, then the politicians, and one could go on. The powers of darkness, the doctrines of demons that have been fighting ever since. Fighting through Christianity. The pleasures of sin also are an enemy of Christ. Your pals can be enemies. Maybe you've got a position and it will cost you if you come to Christ. The pride of the human heart is opposed to true Christianity because true Christianity humbles a man before it lifts him up and the man's heart doesn't like that. Oh, the enemy of Christ and Christianity. I want to say this, friend, when I haven't time to speak about suffering as a Christian, many Christians are suffering for Christ and Christianity. You may suffer in this life if you become a Christian. But if you don't become a Christian, you'll suffer forever. The choice is yours. If you become a Christian, a real Christian, an alternate Christian, you'll suffer for God. In this life. But if you don't become a Christian, you'll suffer in the lake of fire forever and forever. What are you going to do and what is your reaction and response to the claims of Jesus Christ and the gospel of His grace and true Christianity? Let us pray. Our Heavenly Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come into thy presence. We ask thy blessing on thy word, for thy glory, for the salvation of the soul, for the edification of thy people in our Savior's worthy name. Amen. Let us sing a closing number twenty-nine. To God be the glory, great things ye have done, so loved ye the world, that he gave us his son who yielded his life and atonement for sin and opened the life gates that all may go in will you come to christ as we sing this hymn if you haven't already received them now is your chance or if you received them and haven't publicly confessed them come now as we stand and sing number twenty nine