Acts of Leadership

Week 7: Your Story to Tell
Pastor Rick Henderson             November 8-9, 2025

Note: This manuscript isn’t a transcript of the sermon, but a planning guide showing what the speaker intends to say.

Last week, we ended with this point.

We need leaders who never BACK down from having our BACKS.

We will talk a little bit about honor later in the sermon. When we have an opportunity to honor people who have our backs, we should seize that opportunity.

We need leaders who never BACK down from having our BACKS.

Do you know who else this statement describes? It describes so many of you. As a church family, we continue to take steps in this direction. I’m so proud of you and humbled by you. Based on all the big boxes you’ve taken, you will end up donating more $60K+ in groceries. You’re not backing down from having the backs of people in this community.

As a church family, we don’t want to back down from having each other’s backs as well. I want to let you know about something we just launched called, Shutdown Relief.

If you have found yourself in need of support in the way of prayer, community or resources due to the impact of the government shutdown, your church would like to engage with and come alongside of you.

Please go to our website, under care & support, to the Request Assistance button so that you we connect with you. "

Those of you who give to Autumn Ridge, you are contributing to and funding our collective generosity. I’m grateful that I get to be a part of a church like this.

ACTS 26

Today we’re going to read Acts 26. It’s a pivotal scene in the life of the Apostle Paul. I think that statement described him. He never seemed to back down from having someone’s back. Last week we centered on Paul’s farewell address to the leaders of the Ephesian church. Before they parted ways for the last time, these were some of his last words to them.

ACTS 20:22-24 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Sure enough, Paul went to Jerusalem. He was recognized by a militant, anti-Jesus crowd, and he was jumped. It turned into a riot. Roman soldiers busted it up and took Paul into custody. Because he was a Roman citizen, he was protected. And instead of using his citizenship status to his own advantage, he used it to turn around and preach, to share the gospel with the people who, 5 minutes ago, were trying to kill him.

Things settled and then flared back up. So he was sent to the Roman governor, named Felix. Now the Jewish religious and political leadership got involved, too. The High Priest brought his lawyer, and they did their best to get Felix to execute Paul. The problem was that no one could prove he did anything wrong. These were clearly trumped-up charges. But Governor Felix kept Paul in custody because he hoped to secure a bride for Paul’s release.

The whole time, he and Paul would meet. Paul would answer questions and share the gospel. That went on for 2 years. After 2 years, Felix was replaced by a new governor, named Festus. He couldn’t figure out why Paul was in custody. But he couldn’t let Paul go, because Paul did something sort of genius. Because he was a Roman citizen, he appealed to have his case sent to Rome. By law he could no longer be released. He had to be shipped to Rome so that the court of Caesar could hear his case. Paul disadvantaged himself so he could work his way up the Roman court system, meeting powerful people and sharing the gospel as he went.

That legal move didn’t make any sense to Governor Festus. He was confused. His friend, King Agrippa, came to visit. He told Agrippa the situation, and Agrippa asked if he could meet Paul and hear his side of the story. That’s the scene when we pick up in Acts 26.

ACTS 26:1-29 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”

So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: ² “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, ³ and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

⁴ “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. ⁵ They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. ⁶ And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. ⁷ This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. ⁸ Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

⁹ “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

¹² “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. ¹³ About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. ¹⁴ We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ^j ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

¹⁵ “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. ¹⁶ ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. ¹⁷ I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them ¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

¹⁹ “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. ²⁰ First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. ²¹ That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. ²² But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen—²³ that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

²⁵ “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶ The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

²⁹ Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

That’s funny, right?

Let’s start at the start.

ACTS 26:2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense…”

He started by honoring the man he stood before in chains. This is my encouragement to you.

HONOR everyone and everything you can.

Honor does not mean flattery. Honor is about dignity and respect. It’s choosing to acknowledge dignity and express respect. It’s a million miles from flattery. Be aware, there is a powerful temptation when speaking to someone in power, or to someone with wealth or influence, especially when that person has something you need or want. The temptation is to flatter them. Honor everyone, don’t flatter or fawn over anyone. Honoring someone will not cost you anything. Flattery will very likely cost you your integrity.

Honoring someone will not COST you. But that doesn’t mean it won’t feel COSTLY.

Sometimes offering simple respect and dignity feels morally complicated. It can be difficult. We might even convince ourselves that we are compromising if we give honor to someone whose actions we condemn. Though it didn’t cost him anything to honor King Agrippa, I wonder if it felt costly to Paul. I don’t know how much you know about King Agrippa. He’s actually Agrippa II.

SLIDE: Agrippa’s family tree

• His great-grandfather was Herod the Great.
  • He was the King that the magi visited after the birth of Jesus. He’s the one who ordered all the young boys in Bethlehem to be murdered in an attempt to kill Jesus.
• His grandfather was Herod Antipas.
  • He’s the one who executed John the Baptist.
• His dad was Agrippa I.
  • He murdered one of the Apostles, James, the son of Zebedee.
• Agrippa II
  • He’s morally suspect himself. He was there with his sister Bernice. And it was widely believed that they were pretty close, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down.

There’s a lot of gross and evil stuff in this family tree. Let’s try to put ourselves in Paul’s situation. You’ve been in custody for two years. You’ve done nothing wrong. You are on trial, yet again, surrounded by onlookers while you are physically bound in chains. You are quite literally being made a public spectacle by an incestuous man, who comes from a long line of pompous, murderous scoundrels.

Isn’t there something inside of you that wants to throw caution to the wind and just unload on that dude?

Instead of that, Paul said, “I consider myself fortunate to stand in front of you.” He chose to honor. What I want to suggest to you is that he didn’t pretend to honor him. That act of honor flowed out of who he was. It wasn’t a tactic. It was an attribute of Paul’s character formed in him by being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus. What do you think, should we desire to have that attribute, too?

There’s a question I’ve been asked many times over the years. This question has been asked a dozen different ways. The fact that it comes up so frequently tells me it’s a common struggle.

Whatever form the question takes, there are always two things at the heart of it: how am I supposed to be around people I disagree with, and when am I supposed to tell them they're wrong or that they are sinning? I hope you will find this liberating. You don’t have to announce it every time you think someone is wrong. You don’t have to announce every time you disagree.

Somehow, some way, something convinced church people that it’s our responsibility to tell someone every time we disagree with them or that we think they’re sinning. I’ve known goodhearted, intelligent Christians who wouldn’t have their neighbors over for dinner because they disagreed with their lifestyle or something else that felt like a significant disagreement. They felt like they were compromising if they shared a meal with people who saw life differently from them.

If you’ve ever felt that—be free! Did you know that Jesus doesn’t expect you to, and he doesn’t ask you to tell people they're wrong or to announce every time you disagree. You can have your neighbors over for dinner. And you can say to them, “Life is busy for everybody. I feel fortunate that you would make time to share a meal with us.” Honor everyone and everything you can.

And when you are given the opportunity, share your story. Why?

No one KNOWS your story like you do. No one will KNOW your story unless you tell it.

Paul took advantage of the opportunity to share his personal story. He didn’t preach a sermon. He didn’t make theological pronouncements. He didn’t talk about what was wrong with society. He didn’t grandstand. He told his story.

ACTS 26:9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth…”

This is what I used to be like. I met Jesus. This is my life now. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to tell our stories. Some helpful elements will include:

• My life and my way of thinking before following Jesus.
• What convinced me to trust and follow Jesus?
• The impact and change that it’s made.

Your story is powerful, not because of your ability to be eloquent or captivating. This is why your story is powerful. You are a living, historical artefact of God’s work in humanity. You are a living, breathing, knowable artefact of God’s loving work in humanity. That makes your story powerful. No one knows your story like you do. And no one will know your story unless you tell it.

I recently discovered the story of A.N. Wilson. He is a British author and journalist. He was a believer, who had a radical conversion to atheism. He was personal friends with Richard Dawkins and Chrsitopher Hitchens. He was hardcore. About 15 years ago, he published an article about his return to faith. There’s a link to it in the online message notes.

https://www.newstatesman.com/long-reads/2009/04/conversion-experience-atheism

I’d love for you to read it. He’s a great writer who vulnerably tells stories about his faith journey. The article ends with this.

One thing that finally put the tin hat on any aspirations to be an unbeliever was writing a book about the Wagner family and Nazi Germany, and realising how utterly incoherent were Hitler’s neo-Darwinian ravings, and how potent was the opposition, much of it from Christians; paid for, not with clear intellectual victory, but in blood. Read Pastor Bonhoeffer’s book Ethics, and ask yourself what sort of mad world is created by those who think that ethics are a purely human construct. Think of Bonhoeffer’s serenity before he was hanged, even though he was in love and had everything to look forward to. My departure from the Faith was like a conversion on the road to Damascus. My return was slow, hesitant, doubting. So it will always be; but I know I shall never make the same mistake again.
–A.N. Wilson

When you have the opportunity to share your story…

• What was your life like, and my way of thinking, before following Jesus?
• What convinced to trust and follow Jesus?
• What impact has that had on your life?

No one KNOWS your story like you do. No one will KNOW your story unless you tell it.

What keeps us from sharing our stories? Probably stuff like this.

ACTS 26:24-26 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

What’s going on inside you if you’re in that situation?

²⁵ “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. ²⁶ The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.

I’m convinced that the more like Jesus we become, the more of a non-anxious presence we will be. Pastor Svea recently shared this description of Jesus with me. He was intentional but relaxed. In this scene, Paul is like that. He’s focused while relaxed. In other words, he could offer a defense without being defensive.

Defensiveness is about avoiding CRITICISM. A defense is about offering CLARITY.

A non-anxious person, a person who understands who they are in Christ, a person who is intentional and relaxed, can let that insulting outburst slide off. That kind of person can say, “It makes sense to me that this doesn’t make sense to you. But what about…”. And then share whatever it is that is compelling and convincing to you.

Paul’s response was calm, collected, and clever. They were aware of the miracles Jesus did. How do you explain that? they were aware of the claims of Jesus’ resurrection. They were also aware that there was no body in the tomb. How do you explain that? Again, anchored by story, Paul was saying, You know what my life was like before following Jesus, and you see what it’s like now. What do you think the best explanation for that is? Here’s the lesson.

It's not my responsibility to CONVINCE you, but to share with you what CONVINCED me.

I don’t know what Agrippa was thinking. It appears the case for the reasonableness for faith was mounting. If this conversation kept going, the pressure was going to be on him to respond. So he had to shut it down.

ACTS 26:28-29 ²⁸ Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

²⁹ Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Conversion has been somewhat of a hot topic lately. Vice President J.D. Vance is Catholic, and his wife, Usha, is Hindu. He’s gotten some blowback for saying that he would like his wife to one day become Catholic. The blowback he’s received is ironic, don’t you think? People have written articles, posted podcast episodes, and blasted their statements on social media, trying to shame and pressure the Vice President into backing off from statements like that. The irony is that they are trying to coerce him, dare I say convert him to their way of thinking.

You and I might disagree on what the truth is. But whatever it is we believe about how the world really works, whatever we believe about what reality is at rock bottom, whatever it is we believe about how life should be, we want the people we care about to be aligned with that understanding too. No one wants to be deceived. Whatever you believe is ultimately true, ultimately you will want the people you care about to know it too. No one wants the people they care about to be deceived.

The only people who are hoping that you don’t align with truth are LIARS and CONMEN.

For sure. No one wants to be coerced or controlled. And we should never, ever engage in anything that is coercive or controlling. Isn’t this true? Isn’t this something that unites all of us? You don’t want the people you love and care about to build their lives on a lie. And because you love them, you want them to build their lives on what is true, good, and beautiful.

We may disagree on what that is. And yet, at a very deep and profound level, we all share that in common. So, it makes perfect sense that Paul would say this.

ACTS 26:29 “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Intentional. Relaxed. Patient. Full of love. Fully relying on God. What might be different if I were more like that? What if you were, too? What might God want to do with a church full of people who were intentional, relaxed, patient, so full of love that they shared their stories, all while fully relying on God?

May it be true of us.