Stand Up

Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself.  This began Paul's testimony before King Agrippa in the amphitheater in Caesarea.  It is an impressive site which includes the amphitheater, a hippodrome and a ship harbor among other ruins. Caesarea which was home to many Christians was called the "springboard" for Christianity because of the ship traffic that was used to send Christians to many points in the known world.  One can sit there and imagine the pageantry and drama as Paul stood before the royalty of the day to speak about Jesus.

The amphitheater still stands in a once great city with the Mediterranean Sea as its backdrop.  The capacity of the amphitheater is several thousand and is used for concerts even today.  We have enjoyed spending time there with several groups recounting the story of Paul and Agrippa in the book of Acts and entering into times of worship, filling the amphitheater with the praises of God.  It is easier to stand up for Jesus in Caesarea now than it was then I'm sure.


A story is told of a little boy who was being disciplined by his mother.  She made him sit in a chair for five minutes as a penalty for his misbehavior.  As he sat down, he looked at his mother and said, "I am sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside."  That thought can be applied to our willingness to stand up for our faith and for our Savior.  So often we are standing up on the inside, but we are sitting down on the outside.  It is a dilemma that is difficult to overcome.  You know what I'm taking about, right?

Take heart!  The Lord knows our frailties. He knew them when He called us into His family.  The ability to stand up for our faith is a process and one that takes time.  There are some things we can do to help.  First, we need to have an assurance of our salvation.  Know the day that you were saved because that gives you your beginning point in the Christian journey.  Then you can develop your own personal testimony about how Jesus brought you to Himself and what he has done in your life since.  Second, learn to share your faith.  That can be in a discipleship class or perhaps with a friend that knows how to share his or her faith.  That will give you a "track" to run which will help you to get started sharing about Jesus.  Lastly, begin to pray for someone with whom to share your faith.  It can be anyone that is in your sphere of influence.  My first opportunity came with a co-worker and let me tell you, I was scared to death.  But, that all changed with their decision for Christ.  Jesus certainly changed their life just as He changed Paul's life.

People often see Paul as this untouchable giant in the New Testament.  But we must remember that he was just a man that had yielded his life to God.  His path to the time when he would stand for Jesus without reservation was a long and rocky one.  The key is to remember that any journey begins with a first step. You too can be one of the many faces at Caesarea standing up for Jesus, the One who gave it all for us.

Happy trails and remember to "stand up"!