And 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. -- Acts 26:29 (KJV)
Paul's final answer begins as a desire offered to God: “I would to God.” He has spoken to a king, a governor, and everyone listening. Now he says what he wants for them.
Agrippa has just used the word Christian. Paul takes up the thought and widens it to the whole gathering. He wants every hearer to become as he is, “except these bonds.”
The Aim of His Witness
Paul's witness becomes a plea for their salvation. Vindication drops out of his closing desire. He does not wish his suffering on anyone. He does want them to know Christ.
That desire is striking because the people with freedom are listening to the man in bonds. Paul could have spent his last sentence asking them to recognize what this ordeal had cost him. Instead, his attention moves toward what they still need.
Blood, Word, and Life
Revelation 12 calls Satan “the accuser of our brethren.” The next verse says the saints overcome him “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony,” and they love not their lives unto death.
The Lamb's blood secures the victory. Testimony confesses the One who shed it. Costly faithfulness shows that the confession is more precious than self-preservation. Paul describes himself only to direct his hearers toward the Christ who saves.
That changes the question behind our own witness. We can stop asking whether our account sounds unusual enough and ask whether love for the hearer can be felt in it. Do our words leave people impressed with our endurance, or invited toward Jesus?
Think of one person who needs Christ. Ask God to let your concern for that person become stronger than your wish to be understood. Speak when the opportunity comes, and keep their salvation—not your reputation—in view.
The bonds remain on Paul's wrists. His desire reaches everyone listening.
