“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me
to become a Christian’ ”
(Acts 26:28).
LaMia Flight 2933 departed from Viru Viru Airport in Bolivia to José María Córdova Airport in Colombia, with 68 passengers and 9 crew members. It crashed on November 28, 2016 at 22:15 local time. Among the passengers was Brazilian football team Chapecoense, which was on its way to play the final of the 2016 South American Cup against Atlético Nacional.
Only six people survived the accident. Investigators concluded that the cause of the accident was fuel exhaustion due to human error. The aircraft was flying overweight and with fuel to the limit, and the pilot wrongly decided not to make a stop to refuel. This is a very sad story, because of the loss of so many young lives due to an accident that could have been avoided. When it crashed, the runway was already visible. It was only four minutes away. They were almost saved.
On February 1, 2003, the Columbia space shuttle returned from its mission. After spending 16 days in space, it was only fifteen minutes away from landing. Families gathered in Houston to welcome their loved ones. But something terrible happened. A piece of foam insulation came off and damaged one of the wings, and the force and heat caused the shuttle to disintegrate, its pieces falling over Louisiana and Texas. Seven astronauts almost came back.
King Agrippa heard the preaching of Paul, a persuative speaker, who presented the gospel powerfully. Agrippa understood everything, but said, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Here is a half- converted man who could not deny his faith in the prophets. Next to him was an atheist governor, who had told Paul a few moments earlier that he was insane.
We do not knnow the result of Paul’s testimony. Agrippa retained his human dignity, but at a high price: his own soul. He was so close… he almost accepted Jesus, but “almost saved” means completely lost. If salvation is the most valuable thing there is, not attaining it is truly the gratest tragedy.
Is there any “almost” or “nearly” in your life that is leavinig you out entirely? Almost faithful is not faithful at all. almost committes is not committed at all. What is needed for your surrender and commitment to be complete? Is there something in your heart, in your job, in your relationships, in your testimony? What is missing in order for you to be persuaded?
As pleasant as the flight may seem,
the really transcendent thing is to get to the destination.
God bless you, let us all get to our destination….