What does this say:
Acts 20:21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 26:20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
Do you see how you distort Paul's words in Acts 20? Do you know what grace is?
Acts of the Apostles 20:16-32
[16]Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost.
[17]But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.
[18]When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now
[19]I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.
[20]I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.
[21]I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
[22]“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me,
[23]except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.
[24]But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
[25]“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.
[26]I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,
[27]for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
[28]“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.
[29]I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.
[30]Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.
[31]Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
[32]“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.
Notice what comes before your quote in Acts 26..
Acts of the Apostles 26:9-29
[/QUOTE][9]“I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.
[10]Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death.
[11]Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities.
[12]“One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests.
[13]About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.
[14]We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’
[15]“‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked.“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.
[16]Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future.
[17]And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
[18]to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
[19]“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven.
[20]I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
[21]Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me.
[22]But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—
[23]that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.”
[24]Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”
[25]But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth.
[26]And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner!
[27]King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—”
[28]Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”
[29]Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.” [/QUOTE]
Only God can bring a person to repentance by making them alive. We preach repentance, but only God can take a dead man, make them alive and then cause them to repent. How do we know this? God tells us in Ephesians 2:1-10 and God shows us by how He saved Saul/Paul.
GT, you are utterly confused.
