Here is a story worth telling. There was a man called Saul (in Jewish) or Paul (in Greek) lived in Jerusalem during and immediately after the time of Jesus. He was a Jew, a Pharisee.
Listen to him as he makes his defense before King Agrippa.
(Acts 26:1-32 New King James Bible)
1Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You are permitted to speak for yourself." So, Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:
2"I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, 3especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently.
4"My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain.
For this hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
9"Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
12"While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 14And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15So I said, 'Who are You, Lord?'
And He said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'
19"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 21For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
22Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come -- 23that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."
When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, "This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains."
32Then Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."
7"But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile -- now I've thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone. 8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared to the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ, 9and become one with him. No longer counting on being saved by being good enough or by obeying God's laws, but by trusting Christ to save me; for God's way of making us right with Him is by faith -- counting on Christ alone.
10"Now I have given up everything else -- I have found it to be the only way to really know Christ and to experience the mighty power that brought Him back to life again, and to find out what it means to suffer and die with Him. 11So, whatever it takes, I will, be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead."
15-16"I hope all of you who are mature will see eye to eye with me on these things, if you disagree on some point, I believe that God will make it plain to you -- if you fully obey the truth you have."
1 Timothy 1:15-17 says, "How true it is, and how I long that everyone should know it, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners -- and I was the greatest of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as an example to show how patient he is with even the worst sinners, so that others will realize that they too, can have everlasting life.
Glory and honour to God forever and ever. He is the king of the ages, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God, and full of wisdom, Amen."
You just read the conclusion Paul the skeptic made about Jesus. After his personal encounter with Jesus his attitude toward him was totally changed from one of hostility to a life of love and obedience to Him. He was even willing to give his life preaching the gospel to the Jews and the Gentiles alike risking his very own life. He discovered from his encounter with Jesus that Jesus is not an ordinary man but He is really the Son of God who loved him and came to die for him.
Dear friend, Jesus did not come to condemn us or destroy us but came to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sins and give us eternal life.
Jesus says,
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13).
Again in 1 John 3:16, "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us".
"If you love me I love you. If you don't love me I don't love you." This is humanly love.
"Even if you love me, I hate you." This is animal love, like tigers, lions and snakes. If you tried to feed them they'd want to eat you up.
"I will still love you, even if you hate me." This is divine or Godly love, the kind of love Jesus demonstrated toward us.
"God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
You may be saying, now I understand that Jesus is not an evil man. He really came to love and die for me. I want to love Him. How can I receive Jesus as my Saviour and Lord?