Are many people today unable to believe the gospel even when they hear it taught?
Yes, many people today hear the Gospel and the Bible taught yet remain unconvinced, saying, 'I can't believe it.' Like Agrippa before Paul, they do not accept the truth. The context illustrates this with a young man who struggled to believe it was all free; until he believed it, he would not have it.
Les explains that Agrippa could never be convinced that what Paul told him was true, and that is where a lot of people are today. They hear the Gospel and hear this book taught, but they cannot be convinced; they just say, 'I can't believe it.' Les recalls a young man in his Wilburton class who had no home life or parents and had to scratch and fight for every little bit of food. When told he could have all of this free for nothing, he said he couldn't believe it. Les told him that until he believed it, he would not have it, and so he left. Les hopes that sometime in the interim he has come to his senses that all of this is ours for the taking if we believe it.