Acts 24:1-22
Let the trials begin or I should say continue. Paul will have the opportunity to defend himself and announce Christ before Felix, the governor and many others as time goes by. He is able to face these trials without fear because of the trust he has in the Lord.
JEWS MAKE FALSE ACCUSATIONS: The lawyer hired by the the Jews to accuse Paul resorts to making false accusations against Paul. The lawyer ends up making subtle accusations of the Roman soldiers who saved Paul in the process. Paul had done nothing wrong, but he represented what they considered to be a cult so they felt justified in making up lies about him. I think that what I take away from this is the realization that it is never right to do wrong even though you may think you are doing it with right motives. Doing right should never involve telling lies no matter the consequence.
PAUL MAKES FAITHFUL ARGUMENT: Paul was basically being accused of starting a riot and he had done nothing prior to his arrest and only at his last trial had he spoken of the hope of the resurrection. Paul has nothing to hide and simply tells Felix what has happened. Paul had been quietly going about his business when he was wrongly accused of taking Gentiles into the temple. The truth is his defense and he is able to not only defend himself but proclaim Christ.
FELIX MAKES A FEARFUL ASSESSMENT: Felix, is caught in a position where he does not want to offend the Jews, so he cannot simply set Paul free. However, he knows of Paul's innocence and cannot accuse him either. He decides to stall and in the mean time he questions Paul and becomes more and more fearful the more he learns about Paul and his teachings. He ends up being indecisive and passes the problems on to the next governor. When we do not do what we know to be right we are going to live in fear. If we obey we can have faith knowing that God will honor our obedience.
JEWS MAKE FALSE ACCUSATIONS: The lawyer hired by the the Jews to accuse Paul resorts to making false accusations against Paul. The lawyer ends up making subtle accusations of the Roman soldiers who saved Paul in the process. Paul had done nothing wrong, but he represented what they considered to be a cult so they felt justified in making up lies about him. I think that what I take away from this is the realization that it is never right to do wrong even though you may think you are doing it with right motives. Doing right should never involve telling lies no matter the consequence.
PAUL MAKES FAITHFUL ARGUMENT: Paul was basically being accused of starting a riot and he had done nothing prior to his arrest and only at his last trial had he spoken of the hope of the resurrection. Paul has nothing to hide and simply tells Felix what has happened. Paul had been quietly going about his business when he was wrongly accused of taking Gentiles into the temple. The truth is his defense and he is able to not only defend himself but proclaim Christ.
FELIX MAKES A FEARFUL ASSESSMENT: Felix, is caught in a position where he does not want to offend the Jews, so he cannot simply set Paul free. However, he knows of Paul's innocence and cannot accuse him either. He decides to stall and in the mean time he questions Paul and becomes more and more fearful the more he learns about Paul and his teachings. He ends up being indecisive and passes the problems on to the next governor. When we do not do what we know to be right we are going to live in fear. If we obey we can have faith knowing that God will honor our obedience.
Comments
Post a Comment