Acts 24

So this group who tried to beat him up, have him flogged by soldiers is now trying it the legal way. They hire a lawyer and take him before Felix.

The charges are: sedition, unlawful religion, profaning the Temple. This last charge was punishable by death, and the Romans were known to agree with the punishment.

Paul answers his charges. He was not denying Judaism and saying he was following an illegal religion. He was affirming Judaism by showing the fulfilment in Christ.

For the third charge, the one punishable by death, there were no witnesses. So in a Roman court they could not prosecute. It is the same in our courts--we must be able to face our accusers.

To apply this to yourself, think about those times when "the tapes" play in your head. They tell you how bad you are, how unworthy...or maybe they pick on your looks or intellect. When you have accusations thrown at you I want you to remember something. Stand and face your accuser, satan, and tell him who you are in Christ. He cannot stand against you with Christ as your advocate!

Paul gets to the real issue of why they want him silenced. It is for him preaching about resurrection. You see, Christ is just another man who was nice if he never resurrected. He isn't the Messiah if he didn't come back on the third day. This one sticking point was the crux of Paul's argument. Christ is the Messiah.

Felix had Paul held longer in hopes of making money off of him and his supporters. Plus he wanted to placate the Jews. For two years he would call to Paul and hear him speak. And when it got too hot for him, he'd send him away.

"Many fear the consequences of sin, yet continue in the love and practice of sin." MHC

When you share the good news with others, they may be moved by the words so much that it makes them uncomfortable. They may want to listen later, at a more convenient time, when they can shake off that feeling they are getting. Make sure they know, that very moment is the perfect time for this "inconvenient truth". Speak the words the Holy Spirit gives you, do not have any regrets that you withheld anything from them. So when they tell you "no thanks", it's not you they are rejecting but Christ himself.