WORLDS COLLIDE: Week 40 – About a Dead Man Named Jesus – Acts 25:1-22

As we are nearing the end of this year’s study in the book of Acts, this amazing story of the unstoppable power of the church of God, you’ll start to see that it begins to blur together. Whereas earlier in the book, you get the specific individual stories that stand out, now – though there will be separate trials that Paul has to go through on his way up to Rome – it all seems like one long drawn-out trial.

But don’t give in to the temptation to just turn this next few weeks off thinking, “Oh it’s just the trial of Paul again…” In each instance, there will be something of importance to note, I promise.

If you recall back to Acts 9, when Paul was converted from persecutor to disciple, God had given him a commission to go along with his conversion. God designated Paul a “chosen instrument” to bear God’s name before Gentiles and their kings… In this commission was also the promise that it wasn’t going to be a bed of roses; there would be hardships and suffering.

So now Paul comes to his second trial in front of one of those “Gentile kings.” Festus has succeeded Felix as governor. History tells us that Felix was ineffective and was replaced by the more even-tempered Festus.  And the prediction God made for the testimony of Paul’s life is starting to REALLY come true.

A couple weeks ago we talked about how having a clear conscience allows one to be bold in standing for the truth. Proverbs 28:1 says “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Paul is able to be bold because his cause is righteous, he lives with integrity; and so for him, these trials don’t seem to faze him at all.