Acts 24 | God Gives Opportunityਨਮੂਨਾ

Opportunity to Witness

What Paul chooses to focus on in his defense is fascinating.

• I did not desecrate the Temple, stir up riots, or cause any trouble. I am guilty of no crime.
• I admit that I worship the God of my ancestors as a follower of the Way (which they call a sect).
• I believe everything God has formerly revealed in the Torah (the Law and the Prophets).
• This roots me in the hope that God will ultimately judge all things and right all wrongs. That hope is found in the resurrection. And my hope in God’s future judgment and resurrection is why I stand here today.

Paul could have argued endlessly about details. Instead, he draws everything through the lens of Jesus towards the resurrection, which gives him an opportunity to witness to Christ and his gospel.

The resurrection and the gospel go hand-in-hand. You see this throughout Paul’s speeches in Acts and his New Testament letters. And the resurrection implies something. Not only does it point to the might and power of King Jesus, who has victory over death. It points to King Jesus as the one who will one day bring justice by judging all the living and the dead.

That’s something to pause and consider, especially if you’re an unjust governor.

So much could be said about this short, little defense. It’s masterful politically, theologically, and practically. Above all, it’s an opportunity to bring the gospel to one more person – the corrupt Governor Felix.

Paul could have focused on saving his own skin. Instead, he flips the script on his situation and uses it as an opportunity to stir something in the heart of another human being who has not yet repented, who has not called on Jesus as savior and Lord.

Prayer

Thank God for the coming resurrection. Ask him to help you point people to that day to come, and, if you’re struggling in the face of injustice, to pray like the early church did: “Come, Lord Jesus.”