Acts 24

Paul makes his first defense after the Jerusalem incident before the Roman authorities…before Governor Felix. The charges leveled against Paul are serious, but none can be proven. And yet, he remains in custody awaiting his divine appointment in Rome.

Despite his circumstances, Paul still has one job to do…share the gospel, to share his story. Despite your circumstances, you too have one job to do…to share your story. The story of how God has brought you from death to life, from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of the Beloved Son. The question is, do you see your circumstances as an opportunity to share your story, or are you so busy trying to escape them that you can think of nothing else? Maybe the difficult things you are going through are providing an opportunity you would have no other way…

Paul believed his faith in Jesus mattered. It mattered in the future because the promised kingdom awaits. But it also matters right now. Because how we live out our faith today, has an impact on our experience of the promised kingdom tomorrow. 

Does your faith cause a stir? I have heard it said this way, if you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? You see, one day each of us will give an account of how we lived our lives (1 Corinthians 3.10-15). As believers, our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, but we are stilled evaluated on how we lived out our faith…how we invested our mina…what we did with the gospel. We will still give an account of our life to the King. Where are you investing your resources? Who are you sharing your story with? Are you storing up treasures in heaven? Or are you pursuing after the things of this world? Only you can answer that.

If you haven’t trusted in Jesus, you too will give an account. But it’s a very different account. Since you didn’t trust in Jesus to forgive you of your sins, you will have to pick up the tab yourself. An eternity apart from God in a place called hell. A terribly frightening thought. Don’t go that route. The price has already been paid. Trust in Jesus today.

One last thing…If Paul lived in fear of what folks thought of him, where would we be today? What if we had the same courage that he had? How might our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, etc. be different?

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our Acts series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ccclancaster