The Essential Question (Part 9): Paul's Roman TrialSample

The Inconvenient Truth

Prepare: Begin your time of worship with the ACTS prayer method: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.

Read: Acts 24:1-27

Reflect: Tertullus is one of the biggest phonies in the Bible; he gives lawyers a bad name. First, he complimented Felix on achieving "peace" and "reforms," but everyone present knew what history now tells us: Felix was a brutal Roman official despised by the Jews. Next, Tertullus professed "profound gratitude" for Felix's tremendous leadership, a claim that would have caused even the Romans to roll their eyes. Finally, he accused Paul of being a religious "troublemaker," a charge hardly worth all the fuss (Acts 24:2-5).

Tertullus's charade raises an important question for today's frontline ministry: How should we respond to untrue criticism and unfair treatment from those who oppose the gospel? Interestingly, Paul's main concern was not the injustice being done to him. Instead, his concern was to continue sharing the good news, and we should note how he accomplished that.

First, he responded to the charges (24:10-13). Tertullus accused Paul of stirring up riots when in fact, it was the religious leaders who had instigated them. Paul simply stated for the record that he went to the temple to pray, and he invited Felix to check the facts with eyewitnesses. Knowing that our actions and motives are pure gives us great freedom and power to respond to our critics.

Second, Paul redirected the discussion to spiritual matters by saying the real issue was not riots but the resurrection. Even though Paul had a lot in common with his accusers (24:14-16), the elephant in the room was his claim that Jesus rose from the dead. That's still the foundation of the Christian faith. Finally, Paul recounted part of his spiritual journey (24:17-18). Simply telling people how God has worked in our lives is an effective way to witness for Christ.

Apparently, Paul was getting through to Felix, but he wasn't ready to commit (24:22-26). Maybe he thought joining the Way would cause him to lose his reputation or power. The text says he was hoping for a bribe. But Felix's excuse was perhaps more honest than he intended--becoming a follower of Jesus just wasn't "convenient" (24:25). That's still the case for many people today. Sometimes the most difficult objection to overcome is not from bad people opposing the gospel; instead, it's from good people who don't want to be inconvenienced by the truth.

Apply: What untrue criticism or unfair treatment have you received for doing ministry? How does this passage help you respond to such situations?