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

The Focused Life

Prepare: When are you most focused in your life? At work? Playing a favorite sport? Working at your job? Serving at church? What accounts for this heightened sense of focus?

Read: Acts 26:19-32

Reflect: What we have in this passage is the second half of Paul's apologia (his defense of the gospel) before King Agrippa, Festus, and the Roman court. By now, this speech may have a familiar ring since Paul has been defending himself and his message throughout three missionary journeys. But this happens to be the longest and most complete statement Luke has included in Acts, and it has two distinctive elements.

The first is Paul's summary of his own message - repent, turn to God, live right (26:20). That could be the sermon notes of John the Baptist, John Wesley, D. L. Moody, Billy Graham, or any great evangelist. But what ignited Paul's evangelistic fervor was his experience on the Damascus Road. As he said, "I was not disobedient to the vision" (26:19). Paul never forgot that life-changing event. Of all the things we've read in our journey through Acts, perhaps the three biggest change drivers have been the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, Peter's meeting with Cornelius, and the conversion of Paul.

Paul's claim that his message was not new is the second distinctive element. It was firmly rooted in the Old Testament (26:22-23). That's because the big story of the Bible is God's plan of salvation that began in the Garden of Eden and culminated in the birth, death, resurrection, and eventual return of his Son, Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-46). That storyline is what explains the Bible and all of life.

Festus was sitting on the sidelines throughout Paul's monologue- quiet as a time bomb. When he finally blew up (Acts 26:24), it led to one of the most dramatic verbal jousting matches in the Bible. Paul went toe-to-toe with Festus, Agrippa, and the entire Roman court (26:25-29). It was an amazing display of Spirit-inspired confidence.

The dialogue gives us an insight into the incredible strength of Paul's inner game. No matter where he was, no matter what happened to him, Paul stayed focused on his calling (see Romans 1:1-6). That's the lens through which he viewed everything in life.

Paul is a remarkable example of the power of the focused life. And what exactly is it? To be clear about your God-given mission, great or small, to be wholehearted about pursuing it with everything you have, and then be willing to trust the outcome of your efforts and your entire life to God. That's the way to change your world forever.

Apply: How would you articulate your calling? What would it take for you to live a focused life? Record your thoughts in the Essential Question Journal.

The Essential Question (Part 10): Paul's Journey to Rome

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