Devotionary

God had raised Jesus back to life in order that men might turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. Jesus died so that men might live. Jesus lived so that men might never die. And Paul wanted Festus and Agrippa to believe so that they might be saved.

For Paul, his encounter with Agrippa would prove to be a no-brainer. He didn’t even have to think about it. He knew going in what he was going to say and what he was hoping to do. Paul was never at a loss for words, because he always had the gospel on his mind.

Paul knew that God was in control. He was fully content to trust God with the outcome. All of the events described by Luke in these verses provide additional proof that God was orchestrating the affairs of Paul’s life. There was a far grander plan taking place behind the scenes, to which even Paul was unaware. But he could sense the sovereign hand of God on his life.

We can justify our actions, excuse our sins as nothing more than mistakes, and rationalize that we operate by a different set of standards, but in the end, it is God who will judge us according to His holy standards and mete out the just punishment we deserve.

For Paul, the real issue surrounding his arrest and trial had to do with one thing and one thing only: His claim that Jesus was alive. And that claim was based on his firm belief that Jesus had been raised back to life by God. Jesus, the dead rabbi from Nazareth, was the very much alive Messiah and Son of God.

Paul had divine protection. That didn’t exempt him from difficulty, because Jesus had clearly predicted that Paul’s life would be marked by suffering. But it meant that his life and ministry were under divine protection until God decided Paul’s work on earth was done.

Paul was able to display such peace in the midst of all the turmoil swirling around him. He was hated and despised but didn’t let him it get to him. He seemed to have more enemies than friends, but he never felt alone or forgotten. He was content that he was living within the will of God and protected by the power of God.

One of the things we learn from Luke’s chronology of those early decades of the church, is that God’s ways are not our ways. His methodology doesn’t always make sense to us, but it gives us no right to question His means or His motives.

Paul was a man divinely equipped for the role given to him by God. And in Acts 22:22-3, Luke will provide us with ample proof that Paul, a citizen of heaven, was ready, willing and able to live out his faith in the polarized world of the 1st-Century.

Paul's days of living outside the will of God were long gone. And the very fact that he was suffering for the sake of the gospel was ample proof that he had been obedient to God’s will and his life was a fulfillment of Christ’s prediction.

Something happened that changed not only Saul’s mindset, but his entire life’s focus. He came to discover that he had been enthusiastically wrong. His mission to destroy the church was not from God and, therefore, his efforts did nothing to please or honor God.

Paul had broken no laws. In fact, he was in the process of trying to prove that He had an affinity for the law of God. But the Jews were not convinced or impressed. In fact, they were so angry at Paul, that they demanded his death. He was a radical whose teachings were heretical and whose message was unacceptable.

Paul demanded that the gospel was based on grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It was Jesus plus nothing. And the leaders in the church in Jerusalem had agreed with him. But maintaining unity while protecting the gospel’s integrity was going to take diplomacy. And a willingness to sacrifice personal rights for the cause of Christ.

Paul will face suffering and persecution for the sake of the gospel. But rather than resist or recoil from such news, Paul accepted it as God’s will and set his mind to go exactly where the Spirit had told him to go.

Discernment and wisdom are critical attributes of those who are called to shepherd. And it isn’t enough to lead well, these individual are to live well, modeling what it means to be a faithful follower of Christ, exhibiting integrity, selflessness, love, and an unwavering commitment to the cause of Christ, regardless any opposition they may face.