Missions Paul

Even Bernice can be a servant.

Acts 25:13 “A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.”

Suddenly onto centre stage come the most unlikely of couples. Agrippa and Bernice were a couple but they shouldn’t have been because they were in fact brother and sister! In fact it was at this time that the historians say the rumours started about the incestuous relationship and that 5 years after the trial of Paul Bernice married King Polemon for a short time before returning to her brother.

They would become important figures in this scene as we will see.

Never be shocked at who God uses. God is not contained by the wickedness and sin of people. His purposes are higher than that. Don’t let conduct blind you to the higher purposes of God.

Look around you today, doesn’t matter who they are, don’t write them off, don’t turn your head, it could be that God has brought them to the stage for such a time as this.

Do you belong to a group?

Acts 25:12 “After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus met with a group of Roman citizens who were military or civil servants acting as an advisory board. He met with them to see what they advised.

Who advises you? When you are in the middle of two opposing views, how do you decide? Do you have friends who hold you accountable? The discussion with his board would consist of what the Jewish group wanted and who Paul was and how his citizenship protected him. No doubt the group let Festus know that the Jews could see at least he tried to have Paul sent to Jerusalem but that he was trapped in that he had to send Paul to Caesar.

Western Christianity is so individualistic. We have our own walk with God, we hear God individually and we make decisions alone. But not so in other parts of the world where community is powerful and decisions are made as a group. Perhaps this is the way it should be. Maybe there would be less mistakes made if others advised us.

It is a wise thing to have a group of people who you can confer to on a number of things.

No one

Acts 25: 11 “If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!’”

No one has greater authority than God.

Paul, a Roman citizen, now plays his card. The right to appeal to the Supreme Court was given to every Roman citizen.

How Paul knew was uncertain but he could see through the desire of Festus to have him tried in Jerusalem. There was no way Paul was going to put himself in the place of his life being threatened, not because he was afraid, but because he was holding on to the promise of God of being a witness for Him in Rome.

“No one has the right”, Paul says. No one can move me. I know who I am because I know who He is and what He wants for me.

No one can shake you. Psalm 62:2 “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.”

No one can take your joy. John 16:22 “no one will take away your joy.”

No one can take you from the Lord. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

No one has the right over you, they can change your circumstance perhaps, they can attack you, but no one can move you from your freedom to choose Him and to remain in Him. No one.

Remain in position

Acts 25: 10 “Paul answered: ‘I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.”

The Message helps us to understand a little more, it says, “I’m standing at this moment before Caesar’s bar of justice, where I have a perfect right to stand. And I’m going to keep standing here.”

Paul had done nothing wrong to deserve being dragged to a Jewish court, he knew it, Festus knew it and so did the Jews.

Behind this determination was his promise from the Lord in 23:11 ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.’
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Cor 16:13

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13

Where are you today? Are you where God put you? Then remain there, don’t be moved. Don’t let people pressure you to be where you should not be or do what you are not called to do.

 

Don’t side with the bullies

Acts 25:9 “Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favour, said to Paul, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?’”

He changed his mind. The Jews had requested a favour of Festus to have Paul tried in Jerusalem. They had plans to ambush him along the way and kill him. But Festus appeared a strong leader and refused insisting on him being tried in Caesarea. But now it appears he changed his mind and wanted Paul in Jerusalem at the request of the gang who wanted to kill him. Or did he?

Festus knew that with Paul being a Roman citizen there was no way he could be ordered to stand trial in Jerusalem. Paul had rights.

“Wishing to do the Jews a favour …” could be also viewed as “wanting to be seen to do the Jews a favour” and fits his original stance of Paul being tried in Caesarea and not Jerusalem. “At least I tried to get him back to Jerusalem” could be his response to the Jews.

Was this weakness? Maybe it was. Changing one’s mind often appears weak.

Was this wisdom, appearing at least to try to please the Jews? Maybe it was. Solomon appeared to try to please 2 arguing mothers when suggesting a baby be cut in half to be shared. Did Paul know about the plot to kill Paul along the way? Possibly, as Paul seemed to have known.

Was Festus thus a good man? There are too many questions for a morning devotions perhaps.

But what this does suggest is that it is so difficult when caught between 2 opposing minds. Someone is going to be upset with your decision. Who do you choose? Which side do you side with?

Festus decision to give Paul the option, whether he does this purposefully or not, shows us that it is best to fall on the side which least has a hidden agenda to harm. Don’t side with the bullies is the lesson.

 

VAR

Acts 25: 8 “Then Paul made his defence: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.’”

I have done nothing wrong …

Against what makes a Jew a Jew: Paul followed the law of Moses, in fact that is why he was in the temple in the first place, keeping the ceremonial laws.

Against the worship life: Paul had not taken a Gentile into the temple.

Against the ruler of the land: Paul had not formed a gang to rise and challenge the Roman leaders.

It is easy looking back to see how this could be so black and white. But at the time it was very grey. These lies were hard to disprove as well as prove.

Here in the UK we have a new abbreviated word called VAR, it stands for Video Assisted Referee and we are starting to have to use it in our games of football because on the football pitch in the heat of the action it is difficult to know who has done something wrong or who hasn’t.

The VAR shows it from a birds eye-view of who was wrong and who was right. It is what we can see from our television screens and from the stadiums as we sit and watch the action.

Since a child I was always told that one day there would be a big VAR when we get to heaven. I have always hoped I would be the only one who could see the VAR on my life as I would find it very embarrassing indeed!

But on the pitch of life, though we seem to have surveillance cameras everywhere, much of our life is spent battling the condemnatory attacks against our mind: “you have failed, you are not what you should be, you are not a true Christian, you are not an example, you have broken the rules.’

Maybe we should start speaking up a bit louder to these condemnatory voices like Paul and say ‘I have done nothing wrong’ and if there are times when I have done wrong then the heavenly VAR will spot it and make a judgment. Thankfully that judgment is filtered by the cleansing blood of Jesus over my life.

 

A barking dog that’s all

Acts 25: 7 “When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.”

When the enemy presses in hard do not fear … !

They came down with determination.
They stood around him.
They began to speak against him.
But they had no hold over him.

It is the same with you.

The Stand

Acts 25:6 “After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. “

It has been 2 years of waiting and then it begins all over again. Paul is brought before Festus and he is back on trial standing before those who have not changed their accusation all this time.

There are those today who will stand before the authority of man. They will stand before those who slander and bring lies against them. But the people of God not only stand before men we stand before God, always.

We do not quiver at man’s authority. We stand in awe of God.

We do not panic at what will come from the mouths of man. We stand on every word of God.

We do not worry if the lies of man are taken as true. We stand with the One who says ‘I am the truth’.

Man can bind you, contain you, bring you to a place you would rather not be. But man can never remove you from the presence of God.

I’ll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe of the One who gave it all

I’ll stand

My Lord to you surrendered

All I am is yours.

Hillsong United ‘The Stand’

You need to get the right people to follow you.

Acts 25: 6 “Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.’

The Amplified says, “So, said he, let those who are in a position of authority and are influential among you go down with me, and if there is anything amiss or criminal about the man, let them so charge him.”

The NKJV says ““Therefore,” he said, “let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.”

Who are you taking with you on your journey?

Let some come. Not everyone will follow you, but you don’t need everyone, you need some.

Let those who possess leadership follow you.

Let those who have positions of authority follow you.

Let those who are influential follow you.

Let those who are able and who understand where you are going and what you are going to do follow you.

They may not be your friends, you may be very different to them who follow, but sometimes what is ahead of you needs the right people behind you in order to clear up what has been left to you.

 

Change isn’t everything.

Acts 25: 4 “Festus answered, ‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.”

Sometimes it is wise not to make changes. Change doesn’t necessarily mean development. Change can mean insecurity.

The reply of Festus was this:

“I have just come into leadership …

The previous leader, Felix had Paul held in Caesarea.

Paul is a Roman citizen and needs to be tried in Caesarea.

My predecessor was right, he is under guard and it is right for him to stay there.

I am going there to finish what my predecessor started.”

Wisdom knows what to leave in place.

Wisdom knows when to honour the past.

Wisdom knows what to finish.