06 November 2022 (am) – Acts 23:25-24:27
![]() | Andy Bruins preaching from Acts on Sunday 6th November 2022. |
Paul is on trial. He has been moved to Caesarea where the Roman governor will oversee his case, first Felix and then Festus. The Sanhedrin are the first to bring their accusations but they really amount to nothing, and Felix can see that this is the case, but he still holds Paul for a further 2 years under house arrest – seemingly so that he can stay on the right side of the Jews. It is during this period that Paul will get to carry the name of Jesus “before the Gentiles and their kings” (Acts 9:15), starting with Felix and his wife Drusilla.
Q Evangelist Rico Tice talks about how in our personal evangelism we must be willing to cross the “pain barrier”. What do you think he means? Why is this so hard?
Q Read 23:1-21. What is Paul accused of by the Jewish leaders? How does Paul respond to the accusations? What wisdom can we glean from his example?
Q Read v22-27. What do we know about Felix and Drusilla?
Q What specific subjects does Paul speak to them about? How might these have been “risky” topics to speak about? What do you think motivated Paul to raise these topics?
Q How does Felix respond? Why is this actually quite tragic?
Q What can we learn from Paul’s example here?