Acts to Paul (7)
Pray Psalm 47.1-4.
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah
Sing Psalm 47.1-4.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
O clap your hands, you peoples all, with joy to God your songs intone!
Shout out to Him, and on Him call, He is the mighty, sovereign One!
High is the LORD, O, fear His Name! He rules, a King o’er all the earth.
Nations and peoples He has tamed, the heritage of His holy worth.
Read Acts 3.17-23; Acts 24.22-25; Rom. 14.8-13; meditate on Acts 24.22-25.
Preparation
1. What did Paul reason about with Felix?
2. How did Felix respond?
Meditation
The Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom will only be heard as truly good against the backdrop of what is not good. And what is not good, for those who persist in sin and wrong belief, is that Jesus is coming again as Judge and Lord.
Note the focus of Paul’s reasoning with Felix: righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. This, of course, was within the context of “faith in Christ” (v. 24). What did faith entail? To what did it lead? From what would one who believed be saved? Undoubtedly, all these questions were addressed in Paul’s conversations.
Note the fruit of such reasoning: Felix became afraid, yet he continued to want to talk with Paul, albeit from mixed motives (v. 26). Also note the foundation of these exchanges: Felix already possessed an understanding of the Gospel (v. 22), which Paul undoubtedly reviewed and added to in each subsequent conversation with the governor (v. 26). We must not be reluctant to reason with lost people, though this may entail several conversations. And this does not necessarily mean disputing with them about such matters as evolution or sexuality or other philosophical ideas, things that only address the mind. Instead, our reasoning must aim at the heart and conscience of lost people, summoning remembrance of the works of the Law and the knowledge of God in their souls (Rom. 1.18-21; 2.14, 15), and warning that a day of reckoning is coming.
The Spirit will be more likely to convict people of their sin if we are faithful in reasoning with them about such matters and explaining their need for salvation from God’s judgment.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets,
that the Christ would suffer,
He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3.18).
“Repent therefore and be converted…[because God will send]
Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before,
Whom heaven must receive
until the times of restoration of all things,
which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets
since the world began” (Acts 3.19-21).
The mouth of the prophets foretold Christ’s sufferings,
and the mouth of the prophets spoke of Christ’s time in heaven
before His return to restore all things unto Himself.
One thing has already happened, the other most assuredly will.
Our faith is bolstered, and our confidence encouraged.
Yet those outside the faith should be concerned.
And we, all the more urgent to share the bad and Good News.
“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you
not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For He says,
‘In an acceptable time I have heard you,
and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’
Behold, now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6.1, 2; Is. 49.8).
Now should be the “convenient” time (Acts 24.25).
Our main characteristic, as spreaders of God’s news, should be godliness and righteousness.
We dare not be law-breakers and become stumbling blocks to right and wrong believers.
“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours
become a stumbling block to those who are weak” (1 Cor. 8.9).
“Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this,
not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way” (Rom. 14.13).
We must be determined, come what may,
to set our hearts on keeping God’s laws, to the very end (Ps. 119.112).
That way we please Him, we honor and glorify Him, and we aspire to be a blessing to others.
Never leading them astray—through the power of the Holy Spirit—
but leading them to trust, love, and obey their beautiful Savior, Returning Judge, and LORD.
Reflection
1. Christ is coming again in judgment. How should you fit this into your Gospel presentation?
2. Why do we not have to fear or worry about the coming judgment of the Lord?
3. Whom will you encourage today with the reminder that there is no longer any condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus?
A prospect of the judgment to come, is enough to make the stoutest heart to tremble. Felix trembled, but that was all. Many are startled by the word of God, who are not changed by it. Many fear the consequences of sin, yet continue in the love and practice of sin. In the affairs of our souls, delays are dangerous. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Acts 24.22-27
Pray Psalm 47.5-9.
Jesus rules unto righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Pray that He will grant you more of these virtues, that the people in your sphere might see the hope that is within you and ask a reason for it.
Sing Psalm 47.5-9.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God has ascended with a shout, the LORD with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out; let praise throughout the world be told!
God is the King of all the earth; sing praise to Him with glorious psalms!
He rules the nations by His worth, and on His throne receives their alms.
Princes of peoples gather all to Abraham and to our God.
Exalt the LORD, and on Him call. The earth is His, so praise our God!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our current ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” is dealing with the time of our livesand how we make more of this for the progress of Christ’s Kingdom. In our Read Moore column, we continue working our way through the book, Understanding the Times. And I encourage you follow our Corsfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, nicknamed “The Navigator.” Join us and find out why. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
