Acts 25

In chapter 25 we find the Chief Priests are still intent on killing Paul for speaking boldly about the salvation found in Jesus Christ.  They appear before Festus, who has replaced Felix as procurator of Judaea to secure Paul for the purpose of trying him and putting him to death through the Roman governmental rule.  The purposed method was to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem where he would stand trial.  However, they had plotted to have Paul killed in an ambush as he traveled from Caesarea to Jerusalem.  What an evil plot and evil intent is instilled inside of these supposed men of the Jewish leadership in the church.  No wonder Jesus called them a brood of vipers, serpents, wolves in sheep’s clothing, and even ascribed them as whitewashed tombs.  These men no more had their relationship with God driving and determining their lives than a snake is a vegetarian.  They had turned God’s religion into their religion of rituals, codes, and traditions.  This in turn bound them to perform a task rather than to seek a intimate personal relationship with God.  Therefore, they had no problem with hiring an assassin to execute Paul in a staged ambush as he travels. 

While we, as a civilized church and good Christian men and women, would never think to stoop to such a low level.  We have a much more palatable scheme.  Instead of outright killing our opposition, we needle them to death through gossip, rumors, and subservient tactics.  However, does God look at this manner of activity any differently than that of the Chief Priests?  Absolutely not!  In fact, scripture is bountiful in dealing with gossip, malice, divisive spirits, and strife inducing activity.  If we recall the beginning of the church in the early part of Acts, we see that church’s success was based on selfless acts of benevolence toward one another, unity of spirit, prayer, and submission to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  I contend that for the church to continue to see success in the 21^st century we must follow the same formula.

In closing, Paul stands firm in his defense that he had not done anything wrong to this point.  In fact, Paul states in verse 8 that, “Neither against the Jewish law, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all.”  In verse 10 he reiterates that he had done no wrong to the Jews.  Paul has a clear conscience that in all of his actions, he had been just and righteous seeking to be loyal to the leading of his Lord Jesus Christ.  The question for us today is, “Can we state that we are of a clear conscious in our acts toward God and one another?”

Lessons We Learned: 

1.      People will always seek to usurp their desires over those of God.

2.      We must be faithful to live a life of holiness towards God and man!

3.      Our manner of success in God’s mission is dependent upon selfless acts of benevolence toward one another, unity of spirit, prayer, and submission to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.