Be Courageous: You Must Testify in Rome

In one paragraph

The pastor worked through Acts 23:12 through 24:27, following Paul from the conspiracy against his life in Jerusalem all the way to two years of house arrest in Caesarea under the governor Felix. The sermon traced how God's promise to Paul, that he would testify in Rome, held firm even as human schemes multiplied around him. Felix heard the gospel plainly and chose to put off the decision, and the...

Read together

1. Acts 23:11 Jesus appears to Paul at night and tells him he must also testify in Rome
2. Acts 23:12-35 The conspiracy against Paul, his nephew's warning, the letter to Felix, and Paul's journey to Caesarea
3. Acts 24:1-27 The trial before Felix, Tertullus's accusations, Paul's defense, and Felix's frightened response to the gospel
4. Psalm 55:22 Used as the benediction: cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you

Talk about it

1. Pastor Nathan pointed out that when Jesus appeared to Paul in the Antonia Fortress, He did not wag His finger and say 'you got ahead of me.' What does that response from Jesus tell us about how God deals with us when we run ahead of Him with good but poorly timed intentions?
2. Paul's nephew overheard the plot and brought the information to Paul, and the Roman commander acted to protect Paul's life. How do you see God working through ordinary, even unexpected, people and institutions to accomplish His purposes?
3. When Paul made his defense before Felix, he said 'I do indeed serve the God of our fathers' even toward people who were trying to kill him. How hard is it to keep that kind of gracious posture toward people who are actively working against you, and what makes it possible?
4. Paul presented the gospel to Felix in terms of righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, and Felix became frightened but sent Paul away saying 'when I have an opportunity I will summon you.' Have you ever put off a decision about something you knew was true? What kept you from responding right then?
5. Pastor Nathan closed by saying 'if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.' What does it look like in everyday life when someone is neither rejecting the gospel outright nor fully accepting it, and how should that shape the way we talk with people around us about faith?