Acts 24
1And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul.
2And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,
3We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness.
4Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words.
5For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
6Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
7But the chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands,
8Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.
9And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so.
10Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:
11Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.
12And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city:
13Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
14But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
15And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
16And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offence toward God, and toward men.
17Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings.
18Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tumult.
19Who ought to have been here before thee, and object, if they had ought against me.
20Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council,
21Except it be for this one voice, that I cried standing among them, Touching the resurrection of the dead I am called in question by you this day.
22And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
23And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
24And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
26He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.
27But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
v 25 Felix got “uncomfortable” when Paul preached to him concerning righteousness. It made him take a look at his past life. He knew something of the “Way” that Paul presented and became fearful. Instead of making the right choice he sent Paul away telling him he would hear him again when it was a more convenient time. It is not always “convenient” to serve God. In order to BE CHURCH we must be moved by the Spirit and submit to God’s perfect timing.
on chapter 23 God told Paul to be of good cheer;this is why because he was goin to go through a lot… (verse 12)And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man….(v20)or else these same here say,if they have found any evil doing in me….Its amazing how some people(persecuters,who is agains us)would do anything,start a conflict or else,to take us out of the picture,they would find any reazon to acuse us,(v25)on this verse i can see that Felix didnt like what Paul was saying,this is the reazon why some people would not give us the chance to tell them about the bible,because what the bible has to say “it is true”no matter what,because the scripture talk about us…i want to be church,no matter where i am at…
In our current religious culture that promotes coexistence, we continually find Paul in unity only with those of his doctrine and in much division (prison) with those who oppose his doctrine. We must not be mistaken that our doctrine should divide us from society.
I am thankful today for the revelation of the Mighty God in CHRIST! JESUS is GOD robed in flesh; and the fact that according to JESUS “except a man be born again of the water (baptized in Jesus name) and of the Spirit (be filled with the Holy Ghost) he cannot enter in to the Kingdom of GOD. This doctrine divides the Apostolic doctrine from the doctrine of the trinity.
It is also intriguing to see that even with no charge that Paul was jailed over 2 years for preaching this eternal doctrine.
Lord forgive me for every complaint I have ever voiced.
Amen.
Paul had the option to throw stones when Felix asked him for his side of the story, but he didn’t. Paul chose the high road and only proclaimed his innocense. This helped him to be respectable in the eyes of Felix. This allowed for Felix to be more willing to sit and listen to what Paul was preaching. Felix didn’t like what he heard and dismissed the tug of the Holy Ghost for a later time, but he still heard. Many times I have thrown stones because of my hurts, and all it did was built walls with the one I was hurting and the others that saw my reactions too. If we focus on finding ways to teach the word and not trying to fight back or survive then God will prove his word and we will live as “more than conquerors”, instead of having to deal with reaping the same judgements that we had just sewed.
I found it interesting that Felix tried to buy Paul’s freedom, vs26. For 2 years Paul was kept under close watch and guarded. That’s a long time to hold onto “be of good cheer”.
Good word Kevin.
Paul is being falsely accused because what he preaches and teaches brings great conviction to those around him. When we are full of the Holy Ghost living daily in the spirit of God our lifestyle should convict others. And I’m sure there will be times that that lifestyle will cause us to be falsely accused. But as Paul, he didn’t give in to the intimidation just so he could be loosed from prison. We can’t give in to the pressure of those around us to let down our beliefs and values that we feel are important in becoming the Church that Jesus Christ desire us to be.
God prepared Paul beforehand for what he experienced here. He also prepares us, but it is up to us to accept and continue to trust His provision whatever the circumstances are. When we do this, others can see Him through our faith and obedience.
Even up against a great orator like Tertullus, with his ablity to speak so confidently & elequently, it was no match for the plain truth! If we stick to the Word of God and don’t add to his word, we can be an equal match for those who speak against us or against this truth that we enjoy.
Paul’s ability to speak plainly the truth of the word to Felix -was obviously very effective. The man trembled (with conviction in my opinion). God was reaching for this man as well as any other person that Paul preached to, especially with a wife who was a Jew!
How disappointing that he put it off for another day, because we never see that he was born again and added to the church in scripture.
In Acts 24:25, Felix trembled as he listened to Paul’s words concerning the judgment to come, but he put them aside. He was more interested in money than salvation (Acts 24:26). However, if he didn’t later turn to God, he will hear Paul’s words again on the Day of Judgment. This time he will tremble with regret that he shrugged Paul’s words off. Then, money will mean nothing to him because it’s only the money we give to the church and for the purpose of spreading the gospel that will benefit us in heaven.
Vs 14 is a great oneness scripture! The God of Paul’s fathers was Jehovah, and Paul worshiped Jesus! That’s why they called it heresy!
v25 Paul’s talk with Felix became so personal that Felix grew frightened. Felix, like Herod Antipas, had taken another man’s wife. Paul’s words were interesting until they focused on “righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come.” Many people will be glad to discuss the gospel with you as long as it doesn’t touch their lives too personally. When it does, some will resist or run. But this is what the gospel is all about – God’s power to change lives. The gospel is not effective until it moves from principles and doctrine into a life changing dynamic.
v27 Though God had promised that Paul would preach the gospel in Rome, the great apostle had to endure more that two years of Felix’s refusal to decide his fate. In addition to this custody, Paul was subjected to other long stretches of time during which he could do little but trust God and wait for him to act. Few things test our patience and faith like being forced to wait – which perhaps explains why our sovereign God often puts us in situations where we have no other choice.
Good word Haley.
Another inspiring chapter, Paul was so full of the Holy Ghost that satan and his accusers wanted him dead. Thank God for men and women of God such as Paul that teach, preach, and spread the gospel. Thank God for those that persuade, nudge and maybe even push us in the way of the Lord. May the good Lord Bless you all
Felix and Drusilla needed JESUS!!! Too much pride and such a love for money caused them to ignore Paul’s teaching. Did they really expect Paul to offer them a bribe? Wow. Great chapter.
What a sad thing to think that Felix had an opportunity to come to God. He told Paul to go away, and when he had a more convenient time to listen, he would call for him. How often we tell people about Jesus and invite them to church, and they say, “Not today, maybe later or next week.” We need to pray and take authority over the immorality, fear, and Non-Commitment of the people in the city of Fort Worth. We need to pray that God’s spirit will drawl them to Him.
Verse 16 in the Amplified Version says…Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men. Lord help me to do the same.
Not everybody is going to like what you do or say. It is important that we, as Christians, stand firm in our belief knowing that God is able & will deliver us from our circumstances.
Felix, he felt conviction and felt uncomfortable hearing Paul speak on righteousness and temperance. Like some people, when a sermon is being spoken, we feel like God is speaking to us. So Felix did not want to convict Paul, and have it on his hands. He rather have the next governor handle the situation. Felix let his prideful spirit make a decision for him, and allowed Paul to remain in prison, because he felt pressure from the Jews.
Verse 5 stood out to me. “For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Those are some strong words. It makes me ask “how upset do we make the devil?” Are we going to stay quiet, shy, and not do too much so we don’t cause any stir… or are our actions going to give the devil such a bad day he wants to throw rocks of accusation at us to try to stop us?
The word “ringleader” is NT #4414 protostates, meaning “one who stands in the front rank; a leader, chief, champion.” This accusation reminds me of David when he went up against Goliath. To Be Church involves standing strong and fighting in this spiritual warfare; will we be found on the sidelines like David’s brothers, or will we go out like David and war against the enemy’s champion? Will we be willing to be on the front lines? In prayer? In evangelism? In living our daily lives? This title was not given by Paul addressing himself but the opposition speaking of Paul. Has our enemy taken note of us? Even when he brings “railing accusation” against us, will he acknowledge us as a champion?
To stand when all others do not, this is Paul to me. He could have avoided all his trials by just keeping his mouth closed. That is just how Satan wants us to be, quiet. He tries to accomplish this by intimidation and fear. However, my bible says that God did not give us the spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind. Don’t let the church be silent.
24:25Felix trembled. Hearing of righteousness, self-control and the judgement , Felix looked at his past life and was filled with fear. He had a spark of sincerity and concern. when I have a convenient season. Lust, pride, greed, and selfish ambition made it continually inconvenient to change.
Wow 1 man preaching the Gospel stirring up conviction in lives so they try to accuse him of breaking the law, yet the accusations are not true. What is true is … Vs 25. The Bible says the Truth will make you free but you have to want to be free. Some people are like Felix. They can not handle the truth about this season of their lives so they want the Word of God and the people of God to leave until it is convenient.
I say Lord make me over. If there is anything in me that does not line up with your word show me.
Nothing we ever go through can even come close and compare to what the diciples went through. Paul is under false accusations, in prison and at the mercy of a man mood swings. We walk through life hoping that our life could be a testimony to others, sometimes society feels uncomfortable, convicted by the way we are so in return they wrong us, miss judge us, sometimes we think that maybe if we change they will accept us. The truth is that we loose if we chage to please them, we should stand on our Faith and be separate no matter what. As time passes, they will ask questions giving us the opportunity to share the gospel. Not even in prison did Paul ever stop telling people about the word of God.
Like Felix it is not always convenient to serve God or hear what he has to say to us, but it is always to our benefit.
I think that life is not convenient most of the tiime but my joy comes from God. Alot of people do tend to choose the world over living for God but I know from experience I`d rather be living for God
25And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
PAUL WASNT THE ONE SHAKING…IT WAS THE MAN IN AUTHORITY…