Reasoning with Three Things
Day 187: Acts 24:1-27
“...as he told them about his faith in Christ Jesus. As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified.” - Acts 24:24-25
Paul is able to have a private audience with one of Rome’s provincial guardians, a governor. He had the opportunity to share his “faith in Christ Jesus” in any way he wanted. So how did he proceed? He used “reason” (διαλέγομαι dialegomai converse; discuss; argue) to tell them about three things:
Righteousness (God’s way of saving us through Jesus’ blood)
Self-control (“to exercise complete control over one’s desires and actions” - Nida/Louw)
Judgment to come (Felix wasn’t just going to have to answer to Rome for his deeds. He would also answer to Jesus upon his death; see John 5:29).
How would you have presented the gospel to a powerful, political man like Felix? It doesn’t do us or those we are sharing the gospel with any favors by skirting around the apparent truths of scripture.
Is it really possible to be as strong as Paul was and also remain as respectful as he was toward the Jews and Felix? Only by God’s power!
The following quote is an excellent picture of what God wants to do in every life:
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity