In this episode, we explore Acts 25:1–26:32 and Paul’s bold defense of the Christian faith before Roman Governor Festus and King Agrippa. Standing in chains, Paul proclaims the resurrection of Jesus Christ with clarity, courage, and compassion, showing us what it means to share the Gospel confidently, even before powerful and skeptical audiences.

Discover how Paul’s appeal to Caesar fulfilled God’s sovereign plan, why the resurrection is central to the Christian faith, and what it means to be “almost persuaded” like Agrippa. This episode unpacks themes of bold proclamation, personal testimony, obedience under pressure, and the Gospel confronting political and cultural power.

If you’ve ever wondered how to share your faith in hostile environments, secular workplaces, or skeptical conversations, this teaching will equip and encourage you to stand firm in truth.

References to Bible Verses:

Daniel 12:2; Job 19:25–26; Isaiah 55:8–9; Proverbs 16:21; Matthew 10:18; John 11:25; Acts 1:8; Acts 9:3–6; Acts 25:2–12; Acts 25:13–27; Acts 26:1–32; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Peter 3:15; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 12:10

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Thank you for listening, and welcome to the podcast. I'm your host, Jason McConnell. Today we're stepping into a courtroom, but not just any courtroom. We're talking marble floors, Roman authority, political attention, gold robes, and royal crowns. This is power on display. This is influence concentrated. This is what we would call today high stakes, and walking into that room.

Not a politician, not a general, not a celebrity, not a hardened criminal, A chained apostle. Paul is about to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus before governors and kings. And here's what I love about this moment. Paul didn't chase this audience. He didn't network his way there. He didn't manipulate the system to gain influence.

God brought him to that moment, to that room. Paul is living out Acts one verse eight in real time, but you'll receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witness in Jerusalem and all of Juda and Samaria to the ends of the earth. Jesus also told us in Matthew 10 18 on my account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

So what seems like injustice is actually fulfillment through divine appointment. Paul is a messenger on assignment, not a prisoner of Rome, but Rome prized order above all things. Governors like Festus, where political appointees tasked with one main job, keep the peace. The Jewish leadership wanted Paul's silence.

The Roman leadership wanted stability. No one in that room is looking for theological truth, except God and Paul. Most of us will never stand before Kings, but we will stand before bosses, school boards, HR managers, courtrooms, family members, social media commandments, professors, doctors, people with titles and degrees and influence.

And John Stot once wrote that Luke in Acts intentionally shows the gospel advancing through the very institutions meant to silence it. The Roman court, the political machinery, the halls of influence, these all became pulpits. So maybe your workplace feels hostile to faith. Maybe your family conversations feel tense.

Maybe your faith feels small compared to someone else's credentials. But here's the truth, no audience is too powerful. No skeptic, too intellectual. No throne room is off limits to the resurrection because whether your throne room is a board room, a classroom, or a living room, God may be positioning you not to win arguments, but to bear witness.

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All right, let's step into the courtroom. Paul has been sitting in custody for two years under Governor Felix, two years waiting, praying, trusting, and now a new governor steps into the scene. Festus. Three days after arriving in the province, Festus goes up to Jerusalem, and that should tell us something immediately.

He's a politician. He knows the Jewish leadership has influence. He knows stability is important. He knows if Jerusalem is unsettled his job's on the line. And what's the very first thing the chief priest brings up? Well, of course it's Paul Acts 25 verse two and three, tell us. Where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul, they requested for Festus as a favor to them to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

So notice that word favor Clearly, this is not about justice. It's about leverage. Roman governors were expected to maintain order and keep local leaders satisfied. Right. If Festus could win points with the Jewish authorities early in his term, that would make governing easier. But beneath the surface of politics is something much darker.

An assassination plot is still alive after two years. So let's take a moment here. Have you ever felt like a opposition just won't go away? It won't die down. Time passes, but the tension never does. Two years later, the hostility towards Paul hasn't faded, not one bit. They still want him dead, but God hasn't either.

Festus refuses to move Paul immediately in Acts 25, verses four through the first part of six. It tells us Festus answered. Paul is being held at Cesare and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.

After spreading eight or nine days with them, Festus went down to cesa. So it's, it's not really clear if Festus actually knew what the Jewish leaders had planned, but he did refuse the request, um, for a change of venue. So we're already seeing something subtle that God is maybe controlling the pace here.

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But the trial begins in Acts 25 verse six, the second part of six through verse eight. The next day, he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before them. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.

Then Paul made his defense. I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar. So once again, we see Paul standing before a gentile ruler facing accusations from religious leaders. Once again, he's facing serious charges that threaten his life and he again, rests his case on act that the accusations have no evidence.

I mean, seriously, zero evidence. Now, there's a lot of people in the Bible who face false accusations such as Joseph and Daniel, but every follower of Jesus faces accusations, false accusations. It, it reminds me of Revelation two 12, verse 10. When it refers to the accusers of our brothers and sisters, if you catch my drift, but Paul faces these accusations with truth and faith.

He doesn't lash out, he doesn't hurl insult, he doesn't panic. And this to me is an example of first Peter three, verse 15, and action. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Paul isn't defending himself in this moment.

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He's just modeling Christian composure under pressure, but this is kind of where the political tension starts to ramp up in Acts 25 verses nine through 12, Festus wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges? Paul answered.

I am now standing before Caesar's Court where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving of death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them.

I appealed to Caesar after Festus had conferred with his counsel. He declared, you have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar. You will go. So Festus knows Jerusalem is dangerous for Paul, but political favor is tempting. It's a tempting currency for him. I mean, how often do systems bend towards popularity instead of truth?

To sound familiar, workplace politics, corporate maneuvering, cancel culture, public opinion trials, Festus found it difficult to decide this case, and Paul's standing as a Roman citizen. Well. That prevented Festus from commanding the trial be moved to Jerusalem. So he asked Paul. Now understand Festus is a, an evil man.

He's pragmatic. He knows it's in his best interest to maintain a good working relationship with the Jewish people. But sometimes pragmatism lends itself to injustice. And Paul sees what's happening here. So instead of playing along, he does something bold. He demands to stand, be trial before Caesar. Now understand it is the right of every Roman citizen to have his case heard by Caesar himself.

At least it was once the initial trials and appeals failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion. This seems like a smart move. He firmly believed the evidence was on his side and it probably was 'cause he did nothing wrong. It also probably felt like he could win a fair trial. He also probably realized Festus was sympathetic to his accusers.

However, Paul appealed to Caesar Nero, who was later found to be an enemy of the Christians, but under the influence of the good met around him during his first five years, Nero was actually regarded as a wise and just ruler. So Paul really had no reason to believe Nero would be anti-Christian when he made his appeal.

Now, Paul is not being shuffled around by politics. He's being escorted towards prophecy. He waited two years, and when movement finally came, it was more courtroom confrontation. Maybe. Maybe some of you can relate, waiting on decisions, waiting on justice, waiting on vindication. Now understand God is still moving in these hurry up and wait moments.

So Paul's calm comes from knowing who is really in charge, who really holds the authority. Sure, Festus has a title, but Jesus has a throne. We're in 20, 26, guys. Sometimes the system still feels stacked against you. Leaders prioritize favor over fairness and accusations come without any evidence. And I urge you, stand firm, speak truth.

Trust God's timing. Because sometimes the courtroom, your standing and isn't your punishment, it's your platform. And Paul's appeal to Caesar. Obviously that's not the end of the story. That's just another door opening to a throne room.

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So now Paul has appealed to Caesar, which means he's headed to Rome, right?

Case closed, not quite, because Festus now has a problem. A Roman governor cannot send a prisoner to Caesar without clearly stating the charges. And here's the issue. Festus doesn't actually understand what Paul has done wrong, so enter King Agrippa. Now let's unpack some cultural context here. This is King Herod Agpa ii.

The hero dynasty, not fully Jewish in devotion, not fully Roman in identity. He's basically a political hybrid. He understands Jewish customs and scripture, but he's also loyal to Rome. He knows the temple, he knows the law. He knows the expectations of the Sanhedrin, and most importantly, he knows the controversy surrounding the resurrection.

Now, acts 25, verse 13 through the first part, 14 tells us. A few days later, king Agpa and Bernice arrived at CESA to pay their respects to Festus since they were spending many days there. Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. So King Agpa didn't actually have jurisdiction over Paul in this case, but hearing this matter would've helped Festus.

Matt, before we go too far, I wanna point out that this King Agrippa was the great grandson of the man who tried to kill Jesus as a baby. IPA's grandfather had John the Baptist beheaded, and his father had martyred. The first Apostle James, not a great track record here at Agpa ii. Didn't really have much territory that he ruled over, but he did have a lot of influence.

The emperor gave him the right to oversee temple affairs in Jerusalem and he had the right to appoint the high priest. But regardless, Festus took his concerns to the, of the case to the king. But there was this jurisdiction problem, this, so this wasn't a trial, it was more of a hearing, but Festus lays out the case against Paul in Acts 25 with starting with the second part of 14 through verse 22.

He said, there is a man here whom Felix left as prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priest and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accuser and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.

When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convene the court the next day in order that the man be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive.

I was at a loss how to investigate such matter. So I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar. Then a grip of said Festus, I would like to hear this man myself.

He replied tomorrow, you will hear him.

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So first thing I want to point out here is that Festus basically reduces the resurrection to nothing more than a religious squabble. A dead man named Jesus, who Paul claimed was alive. From a Roman perspective, resurrection sounded irrational. Rome understood power through military conquest, economic control, and political dominance, not through a crucified and risen messiah to fast us, this theology was noise.

To Paul. This was the center of history, and that right there is the tension. And to be fair, this was the ignorance of Festus. Like many of the important Meno Paul's day, he didn't know much about Jesus. But in modern terms, this is what happens when the gospel is framed as just your belief system, or it's good for you, or it's part of your tradition or it's your truth.

How many times have you ever heard those phrases? Paul is not preaching preference. He's proclaiming reality. One Corinthians one, verse 18 says, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Festus represents the skeptical pragmatist.

He's not hostile like the Jewish leaders. He's confused. King Agpa, on the other hand, is curious. He tells Festus, I would like to hear this man myself. Curiosity is oftentimes the first crack in resistance. Ff Bruce observed that Festus understood the facts of the dispute, but not the meaning. This describes so many people today, they, they've heard about Jesus.

They know Easter is about resurrection. They know Christmas is, you know, about him being born, but they haven't wrestled with the implications. If Jesus is alive, that means everything changes, authority changes, hope changes, justice changes and death changes. Isaiah 55, 8, 9 reminds us for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither or your ways.

My ways declares the Lord. Rome's ways was control. God's way was resurrection. And here's where this speaks directly into our world. If you find yourself. In conversations with people who aren't aggressive, but they're dismissive, they're gonna say things like, that's interesting. That's a faith thing.

That's not my, really, my area. And they treat the resurrection like an abstract debate topic instead of a world altering event. But here's something that should encourage us. God is not threatened by skepticism. In fact, sometimes God uses intellectual curiosity to open doors. That hostility never could.

That's not just some philosophy. The gospel doesn't politely sit in the corner of intellectual debates. It steps forward and says Jesus is alive. And when that truth enters a place, a palace, the palace must respond. Don't despise skeptical conversations. Don't shrink back when faith sounds strange to modern ears.

Don't assume powerful or educated people are unreachable sometimes the I'd like to hear this myself is God arranging the throne room for testimony.

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That's exactly where we're headed next because the gospel is about to stand before a king, but now we arrive at a cinematic moment. If Hollywood were filming this scene, this is where the doors would swing open dramatically in the, the music would crescendo.

Acts 25, 23 tells us the next day APA and Bernice came with great PO and entered the auditory, the audience room. With the high ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. This was held in an auditorium and all the commanders and prominent men of the city were there.

So this is more than just a little hearing of evidence. This was a major event and they entered with great pump, which means they came in with splendor. The dramatic entrance I mentioned a moment ago. Paul, on the other hand, is escorted in without ceremony. Just chains. From a worldly perspective, Paul is the least important person in that room, but from a heavenly perspective, he's the only one carrying eternal truth.

This is the cultural tension of that moment in Roman society. Power was everything I keep. I can't say that enough. Status mattered. Public appearance mattered, honor and shame defined social reality, but Christianity had. Already begun to flip that hierarchy upside down as one Corinthians one verse 27 says, but God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and now Festus begins his formal introduction. Check out Acts 25 verse 24 through 27. Festus said, king Agpa and all who are present with us. You see this man. The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Cesare, shouting that he ought to not live any longer.

I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he's made an appeal to the emperor, I decided to send him to Rome. I have nothing definitive to write about to write to his majesty about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you king Agpa, so that as a result of this investigation, I may have something to write for.

I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner to Rome without specifying the charges against him. So this goes back to what I said earlier. Prisoner cannot be sent to Rome before the emperor without charges. It's also clear to me that Festus at least seems to lean towards Paul being innocent, but Festus can't send Paul before Caesar with a letter of the rights.

I'm not sure what he did wrong. He's probably not guilty, but I thought you should see him anyways. I'm sure that would not go well with with an emperor. I mean, the Roman governor is basically throwing his ups, his hands up and saying, I don't know what he is done wrong yet here. Paul stands still imprisoned.

Before Paul even opens his mouth, something kind of important happens. The entire political elite of Cesare gathers to listen to a man in chains. I don't want you to miss that. They think they are evaluating him. In reality, the gospel's evaluating them. Hebrews four verse 12 reminds us for the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.

It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. The real trial in this room is not Paul's. It's the throne room's response to truth. And how? How is this relevant to modern times? Well, we live in a culture obsessed with image and platform.

Influence equals importance. Followers equals credibility. Titles equals authority, but this scene reminds us the one with the microphone isn't always the one with all the power. The one with the spirit has the power. Paul walks into the audience chamber, physically bound, but spiritually unshaken. He doesn't beg, he doesn't flatter.

He doesn't dilute anything. He simply waits. He knows something. The room doesn't yet understand. Resurrection truth does not bow to royal. PO power does not intimidate eternity, and sometimes God will allow you to stand in rooms where you look outnumbered, underqualified, or even overpowered, just so his glory can stand taller than your chains.

This is not just a hearing that's happening. This is a stage being set because in the very next breath, Paul will speak and when he does, the gospel will walk straight into that room and the throne room will never be the same.

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I want you to picture this for a moment. Royal robes are shimmering. Military armor is glinting and influential litters are leaning forward in their seats.

Standing in chains is Paul finally invited to speak in Acts 26 verse one. It says, then APA said to Paul, you have permission to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense. Paul is standing before all of these people with composure. He stands before a man whose great grandfather tried to kill Jesus as a baby.

His grandfather beheaded John the Baptist, and his father martyred James, the first apostle. Paul knows he's not there by X in her chance and listen to how he begins. His defense Acts 26 verses two and three. King Agpa. I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews.

Especially so because you and I are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies, therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. Paul is showing respect without surrendering his truth. He acknowledges a group ofs knowledge. He appeals to shared understanding. He honors the office without flattering the ego.

And this reminds me of Proverbs 16, verse 21. The wise and heart are called discerning, and the gracious words promote instruction Culturally, this is kind of significant. A group of two wasn't just a Roman puppet. He had authority over the temple, treasury and appointment of the high priest. He understood Jewish theology.

He knew scriptures. He knew the Messianic expectations. Paul is not speaking to someone who's ignorant of Israel's story. He's speaking to someone who knows it. But has not bowed to its fulfillment, and Paul leans into that in Acts 26 verses four and five. The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child from the beginning of my life in my own country and also in Jerusalem.

They have known me for a long time and can testify if there are, if they're willing, that I conform to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee.

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So Paul establishes credibility. He's not an outsider criticizing Juda Judaism. He's a former insider. He knew the law, the traditions, the zeal, the debates.

In modern language, Paul is saying, I know your world and I lived your world, and that's kind of important here because sometimes when we share our faith, people assume we've never wrestled, never questioned, never lived differently. Paul says, I was as committed as anyone in this room. But then he makes a pivot in Acts 26 verses six through eight.

And now it is because of my hope and what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise our 12 tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agpa. It is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

There it is, the resurrection. Again, notice Paul's framing. He doesn't present Christianity as a break from Judaism. He's presenting it as a fulfillment. He's always presented it as a fulfillment. I'm on trial because I believe God keeps his promises. That's pretty powerful. He's saying, if you believe in God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, why is resurrection so unbelievable for first century Jews?

Resurrection was not a foreign idea. The Pharisees affirmed a future resurrection. The Hebrews script hinted at it in Daniel 12 verse two In job 19 verses 25 and 26. The issue wasn't resurrection as a concept. The issue was Jesus as the risen one. John Stot once point out that Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection.

The resurrection confronts modern skepticism just as boldly as it confronts Roman rationalism. Paul doesn't stop there. He churns the spotlight inward. This is amazing.

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Acts 26 verses nine through 11. I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and that is just what I did in Jerusalem on the authority of the chief priest.

I put many of the Lord's people in prison and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished and I tried to force them to ba blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

This has to be echoing pretty true to the Jews in the room, but he owns his past without minimizing it or trying to soften it. He calls it obsession, and this is a demonstration of humility before he ever speaks about grace. He acknowledges guilt before he speaks about light. He ama admits darkness and that's why his testimony carries so much weight.

Second Corinthians five 17 tells us if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone. The new is here. Paul is living proof. Here's something crucial for you and me. Paul's defense is not combative. It's testimonial. He doesn't attack a grip or the Jews accusing him. He invites them into a story, and that's, that's a real lesson for every believer listening.

When you stand before skeptics, bosses, professors, family members who disagree, lead with respect, stand on shared ground, tell the truth about your past point to the resurrection. You don't have to overpower the room. You just have to be faithful. In the moment, Paul begins this defense, not as a victim, not as an angry prisoner, but simply as a witness, because he understands something that we all need to remember.

This isn't just a legal hearing, it's a gospel moment, and the resurrection is about to move from courtroom debate to personal encounter. I need to take a moment and slow down a bit. Get a little excited here. All right. Now this is where the room shifts a bit. Paul has respectfully established his background.

He's shown he understands Jewish law. He's owned his past persecutions, and now he moves from credentials to encounter because Christianity is not built on argument alone. No, we need Revelation.

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And Paul starts delivering with Acts 26 verses 12 through 14. On one of these journeys, I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priest about noon, king of gpa.

I, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun blazing around me in my companions. We all fell to the ground and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Is it is hard for you to kick against the gods. We all know that Paul was not seeking Jesus.

He was hunting Christians. He had authority, religious backing, legal permission, and he was convinced that he was right. This is the fullest account of Paul's experience on the road to Damascus. We've seen so far his mission was once one of hate and persecution. It was backed with the same authority and commission of the very religious leaders who now accused him.

The words Paul repeats are from Acts nine, verses three through six. It emphasizes three things, the personal appeal of Jesus as he calls out Saul. Saul saying it twice has an, has an emotional appeal to it. It means something. Number two, the nature of his persecution is misdirected. Meaning, why do you persecute me?

Not why do you persecute my people? Number three, the absolute folly of persecuting Jesus. Why do you persecute me? I imagine it was hard for Paul to continue believing Jesus was dead when he met him in person. Paul was faced with a decision he had to repent. There's also that term kicking against the goat.

What does that mean? In ancient farming, a goat was a sharp stick, used to guide oxen. If the oxen resisted and kicked back, it only injured them further. Jesus is basically saying, Pauly, your fighting me can only bring more suffering. How many skeptics today are kicking against the Gods resisting conviction, fighting truth, suppressing questions.

And yet, Jesus doesn't destroy Saul. He redirects him, but something else happened on that road. Check this out.

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Acts 26 verses 15 through 18. Then I ask, who are you, Lord? I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. The Lord replied, now get up and stand on your own feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me.

I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and place among those. Who are sanctified by me in faith Jesus commissions Paul on the road to Damascus, the religious leaders of the world sent Paul to Damascus with a specific purpose, along with their own authority and their own commission.

But now Paul must choose a different purpose and eternal purpose. The purpose of Jesus. Understand the commission of all Christians is not to make the message or to, or to make our testimony serve ourselves. We are called to serve the message, to serve others. Paul is no different, and just like you and me, Paul was called to be a witness of the things Jesus has done for him.

Jesus told Paul exactly what would happen when he would finally open his eyes. He would turn from dark to light, turn from power of Satan and God to God, receive forgiveness of sin and receive an inheritance among God's people. David Guzzi writes that Paul's testimony shows grace at its most radical.

When you share your testimony, you are saying, I was headed one way and Jesus meant me on the road, and now, now my life is full. It's different. It's better. You don't need a throne room to do that. You just need faithfulness. The most powerful people in Cesare are now listening to a story about light, mercy, and forgiveness, because when the gospel walks into a throne room, it doesn't bow.

It shines.

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Okay, so we saw Paul go from credentials to encounter, and now he moves from encounter to endurance. This next part will echo through that chamber. Acts 26 verses 19 through 23. So then Kpa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven first to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and all Judea and then to the Gentiles.

I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me, but God has helped me to this very day. So I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and the Moses said would happen, that the Messiah would suffer and as the first to rise from the dead would bring the message of light to his own people and to the gentiles.

Paul isn't standing here because Christianity was trending. He's not standing there because it made li his life easier. He's standing there because he said yes to Jesus In the Greco-Roman world, visions weren't uncommon in storytelling, but obedience to a crucified messiah that led to imprisonment. That was foolishness he had.

Paul doesn't apologize for it. Paul walks us through his progression, Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, Gentiles. This mirrors Acts one, verse eight, almost perfectly. Paul is saying, I simply followed the assignment and, and what was the message? Repent. Turn to God. Demonstrate change. That's not water down gospel.

That's not self-help. Spirituality, that's how transformation happens. Repentance in the first century meant a complete change of direction, of loyalty, of worldview, of identity. That message threatened power structures because of Jesus's. Lord, Caesar is not. Paul was obedient, which provoked resistance, and that's where some modern believers get confused.

They think, Hey, if I follow God's will, life's gonna be a cakewalk. Right? Wrong. It doesn't guarantee ease, but God will get you to where you're supposed to be. Paul doesn't credit his survival to legal brilliance or pol political maneuvering. He credits divine help. God has helped me to this very day. Not the Romans, not the courts, not dumb luck.

God did it. And he's not preaching anything new. He is not inventing new religious ideas. He's saying, I am saying nothing beyond what Moses and the prophets already said. The only difference is Paul is pointing to Jesus and saying, that's the guy. And the Jews don't like that. They don't like that at all.

Christianity is not a departure from Israel's story. It is the fulfillment of it. Look, you're gonna face moments where compromise feels so much easier than conviction. And in those moments, I really want you to remember Paul's words. I was not disobedient. He wasn't perfect or fearless, but, but obedient and obedient is to Heaven's vision will always outlast the applause or the threats of earth.

The throne room is leaning in now because when obedience meets oppression, truth refuses to retreat. Things are getting really interesting right now. The gospel has now filled the room. Paul has testified about the light. He has declared the resurrection. He has affirmed obedience to heaven's vision, and now the power structures get to respond.

How does it respond?

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Acts 26 verse 24. At this point, Festus interrupted Paul's defense. You are out of your mind, Paul. He shouted. Your great learning is driving you insane. And there it is. When the truth becomes uncomfortable, ridicules, a lot of times the first defense, Festus doesn't bother arguing.

Theology doesn't refute prophecy. He doesn't counter the resurrection. He questions Paul's sanity and, and culturally, this actually makes sense. In the Roman world, resurrection was an absurd idea. Dead men stay dead. Gods might be mythologized, but bodily resurrection. That was beyond a reason. Fest is hear his passion and concludes this guy's mad, but how often does that happen?

Today we speak boldly about Jesus in a secular environment, someone's bound to say something like, you're too extreme. You're taking it too seriously. You've gone off the deep end. The gospel to those who reject. It sounds irrational, but Paul responds calmly in Acts 26 verses 25 and 26. I am not insane.

Most excellent Festus Paul replied, what I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice because it was not done in a corner. I love this. Paul doesn't match Festus in volume or intensity. He speaks truth with composure.

He calls the resurrection. True and reasonable. Christianity is not blind faith. It's rooted in historical events. Jesus lived publicly. He was crucified publicly. The true, the tomb was empty publicly, the witnesses were many.

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This was not done in a corner, and King Grpa did know, which is why Paul pivots to him, I think in Acts 26 verses 27 through 29.

King and gpa. Do you believe the prophets? I know you do. Then a groupa said to Paul, do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian? Paul replied, short time or long, I pray to God that not only you, but all who are listening to me today may become what I am except for the these chains.

That's a pretty bold move. Like Paul is challenging a groupa. Make a decision now in front of military comrades, in front of civic elites, in front of Roman authority. Verse 28 says, do you think I am in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian? This has also been translated in. You almost persuaded me, almost close enough to feel conviction, close enough to sense the truth, close enough to be uncomfortable, but not surrendered.

John Sto once observed that APA was near the kingdom, but proximity is not salvation. I can almost feel the anguish of the moment. So very close to salvation, but not quite there. It's like running an entire marathon just to give up a few feet from the finish line. There are many today who are almost persuaded.

They attend church occasionally. They admire Jesus morally. They respect the Christian values. They feel convicted in worship, but almost is not enough. Paul's response is breathtaking. He openly prays that God will move all to become what he is minus the chains.

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But I want, I want you to watch how the power structure concludes in Acts 26 verses 30 through 32, the king rose, and with him, the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them after they left the room, they began to say to one another, this man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.

APA said to Festus, this man could have been set free. If he had not appealed to Caesar, talk about a plot twist. A group of finds him innocent, deserving of freedom, and yet Paul is still in chains. Why? Because he appealed to Caesar. Nah, not really. It's because God's plan was bigger than acquittal. Rome thinks it has rendered judgment, but in truth, heaven has rendered purpose.

Paul is not walking free because. He's headed to Caesar and from Caesar's Court, the gospel will echo even further. Let's bring this home. There are three responses in this room. Festus is dismissive. APA is almost persuaded. And then you have Paul fully surrendered. Which one are you gonna choose to be?

Will we dismiss faith as madness? Will we admire truth without yielding to it, or are we going to say yes fully obediently without reservations? Hebrews four, verse 12 says, for the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow.

It judges thoughts and attitudes of the heart. It cuts through that room. It cuts through royal dignity. It cuts through intellectual skepticism, and it still cuts. Today. The gospel stood before kings and the kings walked away unchanged. But history remembers Paul. Power judged him. Eternity vindicated him.

And that's the final irony of the scene. The the man in chains was the freest man in that room, and the ones with crowns and riches were the ones facing a greater verdict yet to come.

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Governors in their seats of power, a king wrapped in royal authority, military commander, civic elites, polished marble floors, public spectacle, and at the center of it all, a chained apostle.

Speaking about a risen savior. Paul stood before Festus and refused to compromise. He stood before APA and told his story. He stood before power and proclaimed resurrection, and at every moment he remained faithful when Festus called him insane. When Paul stayed calm, when APA said he was almost persuaded, Paul stayed compassionate when the verdict declared him innocent, but left him chained.

But God has helped me to this very day. The resurrection is not a debate topic. It's a declaration. Jesus is alive and because he is alive, power does not get the last word. Courts do not get the last word. Chains do not get the last word. Death does not get the last word, only Christ does. Romans one 16 reminds us for I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes everyone.

As you go about your days, I want you to consider this question, where is your throne room? Is it your office, your classroom, your family gathering, your social circle? You may never stand before kings, but you will stand before someone who needs hope. And when you do, remember Paul speak respectively. Tell your story.

Proclaim the resurrection. Leave the verdict to God because in the end, the freest man in the room is not the one with the crown. It's the one who belongs to Christ. Until next time, keep loving your neighbors. Dive into God's word daily and may the Lord bless you and keep you and fill you with his peace.

Take care. God bless, and I'll see you in the next episode.