Waiting In Faithfulness
BRD REFLECTIONS
(Alex Lai, Associate Lay Leader)
READ:
OBSERVE:
In Acts 21, we read that Paul was arrested by the Roman soldiers. In Acts 22, Paul tried to explain and testify to the crowd but to no avail. In Acts 23, Paul appeared before the Sanhedrin to defend himself and he again tried to testify to them but again to no avail. In Acts 24, Paul was brought before Felix the governor by his accusers, Ananias the high priest, some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus.
First, they accused Paul of being a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. Second, they accused Paul of being a ringleader of the Nazarene sect. Third, they accused Paul of trying to desecrate the temple.
To the first charge, Paul defended himself by stating that he had only arrived in Jerusalem twelve days ago and he was not found arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city. To the second charge, Paul stated that he worshipped the same God and he believed everything in accordance with the Law and the Prophets and he shared the same hope in God as his accusers. To the third charge, Paul stated that he came to Jerusalem to bring gifts for the poor and to present offerings to God and he was ceremonially clean when he was in the temple.
Even after Paul had brilliantly defended himself against the allegations, and no evidence was produced, Felix did not release him. Instead, he adjourned the proceedings and placed Paul under house arrest. For the next two years, Felix would summon Paul frequently and talked with him. However, because Felix wanted to grant a favour to the Jews, he left Paul in prison when he was succeeded by Porcius Festus.
APPLY:
Even though Paul was unable to go about his ministry as he was in jail through no fault of his own, he did not let this discourage him but he continued to trust in God’s purpose for his life. In fact, he was able to testify to Felix, Festus and King Agrippa during this time. When Paul finally reached Rome after experiencing a shipwreck, he was placed under house arrest again for several years and it was during this time that Paul wrote the letters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, generally known as the “prison epistles”.
I recall that many years ago when I was leading a committee for a ministry event, I had a disagreement with a team member and he came up to me and accused me of being over-demanding and autocratic. I was taken aback by that accusation and even though I felt that was very unfair to me, I decided to let the matter slide. My guiding principle back then was that my conscience was clear before God and man (Acts 24:16). Some years later, during a ministry retreat, that same person stood up in front of everyone and apologised to me and we became very good ministry partners after that.
DO:
When I find myself in difficult situations through no fault of mine, I will continue to trust God and His purpose for my life. And through my testimony, others will see Christ in me and be drawn to Christ and His saving grace.
PRAY:
Dear God our Father, I pray that even when we are placed in difficult situations through no fault of ours, we will continue to place our trust in you. By your grace, we will wait in faithfulness and accept detours and delays in our lives as opportunities to learn and grow in your likeness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!
