Welcome back Bible readers. It is just me today. So I'm sorry to disappoint you. But pastor PG is in California. And as we let you know, in one of our prior podcasts, he's in California meeting with the two boards, not just one, but two. And so you can pray for him as he's gone. We miss him. I want him back. I can't wait for him to be back. And of course I want him back on the podcast. 'cause it's hard to do this by ourselves. I know you don't know what it feels like to do this, but just trust us. It's not as fun as doing it with somebody else. So please pray for his safe travel and his safe arrival. Uh, in fact, by the time that you listen to this, he'll be on his way back. I'm not sure what time he gets. He gets back home. Uh, but I know it's on Friday, which is today. And today's reading by the way, we're looking at three chapters, acts 24, 25 and 26. Let me, before we jump into that, I want to encourage you to take a look at a resource. I forgot to bring this up in one of our prior podcasts, but somebody wrote in and told us. Hey, you need to take a look at drive through history. Uh, there is on prime. I forget which prime video my guests. There's a free series. I suspect if it's on prime. Uh, that talks about drive-thru history and it's geared toward Christians. And it's talking about the world of the first Christians. Uh, the host, Dave Stott says here. It takes the viewer literally on tour, beginning with acts throughout church history. So what a cool thing that would be free to do, I've seen it before, in fact, Now that I think about it. I've seen it a few times. I'm sure. And he's really fun. He's it he's engaging. He's a fun, fun guy to watch. He's also on what's that other platform? It's orange. Oh, oh, I got it right now. Media he's on that as well. I've seen it there. That's where I've seen it. So there you go. Something to utilize another resource for you to use. As you read your Bible, you really cool to see places and, and kind of envision faces where things actually took place. So a drive through history, take a look at that while you have a chance. Without further ado, let's jump into the text and I'm going to try to be brief here. And I don't think you need a whole lot of commentary from me. Especially without pasture. PJ is just no fun without both of us. So acts chapter 24, let's start there. In this harrowing account, you have just remembered that Paul is now in Jerusalem and he's being tried for being a really a division causer he's somebody who's a rabble rouser. We might say he's someone that the Jews think is a threat to what's happening there. And then so they arrest him and they're now trying to try him in such a way as to get him removed. As we last saw in acts chapter 23. Claudius Lizzie is the name of the Tribune that first got involved in Paul's case. Is now sending him to Phoenix, the governor, which is going to be in Cesarea. So that's going to be, I don't know. 60, 80, a hundred, a hundred miles north of Jerusalem. Off of the coast. And so he's being sent there to Felix, the governor to have him. Hopefully deal with Paul. And that's where we pick up in acts chapter 24. So after five days, it says here, the high priest and a nice came down with some elders and a spokesman. One Tulis. So he's their lawyer. He's going to be their mouthpiece to defend their case. And so they send their delegation, they send their spokesperson to tool-less. He first speaks up before Felix. He offers pleasantries and says, look, you're, you're amazing. You're wonderful. Please help us take care of this guy. You'll find that by examining him yourself, you'll be able to find that he is everything that we said. And so much more your excellency. He might've said. And so the Jews are firmness. And Paul replies once he has the opportunity. Look, none of this is true. You can't verify any of this, but you can't verify that. I have no part of what they're saying. In fact, the reason I'm here is because of my hope in God. Which these men themselves, except that there will be a resurrection of both adjust and the unjust. And so Paul doubles down. On his defense, that this is in regard to the resurrection and he kind of rests his case after that. And the second half of chapter 24. Felix. He says here has an accurate knowledge of the way. And, uh, to put them off saying, we, excuse me, when Lizzie is, the Tribune comes down, I will decide your case. He's buying himself some time here. And honestly, he's such a good politician that he knows what he's doing. He's buying himself time. Yes. But he's also playing into the hands of both parties in particular, the parties of the Jew. The juice. He wants them to feel like he's potentially being a one over to their cases. So he gives him space and time, hopefully for cooler heads to prevail. And he keeps him there for quite a long time. Now, one of the benefits here is that as Paul's in, uh, in prison here, he's now having the opportunity to write some letters, to have people attend to his needs. So it's potential here at this time during his stay in Cesarea that he's still utilizing the time to get work done. And so, uh, after a period of time, you'll notice here at the, at the end of chapter 24 in verse 27 here, it says when two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Portia's Festus and desiring to do, to do the Jews a favor, Felix, left Paul in prison. And so Paul is now two years in prison, intercessory he's in good conditions. He's not suffering in any major sense, but he's imprisoned still for something that he did not do. This is part of God's plan for Paul. This was not a mistake or an accident and. So Paul buckles down. In acts chapter 25 Porsche's Festus enters the picture. He takes over and he's now faced with what to do with Paul. In Jerusalem. The elders begged him, basically, please send Paul back to Jerusalem and let us handle him. And of course their desire is not positive. They would like to kill him. And this is one way for them to deal with him. But he, uh, Porsche Festus pushes back and says, no, thanks. Let me figure out what to do with this. And so he heads down. Uh, to, to Cesarea, which is going to be north near the coast to figure out what to do with Paul. Now the Jews who previously argued against Paul follow him and they lay out their charges there. When Paul is offered the opportunity to defend themselves. He says, look, I have. Uh, done nothing against the law of the Jews nor against the temple. He says in verse eight. Nor against Caesar. Have I committed any offense? And of course that's true. Festus knows this, the Jews, they know this, but he wants to placate the Jewish people. And so he's asked Paul if he wants to go back down or up to Jerusalem, and Paul says, no, no way, Jose. To summarize him. I'm right. Where I should be. I've done nothing wrong. And if I deserve to die, I'm okay with dying. But that's not the case here. And so he says, I appeal to Caesar. Festus Porsche's Festus can, uh, councils. He has counsel with his counsel. And then finally he acquiesces and he says, okay, I guess I'm sending you to Cesar. You are a Roman citizen after all. At this time, king Agrippa and Bernice arrive in Cesarea. And Festus sees an opportunity here to get his input on what to say about, but he's confused. He doesn't know what to say to Caesar. As he sends Paul along his way, he has nothing to charge him against. So the question's going to come up. Why he's, why is he even in prison to begin with? And so he seeks the advice of king Agrippa and Bernice, and then he says, all right, I'm happy to help. So when verses 23, Do the end of the chapter in verse 27 here. He asked for his input and now Paul has a chance to offer his response to king Agrippa. And that takes us to chapter 26. Acts 26 is exciting because Paul is sharing his testimony and showing us in a masterful way. How to call for a response. And so in the first few verses here, A grip. It turns to Paul and says, you have permission to speak for yourself. This is exactly what Paul wanted. He stretched out his hand and made his defense. You can imagine Paul in front of you. Putting his hand down saying, oh, king Agrippa and he says this, I consider myself fortunate. I consider myself fortunate that it is before you king Agrippa. I'm about to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews. And so Paul begins to tell his story. This is his testimony. He talks about how from his youth he had been known to be a certain kind of a guy. He was zealous for the law. He was the kind of guy who was from the right tribe from the right people. He even chased down Christians, the very people that he now defends and the very Christ he now speaks about. We're the same people that he was zealous to tackle and zealous to take to prison. That was what he was doing. However, he spills a lot of incubator. Talk about what God did for him. he talks about Jesus speaking to him in the Hebrew language. Which was probably Aramaic here in verse 14, saying Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? He turns to figure out who it is. You've read this story before. And yet Luke sees fits or recount this story at a critical time in, in his, uh, his acts of the apostles here. I think it's important because. Paul is, uh, he's a crucial turning point for the church. I mean, we're talking about Paul going to the Gentiles. The church is now expanding further than the reaches of Jerusalem Malone. Now he Paul's already been doing this. But this particular instance, he's about to make the turn to Rome. And so I think this is just a reminder here of what God is doing in Paul's life, in a particular Paul, as a tool in his hands. And so he says, look, I'm going to send you to, to reach it, to reach the Gentiles verse 17, to open their eyes verse 18 so that they may turn from darkness to light from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins. And a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. And so he says to king Agrippa look, I don't want to be disobedient to this heavenly vision. Uh, this is my job. This is my call, and I'm not going to respond to that. Poorly and I'm going to do the right thing. And as he was saying, these things. Porsche's Festus chimes in. I remember he's talking to king Agrippa Festus chimes in and says with a loud voice, Paul. Uh, as, as one group said, you're insane in the membrane. And maybe someone else that insane in the brain. I don't know, but that's my suspicion. And Paul says, look, I'm not out of my mind. I'm not into my mind. I'm saying true and rational words. I love that. And Christian message, even though it is strange, is true and rational. We're not saying things. That are fanciful or mythological. We're saying things that make sense. The, the pieces fit together. Now, do we have every question answered? Certainly not, but we have true and rational words. And this is what Paul. This is what Paul depends upon. He's he's investing his whole life into this one message and that mission and message. And so he says in verse 27 king Agrippa do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe. And Agrippa says Paul, in a short time, would you persuade me to be a Christian? What a good question. King Agrippa is asking, do you want me to be a Christian Paul? And of course, Paul responds the way that you and I would. He says, uh, whether short or long I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am, except for these chains. I want you to come to Christ. I don't want you to go to prison with me. But I'd love to, free to go to heaven with me is what he says. And so after his testimony and after making his defense. Both king Agrippa and Festus come to the conclusion. Like he could have been, let go. He should have been, let go. There's no reason for him to be in prison. Uh, if he had not appealed to Caesar, this would have been a much more simple case, but as you, and I know, even though Paul is the one who appealed to Caesar to have to have him try before him. It's not Paul alone. That's operating. This is God. The spirit working through Paul to get him where he needs to go, which is Rome. And it's results. You're going to go. We know eventually he does get there. It's just going to take him some time. All these bumps along the road to where God wants to take. Paul, you might think, man, what a difficult season of life it was for Paul. And certainly that's true. But doesn't it. Pretty typically happen. That God works through all the twists and turns of life that he sends us, the things that you and I would see as being diversions from the mission or the things that we would see as. Uh, distractions or, uh, things that kind of slow us down from the purpose that we think God has designed us for God is purposefully placing in our path to get us exactly where he wants us. I think about following a path of water. You know, a little stream of water as it navigates around rocks, and it goes under this and around that. And eventually it gets what needs to go, whatever, wherever that tributary leads. God's going to get us where we need to go. And like, Paul, we need to just trust that God's going to put us where we need to be in order to bear testimony for Christ. What a great thing for us to be reminded about as we close out chapter 26. Hey, thanks for joining me. Keep on reading and I'll look forward to seeing you again, just me until pastor PG comes back. But I look forward to seeing you guys again tomorrow. For another edition of the daily Bible podcast, have a great one.