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Daily Devotionals
Day by Day Devotional - Year 4 of 5
Acts 24:1-21
Paul appears before Felix in the presence of his accusers. These men need an advocate, as eloquent a man as possible, because their case is so bad. But what a contrast between the flatteries (v. 3), then the gross slanders (v. 5; cf. Luke 23:2) of the orator Tertullus and the dignity of Paul in his profession of faith, accompanied by a frank statement of the facts.
A sect (vv. 5, 14) is a religious group which claims the authority of a leader or a special doctrine. The redeemed, on the other hand, claim only the authority of Christ. But the religious world will also call by this name the gathering of God’s children, who have separated themselves to Him in obedience to the Word. What does that matter? This expression, like many others, forms part of the reproach of Christ. Like Paul, the faithful believer has the glorious privilege of being associated with Him, who was the Nazarene, in the scorn of the world (end of v. 5). By contrast, the apostle’s great concern, and it should be ours too, was always to have "a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men" (v. 16). He thought of the resurrection day when he would render to the Lord an account of his life here and his service. Once a truth is known, it must always have a moral effect. Such must be the prospect of the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:9-10)!
