A Clear Conscience

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

Acts 24:10-16

10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

NIV

After being accused by Ananias and some of the elders, who brought the lawyer Tertullus to speak on their behalf, Governor Felix moved that Paul be allowed to speak. We begin with the first part of his defense. We notice that although Paul acknowledges that Felix had been a judge over Israel for a number of years, he does not attempt to butter him up as the accusers had done. As Paul explained that he had done nothing for which he had been accused, he made sure Felix knew he agreed with the Law and the Prophets and that he was a Jew just like his accusers, and that he worships the same God, except that he does so as a follower of the Way. Was there a difference between the resurrection Paul believed in and the one the chief priest Ananias and the elders believed in? We are not sure, but we do not think the Jews believed in the resurrection of the wicked, but only those whom they felt were righteous because they followed the Law. We know the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked is the truth. All people will stand before God almighty, every knee will bow, and Jesus will stand and read from the book of life. The problem lies in whether our name has not been blotted out of the book of life. Because some names will be blotted out and thus not found in the book, they will not have life eternal but will experience the second death. Even if the Jews who insisted that their righteousness was in the Law, may have their names blotted out. The idea that all Israel will be saved could mean the true Israel, meaning all who have circumcised hearts, the inside evidence, rather than just the outside evidence of being Israel. Nevertheless, we know the only way not to have our name blotted out is to look to Jesus and His righteousness, for we have no righteousness within ourselves, and following any law or rules we think we should keep our name in the book. Accepting the grace of God, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, following Jesus is the only way, for it has never been nor will it ever be, Jesus plus something we do. The Jews worshipped God, yet it was all about what they did, how they followed the Law, which they improvised based on their ability to feel righteous. How can we think that following a set of rules of conduct can keep our conscience clear before God? No matter how much effort the Jews tried, or we try to keep any law or rules, they and we are bound to fail. Our only hope is Jesus and Jesus alone. We will live by faith, depending on the work Jesus did on the cross for our salvation, and then we will have a clear conscience before God. 

Accusations

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ACCUSATIONS

Acts 24:1-9

4:1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. 5 "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him." 9 The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

NIV

We are in the courtroom scene, with Governor Felix as the judge and juror, and with Ananias, the high priest, accompanied by a lawyer whom we know we cannot trust. This Tertullus was not part of the Sanhedrin when Paul stirred up the Pharisees and Sadducees. Still, as a lawyer, he represented the accusers and brought charges against Paul before Governor Felix. Looking to win favor, Tertullus uses all the words of flattery he can. Perhaps that is the way things are done, but we wonder if that brings any more truth, or just accusations that cannot be proven. We will get to Paul's defense next, but what can we learn from this fabrication by Ananias and some of the elders, who employed a lawyer to present their claims about Paul? There are two truths we should consider. First, some people might make false claims about our lives, behaviors, or what we have or have not said. Undoubtedly, the people of the world might make false claims about us Christians. We remember when Jesse Ventura, who was once the governor of Minnesota, claimed, "Organized religion is a sham and a crutch for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers." He had more to say, but the point is that he made an untrue accusation. Believers are just the opposite of what he claimed. True faith in Jesus Christ, being a follower of Jesus, a Christian, is for thinking people who search out truth. We will always have someone who will make false claims about Christians. However, some of what the world sees regarding Christianity is from those silver-tongued purveyors of deception who broadcast their falsehoods. Secondly, we should be careful what we say about other believers. There can be this horrible disease within the church, called gossip, or claims about what someone said or did without being able to prove any of the accusations. Some may have witnessed what is considered bad behavior, but it is not their place to gossip about it. Some believers may have felt hurt by someone in the church; however, it is not their place to gossip about how that person hurt their feelings; instead, they should settle the matter quietly with whoever they believe hurt them. When all of us believers are supposed to live by the principle of love that Jesus established, we would not make accusations or gossip about one another because we love them. We would never make any accusations.  

Either the Law or Love

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

EITHER THE LAW OR LOVE

Acts 23:23-35

23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace.

NIV

And so the long-drawn-out set of circumstances that will bring Paul to Rome had begun with this letter to the Governor Felix. The case against Paul will soon begin, but he must wait for those accusers, those liars, to come and present their false charges. Paul will be able to speak up about Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, but the righteous and the wicked. We will get to that soon enough, but what can we learn from this narrative? The letter made it clear that the accusations were based on Jewish law, not on any action against the government under Roman rule or against Caesar. We wonder why, then, a Roman governor sits in the judgment seat against a dispute among the Jews. Of course, the Jews have no authority to sit in judgment because they are an occupied people, under the rule of Roman law. What comes to mind is that we appear to live under two sets of laws, but in reality, there is only one. There is the law of God that demands we obey the law of the land. Nevertheless, we should not confuse the law of God with some set of rules and regulations we set upon ourselves. Jesus made that clear enough when he was questioned by an expert in the law about the greatest command in the law. Jesus told him that the greatest command was to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and the second was to love others as we love ourselves. We wonder why we put ourselves under the yoke of bondage to the law, or some set of rules we think makes us look holy or righteous. Sure, we want to live in a manner that pleases the Lord, but if we live under the principles of love, then we would be pleasing the Lord. All the laws we could come up with, some of the truths in the scriptures that we want to apply to ourselves, and others, are all covered under the law of love. It always comes down to either the law or love. 

Law Breakers

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

LAW BREAKERS

Acts 23:12-22

12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here." 16 But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." 18 So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you." 19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?" 20 He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request." 22 The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me."

NIV

These forty men who took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul may have thought it was a secret, but their sin was exposed. How is it that men who were raised in the Jewish traditions, who were supposed to live by the Ten Commandments, one being, "You shall not murder," formed a conspiracy to murder Paul? They were judging Paul for speaking out against the law that they had decided to ignore or purposely break. Sinners calling someone a sinner and worthy of death is bizarre, yet that is exactly what the Jews did in their conspiracy against Jesus. That is why Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. In essence, they were the lawbreakers, not Paul.  We should be extremely careful not to get caught up in that kind of thinking. There is a difference between the church and the world as to how we treat each other. The world does not abide by any biblical principles, so anger, hatred, unforgiveness, criticism, judgmentalism, back-biting, and even murder are standard practices. Sure, there may be some exceptions, with some being rather nice people, but their refusal to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior still puts them in the category of lost sinners. We within the church are simply found sinners, as we have accepted Jesus and make every effort to live in accordance with the law of love that Jesus established when he set the first aside. The question is: are we, in some way, similar to whitewashed tombs? Have we developed attitudes toward other believers that do not apply to the law of love? Do we become judgmental of other believers whom we think have broken the rules we established as the standard to live by? Do we hold any grudge or resentment against another believer that we think has offended us? Are we willing to forgive instantly, or do we want to dwell in our hurt feelings? They plotted, their conspiracy was found out, exposed, and foiled. Now, how were they going to go back on their bond, their oath? Because they were unable to fulfill their oath, they would either have to starve to death or break their oath. How foolish it is to live as they tried to. We are believers in Jesus and have decided to follow Jesus. We have decided to love each other, and therefore all our thoughts, attitudes, words, responses, and behaviors are guided by love. We could never be a part of a conspiracy, even if it were a conspiracy of one against anyone. Love covers a multitude of sins. Because we live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with the command of Jesus to love God with our whole being and love others the same way we love ourselves, we live forgiven and forgiving. In that way, we would never be considered lawbreakers. 

Testify

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

TESTIFY

Acts 23:11

11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." 

NIV

We have dealt with these preceding words twice, but now we come to what God spoke to Paul about having testified regarding Jesus in Jerusalem, and now he was going to Rome to testify about Jesus. The parallel that comes to our mind is the difference between the Jewish world and the Gentile world, which is like the church world of believers and the world of non-believers. It is absolutely fine for us to share our testimony about Jesus within the community of faith, the church. In fact, we should all consider how the Holy Spirit broke into our lives, bringing us face to face with our sinfulness and need for repentance. We should want to tell our story of how Jesus came into our lives, how he made us new people, and saved us from the penalty of death. When we testify about Jesus, we encourage one another, building each other up, strengthening each other's faith. We should not assume that everyone in church knows that we are born again, filled with the Spirit, or that everyone in church is born again and filled with the Spirit. That is why we should testify whenever we can, to everyone we can. However, Paul was being sent by God to Rome to testify. We could see that as our being called to share the gospel message with those outside the church. That is not as easy as it sounds, for as a general rule,  we believers do not associate very closely with the outside world. We shop in stores or maybe work there, but do we speak about Jesus openly, boldly, and with confidence? Sometimes it is difficult to join a conversation at the checkout or as we walk through the store. Have we just resigned ourselves to silence? We notice the use of the word "must" when the Lord tells Paul he must also testify in Rome. Have we, as believers, been told to preach the gospel and make disciples in all nations? Have we resigned ourselves to giving some support to missionaries who, some might testify, bear witness to Jesus? In contrast, others work in ministries that are not in direct contact with people from around the world. If we never testify to anyone, what does that mean? We believe we should testify, but are we? We might say that God is good, and he is, but are we testifying about how Jesus saved us, or that he changed our lives, and that he can change anyone's life? We need to testify. 

His Pleasure

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

HIS PLEASURE

Acts 23:1-11

23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" 5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night, the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." 

NIV

Because there are many truths within this narrative and we only touched on fulfilling our duty to God, we wanted to focus for just a moment on not speaking evil about the ruler of the people. Paul should not have spoken to the High Priest, and he recognized he was in error, so he stepped back, then went on about the resurrection. Interestingly, the Greek word translated as ruler has a direct meaning of a first in rank or power, such as a king, prince, chief, president, etc. If we attempt to apply this truth to our lives, then as believers, we will never speak evil about anyone who is first in rank, such as the president, still more importantly, God, because there is no one more first in rank than Him, but within the context, it refers to a human ruler or leader of people. When Paul mentioned that he was a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee, and that he was on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead, it sparked a dispute. We know, as Paul did, that the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, but the Sadducees did not. How is it that there can be that much of a difference in beliefs among the same people whom God delivered their forefather out of Egypt, bringing them into this land of milk and honey? How can there be such a significant dispute over the resurrection of the dead? What did the Sadducees think happened after they died? Were they just dead, end-of-life dead, with nothing after death? If there are no angels or spirits, did they believe in God? All believers in Jesus also believe in the resurrection of the dead because Jesus told us it would happen. That brings us to ask, what is the purpose of our lives? If there is no resurrection, why do believers bother to try to live according to the truth of God? But there is a resurrection; however, the point of our lives is for the pleasure of God. He is pre-existent, before he created anything, he is. Jesus did not say that he was the I AM, or that he is, I AM, always was and will always be. He decided to create all that is created for his own pleasure, not that he needed to, but it just pleased him to create, and he made a man, a human in their image, and breathed life into Adam, or man, for his own pleasure. Have we lost sight of that truth, trying to live for our pleasure when the meaning of our lives is for the pleasure of God? His pleasure is to resurrect those of us who accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, to live with him forever in the place Jesus prepared for us. That is His pleasure. 

Fulfilling Our Duty

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FULFILLING OUR DUTY

Acts 23:1-11

23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" 5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'" 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." 

NIV

Should not that be our desire, to fulfill our duty to God in all good conscience to this day? Then the question is, what is our duty to God? That could be seen in two ways. First, our duty, generally speaking, as Christians or believers. Second, what is our duty as individual members of the community of faith or the body of Christ? As believers, do we fulfill the command of Jesus to love the Lord our God with all, which means not some, but all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and do we love everyone else as we love ourselves? We know we can all get tied up with so many other rules and regulations about what we are not supposed to do, that we might be too distracted from what we are supposed to do, to fulfill our duty.  As individuals, we need to listen to the voice of the Spirit, or His inspiration. We might use the term "our calling" to describe how we fit into the temple of God as living stones. What is our particular function in the body of Christ? How do we serve others? What benefit do we have to the other members of the body of Christ? When we make that parallel between our bodies, the feet take us places, but the eyes allow us to see where we are going. The mouth tastes the goodness of food, but the hands are needed to bring the food to the mouth. On and on, we could see how each member of our body benefits the other members, and that is how we should be as one member of the body of Christ. This also bears out as the high priest ordered that Paul be struck on the mouth. They must have thought that the only way to fulfill their duty to God was to obey the law, which they were not doing. This should also serve as a lesson for us that we must not stand in judgment of others or how they are or are not fulfilling their duty to God. One thing we know is that we are to encourage each other. Because the Greek word parakaleoo, used as "encourage," has a deeper meaning of calling to one's side, inviting, exhorting, and admonishing, it can also be seen as comforting or encouraging in the sense of building another up and telling them about the benefit they have to others. It is more than the good deeds, but if, and that is a big word, we can love one another, then we would be fulfilling our duty to God.