Royalty doesn't cotton to the notion of being challenged. After all, they’re “special” and everyone else is ‘common’. Royalty likes to rule and reign with absolute authority. Oddly enough, there is nothing wrong with that scenario if they are following the precepts and leading of God. If the powers that be are not following God’s direction, their anger rises quickly and some unfortunates will reap the whirlwind—in royal fashion of course!
Why would anyone deliberately provoke someone who could deliberately have them drawn and quartered and hung out to drip-dry? What if the provoker had good reason to provoke the provokee? Would that justify things? The provoker was literally trying to save someone’s destiny. Why would they put such a story like that in the Bible to begin with? Like most things—so that others may learn the intended lesson and “have” a destiny!
The story involves famous people (then and now) who were doing the precursor to a Shakespearean tango. The story, overflowing with intrigue, desperation, and fraught with anxiety took place in Acts chapters 24-26. The main characters caught up in the drama are: Paul the apostle, Ananias, the high priest, a lawyer named Terullus, Felix the governor of Judea and the successor to Felix, Porcius Festus, King Agrippa and Bernice, and probably hundreds more. The story—Paul is accused of being a trouble maker and an enemy of Rome. In return, Paul challenges his accusers to show proof of their accusations while defending his actions and explains how and why he is a follower of Jesus Christ. You may be wondering who is actually fanning the flames of Paul on trial. God is of course, who else!
Paul’s story takes place over a period of Two Years! At the end of this particular story, Festus, a Roman couldn’t understand Paul’s position; Agrippa, a Jew, didn’t have any semantic problems. During those two years, thousands were exposed to Paul’s story. Sometime between American Idol and Kops & Robbers, read the story, it will fan your flames of knowledge and desire to know Jesus Christ.
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. 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...” 1 Peter 3:15
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