Week 8
STudy Questions
When Jewish King Herod Agrippa II visited Festus, the new Roman governor of Judea, it was a polite formality (Acts 25:13), but also a good way to establish a connection and possibly begin a friendly relationship. And while these men were motivated primarily by political expediency, their example is worth noting. How intentional are you about taking relational steps like getting to know your neighbors, being kind to new students in your school, or inviting coworkers out to lunch or over for dinner? Whom can you begin reaching out to right away to introduce yourself, make connections, and possibly open doors for the gospel? Consider encouraging everyone in your small group to share possible names, then take some time to pray together over those names, as well as for God’s favor as you begin reaching out.
In Acts 25:26, Festus admits to Agrippa that he’s at a loss regarding what to write to Caesar about Paul; and he seeks Agrippa’s counsel on the matter. It takes a certain amount of wisdom to recognize areas in which you lack wisdom. Read Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; and 24:6. Do you ever find it difficult to ask others for their input or help? If so, why is that? Can you think of a time you asked someone for counsel and afterward were really glad you did? If so, will you share it with your small group?
In Acts 25:27, Festus told Agrippa, “I think it unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.” In general, people expect you to be able to provide reasons for your thoughts, opinions, and actions; and that expectation applies to your testimony about the Lord Jesus Christ, as well. The apostle Peter exhorts us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (I Peter 3:15b). What reasons would you give in response to the questions, “Why do you believe in Jesus?” and “Why do you trust the Bible?”
In last week’s lesson, we briefly pondered the question: Did Paul make a mistake by insisting on going to Jerusalem in spite of repeated warnings from Agabus and others, warnings that Luke describes as having come “through the Spirit” (see Acts 21:4, 10-12). In similar fashion, Festus acknowledged he could find no reason to continue to hold Paul captive (Acts 26:31); and Agrippa indicated Paul could have been released from his imprisonment if he had not insisted on appealing to Caesar (Acts 26:32). Is it possible Paul made a mistake in going to Jerusalem and in appealing to Caesar? If so, what lessons can you take from those mistakes? Even the most seasoned Christians are capable of bad judgment from time to time. What practical steps can you take to protect yourself from making bad decisions? Proverbs 12:15 makes two basic statements that are related but different. What are they?
Paul used every opportunity, even times he was put on trial, to share his testimony about how the Lord met him and changed him. What are some simple, practical ways you can work your testimony about God, His goodness, and His impact on your life into normal conversations?
In Acts 26:14, the Lord Jesus tells Paul, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” What did He mean by that? Have you ever had a situation in which you kept stubbornly doing something in spite of the fact it was obviously hurting you to do it? Would you be willing to share your story with your small group?
In testifying before Agrippa, Paul once again emphasized the necessity of repentance, saying, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20b). The theme of repentance unto salvation is echoed throughout the book of Acts (see also, for instance, Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:30-32; 11:18; 14:15; 17:30; 20:21); but here Paul adds the need to “prove” your repentance by your deeds, a theme presented years earlier by John the Baptist (see Matthew 3:8). No doubt for some Christians that language will sound like salvation by works, and yet it’s right there in the Bible. What does Paul mean by that statement? How does one go about proving one’s repentance? John the Baptist gives some examples of “proving” one’s repentance in Luke 3:9-14. Do you have any specific examples from your own life? If so, would you be willing to share them with your small group?
When Festus suggested Paul’s belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus meant he was insane (Acts 26:24), Paul replied, “What I am saying is true and reasonable” (Acts 26:25). In what ways is belief in the resurrection “reasonable”? What “reasons” can you give to support your belief in it?
For Further Consideration:
At the time of the book of Acts, the politics of the ancient near East were complicated. In 63 BC, the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem. The Romans ousted the Hasmoneans from power and eventually the Roman Senate named Herod the Great as Jewish king in 40 BC. Under the Roman Republic, Judea functioned more or less as a semi-autonomous vassal state; but in AD 6, Caesar Augustus made the area an official Roman province under the direct control of Rome. That control resulted in the appointment of Roman procurators or governors to function as the eyes, ears, mouth, and hands of the emperor. Because Rome had an interest in maintaining peace throughout the Empire, however, it sought to appease the Jews on many fronts, allowing them to keep their king and seeking to placate the religious leaders when possible. In fact, it was largely in response to Jewish complaints that Rome replaced Felix with Festus.
By the time Felix was removed as the Roman governor, Paul had already been unjustly imprisoned for two years (Acts 24:27). And the arrival of a new governor meant his case was likely to start all over again from the beginning. If that doesn’t seem fair to you, it’s because it’s not.
Question 1 – Has there ever been a time you had to endure an unjust situation much longer than you thought possible? Did you manage that trial well? If so, what helped you get through it?
In Question 4 above, you were asked to consider the possibility that Paul made a mistake by insisting on going to Jerusalem and by appealing his case to Caesar. It’s worth noting that, in Acts 23:11 when Paul was still imprisoned in Jerusalem, the Lord appeared to him and told him he must share the good news in Rome. As a result, some have suggested that Paul’s appeal to Caesar was a scheme on his part to get him transferred to Rome so he could do exactly that. In truth, however, many people have made disastrous decisions trying to achieve God’s goals in their own time and their own way. Sarah and Abraham created a mess when they sought to produce an heir for Abraham through Hagar (Genesis 16:1-12). Moses lost forty years of his life when he sought to establish himself as Israel’s liberator by killing an Egyptian (Acts 7:23-30). King Saul had the kingdom stripped from him when he offered a sacrifice to God in direct disobedience to the Lord’s command through the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 10:8; 13:7-14).
No doubt, Paul’s appeal to Caesar got him to Rome; but the trip was fraught with peril, his entire time there was spent under house arrest, and the whole affair eventually ended with his execution. Given Paul’s extensive travel experience, there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t have managed to get himself to Rome under better circumstances if he’d simply waited and allowed himself to be freed by Festus.
Question 2 – When you believe you have a word of direction from the Lord, it’s important to take that word back to Him for answers to the crucial questions “When?” and “How?”. The Lord gave Joseph a dream that his brothers would bow down to him, but it didn’t come to pass for many, many years. The key is to trust God to keep His promises and to wait patiently for Him to do so. On a scale from 1-10, with 1 being lowest, how would you rate yourself in terms of patience? On a scale from 1-10, with 1 being lowest, how would you rate yourself in terms of trusting God with your life and future? Has there ever been a time you got ahead of God and made a mess of things? If so, what lessons did you learn from that experience?
Luke retells the story of Paul’s conversion three full times in Acts (Acts 9:1-9; 22:3-16; 26:4-20). Read II Peter 1:12-15, and notice Peter’s commitment to share the same things over and over again, even promising to make provision to see to it that, after he’s dead, others will continue to share those same things over and over again.
Question 3 – Look up and read the words of the old hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story.” Do those words resonant with you? Do you ever get tired of hearing the same concepts taught in church or feel like there are passages of Scripture it’s not worth your time to go over again?
As noted in the video, in his testimony before Agrippa, Paul asked the incredibly rational question, “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” (Acts 26:8). Most people who reject Christianity do so without ever giving it any honest consideration, saying things like, “Miracles didn’t happen because there’s no such thing as miracles.” But that line of thinking is utterly flawed, because the reason for its conclusion is drawn from the conclusion itself. It’s a classic example of the logical fallacy of begging the question. To have any sort of meaningful consideration of Christianity, one must begin with at least the possibility of a miracle-working God. To reject that possibility at the start is to refuse to engage in any sort of meaningful, intelligent consideration of the matter.
Question 4 – How would you respond to the question, “How could you possibly believe in anything as irrational as a Man returning from the dead?” Take some time to work out a series of simple questions that begin with question, “Do you believe in God?” and then work their way from there to the gospel.
When Paul shared his testimony, he admitted that he’d tried to force Christians to recant their faith (see Acts 26:11). Undoubtedly, this coercion included threats of imprisonment or worse. The history of Christianity is replete with stories of saints who refused to deny their Lord and Savior even in the face of certain torture and death.
Question 5 – Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt pressure to deny (or hide or maybe soft-pedal) your faith in the Lord Jesus? If so, will you share your story with your small group? Have you given any thought to how you would respond if placed under overt pressure to deny or renounce your faith?
Rather than pressuring Christians to denounce Jesus, the Romans typically pressured them to compromise their faith by also engaging in the public worship of civic deities or the emperor. These sorts of episodes are even found in the Old Testament. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were never asked to deny God outright; they were simply ordered to compromise their faith in the exclusivity of God and bow to the image of another god, as well (see Daniel 3:1-18).
Question 6 – In what ways are Christians sometimes pressured to compromise their faith today? Have you been pressured in any of these ways? Have you given any thought to how you will respond if you are? Many employers today are pressuring Christians to support activities or worldviews that are contrary to the clear dictates of Scripture. Are you prepared to lose a promotion or your job or possibly even an entire career over a demand that you compromise on a matter of biblical truth?
One of the new things you learn from Paul’s Acts 26 retelling of his conversion relates to the Lord’s call on his life, as Jesus says to him, “I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you” (Acts 26:16b). In some very fundamental way, that’s the Lord’s call and commission on each of us. The Lord reveals Himself to people in order to make them something they weren’t before, specifically, to make them His servants and witnesses. Once you are born again, you are sent to serve God and His purposes in this world, loving Him and others. And once you are filled with His Spirit, you are sent as His witness to show and share what He’s done in your life and made known to you. Like Paul, all believers have a charge to share the love of God and the good news of Jesus in an effort to turn others from darkness to light and to a place among those who are sanctified by faith (Acts 26:17-18).
Question 7 – Do you view yourself each day as the Lord’s servant? In what ways has He uniquely gifted you to serve His purposes in the world? Do you view yourself each day as the Lord’s witness, sent to testify to others about Him and His work? Who are the people in your orbit to whom you can bear witness about Jesus this week?