Acts 26
March 11, 2022
“‘I am not insane, most excellent Festus,’ Paul replied. ‘What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.’” (v25-26)
Festus tries to frame the Christian faith as “insane” in order to delegitimize it. Paul, though, rebuts that it’s “true and reasonable” (v25). And part of Paul’s argument for its “reasonableness” is that the claims he’s making about the resurrection of Jesus “did not happen in a corner” (v26). In other words, yes, the Christian faith is based on the belief in Jesus’ resurrection (a miracle), but the basis for believing that miracle is historical and verifiable! As Paul would write elsewhere, “Jesus appeared to more than 500… most of whom are still alive” (1 Cor 15:6) - which is another way of saying, “What I’m claiming about Jesus didn’t happen in a corner. Go fact-check me!”
Lord, I praise You for being a God who is both supernatural and historical, a God, who requires a leap of faith and provides evidence that that leap of faith is a reasonable leap to take! In a culture that wants to portray Christianity as an anti-science, anti-reason, knuckle-dragging religion - help me to (like Paul) combat that misguided framing and to (like Paul) seek to “persuade them to be a Christian” (v28).
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
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Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
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Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
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➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
