Luke tells us in Acts 24 of a time when Paul, whom the Jews had earlier seized, was brought before the area’s governor-a man named Felix. They brought charges against Paul, and he defended himself. Hoping to receive a bribe, Felix refused to let Paul go, and he kept him as a prisoner for two years. During this time, Felix and Drusilla, his wife, sent for Paul regularly to hear him preach.<\/p>\n
On one occasion, when Paul preached, we are told that he reasoned with Felix about “righteousness,” “self-control,” and the “judgment to come.” Both Felix and Drusilla needed to hear these lessons for many reasons. First, Felix and Drusilla were involved in an adulterous relationship. Thus, they clearly needed instruction in self-control. Further, Felix was not righteous in his relationship with God or with his fellow man. Also, Felix and Drusilla should have realized that they would have to give an account of themselves to God on Judgment Day. Paul’s straightforward approach with Felix is remarkable, given his dependence on Felix for his release from prison. Many people would have said whatever Felix wanted to hear to secure their freedom. However, Paul wanted to defend the truth and, if possible, save Felix’s and Drusilla’s souls.<\/p>\n
Consider a few observations about Paul’s preaching. First, he did not merely preach what Felix wanted to hear. Typically, a person living in an adulterous relationship does not want to hear about righteousness, self-control, and the “judgment to come.” Next, he did not preach to please Felix. Paul did not compromise; he offered no apology, and his sermon was not so general that Felix could miss the point. Finally, his sermon was persuasive preaching – he spoke it to prompt action!<\/p>\n
Upon hearing Paul’s sermon, Felix was “afraid” (Acts 24:25). However, he did not ask, “How can I obtain forgiveness?” Instead, he said, “Go away for now, when I have a convenient time I will call for you.<\/em>” (NKJV)<\/p>\n Today we need to preach as Paul did. He did not preach to please people but to please God (also note II Timothy 4:1-2). When we hear God’s Word, we must obey it (Hebrews 5:9) and not delay (II Corinthians 6:2)!<\/p>\n Delay is rebellion against God. Children who tell their parents they will obey later are rebelling against them. People who say to God, “not now,” are rebelling against their heavenly Father.<\/p>\n Delay is also very dangerous. We could die at any time; the Judgment could happen at any time. A person delaying obedience could easily be caught unprepared. There is also the strong possibility that the person who continues to reject God will eventually develop a “hardened heart” (Matthew 13:15; Hebrews 3:13).<\/p>\n How do you respond to the preaching of God’s Word? Are you willing to do everything God tells you to do in His inspired Word, or do you obey when it pleases you? A person cannot obtain salvation without becoming a Christian. To become a Christian, one must hear (Romans 10:17); believe (John 3:16), repent (Acts 2:38; 17:30-31), confess Christ (Romans 10:10), and be baptized (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16). After people become Christians, they must remain faithful (I Corinthians 15:58; Revelation 2:10).<\/p>\n Scripture does not say that Felix responded to Paul’s lessons. Most believe he did not. We must not make the same mistake. Are you saying to God, “Go away for now?”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Luke tells us in Acts 24 of a time when Paul, whom the Jews had earlier seized, was brought before the area’s governor-a man named Felix. They brought charges against Paul, and he defended himself. Hoping to receive a bribe, Felix refused to let Paul go, and he…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[536],"class_list":["post-98382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-preaching"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":98382,"position":0},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-boy-girl-relationships-not-advisable-at-a-young-age\/","url_meta":{"origin":98382,"position":1},"title":"Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 3, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are boy-girl relationships not advisable at a young age Answer: Youth is a time of impatient desires. They want the things available to adults, but adulthood seems so far away. The typical teenage boy enters puberty around the age of 11. The typical teenage girl enters puberty around\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37138,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/we-lost-the-surprise-somewhere\/","url_meta":{"origin":98382,"position":2},"title":"We Lost the Surprise Somewhere","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I remember watching Mayberry RFD and related shows most of my childhood. Poor ignorant Gomer Pyle who worked as an auto mechanic was a notable character. 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Answer: We were taught to pray, \"Give us this day our daily bread\" (Matthew 6:11), but God still commands us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61889,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-book-of-my-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":98382,"position":4},"title":"The Book of My Life","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 19:23-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Each week the paper publishes its list of top selling books \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes the books are biographies, fictional stories, or fiction placed in historical settings. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hope that others will also purchase the books, if for no other reason than curiosity. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many author\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":98382,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). 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