Luke/Acts for Beginners

Paul was following the direction of our Lord to present the gospel before the Jews, Gentiles, Kings and Rulers. Paul made maximum use of these opportunities to do just that. The meetings were usually public and well attended by Jews and Gentiles alike (Acts 25:23). It would be of great interest. Paul, although in captivity, held a captive audience himself.

The benefit would be that many would hear and respond favorably to the gospel. It is recorded that even members of Caesar's household were converted to our Lord. It is highly probable that soldiers and other officials would convert, or at least reduce their persecution. The definite outcome is that the Church continued to grow, and God continued to be glorified.

Answers will vary. Of note is the comment by Festus in verse 25. Festus states that he found nothing worthy of death, but that Paul had appealed to the Emperor, as was his right. Also of note is that Festus is not telling everything that happened in Paul's case.

Answers will vary. Paul, once again, has the opportunity to describe his conversion. He begins with his position as a Jew and moves onto the events of his encounter on the road to Damascus and its outcome. Paul relates how he went from doing what the Jewish leaders wanted him to do, to now being falsely accused by these same leaders.

Of note here is a side lesson for us. People usually become seekers of our Lord for several reasons. These include becoming aware of a need, a significant emotional event, or someone brings them to an awareness of the need to change. The need for a significant emotional event is very evident in Paul's case. The deeper and longer beliefs are held then the more likely it will take a significant event, usually a negative one to bring someone to the Lord. Our role includes being there to help the person make this transition.

Answers will vary. Agrippa may have made his statement in a sarcastic way, but Paul seized upon it to encourage him and the others present to make the decision to convert to our Lord. Although there is no indication that Agrippa or the others ever converted, it non-the-less put the decision on them. Agrippa also makes the statement that Paul is innocent and should be set free except for his appeal to Caesar. This sets the stage for the final period of Paul's ministry.

Sadly, many people take a "wait and see" attitude in making these kinds of decisions. If someone of influence does not make that decision, then they will likely also not convert. This is all too often true of parents and their children. A child is not likely to convert if parents do not or do not encourage a child to convert. Paul addresses this directly in Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21. God has clearly placed the responsibility of spiritual leadership of the family on the fathers.

Answers will vary. Look for insights into allowing God to work in our lives. We often want immediate results from our efforts but that is not usually the case. Even with the masterful teachings of Jesus Himself, Peter, Paul and others did not all responded immediately. Our role is to obey our Lord by being ready and able to teach God's word. As Paul would say later, "God will give the increase" (I Corinthians 3:6).

Another good lesson to share is the witness of how Jesus has affected us personally.

We know our own conversion story. Be careful here, however. The story is about God's power and not about us. Using our personal conversion is a good place to start but we need to quickly transition to what our Lord can do for the ones we are speaking to.