Acquainted With The Way

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

May 3, 2021

Acquainted With The Way

Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.”

          Acts 24:22

Read: Acts 24:22-27       

When Paul was in Corinth, he wrote to the believers in Rome telling them he planned to visit them very soon. Paul planned to take a love offering to Jerusalem and then leave for Rome. Our text today reveals Paul’s plans were interrupted. He had been in jail in Caesarea for over two years. Was this wasted time? I don’t think so.

Our reading today does not tell us what was happening in Jerusalem or in all the communities where followers of The Way had been gathering. But there must have been significant activity because even though Paul had been inactive and in jail for two years, as we will see in tomorrow’s reading, soon after arriving in Caesarea, Festus traveled to Jerusalem where the Jewish leaders seized the opportunity to advance their conspiracy against Paul.

Felix is an interesting case study. The text says he was well acquainted with the Way. For two years, Felix spent time with Paul who shared his faith in Jesus with him. Yet the only response noted for Felix was that what he heard made him afraid. After two years Felix, truly revealed his lack of integrity by leaving Paul in prison when he was replaced by Festus.

My Takeaway: The Gospel, when fully presented, demands a response. We may surrender control of our life to Jesus, or we may continue to do life our way. Felix’s lack of response calls me to reaffirm, I am not my own, I belong to God. By creation and redemption, I am His.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.