June 6 - Acts 24: An Inconvenient, Uncomfortable Truth

A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. "That's enough for today. I'll call you back when it's convenient."   (Acts 24:24-25)

Felix is fairly transparent here (at least to us).  He's putting Paul off, avoiding the truth, unwilling to deal with the personal impact of believing the gospel.  He dismissed Paul and, more consequentially, dismissed Christ.  Felix had the upper hand politically, socially, and in all other manners of power.  However, he was in bondage to his title, his position, his wealth, and his desire to please the people.  The gospel was an inconvenient, uncomfortable truth for Felix.

On the other hand, Paul lived in chains with no clout.  But, he lived in the freedom of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul gave everything to know Christ and partner in His suffering.  This juxtaposition, of himself and his procrastinating judge, could hardly have been lost on Paul.

Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself.   (Philippians 3:7-10, Msg)

I must also respond.  I'm either living in the way of Felix or in the way of Paul.  Is the personal impact of living out the gospel too inconvenient, uncomfortable, or threatening to the way of life that I'm seeking?   Or, do I choose to give up my life in order to know Christ, His resurrection power, His suffering, and to go all the way with Him to death itself?