Mr. Happy Hears and Fears

It is not uncommon for a person who is in the public eye to hear the gospel and seem indifferent or even hostile toward it publically, only to circle back and seek to learn more about the message in private. In our story from Acts 24:22-27 we have an example of this very things from the life of the Judean governor Felix. Felix arranged to meet Paul privately for an interview about faith in Christ after having seen Paul in a public trial. During the private interview Paul proclaimed the good news to Felix and his wife Drusilla. He also reasoned with the couple about righteousness, self control and the judgement to come. As they listened they were brought to a point of alarm and a decision followed. What decision did they make? What difference did their decision make in their lives? As this story unfolds it becomes clear that the gospel brings people to a point of decision, where they either receive the grace the gospel offers or reject it. The message calls those who are not christians to consider Christ and believe, while challenging christians to learn to share the gospel by pointing people to the demands of the law and their own inability to keep it on the one hand while urging them to take God’s cure for death and sin - Christ, who died for us and them, by believing.