Acts 25

Imagine this! You made some statements that made a group of people uncomfortable, threatened and angry. They got so riled up that they threatened to kill you. You knew that what you said was correct and that they had added things in their charge that you had not said. You asked to be brought to court to plead your case. They had no proof, but had a very good argument against you. You only had your word. What would your defense be?

This is exactly what happened to Paul while he was spreading the gospel in Jerasulem and was taken to Cessaria to be tried in the Roman court. The problem was that the charges were not against Roman law, but the Jews were like our current political lobbyists. People believed Paul's message was true and they had no defense against it. Seems that even in Paul's day, the voice of reason and truth could be drowned out by by the power of the dangling carrot.

In America we are guaranteed Religious freedom by our constitution, but in other countries missionaries frequently face serious trials. If this happened today and you were brought before a court because you were sharing the gospel message, how would you defend your innocence? Here is what Paul said to the Roman court:  "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well.  If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" (Acts 25:10-11)