“23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in. 24 Then Festus said: ‘King Agrippa and all men present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community has appealed to me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer. 25 Now I realized that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner and not to indicate the charges against him.'”

Acts 25:23-27

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“13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, You have brought me this man as one who subverts the people. But in fact, after examining Him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse Him of. 15 Neither has Herod, because he sent Him back to us. Clearly, He has done nothing to deserve death.” Luke 23:13-15

“11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.” 1 Peter 2:11-12

Paul’s circumstances are nothing out of the ordinary for a follower of Christ. He was not the first jailed, nor would he be the last. Instead, he finds himself in a position that will become common to many who follow Christ. This life we lead then, continues to be remarkably important as it stands in testimony for us. If we truly are walking as Jesus walked, then our conduct should reflect that same life, His. ANd when we live as Christ, any honest examination, any unpolluted scrutiny, will point toward the fact that we have lived according to the truth. The Holy Spirit reminds us, through Peter, that this life lived in holiness will be so apparent that even pagans wil recognize it as being honorable. This is the declaration of Pilate ater examining Jesus, Felix & Festus after examining Paul, and Agrippa will come to the same conclusion shortly. 

Our Christian character matters. That our walk is open and honest and matches up with the walk of Christ stands as witness to His handiwork. Anything else simply mirrors the flesh and does nothing to build the Kingdom or our testimony. So, again we see that it’s not enough to simply claim Christ, we must also walk as He walked, living out a life of faith in Him. Our walk must match up with our talk, and it must all come back and point past us and to the work of the cross in our hearts, minds and lives. A life of belief is more than a life that just ‘knows,’ it is a life that lives what it claims to stand for…in every way imaginable. 

We cannot pick and choose what we want of Christ, trying to make friends with the world as much as we want. Instead, we walk with Christ, fully expecting the world to disagree with us like it disagreed with Him. This is how we GoLove others, by serving as faithful ambassadors for Christ. 

“18 If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. 20 Remember the word I spoke to you: A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they dont know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father. 24 If I had not done the works among them that no one else has done, they would not have sin. Now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened so that the statement written in their scripture might be fulfilled: They hated Me for no reason.” John 15:18-25

“You are blessed when people hate you,

when they exclude you, insult you,

and slander your name as evil

because of the Son of Man.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! Take note — your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.” Luke 6:22-23