FELIX THE FOOLISH

“Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you” (Acts 24:25 NKJV).

In context, the response of Felix the governor of Judea to what the apostle Paul said at his hearing shows that Felix was spiritually foolish. Our verse reveals this in the disturbance of Felix, the delaying by Felix, and the delusion of Felix.

Disturbance of Felix - “As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid.” The word “afraid” could be translated terrified, or frightened. Felix was greatly convicted by what was said by the apostle Paul about the important spiritual matters. Yet, he played the fool and hardened his heart to the work of conviction brought about by the Holy Spirit. When folks reject the working of the Spirit of God upon their hearts, God will reciprocate and stop striving with them (cf. Gen. 6:3).

Delaying by Felix - “Go away for now.” What a tragic statement. Conviction gripped his heart, but he delayed taking action. Felix did not want to deal with the most important matters of life at that time. Only foolish folks thinks like this. So, Felix was being foolish by putting off dealing with his eternal destiny. No one gains by such action. Delay leads to damnation, and procrastination never prospered anyone.

Delusion of Felix - “When I have a convenient time I will call for you.” Felix was under the delusion that he could wait for a convenient time to deal with these vital and important spiritual matters. Only foolish folks believe that success is built on convenience. No war was ever won because of convenience. No business ever succeeded on convenience. No athlete excels because of convenience. No student gets good grades because of convenience, and no soul will get into heaven because of convenience. To wait for a convenient time to do right, or to take care of spiritual matters, a person may wait forever. As far as we know, Felix never did get back to the apostle Paul, and two years later, he was replaced as governor. A convenient time never came for Felix.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading 2)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination!”

Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430)

Theologian and Philosopher

Word Study

Fellow prisoner

In Col. 4:10 we read, “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him)” (NKJV).

“Fellow prisoner” is the Greek word synaichmálōtos (συναιχμάλωτος= soon-aheekh-mal'-o-tos). It is made up of two Greek words: “sun” which means with, association, fellowship, and “aichmálōtos” which literally means taken captive by sword, a prisoner of war. In a sense, the apostle Paul is a prisoner in Rome as the result of “spiritual war.” As Paul writes the Letter to the Colossian believers, Aristarchus is still beside him.

Did You Know…

In the Temple Solomon built, even the hinges, “both for the doors of the inner room (the Most Holy Place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple” were made of gold (1 Kings 7:50).

Bible Quiz

What did Cornelius, the Centurion do to Peter when he was brought before him?  

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz

What does Solomon say about sin in the Book of Ecclesiastes? “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin” (Ecc. 7:20).

Prophecies Fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ

Cursed is He Who Hangs on a Tree - Prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ becoming a Curse for Us (cf. Gal. 3:13)

"His body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God” (Deut. 21:23 NJKV).

“He who is hanged is accursed of God” is an exceedingly important statement. In context, the quotation does not mean that a person was cursed by God because he was hanged; rather, that to be hanged on a tree signified to the Jews that a person had been cursed. The Jews did not crucify criminals; they stoned them to death. But in cases of shameful violation of the Law, the body was hung on a tree and exposed for all to see. The Lord Jesus Christ was not cursed because he was crucified; rather, that He willingly allowed Himself to become cursed for all humanity, and thus endured the Crucifixion. At the Cross, the curse of the law was transferred from sinful humanity to the sinless Son of God. As a result, the ‘blessing of Abraham” (justification by faith and the gift of the Spirit) is now ours through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. v. 14). Redemption is a beautiful picture of what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us.

Did You Know – Christian History

On his way to his coronation that would make him King James I of England, Puritans presented James VI of Scotland with a petition, pleading for freedom from man-made rites and ceremonies in worship. He called for a conference of churchmen and theologians to be held at Hampton Court, one of the royal palaces. The Puritans thought that the Church of England had kept too many Catholic practices. They wanted church government put in the hands of the people, rather than a hierarchy of bishops and archbishops. However, recognizing the democratic tendencies of Puritanism and suspected that if the people dumped bishops they one day might dump their king, James and his son, Charles I, harassed the Puritans so fiercely that many fled to America.

However, when Dr. John Reynolds, President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, proposed a new translation of the English Bible, he found James enthusiastic. The king detested the Geneva Bible, since it did not support the theory that kings have divine right to rule, even if they behave badly. And so, on January 17, 1604, the motion was carried, and forty-seven of England’s top Bible scholars were appointed to do the work. In an effort to diminish bias, both Anglicans and Puritans were included. King James himself organized the task. The translators were divided into six panels (three Old Testament, two New Testament, and one Apocrypha). The king charged them to stick as close to the earlier Bishop’s Bible as accuracy would allow, but to take into account earlier versions. In the end, the new translation borrowed about seventy percent of its wording from William Tyndale’s translation. The procedure was to assign each translator a portion of Scripture. He had to present his work to the others in his group for approval. Each Book was then sent to the five other groups for review and criticism. With this procedure, each Book was scrutinized by every member of the team. A committee of twelve, two from each team then made a final review.

By 1611, the translation was complete, but it would take years for this Bible to win general acceptance. Readers who had memorized scripture from earlier versions hesitated to adopt new wordings. And because James was so closely involved with the work, the 1611 translation is often called the “Authorized Version” (in America, the King James Version). In time it became the most beloved English translation. Through its powerful rhythms and pleasing phrases, it shaped the language of the Bible-reading public. A few denominations consider the King James Version virtually inspired, the only acceptable translation for reading and study.

A Little Humor

After visiting the Holy Land, a couple sent their friend a postcard of Lazarus’s tomb. Showing it to his six-year-old son Leslie, the man explained that this is where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Leslie then asked his father if his Grandma and Grandpa had met Lazarus. “Of course not, he’s dead,’ the man said. To which Leslie retorted, “What? Again?”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“For 2020 vision, fix your eyes on Jesus!”