Imagine you are sitting in a church worship services, and the preacher is preaching. Suddenly someone stands up, interrupts the preacher, and says out loud, “You are out of your mind!” That would be dramatic, wouldn’t it?
That’s never happened to me, but it did once to the Apostle Paul.
Paul preached a lot. We can read some of his sermons in the book of Acts, which we studied on the blog in 2020.
For example, see Acts chapter 13 for his sermon in Pisidian Antioch, and especially verses 26-37. Then glance at Acts 17:2-3, for what Paul preaches in Thessalonica. Next, look at Acts 17:31 and notice what Paul says during his sermon to the intellectuals in Athens. Before the crowd in Jerusalem in Acts 22, and before King Agrippa in Acts 26, Paul shares his testimony. In Acts 26:23, Paul claims that the Old Testament prophets wrote about the Messiah. What does Paul claim the prophets said? At that point in his sermon, Festus, the Roman governor, interrupts Paul and accuses Paul of being out of his mind.
Out of his mind? What did Paul say that had this Roman governor making an outburst?
Join us on the blog next week as we study John 20, as that chapter describes what happened that Paul preached about so often. It’s what Festus thought was ridiculous. Read it ahead of time. Think about a neighbor, friend or family member who you can share the blog with. This will be a week of posts especially for people like Festus who did not know Jesus.
Engaging Scripture 