“ What is inside has to come out…”

1. “What is inside has to come out…” Looking at Acts 25-26 Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

2. Paul the career criminal • Acts 26 finds Paul offering his defence before King Agrippa. • Paul was taken captive in Jerusalem (Acts 21-22) and has, thus far, appeared before a • Roman tribune (Acts 22), • a Jewish council ( Acts 23), • and the governor Felix (Acts 24). • All three tried to determine whether or not Paul has committed any crimes and, if so, what punishment his crimes have merited. Paul is held in custody for two years until Felix is succeeded by Porcius Festus. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

3. Legal complications • The situation has been complicated by Paul’s revealing that he is a Roman citizen and requesting a hearing before the Emperor (Acts 25). • Meanwhile, the Jews continue to demand Paul’s death. • Festus requests a legal consultation of sorts from King Agrippa in order that he might know how to proceed with Paul’s case. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

4. Who is Agrippa? • King Agrippa II was the great-grandson of Herod the Great. His father, King Agrippa I had three children: Agrippa II and his two sisters, Queen Bernice and Drusilla, who became the wife of Felix. • Herod Agrippa II was considered an authority on Jewish affairs, Jewish scriptures, and Jewish conflicts. Eventually Rome appointed him as the curator of the temple, which meant he had authority to appoint high priests and was also in charge of the temple treasury. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

5. Agrippa II did not have any children, and when he met Paul, this king was living in an incestuous relationship with his sister Bernice, who was a year younger than him. Agrippa II called himself "Great King, pious Friend of Caesar and Friend of Rome." He died in A.D. 100 at the age of 73 The last of the Herods. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

6. What IS inside…? • A central feature of Paul’s defence before Agrippa is his own personal testimony. Paul recounts how he was once an ambitious Jew who was set on persecuting the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Paul’s entire life, however, was changed by his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. After this encounter, Paul reoriented everything in his life around this experience. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

7. Stories of conversion • Luke, the author, finds an incredible significance in stories of conversion. Acts 26 marks the third time that Paul’s conversion is recounted (cf. Acts 9, 22). • The story documenting the conversion of Cornelius is also given two extensive recitations (Acts 10). • Other conversion stories are also given weight through Luke’s narrative in Acts especially the Ethiopian Eunuch in ch 8 and Lydia in ch 16. Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa

8. The power of a changed life • Jesus turns water into wine • Jesus moves the book-ends • Jesus calls you to be a witness • Jesus calls you to re-orient your life around a radical encounter with him Looking at Paul's defence before Agrippa