Paul has been diligently proclaiming the Gospel throughout his many travels.  I saw somewhere that Paul logged land and sea travel to something  equivalent to 13,000 air miles.  In another time, he would have qualified for free checked baggage and priority boarding.

Amazing to me that the chief priests and Jewish leaders were so upset with their status quo and their ruthless administration of their many laws being challenged  that they would go to any extent to get rid of Paul.  They drum up bogus charges against him and even plot to get him sent to Jerusalem so they can ambush and kill him on the way.

It was fortunate for Paul that the Roman governor (Festus) realized Paul’s rights as a Roman citizen and did not go along with the Jewish leaders’ requests.

Paul was convicted in the work he was doing in spreading the Gospel and was not intimidated by the Jewish leaders, the Roman governor , King Agrippa or his wife.  Paul was not afraid to die (verse 11) but insisted that he had done nothing wrong and demanded that he be treated fairly by the Roman officials. Paul challenged the charges against him and left Festus in a quandary about how to send Paul to Rome without a specific set of charges to write up about him.

Paul knew he was doing God’s work and charged ahead fearlessly in spite of the forces at work against him and the threats against his continued existence.   It would be incredible to be able to stand your ground in such a definitive fashion regardless of the opposition you are facing.  There are times when I hesitate to get into a Bible discussion with people who I know are “professional arguers”  and are looking for an opportunity to get into a verbal debate. So, I dodge that debate.  Coward’s way out, I guess.  All the more reason to go forward well-armed and prepared to defend my faith.  Reading about Paul’s ministry convinces me that I have more reading, studying and understanding to do.