45-Three Men--Two Destinies (Acts 26:1-32)

A review of the purpose of the Luke’s letters – Luke and Acts:

1. To give an orderly account of Christianity - Luke 1:1-4
2. To verify the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit
3. To explain the disciple’s remarkable transformation
4. To document the birth and growth of the church
5. To justify the inclusion of the Gentiles
6. To bridge the gap between the gospels and the epistles
7.       To present a defense for Paul’s apostleship to Rome

Luke may have been preparing a trial-brief for Paul’s upcoming hearing in Rome. It is quite possible that Theophilus was a Roman official in charge of administering Paul's case before Caesar, and that the gospel and Acts were written to help him understand the facts of Jesus Christ and Paul's role in the history of the church.

Three pictures of three very different men hang before us -- Paul, Festus and Agrippa. They represent three types of individuals of every generation:

1. Those who are followers of Jesus Christ
2. Those who are open to the claims of Christ
3. Those who are Christ-rejecting antagonists of Christ

But no matter the number of people or the number of religions in the world, there are only two destinies: Heaven or Hell!

 

3/30/2008