Fighting the Bad Fight

Christianity's ongoing battle with atheism and secularism is not only misguided, but also not what God intended for His church.

I recently heard a story about the evangelist Billy Graham. What piqued my interest was how almost overnight he transitioned from relative unknown to household name. One day he showed up to the tent where he was holding a series of meetings and discovered a gaggle of news reporters who were eagerly writing down everything he said. When he inquired as to what caused all this interest, he discovered that he had caught the eye of media mogul William Randolph Hearst, and the rest, as we say, is history. Mr. Hearst never divulged the reason for his interest in Graham, but the historian who was telling the story stated that it had a lot to do with current world events, namely the rise of communism as a world power.

You see, the Soviet Union had successfully test fired a nuclear bomb, and Mao Zedong had recently taken over China. Communism now posed a real threat to the American way of life, or at least that is how many perceived it. Atheism being one of the main tenets of Communism, a key way to fight against it was a revival of religion in the United States. Hearst most likely saw in Graham a person who could spearhead such a revival. This revival that Graham participated in came about in a large part as a means to counteract the perceived encroachment of atheistic communism. Religion (i.e. the Judeo-Christian belief system) was essentially a weapon meant to ward off those who would seek to undermine American ideals.

The popularity of "this Christianity as a weapon" concept has in a large part caused the downfall of true Biblical Christianity because it has made the religion popular again on a grand scale. Christianity was never meant to be popular. The Roman emperor Constantine's supposed conversion did more damage than all the persecution up to that point because by making Christianity popular it brought in a sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement causes adherents to the religion to do whatever it takes to preserve their popularity, including countless atrocities committed in the name of God, but more subtly it causes Christians to be on the continual lookout for battles to fight as a means of promoting the Christian brand.

One can hardly escape hearing about some ideological battle that Christians are fighting: creation vs. evolution, the "War on Christmas", abortion, gay marriage, the list goes on and on, all the while neglecting Jesus' words and example to the contrary. A prime example is His declaration to "be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." That's right, Jesus said that He has overcome the world, meaning that we don't have to, so why do we insist on trying to accomplish such a feat?

When Jesus was on the earth, His focus was on relieving people from religious oppression, not secular oppression, so why do His professed followers focus so much on the secular aspect? The simple answer is that it is easier to look out than to look within. Personal attacks are much easier to accomplish than personal growth because growth requires sacrifice, and sacrifice is uncomfortable. Despite the fact that Jesus sacrificed not only His comfort, but also His very life, we would rather give up as little as possible and attack those who threaten our comfortable way of life.

You can probably see where I'm going here. For multiple reasons, the professed followers of Christ have decided to go against His teachings and as a result are trying to compensate for the church's shortcomings by attacking those outside of the church; the very ones Jesus told us we should be trying to reach.

Now is high time for Christians to stop fighting the bad fight of unbelief and start fighting the good fight of faith, and see what wonders God will work in our lives and in the lives of others.

[Devotional] I am the Lord's Servant

I recently subscribed to an e-mail newsletter from Bible Gateway that focuses on the Advent season.  Here is one I particularly enjoyed.

I am the Lord's Servant
by Nancy Guthrie

It's hard to imagine how frightening it must have been for teenage Mary to see an angel and hear him speaking to her. The Bible says that "Gabriel appeared to her and said, 'Greetings, favored women! The Lord is with you!' Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 'Don't be afraid, Mary,' the angel told her, 'for you have found favor with God!'" (Luke 1:28-30). We can't help but wonder what the angel looked like and what he sounded like.

As frightening as it must have been to see and hear an angel speaking to her, it must have been even more frightening for Mary to process what the angel was telling her--that she was going to become pregnant, even though she had never been intimate with a man. This would be a scandal in her village. Everyone would whisper about her. She would be shunned and perhaps sent away by her fiance, Joseph, because he would think she had been unfaithful to him. And yet, even though she probably had a million questions and concerns, Mary responded to the angel by welcoming whatever God wanted to do. She said, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true" (Luke 1:38). In a sense she said to God, "I'm yours. You can do anything you want with me," even though she must have known that this situation would be very hard for her, for Joseph, and for her whole family.

It's easy to label what we consider "good things" in our lives as gifts from God and to welcome them with gratitude. But when difficult things happen, we don't look at them as part of God's good plan for us. Mary's example shows us we can also welcome those things we would not necessarily label "good," confident that God's gifts sometimes come in perplexing and even painful packages. When we belong to God, we know he will use whatever he allows into our lives for good. Somehow, in God's hands, these things also become gifts of his grace toward us.

It takes faith--faith to rest in who God is and his love for us; faith to be confident that he is doing something good in and through our difficult circumstances--to see the hard things in our lives as gifts of God's grace.

Prayer

God, give us faith to surrender ourselves to you even in the hard places of life. We want to be your servants. We believe that anything you ask of us will be good and right because you love us. Fill us with faith to trust you with whatever you ask of us.

[Video] Worse Than War

In this documentary Daniel Jonah Goldhagen probes the how and why of genocide, and more importantly what should be done to stop it.

I logged into my youtube account a couple days ago and someone I forgot that I was connected with had recommended this documentary therefore making a link to it appear on my home page.  The timing of this was quite interesting because recently I have been thinking a lot about genocide, discrimination, etc.  I found this video to be both fascinating yet difficult to watch.  Before watching be prepared to go through a wide spectrum of emotions.  Here it is.  Feel free to share your responses in the comment section.

Going Nowhere Fast

Image: siraphat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 A lesson I have learned about time from using a GPS unit has spiritual as well as practical applications.

Someone once said that speed is the only truly modern sensation, and you don't have to look far to verify that statement.  The more modern a civilization, the faster we want to get places.  That's why we have made speed boats, high-speed trains, and supersonic jetliners.  Then, of course, let's not forget the automobile.

The first true automobile (a vehicle that could travel with passengers using its own power) was a steam-powered tricycle that traveled 2.25 miles (3.6 km) per hour.  Now we have modern production cars such as the Bugatti Veyron SS with a top speed of  267 mph (430 km/h).  Even the more recent emphasis on fuel economy has not deterred automakers from building electric race cars and hybrid supercars.  Even though we may not own such a speedy means of transportation, we often drive as though we do.  However, what do we actually accomplish when we go fast?  According to my experience with a GPS device, not much

The Illusion of Speed

For those of you unfamiliar with GPS (or Global Positioning System), GPS units receive signals from multiple satellites circling the planet then use some fancy math to determine the location and speed of the receiver.  A key element in automotive GPS units is the Arrival Time feature.  This feature uses information on the speed limits of the roads that you will travel to get from Point A to Point B, and gives a time when you will arrive at your final destination.  This time can be earlier or later depending on how fast or how slow you travel.  I discovered that in the only reliable way to make the arrival time earlier is to leave earlier, going faster makes little or no positive difference. 

Sure by going 10 or even 20 mph(km/h) faster you may gain a couple of minutes on your arrival time, but that gain quickly evaporates at the first red light, fuel stop, or encounter with law enforcement.  Aside from the potential criminal penalties, going faster burns more fuel and therefore increases the amount of money that literally goes up in flames (and you don't avoid that if you drive an all-electric car given this nation's penchant for using coal-burning power plants).  So by driving fast you feel as though you are accomplishing something, but that accomplishment is an illusion.  This principle translates well into the area of spirituality, but then the losses are much more serious.

Spiritual Speedsters

People, especially devout Christians, can be fooled into thinking that they need to make rapid spiritual progress in order to be a successful believer, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The Bible often speaks about endurance and patience being positive traits.  The apostle John in the book of Revelation goes so far as to combine the two traits into the term "patient endurance"  In Jesus' parable of the sower, the seed that sprouted up quickly ends up dying off quickly representing believers who cannot endure persecution.


Rapid spiritual growth feels good.  We feel as though we are getting somewhere, that we are not being left behind.  However, like speeding in a car, it's an illusion.  This growth comes at a price.  We become unable to deal with unexpected troubles, and probably even more dangerous, we take the risk of becoming spiritually proud.  We tend to look down upon those who have not been growing so quickly, and we add condemnation to our superficial spirituality.  Our lives can quickly spiral out of control and if we come to our senses, it is only because we have hit rock bottom.

So do us all a favor and slow down.  Trust me, you will be glad that you did.


Have you had times that you paid the price for going too fast?  Tell us your story.

[Movie Review] Soul Surfer

Photo courtesy movieposter.com

Every once in a while I discover a movie that is worth my time and money.  Soul Surfer is one of those movies.

To state the obvious, I have decided to add movie reviews to this blog.  I will not have very many of them because I don't watch a lot of movies (anymore), and even fewer of them interest me enough to write about them afterwards.  Therefore, you will find no rating system of any kind (no stars, thumbs, or tomatoes).  I figure why promote bad movies when the good ones often don't get the attention they deserve, but enough of that, on to the review.

I have lived in southern California for a couple of years, and even more recently have moved to within a relatively short distance of the Pacific.  I have become acquainted with a number of people who have surfed at least once, some who surf occasionally, and a couple who surf a lot (they met while surfing, and were married on the beach).  With all this in mind, when I saw Soul Surfer advertised in a catalog and in movie vending machines (I missed it when it came out in theaters) it caught my attention.  Well that, and the fact that the movie involves someone who survived a shark attack.

The movie retells the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a rising amateur surfer who had her left arm radically amputated by a shark while surfing off the coast of Hawaii.  I vaguely remember hearing about Bethany (or at least seeing her picture) in the past but never read her story or her book.  This lack of knowledge may have helped me enjoy the movie more because then everything was fresh (well almost everything).

The movie does a good job of portraying the Christian aspects of the story, not going too far in either direction.  I've seen too many Christian-themed movies where the religious aspect seems tacked on or the Christian characters seem, well, non-human.  Soul Surfer portrays the Hamilton family and those connected with them as real people, not as plastic saints or bumbling buffoons.  They get angry, frustrated, sad, and don't have all the answers, but they move forward in faith knowing that something good can come out of something terrible.  Best of all, this movie does not exist to sell merchandise.  (A couple Christian movies come to mind that fit that category.  More about that in the future.)

The movie does fall into one trap, howbeit a small one.  The people who made the movie apparently go out of their way to contrast Bethany's main surfing rival to Bethany and her friend, Alana.  Bethany and Alana have long blonde hair and cheerfully walk around in bright colors while her rival has short dark hair, wears black, and only smiles for the cameras.  This could have been done differently, but didn't detract from the main theme of the movie.

Overall, this movie has something that could appeal to anyone, especially those who have dealt, or currently deal with, some sort of disability.  This movie may not sweep you off your feet, but after you watch it, you'll most likely will look at your own difficulties in a different light.

Hoping but Not Receiving

One of the reasons we don't receive God's power in our lives is that we are looking for the wrong kind.

The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  Luke 24:20-21a

This statement comes from the conversation between Jesus and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (read it in its entirety here).  People often overlook this part of the conversation in a rush to focus on other aspects of the story like "the good part" where Jesus reveals His identity and everyone gets all excited.  However, we do the story a disservice by neglecting the hoping part because therein lies the reason for the "downcast" faces, and, in a way, the reason they were so excited after the reveal.  They misunderstood the reality of Jesus' mission, but why?

These disciples, along with most of the Jewish people at that time, which, sadly, included the twelve, thought that the Messiah was to come and deliver the nation of Israel from Roman bondage so that they could have the easy life like back in the good old days of David and Solomon.  Despite Jesus' many statements regarding the true nature of "the kingdom of heaven", and His refusal to be crowned as an earthly king, they couldn't rid themselves of the idea that He "was going to redeem Israel", and set up an earthly kingdom.  Sadly, that concept, and ones similar to it, still hold sway among many of the current professed followers of Christ.

One modern departure from Jesus' true mission on earth exists in "prosperity theology" which promotes the belief  that all one needs to do to receive anything is "name it and claim it".  Adherents to this belief system use texts from the Bible as a means to receive anything from good health to a new house.  Interesting thoughts coming from professed followers of one who was essentially homeless, and spoke of riches as a hindrance to entering God's kingdom after telling a rich man to sell all of his possessions.

A more subtle, and therefore more dangerous, variation on this theme also exists.  That being the concept that the life of a Christian should be for the most part, free from problems and sacrifice.  This view continues despite statements from Jesus to the contrary like the one found in Luke 9:23-24 which states that His true followers "must take up their cross daily."  Apparently many of his followers today suffer from the same tendency towards selective hearing as did His disciples back then.  I say this because prior to making that statement, He told His disciples, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (v. 22)  It doesn't get much plainer than that, yet not long after hearing that statement, we find the two disciples walking to Emmaus all downcast and such, saying "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped . . ."

In short, we don't receive God power in our lives because we look for His power to eliminate our problems (something He never said He would do) instead of to help us through them (something He often said He would do).

So if you start sensing the lack of God's power in your life, you should stop and ask yourself, "Am I looking for the right kind?"

Featured Post: Seven Better Questions You Can Ask in the Midst of Adversity

I'm starting another addition to this blog.  Every so often I will feature a post from someone else's blog that I'm currently following.  This post comes from Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.  You can find the original post here.

SEVEN BETTER QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY

Ihave several friends who are going through enormous uncertainty right now. Some are out of work. A few others are on the precipice of divorce. Still others have been diagnosed with cancer—one who is pregnant. In these situations, most of us ask, “Why is this happening to me?”

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/Yuri_Arcurs

Years ago, two months after I became the publisher of one of our book divisions, we lost a major author to a competing company. This had a significant negative impact on our bottom line. At first, I was angry. Then I became discouraged. Finally, I realized I was asking the wrong question.

Instead of asking “Why did this happen?” I started asking, “How can this make us better?” Immediately, I sensed a shift in my spirit. It began energizing me. In retrospect, losing the author was one of the best things that could have happened to my division. We grew from the experience in ways that would have never happened otherwise.

I learned a valuable lesson: the answers we get are often determined by the questions we ask. If we ask bad questions, we will get bad answers. If we ask better questions—empowering questions—we will get better answers.

If you are going through a difficult, uncertain time, here are seven better questions you can ask yourself and your team:

1. What if this isn’t the end but a new beginning?
2. What if the answer to my prayer is just over the next hill?
3. What if this is necessary in order for me to be prepared for the next important chapter in my life?
4. What if God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?
5. What if God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?
6. What does this experience make possible?
7. What will I be telling my grandchildren that I learned was so valuable in this season of my life?

How is this related to leadership? As I have written numerous times before, leaders must lead themselves first—even when they don’t feel like it. Sometimes it just starts with a better question.

Paradoxical God

I often find it interesting that so many times when we ask God for something that He gives us something completely opposite.

I, like many people, like to ask God for things.  Some think that we shouldn't ask God for anything, but there are many instances in the Bible where God asks us to ask Him for things.  Probably the most well known phrase regarding asking God is the one that states that we don't have because we don't ask (James 4:2), or perhaps the one that states that if we ask, we shall receive (Luke 11:9, 10) is more common to you.  Either way, God wants us to present our requests to Him.

Now most of us know, at least intellectually, that we shouldn't ask for things that are simply for our selfish gratification (i.e. a winning lottery ticket), so we tend to only verbalize the requests that we know we should have (even if in our hearts we still are hoping for that winning number), like patience, kindness, etc.  This brings me to the main topic in that often God gives us the exact opposite of what we ask for.  For example, we ask God for peace, and He gives us stressful situations.  (Now before anyone gets any bright ideas about using reverse psychology on God, you have to remember Who you're dealing with here.)

The key in dealing with these situations is the key in dealing with almost all situations.  We have to trust that God knows what He's doing and that He has our best interests in mind.

Paul Before Nero

We must never give up witnessing to others for we never know what may come from it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the evil Jewish leaders had accused Paul of burning Rome. Now in this chapter, Paul is brought before the emperor Nero to answer for his so-called crimes. It was customary in the Greek and Roman culture to have an advocate speak for the accused much like a defense lawyer. This advocated need not be a lawyer, simply someone eloquent who might convince the tribunal to release the prisoner or at least mitigate the punishment. Paul had no such advocate. For one reason or another, no one came forward to defend Paul. So Paul had to speak for himself. However he was not alone, for God was with him.

A great crowd had gathered to see the proceedings, for apparently such things were as interesting to people back then as they are now. Paul used this for the advantage of the gospel. His whole being radiated peace to the surprise of many of the onlookers, and he spoke with such eloquence that many people were led to believe in Jesus and change their ways. Even Nero, whose debauchery was repulsive to even many of the heathens of his day was pricked in the heart, and for a brief moment he almost surrender his heart to God. Sadly, that moment was simply just a moment, and when the prison door shut behind Paul once again, the door of probation was shut forever behind Nero.

Too many people if put in a similar situation would have said "What's the use? These people are too far gone, it pointless to even bother. I'm not going to to put pearls in front of swine." Such people do not have the mind of Christ. We must never give up trying to witness to others regardless of how hopeless it seems.

In Rome

God can make the best out of a bad situation.

In this chapter, we find Paul arriving at Rome. There were a few Christians in the area, and the met him upon his arrival to the Italian coast. The Christians requested that Paul stay with them a week, and  this request was granted by the centurion Julius. The soldiers had come to greatly respect Paul, and did everything in their power to accommodate him.

On the eighth day, the prisoners set out to Rome and when they were passing through Appii Forum, about forty miles from Rome. The procession was periodically halted when various believers recognized Paul from his presence at the various towns and cities in which he ministered. The soldiers were a little annoyed at these interruptions, but didn't have the heart to cut them short.

Upon arriving at Rome, Paul was surrendered the captain of the emperor's guard. The positive words of Julius as well as Festus' letter caused Paul to be treated very graciously. Instead of staying in a prison, he was allowed to stay at a house, and although still in chains, he was granted a great deal of freedom.

Paul received many visitors, especially those of the Jewish persuasion, and Paul took this opportunity to share with them the truth regarding his presence there before they could be poisoned by those Jews who hated him so much. The Roman Jews stated that they had not heard anything from these other Jews, and had no bias against him. So, sometime later Paul shared with them the gospel, and how the true knowledge of Christ had led him to be converted.

Paul had been in Rome a long time up to this point with no appearance by his accusers. The malicious designs of those Jews had been so thoroughly thwarted up to this point that they needed quite a bit of time to regroup.  God used this delay to the furtherance of the gospel. For the period of two years Paul was able to receive visitors and send out workers to various places to preach the gospel. E. G. White had this to write about this situation.

Thus, while apparently cut off from active labor, Paul exerted a wider and more lasting influence than if he had been free to travel among the churches as in former years. As a prisoner of the Lord, he had a firmer hold upon the affections of his brethren; and his words, written by one under bonds for the sake of Christ, commanded greater attention and respect than they did when he was personally with them. Not until Paul was removed from them, did the believers realize how heavy were the burdens he had borne in their behalf. Heretofore they had largely excused themselves from responsibility and burden bearing because they lacked his wisdom, tact, and indomitable energy; but now, left in their inexperience to learn the lessons they had shunned, they prized his warnings, counsels, and instructions as they had not prized his personal work. And as they learned of his courage and faith during his long imprisonment they were stimulated to greater fidelity and zeal in the cause of Christ. pg 454

The chapter continues by going into the background of Paul's letter to Philemon, but  I want to stay on this point of how the work was benefited by all the negative circumstances surrounding Paul's Roman experience. We often go through life wondering how anything good can come from the negative circumstances that surround our experience, but we should take this story and let it serve as a reminder that no matter what problems life deals us, God can make the best out of a bad situation.

Paul Appeals to Caesar

Sometimes God's workers get more support from nonbelievers than from the church.

This chapter is relatively short, but there is still some key points to highlight. Festus has replaced Felix as the provincial leader, and the Jewish leaders hoped to take advantage of this situation and tried to convince him to have Paul transported back to Jerusalem. Festus declined their request and said that he was going to Caesarea, and that they should go there as well. This was not what they had in mind.

This was not what the Jews wanted. They had not forgotten their former defeat at Caesarea. In contrast with the calm bearing and forcible arguments of the apostle, their own malignant spirit and baseless accusations would appear in the worst possible light. Again they urged that Paul be brought to Jerusalem for trial, but Festus held firmly to his purpose of giving Paul a fair trial at Caesarea. God in His providence controlled the decision of Festus, that the life of the apostle might be lengthened. pg. 429

After hearing the arguments in Caesarea, Festus determined that it was a matter of Jewish law, so he suggested that Paul be transported under Roman guard back to Jerusalem. Paul knew that there was no way he was going to get a fair trial there, so he exercised his right as a Roman citizen.

In answer to the governor's question, Paul said: "I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar." pg. 430

 Festus was surprised by this request, but after some deliberation granted it. Now comes the sad part.

Thus it was that once more, because of hatred born of bigotry and self-righteousness, a servant of God was driven to turn for protection to the heathen. It was this same hatred that forced the prophet Elijah to flee for succor to the widow of Sarepta; and that forced the heralds of the gospel to turn from the Jews to proclaim their message to the Gentiles. And this hatred the people of God living in this age have yet to meet. Among many of the professing followers of Christ there is the same pride, formalism, and selfishness, the same spirit of oppression, that held so large a place in the Jewish heart. In the future, men claiming to be Christ's representatives will take a course similar to that followed by the priests and rulers in their treatment of Christ and the apostles. In the great crisis through which they are soon to pass, the faithful servants of God will encounter the same hardness of heart, the same cruel determination, the same unyielding hatred. pg. 430, 431

This is doubly sad because of how things went back then, and how things will happen in the future. E.G. White wrote in another place that we will have more to fear from within than from without. She summarizes this chapter by saying,

When the darkness is deepest, the light of a godlike character will shine the brightest. When every other trust fails, then it will be seen who have an abiding trust in Jehovah. And while the enemies of truth are on every side, watching the Lord's servants for evil, God will watch over them for good. He will be to them as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. pg. 432

May we all have godlike characters so that we will be on the right side when the trials come.

The Trial at Caesarea

We should never pass up opportunities to forsake our sin and turn to Christ.

In this chapter, we find out that after leaving Jerusalem, Paul was brought to Caesarea, and some days after his arrival there he was brought before the Roman governor Felix. Paul's accuser, Tertullus, not surprisingly stated that Paul was guilty of bogus charges, and after he had said his piece, Felix asked Paul to respond.

. . . Paul's plain statement of the facts in the case enabled Felix to understand still more clearly the motives by which the Jews were governed in attempting to convict the apostle of sedition and treasonable conduct. The governor would not gratify them by unjustly condemning a Roman citizen, neither would he give him up to them to be put to death without a fair trial. Yet Felix knew no higher motive than self-interest, and he was controlled by love of praise and a desire for promotion. Fear of offending the Jews held him back from doing full justice to a man whom he knew to be innocent. He therefore decided to suspend the trial until Lysias should be present, saying, "When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter." pg. 422

Not long after this Paul was summoned to a private interview with Felix and his wife Drusilla.

Paul regarded this as a God-given opportunity, and faithfully he improved it. He knew that he stood in the presence of one who had power to put him to death or to set him free; yet he did not address Felix and Drusilla with praise or flattery. He knew that his words would be to them a savor of life or of death, and, forgetting all selfish considerations, he sought to arouse them to a sense of their peril. pgs. 423, 424

 Felix and Drusilla were convicted of their wrongdoing, and although they had slightly different responses (Drusilla let her hatred of Jesus get in the way, while Felix listened more earnestly), the end result was still the same.

But instead of permitting his convictions to lead him to repentance, he sought to dismiss these unwelcome reflections. The interview with Paul was cut short. "Go thy way for this time," he said; "when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." pg. 426

After that, nothing consequential happened for two years. Paul remained under house arrest (he was given some freedom, but not too much). Felix unsuccessfully tried to secure a bribe from Paul to be released, but he didn't have the money and wouldn't have paid it if he did.

Felix was finally summoned to Rome because of gross wrongs committed against the Jews. Before leaving Caesarea in answer to this summons, he thought to "show the Jews a pleasure" by allowing Paul to remain in prison. But Felix was not successful in his attempt to regain the confidence of the Jews. He was removed from office in disgrace, and Porcius Festus was appointed to succeed him, with headquarters at Caesarea. pg. 427

Like the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, E.G. White had a sobering epitaph for Felix as well.

A ray of light from heaven had been permitted to shine upon Felix, when Paul reasoned with him concerning righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come. That was his heaven-sent opportunity to see and to forsake his sins. But he said to the messenger of God, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." He had slighted his last offer of mercy. Never was he to receive another call from God. Ibid

 May something like this be never written about us. Let us take hold of every opportunity to turn away from our sins and turn to Christ.