Are you ready to defend your walk with Christ - Acts 23-24

What is your response when you are arrested for the cause of Christ and accused of false behavior?   How would you respond to a conspiracy to take your life because of your testimony for Christ?   If the religious leaders surrounded  you with false accusations and brought those false accusations to the unbelieving authority in the world, how would you defend yourself?   

We might answer all those question with one simple answer, "I have never and will probably never have that experiences."   Paul's life is not like ours today, but how it could be in the future.   For centuries in our society Christian principles were adored, if not woven tightly into the constitutional fabric of our country.  However, those times are changing.  It is no longer vogue to be a Christian.   We are only years from outward, societal accepted,  persecution.   So, perhaps the questions ought to be phrased in the future tense: What will out response be when we are, soon, persecuted for our faith?   I can only hope that my response will be the same as that of Paul when brought before his accusers and the unbelieving authority set up to hear his case.    Note how he stays on message:

Acts 24:14-15

But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.  

He goes on to say a little later:

Acts 24:21

other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today. ’”

If we hope to stand for something in the future we have to be preparing ourselves in the present.   We will never be persecuted for our faith if we don't stand for Christ.    When we stand for Christ we have to put our faith firmly in His hands and our security firmly in His care.   Paul was ready and did stand for Christ.   Are we ready and willing to do the same?