40 Days Blog - Day 37

Acts 24:1-27 Paul Pleads His Case To Felix

Court room dramas - I wonder if you find them as fascinating as I do. It’s such a powerful genre of movie and TV, and contains some of the very best screen drama ever produced. Do you have a favourite? To Kill a Mocking Bird - 12 Angry Men - A Few Good Men - Bridge of Spies - Just Mercy. There’s so many. And then we have a whole host of TV shows. But why are they so absorbing? Well, there’s conflict, lying, false evidence, bad mouthing of character, false accusation, painting the truth either in a bad light or a good light, frustration, the pomposity of the establishment, dodgy ethics. But ultimately there’s a search for the truth, fairness and justice and that’s what we hang on to, hoping it will come out that way.

At this point in Acts we enter a period of courtroom dramas, and we will see all of the things above in Luke’s account.

For a moment let’s consider why Luke might have written his two volumes. He gives us such a clear and well researched account of Jesus’ life from birth to resurrection in Volume 1, his Gospel. Volume 2 (Acts) details the spread and growth of the church. It’s a brilliant resource for us as Christians. It has been suggested that these books were prepared and written down as a legal brief for ‘most excellent Theophilus’ (Luke 1:1-3), to be used in Paul’s upcoming court case in Rome. There is some quite compelling evidence in the book of Acts itself to support this. For example, in the chapters we’ll be reading in the next couple of days, we have full accounts of Paul’s trials (lower court trials). Then there is the fact that Luke’s books explain what ‘The Way’ movement is all about. This would be important in presenting the context in which Paul finds himself. And then, as we saw yesterday, Luke is not particularly critical of the Roman authorities. That would be important in a trial before Romans in Rome. It is the Jewish establishment that come out of it badly. Whether or not this is his reason for writing, it may be helpful for us to read the next few chapters in this context. At the very least it is sound evidence of what happened for us to consider.

So here we are, 5 days after Paul’s arrival in Caesarea, and the Jewish authorities finally show up to present their case to the Roman governor, Felix. Felix is an interesting character. Other sources tell us that he was a freed-man who made good. He apparently rose to this position through a series of strategic society marriages, currently to Drusilla, a Jewess, and a daughter of Herod Agrippa.

The court room drama begins. Tertullus, the lawyer appearing on behalf of the Jewish leaders, puts forward a pretty lame, unattested, somewhat lazy and hazy case. “I don’t want to bore you… you can find out for yourself if you question the man.” Paul has his chance to respond and does so eloquently. He is aware that Felix is knowledgeable about “the Way” and puts his case well. But Felix prevaricates, and though obviously intrigued by Paul, he cannot bring himself to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and saviour. When they talk about the judgement to come, Felix is terrified and dismisses Paul. His opportunity is gone. What a sad picture this is - someone rejecting Christ.

There we leave it for now - Paul is not guilty but Felix, unable and unwilling to decide the case, keeps him in custody for 2 years before passing the buck to Festus! But Paul still makes the most of it talking as much as he can about the Gospel.

"And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." Colossians 4(3-5)

Prayer
Lord help me, I pray, to make the most of every opportunity that you give me in my day to day life, both to live out my faith in you and to talk of about you. I pray that people will listen and respond to your message of hope and eternal life through you as their Saviour. Amen.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

The church meets every Sunday at 9.30am at Drumclog and 11am at Avendale.

Sunday worship continues to be live-streamed from Avendale each Sunday at 11am on the Avendale & Drumclog YouTube Channel.

At Drumclog we meet at:
Drumclog Memorial Kirk
Drumclog
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6QG

At Avendale we meet at:
Avendale Old Parish Church
59A Kirk Street
Strathaven
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6LB

For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it at both Avendale & Drumclog. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up and show you where the disabled toilet is located if required.

Our Service - Drumclog Memorial Kirk

Drumclog

At Drumclog, the service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. During the service we usually sing 2 or 3 songs/hymns. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church.

The service lasts approximately 45 minutes. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

Our Service - Avendale Old Parish Church

Avendale Wide

At Avendale, the service begins at 11am with a warm welcome from our Minister, or the person leading the service. Before the service begins, we will show a loop of news and notices on the screens in the church. This is a good way to find out what's going on in the life of the church. During the service we usually sing 3 or 4 songs/hymns, often led by our church praise band 'The Elastic Band'. The Minister or a member of the Worship Team will usually read aloud from the Bible and lead the congregation in prayer. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it's all part of our connecting with God. The Minister, or person leading the service, will then give a sermon that is Bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. Throughout the service, we may also show videos on the screens in the church to help us reflect on what is being shared during worship or in the sermon. We then share news and notices, usually about what's going on in the life of the church.

The service last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. After the service we serve refreshments (tea, coffee and biscuits) in our church hall. This is a great way to meet people and enjoy fellowship together. We would love to chat to you there!

images: Services

What about my kids?

At Avendale, we have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 4 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/carer at all times.
His Kids (5-10 years)
Yoof (11-18 years)

Children stay with their parent or carer at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and short Children's Talk. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the Children's Talk, someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy the first time you come along to church.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, Bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

For more information about what happens in the children's and youth work please visit the Children's Ministry page and/or the Youth Ministry page.

N.B. - there is no children's programme or youth programme during the service at Drumclog.

Getting Connected

Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our Home Groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out our Home Groups page and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a Home Group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group. If you would like us to put you in touch with a Home Group leader, please let us know via our Contact Us page.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team here.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Other Groups in the Avendale & Drumclog Community

The following groups are also part of the life of our church:

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Rev Calum Stark - Minister		David Moreland - Session Clerk

To find out more about our staff and leaders, please visit our Staff & Leadership page.
We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Calum Stark - Minister