pPaul was dragged before countless government officials who were baffled by his controversial message about Jesus. In Acts 24 he’s been brought to defend himself before a Roman governor, and his big argument is: ‘I’m just trying to do well by God and you!’ Is Paul pleading innocence to escape punishment? Nope. The rest of the New Testament shows that he was ready for God to send him to jail if that was His plan. So he’s not saying, ‘I’m a good boy me, let go of my ear, cops’. He’s saying, ‘Everything I’m saying about Jesus and His resurrection is because I want to do the best I can for God and you’.br /
And suddenly all of the controversy around Paul can’t be brushed off as personal manoeuvring. Here was a guy who was serious about Jesus, and really meant it for the best of others. Paul’s honesty and clear conscience meant that the Roman governors could take the gospel more credibly. What about us? Are our motives for sharing Jesus with people coming from a good place? Hopefully, we’d all think that our evangelism comes from wanting the best for others. But if we look at our motives, sometimes we can find some upsetting stuff there. Wanting others to be wrong, wanting to score points with God, wanting to claim Top Christian status. Paul could honestly say that he evangelised because he loved God and loved people. Can we?/p
pem strongWhat Now? /strong/em br /
Check your motives at the door. Grab a journal if you’ve got one, and write up a list of friends who you’re praying come to know God. Next to each friend, write why you think the gospel is good news for them, individually./p