Places Of Influence

Acts 25:6-12

If I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar! (Acts 25:11)

THE LAST THIRD OF THE BOOK of Acts is dedicated to one lengthy, twisting-and-turning saga: Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem, his numerous appearances before Jewish and Roman authorities, and his eventual journey as a prisoner to Rome. The accusations against him were false; he even tried to preempt them by demonstrating that he was still loyal to Jewish customs and laws. But the Roman authorities, who could find no basis for the charges against him, were concerned with his polarizing message and whatever unrest might result from his release. So they dragged out his hearings, suggested changes of venue, and tried to appease all interests. Paul, however, refused to become subject to the political whims of his adversaries and, as a Roman citizen had the right to do, appealed to Caesar’s jurisdiction. He followed God’s unexpected path to the high courts of Rome.

God has a way of putting his people in strategic places for influential audiences to see and hear—although they may not always be comfortable. Paul had planned to go to Rome on his own, as his earlier letter to the Romans makes clear. But would he have gained an audience with Rome’s highest authorities on his own? Probably not. As Joseph and Daniel experienced centuries before, the entryway into a king’s courts was traumatic. But the fruit was influential, and the benefits in reaching places of power exceeded the costs of getting there.

Learn to use the avenues of this world to create highways for God’s Kingdom. Paul leveraged his Roman citizenship not only to avoid injustice in Jerusalem and Caesarea but also to enter an open door in Rome. Do not resist the orchestrations of God; let them propel you into the boardrooms, classrooms, courtrooms, meeting halls, and marketplaces of society as he wills. You do not have to be as overt as Paul in your message—he was a forerunner in a world that had never heard the gospel—but don’t waste the opportunity to represent God somehow. Use the background you have been given to shape the future God has planned.

{Father, you are sovereign over every circumstance of my past, every situation in my present, and every purpose for my future. May I see the open doors and represent you well everywhere you position me. Amen.