I have hope

But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. – Acts 24.14-15


Paul could not help but share the gospel – no matter who he talked to. Called to testify and defend himself before Felix the first thing he did was to share his testimony and talk about Jesus. He admitted straight away ‘I worship the God of my fathers according to the people called ‘The Way.’ These were believers who followed Christ. He said that Jesus was the Messiah foretold by the prophets. He boldly proclaimed his faith even when he was on trial for blasphemy. The main charge was that he preached about the resurrection. If there is a resurrection and Jesus was truly raised from the dead than Jesus claims of being Messiah would be true and the religious leaders would lose their power and influence.

He applied that when he said ‘I have hope in God that one day there will be a resurrection of the dead. Paul knew that his life consisted of more than just the here and the now. Because there is a resurrection there is an eternity.

Hope is a wonderful word. In this troubled world no matter what we face today we still have hope for the future. We have hope because death has lost its victory and the grave has lost its sting. Our hope should give us the same confidence Paul had to share his faith no matter what.