Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible recap.

Yesterday, 470 soldiers delivered Paul to Governor Felix in Cesaria.

Today we pick up five days later when some of the authorities from Jerusalem have come to

talk to Felix about Paul.

They brought a spokesman's lash lawyer named Tertelis with them.

Tertelis starts off by flattering Felix, then launches into accusing Paul of starting

riots and defiling the temple, neither of which he's done.

Paul defends himself with the truth.

He says he goes to great lengths to live with integrity, and that he has honored the ways

of Yahweh, including everything written in the law and the prophets, which is the

shorthand way of saying all the Hebrew scriptures, i.e. the Old Testament.

Felix is pretty familiar with 1st century Christianity, or the way, as Paul calls it, possibly

because he lives in Cesaria among prominent evangelists like Philip.

He wants to hear more from Paul, so he tells the people who came down from Jerusalem that

he'll make a decision later and sends them back home.

In the meantime, he tells the soldiers to keep Paul in prison but to be nice to him.

Remember, in this day, prisons aren't required to care for you.

Your friends have to do that, and sometimes prison guards even prevent the friends from

doing that.

Felix keeps calling Paul up to talk to him about the way, but it's never enough for him.

He's also kind of hoping Paul is going to pay him a bribe so he can get out of prison,

but even here, Paul maintains his integrity, sharing the gospel and obeying the rules.

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