The Bible first and foremost is doctrinal because it’s given by inspiration of God; however, it is also historical because it tells of things that really happened in the history of man. The book of Acts is full of both doctrine and history. Acts 24 is the story of a man named Felix. Felix was bad in every sense of the word. He was a corrupt official. His wife Drusilla was married when Felix seduced her and stole her from her husband. First Century Roman historian Tacitus spoke of Felix with disgust and said that he “exercised the powers of a king in the spirit of a slave” (Histories 5:9).
Felix was not only a bad man, but he is also one of the greatest examples of lost opportunity. The apostle Paul actually lived in his house for 2 years. Now that’s opportunity! Paul was a great gospel preacher and Felix had a private sermon from him, yet he told him to “go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
There are many lessons that we can learn from Paul’s trial before Felix in Acts 24. Like so many passages in scripture this one is like a diamond in that it has many facets. You can learn from this passage about Paul’s positive attitude in the midst of a trial. You can learn from this passage about the providence of God. You can learn about the hatred of unbelief and the hardness of men’s hearts when they turn against Christ. You can also learn the tragedy of procrastination. If your life is not right with God for whatever reason please make it right. Don’t wait for a more convenient time because as we all know, sometimes that time just doesn’t come.