Living by the Spirit, Following the Way

A Cheerful Defense

Text: Acts 24:1-21  | 
Series: Living by the Spirit, Following the Way  | 
Preacher: Roman Conder, Youth Pastor  | 
The Way Church KC — Rosedale, Kansas City, KS

Acts 24:1-21 is a courtroom scene. Five days after Paul is rushed out of Jerusalem under guard, the high priest arrives in Caesarea with a hired prosecutor named Tertullus, and Paul stands trial before Felix, the Roman governor of Judea. The charges are serious: stirring up riots, leading a dangerous cult, and desecrating the temple. Tertullus sums it all up in one line: “We have found this man a plague.” If it were us, we’d be sweating. Paul says, “I cheerfully make my defense.” This week Youth Pastor Roman Conder walked us through why Paul could stand in that room without fear — and why followers of the Way of Jesus in Kansas City can do the same.

1. The Way Will Look Like a Plague to the World

Acts 24:1-9

Tertullus opens by flattering Felix — a governor the Jews actually despised — then levels three charges: political sedition (“he stirs up riots among all the Jews”), cult leadership (“a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes”), and profaning the temple. The first charge is the same one brought against Jesus before Pilate in Luke 23. By this point in Acts, Paul’s life has started to mirror his Lord’s.

But the word that gives the whole case away is plague. That isn’t professional language; it’s personal. A plague is an outbreak — something that doesn’t stay in one person but spreads. That is exactly what the gospel had been doing, and it’s what Paul says it will always be: foolishness to the world and the power of God to those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:18). Roman’s challenge landed hard: if the gospel you’re preaching or living never looks like foolishness to the world around you, you may need to edit your gospel to match the one Paul preached.

2. You Can Cheerfully Make Your Defense

Acts 24:10-13, 17-20

Felix nods, and Paul speaks: “I cheerfully make my defense.” Back against the wall, a room full of people who want him gone, and Paul is cheerful. Why? Because he understands that his name and reputation aren’t what’s on trial. When they bring a charge against Paul, they’re really bringing a charge against Jesus — and God always comes to the defense of his own name.

Then Paul simply lays out the facts. Felix can account for his last twelve days. Nobody found him arguing in the temple or stirring up a crowd. The Jews from Asia who actually seized him aren’t even in the room, and the charge has already shrunk from “he profaned the temple” (Acts 21) to “he tried to” (Acts 24). The case is collapsing. Here’s the freedom for us: if you have died with Christ, your life is no longer your own, and you no longer represent yourself. You represent him. That means you can answer accusation, pressure, and persecution with joy instead of fear, because it’s God who lifts up the humble and God who settles accounts.

3. The Way Is the One Thing

Acts 24:14-16, 21

Paul breaks the first rule of any trial: he confesses. “According to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” In other words: we have the same God, the same Law, the same Prophets, and the same hope of a resurrection of the just and the unjust. Paul doesn’t distance himself from the Old Testament; his whole faith stands on it.

So what’s the real difference? Paul names it in verse 21: “It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.” The dividing line between the Way and everyone else isn’t a set of rules or a church name — it’s an empty tomb. Plenty of people will grant that Jesus lived and died. You are only a follower of the Way because he died and rose on the third day. As Paul says elsewhere, if Christ has not been raised, our faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15). The resurrection is the one thing.

“But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God… that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.”

— Acts 24:14-15

Whose Name Is on the Line?

Most of us live like our name is the thing to protect. That’s why criticism stings, why we soften the message, why we go quiet when the room turns. Paul shows us another way to stand. When you belong to Jesus, you carry his name, and he is more than able to defend it. That frees you to live a life that looks like foolishness to some and like an outbreak of hope to others — and to answer anyone who asks with a clear conscience and a cheerful heart. The Way Church KC is a community of misfits and saints in Rosedale, Kansas City, learning to do exactly that. If you’ve been carrying the weight of your own reputation, or you’ve never settled what you believe about the resurrection, come sit with us this Sunday. We’d love to talk.

Plan a Visit at thewaykc.church →

Questions People Ask About Acts 24:1-21

What is Acts 24:1-21 about?

Acts 24:1-21 records Paul’s trial before Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, in Caesarea. The high priest Ananias and a hired lawyer named Tertullus accuse Paul of inciting riots, leading a dangerous sect, and profaning the temple in Jerusalem. Paul calmly answers each charge, confesses that he worships the God of Israel “according to the Way,” and states that the real issue is his belief in the resurrection of the dead.

Who was Felix in Acts 24?

Antonius Felix was the Roman governor (procurator) of Judea from roughly AD 52 to 59. He was known for dealing harshly with uprisings and was unpopular with the Jewish people, which makes Tertullus’s flattery in Acts 24:2-3 (“most excellent Felix”) ring hollow. Felix heard Paul’s case but delayed a verdict, keeping Paul in custody for two years (Acts 24:27).

Who was Tertullus in Acts 24?

Tertullus was a professional advocate, or spokesman, hired by the high priest and Jewish elders to prosecute Paul before Governor Felix. He opened with flattery toward Felix and then charged Paul with sedition, being a “ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,” and attempting to profane the temple. His most memorable line is “We have found this man a plague” (Acts 24:5).

Why does Paul call Christianity “the Way” in Acts 24:14?

“The Way” was one of the earliest names for the Christian movement, used throughout Acts (9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It echoes Jesus’ claim in John 14:6 to be “the way, the truth, and the life” and describes Christianity as a whole way of life, not just a set of beliefs. In Acts 24:14 Paul uses it to insist that following Jesus is not a breakaway cult but the true fulfillment of Israel’s Scriptures and hope. The Way Church KC takes its name from this same phrase.

What does “I cheerfully make my defense” mean in Acts 24:10?

When Paul says he “cheerfully” makes his defense, he means he is answering serious charges with confidence and even joy rather than fear. Paul could do this because he knew his own reputation was not what was ultimately at stake; the accusations were really against Jesus and the gospel, and God defends his own name. For Christians today, it means we can respond to criticism or opposition with peace, because our identity and standing rest in Christ, not in what people say about us.

How does Acts 24 apply to Christians today?

Acts 24 shows that a faithful Christian life will sometimes be misunderstood or even called a “plague” by the surrounding culture, just as Paul’s was. It teaches believers to answer opposition honestly and cheerfully, trusting God to defend his own name, and to keep the resurrection of Jesus at the center of their faith and witness. The passage also models confessing what you believe plainly, with a clear conscience, rather than hiding it to avoid trouble.