The Accusers
There will be people in your life, when you are doing God's will, that will tell you that you are doing the wrong thing. They will tell you what they think and hold you accountable to their views that you do not subscribe to. Many of us will take these situations and get angry and want to defend ourselves. You don't have to do that. Doing so turns the focus from you doing God's will to protecting your image. If you are doing God's will then their attacks are irrelevant.
Take Jesus for example. Have you read the story about the man with the withered hand in Luke 6:6-11? Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on a Sabbath and the Pharisees were waiting to see if he would heal the man in the synagogue that had a withered hand. They wanted to accuse him of not doing what was right according to the law as it is written, not in the spirit of the law. The Spirit is what leads you do what is right in God's name. The "rule" or "law" says one thing and the Spirit of the law is do things with love for God and then for others. The accusers will try to tell you to follow the law (don't work on the Sabbath) and ignore the Spirit of the law (do things that honor God at all times).
We read in Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." That means it serves you well in God's eyes to do what is right in God's eyes as you withstand the accusers that tell you that you are not doing. When they tell you that you are wrong for something, look to God's will to validate what you do as the words of men will try to cut you down.
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God of All Comfort
Life can be very hard at times. We all have problems of one kind or another. Whether it is health or relational, we all have problems. During these problems one thing that we need is comfort. We can want it from people and when it doesn't come we seek it from food or drugs or distractions. That is not real comfort when we distract ourselves. Yes, people can help but we also need to go to the Source and the Creator, God.
In 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Paul mentions the word comfort 10 times. Listening to it on audio makes me understand that it was important where when reading I could have skimmed over it without even thinking. Paul says that God comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may comfort others. Paul says while we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings we also share in comfort. Paul's point seems to be unity that what he felt from God was allowing him to help others feel the same. If God comforts Paul and the apostles and disciples then he can use that and help others feel comforted.
Also, Paul wanted to correct the accusations against him. He was accused of meaning one thing and saying the other. His example of Jesus being the Son of God and not just some guy and validating God's promises through Christ. God's son was not some guy, but was Jesus and we find truth in God's promises through Christ and his life (2 Corinthians 1:20).
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Paul's Defense
Have you ever been accused or even falsely accused of something? It is not fun to have than done. I have had it from loved ones and even strangers. There is a way to handle these types of situations and the way Paul is very similar to that of Jesus. Jesus faced temptation in the desert and faced accusations from the Pharisees many times. He never got defensive, but he did defend himself with truth from scripture. Paul's defense here is not one of yelling and screaming and pointing fingers, but one of truth.
In verse 10 Paul "cheerfully" makes his defense while acknowledging the length of time Felix has been in power. To me it shows an initial sign or respect which sets the tone for how his defense will continue and end. In verses 11-13 Paul tells Felix that he can check any of the accusations that have been brought against him. In verses 14-19 Paul says what he is "guilty" of and still challenges the accusers to find him guilty of what they accuse him of. In the last sentence I wrote "guilty" because he had not done something wrong in the eyes of God but only in the eyes of the accuser. Paul verifies that he is guilty of worshiping the same God that the accusers worshiped. He says he is guilty of having hope in God, wanting to give alms to his nation and present offerings. He admits to being in the temple but being purified while there and then says challenges his accusers again. Paul was not afraid.
Paul was kept in custody and told by Felix that when Lysias the tribune comes then the case will be decided. Felix showed his greed by making Paul sit in custody for 2 years as that was Roman law and Felix had hoped for a bribe. For if Paul had offered Felix a bribe, Felix would have let him out.
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