[Linux4christians] Thursday - Acts 21

Wed Nov 2 22:25:30 EDT 2011

    Thursday

      Acts 21

Paul's Journey to Jerusalem

21:1 After we tore ourselves away from them, we put out to sea, and 
sailing a straight course, we came to Cos, on the next day to Rhodes, 
and from there to Patara. 21:2 We found a ship crossing over to 
Phoenicia, went aboard, and put out to sea. 21:3 After we sighted Cyprus 
and left it behind on our port side, we sailed on to Syria and put in at 
Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 21:4 After we 
located the disciples, we stayed there seven days. They repeatedly told 
Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 21:5 When our time 
was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and 
children, accompanied us outside of the city. After kneeling down on the 
beach and praying, 21:6 we said farewell to one another. Then we went 
aboard the ship, and they returned to their own homes. 21:7 We continued 
the voyage from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, and when we had greeted 
the brothers, we stayed with them for one day. 21:8 On the next day we 
left and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the 
evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 21:9 (He had 
four unmarried daughters who prophesied.)

21:10 While we remained there for a number of days, a prophet named 
Agabus came down from Judea. 21:11 He came to us, took Paul's belt, tied 
his own hands and feet with it, and said, "The Holy Spirit says this: 
'This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man whose belt 
this is, and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" 21:12 When we heard 
this, both we and the local people begged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 
21:13 Then Paul replied, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my 
heart? For I am ready not only to be tied up, but even to die in 
Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 21:14 Because he could not be 
persuaded, we said no more except, "The Lord's will be done."

21:15 After these days we got ready and started up to Jerusalem. 21:16 
Some of the disciples from Caesarea came along with us too, and brought 
us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple from the earliest times, 
with whom we were to stay. 21:17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the 
brothers welcomed us gladly. 21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to 
see James, and all the elders were there.

21:19 When Paul had greeted them, he began to explain in detail what God 
had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard 
this, they praised God. Then they said to him, "You see, brother, how 
many thousands of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all 
ardent observers of the law. 21:21 They have been informed about you -- 
that you teach all the Jews now living among the Gentiles to abandon 
Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according 
to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt hear 
that you have come. 21:23 So do what we tell you: We have four men who 
have taken a vow; 21:24 take them and purify yourself along with them 
and pay their expenses, so that they may have their heads shaved. Then 
everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told about 
you, but that you yourself live in conformity with the law. 21:25 But 
regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, 
having decided that they should avoid meat that has been sacrificed to 
idols and blood and what has been strangled and sexual immorality."

21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, and after he had purified 
himself along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice of the 
completion of the days of purification, when the sacrifice would be 
offered for each of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, 
the Jews from the province of Asia who had seen him in the temple area 
stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 21:28 shouting, "Men of 
Israel, help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against 
our people, our law, and this sanctuary! Furthermore he has brought 
Greeks into the inner courts of the temple and made this holy place 
ritually unclean!" 21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in 
the city with him previously, and they assumed Paul had brought him into 
the inner temple courts.) 21:30 The whole city was stirred up, and the 
people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the 
temple courts, and immediately the doors were shut.

21:31 While they were trying to kill him, a report was sent up to the 
commanding officer of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 
21:32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down to the 
crowd. When they saw the commanding officer and the soldiers, they 
stopped beating Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer came up and 
arrested him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; he then 
asked who he was and what he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd 
shouted one thing, and others something else, and when the commanding 
officer was unable to find out the truth because of the disturbance, he 
ordered Paul to be brought into the barracks.

21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul had to be carried by the soldiers 
because of the violence of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people followed 
them, screaming, "Away with him!" 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought 
into the barracks, he said to the commanding officer, "May I say 
something to you?" The officer replied, "Do you know Greek? 21:38 Then 
you're not that Egyptian who started a rebellion and led the four 
thousand men of the 'Assassins' into the wilderness some time ago?" 
21:39 Paul answered, "I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an 
important city. Please allow me to speak to the people."

21:40 When the commanding officer had given him permission, Paul stood 
on the steps and gestured to the people with his hand. When they had 
become silent, he addressed them in Aramaic,

      Prayer

Lord, You call us to be faithful in an evil and rebellious fallen world, 
and so sometimes we will suffer for our faithful obedience. May I worry 
less about what may happen if I am faithful then what won't happen 
through me if I am not faithful.

      Summary & Commentary

Paul's traveled from Miletus to Tyre on his journey to Jerusalem. In 
Tyre he met with the disciples for seven days during which the Spirit 
revealed to them the danger to Paul in Jerusalem and they encouraged him 
to not go. [Note: It is unclear in the text if the Holy Spirit was 
affirming earlier warnings to Paul, which he continued to ignore, or if 
He wanted the disciples to comprehend the risk Paul was taking for the 
cause of Christ.]

Paul journeyed on to Caesarea (Palestinian coast south of Mount Carmel) 
where stayed with one of the original seven Deacons from Jerusalem named 
Philip, and his four daughters. The Holy Spirit was delivering 
prophesies via Philip's daughters. [Note: The author, Luke, makes an 
intentional point of the parenthetical note both that Philip's daughters 
we single and that God was using them in an important ministry role. It 
is also notable to recall that most Biblical "prophesy" was the 
re-telling of what God had done and only a small fraction was 
fore-telling of things to come. The text does not record any prophesy; 
that they prophesied appears to have been the purpose of their mention.]

Agabus, a prophet from Jerusalem [also mentioned in Acts 11:28], came to 
Caesarea and tied Paul's hands and feet with Paul's belt then prophesied 
that the same would happen to him in Jerusalem. Luke and the others 
pleaded with Paul, weeping as they did so, not to travel to Jerusalem 
but Paul was undeterred so they entrusted the matter to God.

Paul continued on to Jerusalem where he was warned of the rumors that he 
had taught Jews to abandon their law-keeping customs and even brought 
Gentiles into the inner courts of the Temple [presumed to be for Jews 
only]. They started a riot and Paul was attacked. The commanding officer 
of the cohort hear of the disturbance and stopped it.

He arrested Paul then had to remove him to the barracks so hysterical 
had the mob become. There Paul noted his citizenry of Tarsus and 
requested permission to address the crowd. He addressed them in their 
local dialect of Aramaic.

      Interaction

Consider

The Lord God used the Romans to rescue Paul and then to require the 
people to listen to him.

Discuss

Isn't it amazing that despite the danger to Paul and others - which they 
courageously ignored - how they were persuaded in their minds that the 
calling of Christ was worthy of any price?

Reflect

Philip's unmarried daughters were empowered by the Lord God to prophesy, 
actualizing His teaching that there was no hierarchy "male or female, 
Greek or Hebrew" in God's value system.

Share

When have you been aware of someone who was faithful to the Lord in 
sharing His truth and suffered a violent reaction -- physical or social 
-- yet they persevered?

      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to give you increased-courage to serve the Lord God.

Action:

Today I will share a word of encouragement with a woman whose calling is 
blocked by man.

        Be Specific ______________________________________________________

    Friday's text will be:

      Acts 22

-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Savannah-Statesboro needs a Bible College/Seminary!
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
I don't google I SEARCH! Yippy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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