Paul arrives back in Jerusalem – but trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Acts 21: Paul Goes to Jerusalem
1 And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.
3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo.
4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed
6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day.
8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.
10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit, 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'"
12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."
14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "Let the will of the Lord be done."
15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
Paul Visits James
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law,
21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.
22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.
25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality."
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.
Paul Arrested in the Temple
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.
34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,
36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, "Away with him!"
Paul Speaks to the People
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek?
38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
39 Paul replied, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people."
40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
Acts 22:
1 "Brothers and fathers, hear the defence that I now make before you."
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 "As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8 And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.'
11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.
14 And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;
15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'
17 "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
18 and saw him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
19 And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.'
21 And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'"
Paul and the Roman Tribune
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."
23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,
24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.
25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?"
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen."
27 So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes."
28 The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I am a citizen by birth."
29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Paul Before the Council
30 But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.
Things to think about…
1. You may have noticed in the last couple of chapters in Acts the pronoun “we” is used, e.g. Acts 21:1-8. Here we see that Luke is an eyewitness to these events and therefore includes himself in the narrative. This adds to the integrity of scripture and the events described. One of the blessings of Luke as he writes is the incredible detail he gives as an eyewitness with respect to the people and places recorded as they travel. Note the church meeting on the beach at Tyre with ‘the wives and children’ as they all knelt to pray, Acts 21:5. Paul had no doubt ministered to these same wives and children and as such he was loved and respected by them. This shows the heart and strength of Christianity. As they pray these Christians show the true power of their faith in Christ by committing the Apostle to the Lord in his ministry.
2. Philip – one of the seven ministers chosen at Jerusalem in Acts 6, lived at Caesarea and had 4 unmarried daughters that prophesied, Acts 21:8,9. What a blessing for his family and the church to have young people who have such a gift and a desire. This is part of the blessing of Acts 2 that says on ‘female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy’, Acts 2:18. May our kids grow up to testify about Jesus, which is the spirit of prophesy, Rev 19:10.
3. Paul comes to Jerusalem and immediately seeks out James. Paul no doubt longed for fellowship with a Christ-centred Jew. Here we see the interaction Paul has with James and the justification James gives for Paul to keep with the law of Moses because many have believed in Christ. Acts 22:17-24. While Paul knew the law better than all as a Pharisee, even as the son of a Pharisee, he elevated the grace and freedom the gospel has in Christ and as such was a bold warrior to the Gentiles that Jesus was also their Saviour. James allowed Jews to keep the law whereas Paul clearly did not always follow the law, making himself unclean many times ministering to Gentiles. This is no doubt why Paul received more persecution than the other ‘law-abiding’ Apostles. We know when men came from James, Peter separated from the Gentiles to eat with them. Paul rebukes Peter for his hypocrisy, Gal 2. Paul no doubt would have had similar concerns with James and others who remained at Jerusalem keeping the law.
4. Paul is never far from persecution. Paul is submissive to James and the elders, Acts 21:26 and purified himself and went into the temple. Even though he tries to comply with the Jewish law and purifies himself and keeps his vow, Acts 21:23-26, Jews from Asia had seen him with Trophimus – a Greek man, Acts 21:27-36 and made an issue of it. Remember it was in Asia where Paul received his most intense persecution, at Lystra, Derbe and Iconium. Jews from this region were now in Jerusalem stirring up the crowd against Paul. Some will never allow terms of peace and as such keep dissention as a room-mate. Sadly, Christianity has never been immune from such characters as we read throughout the NT, E.g 1Tim 1:20; 2Tim 2:4.
5. Paul now beaten and bloodied from his beating by the crowd, addresses the crowd, Acts 22:1-21. Paul shares his testimony in Hebrew to the Jews. While the language is not a barrier, the message certainly is and the crowd turns violent towards Paul, Acts 22:22-25. Our testimony should use are past experiences as Paul does here. This shows the grace God has poured out on the life of the believer. This contrast is used by the Holy Spirit to bring understanding, context and relevance to the hearers. Like Stephen before him, Paul speaks to the heart of the people. The crowd is under no illusion as to who Paul was in the past and who he is now. This was confronting because he was the epitome of who they were trying to emulate before his conversion – a law-abiding Jew, even studying under the great Gamaliel. Paul had that in spades in his previous life. But he accounts this as nothing in the light of His revelation in Christ.
6. Paul who had already received a beating and is taken and strung up to receive a Roman flogging. We know from history some even died from such an ordeal. After the crowd had already beaten him, such may well have been the case with Paul if it had been allowed to occur. Once again Paul uses his Roman citizenship to get him out of trouble, Acts 22:25-29. He is released and was allowed to be taken into custody until a proper trial. As a Roman citizen he needed to be protected by the state until that occurred.
7. Question – Why didn’t James and the other Jewish Apostles receive the same amount of persecution as Paul? They lived at Jerusalem all the time. I may be sticking my neck out here but as suggested earlier, I believe there is a reason why the Holy Spirit has followed Paul’s ministry. He did not compromise the message. We know that Peter would later be challenged by Paul because he ate only with Jews, Gal 2:11-14. Did the Jewish Apostles at Jerusalem take the edge off the message that said the gospel needed to be taken to the Gentiles as well? I suspect so – but this is my interpretation. We must go out and speak in the language of the people. We will know when they understand our message, some embrace it and others will persecute. Those who desire to live godly will suffer persecution, 2Tim 3:12. The other Apostles certainly did suffer persecution, but none like the Apostle Paul, 2Cor 11:24-28.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. 6:30pm every Wednesday. 5:30pm prayer.
Young adult Life group – This week – The trinity in the OT. After church on Sunday.
Prayer Points
1. Visitors who heard the Blessed Life part 2 – Seeking God first.
2. Pray for Lauren and family in South Africa for the Lord’s peace, comfort and grace.
3. Keep praying for Anna and the Playgroup on Fridays, pray for more families to be reached.
4. Pray for Chaplaincy and Kids Hope at Karalee State School.
5. The families of the shooting victims at the Trump rally last week. Pray for peace over the US elections
6. The ongoing conflict in Israel and Ukraine.
7. Church finances to continue to grow and expenses to be more than met.
8. Pray for Kids@Church, Life groups. Young Adults.
9. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, 5:30pm at church. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
10. Pray about the possibility and planning of a Farmers Market at Chuwar Baptist Church on Saturdays. Anastasia taking the lead on this. Pray for us as we plan
11. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
12. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. New folk this week.
2. Worship team did a great job.
3. Praise God for young people stepping up in the worship ministry.
4. Playgroup is a great encouragement for our church.
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. The blessed life – Part 3 “Life not Law”. This Sunday morning
2. Working bee Saturday morning 27th July. Please contact Che for a list jobs and requirements.
3. Kids at Church – The Blessed life – Life not law. Annastasia leading.
4. Monday and Wednesday evening prayer at church 5:30-6:30pm
5. Life Group Wednesday 6:30pm at church – start back this week.
6. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
7. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for July...
Q. 22. What is Sin? A. Sin is any transgression of the law of God.
Bible References – 1Jn.3:4; Rom.3:20; James 2:9-11
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
