Acts 13: 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. 13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” 16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ 23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: “‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’ 34 God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ 35 So it is also stated elsewhere: “‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ 36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you: 41 “‘Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.’” 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jewish leaders incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet as a warning to them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

COMMENTARY: We see in verse 1 the list of teachers and prophets at the church in Antioch (an ancient city) - this city is much like the other cities that the Apostle Paul (then called Saul) will journey through on this difficult journey that eventually leads him to Rome. He was a recent convert to Christianity - he had previously been an enemy of Christianity and had spent his days persecuting the Christian church. God worked in his heart not only to cause him to believe in Jesus, but also to work for the Christian Church as a founding member and preacher - he had persecuted the Christian Church because he grew up as a Pharisee (which was the strictest religious sect of Judaism, and Jews did not believe that Jesus is the Messiah or is God). Saul (eventually Paul) always believed in God, but didn't always live the life that God wanted him to - this should stand out as a lesson to all religious people that it's not about being religious or believing in God's existence, and it's not even (fully) about believing that Jesus is the Messiah, but rather about living the everyday life (with whatever time is left) that God wants you to live. Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 12:50: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother." John 14:15: "If you love me, keep my commands." James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." - not only did the Devil and his fallen angels believe in God - they KNEW He was real and that every one of His claims and purposes is 100% accurate - they knew because they saw it and have seen and known God's spiritual control. But are the Devil and his fallen angels good? No. But they knew God? Exactly. It's not enough to know God, just like it isn't enough to learn things if you make decisions contrary to what you've learned. Let's say I went to school and learned how to drive safely, then one night I get in a wreck for driving unsafely. I knew what safe driving was, but I wasn't immune from having an accident. Same thing with Satan - he knows God, but he doesn't live for Him or honor Him, but instead he lives in rebellion. A lot of us are doing the same thing and share the same destination as Satan eternally unless we can turn to Jesus instead of just knowing Him. Acts 17:30: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” - this isn't just for Christians or when we're in church or a religious season in our lives. "All people everywhere." So no matter who you are and no matter where you are in life, God is calling you to repent (which is to confess and take action against your sins). Proverbs 28:13: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - so you can't conceal or hide your sins, you have to confess them and be honest. BUT. You also "renounce" them. Stop. Take action. Actually do something. Don't just confess it - address it. This is repentance, and without it we have no share in the Kingdom of God.

And so we see that Paul's religious background wasn't what made his faith or story significant or good enough - what gave his story fulfillment (and what gives our stories fulfillment) is that he went where God called him to go in his everyday life and did the things that God called Him to. God revealed these things to Him through visions and dreams, but for us we have God's written Words in the Bible (lest someone have a vision that opposes what God really wants - which is based on what He said). There is no room for complaint that PAUL'S vision may have been corrupted (as Muslims will claim) because we know that Paul's visions and dreams and his entire ministry are actually written in the New Testament, making them the Word of God, and Paul was an Apostle of Christ. The story that I referenced, where Paul goes from place to place, is a very deep story filled with hardships and persecutions and hard work - this is the story that we will now unpack. Remember that verse 1 referred to a group of church leaders and prophets - verse 2 makes clear that God (the Holy Spirit) speaks and specifies that Saul (eventually Paul) and Barnabas are to be "set apart" for the work that God has for them. If you had a week to do certain things, and you wanted to do them on a certain day, you would "set that day apart" and not do other things that day - in the same way, it's not that God sees Paul and Barnabas as better than the others, it's just that God has chosen these specific men to do this specific work. Notice that it was "the Holy Spirit" that spoke. The Holy Spirit is described as our "advocate" who is "sent by God, will be with you, and will teach you all things" (John 14:16/26). When it says all things, it means it - all things that God needs us to know. We can move mountains and do all things when the Holy Spirit works through us. Philippians 4:13 says that "I can do all things" but only "through Christ who gives me strength" - I "can" do all things, but that doesn't mean that I will - in the same way, the Holy Spirit teaches us EVERYTHING that God needs us to know (whether it's what to preach like it was for Paul, or what to say to someone, or how we should live our everyday lives), and this "can" be "everything" - the Holy Spirit could teach us EVERYTHING if it came to it, but ultimately we rely on the Spirit as our connection point to God that shows us what exactly we are called to in life. That's why "the Holy Spirit" was the one who spoke - it symbolized that, just as God only every spoke to Paul through the Holy Spirit (Paul never even met Jesus) - in the same way, the same Holy Spirit was specifically choosing Paul and his colleague Barnabas to take the journey that we are about to embark on. God had probably "set them apart" from the other religious leaders, which is likely the reason that those people were mentioned in verse 1 to begin with. It is also likely true that all of the people listed in verse 1 were present when the Holy Spirit spoke - the fact that they then prayed together and put a hand of blessing on one another in verse 3 solidifies this. They were probably all together in the city of Antioch, but they (Paul and Barnabas only) then departed to take up the journey that God has set them apart for. Ephesians 2:10: "We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - so we are created "to do" the things that He has prepared for us (it's different for each person, but He has a purpose for your life). And so we see that God has chosen Paul and has chosen Barnabas for this specific purpose, that they would go from place to place and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was much harder to do back then both in terms of the journey (going from place to place really would take a lifetime if you traveled the way Paul eventually does) and in terms of the fact that the places Paul went were strongly opposed to the ideas of Christianity. And yet Paul embarks on the journey, starting in verse 4.

Take notice in verse 4 of the fact that they have been sent on this mission "by the Holy Spirit." This is different from simply making your own decisions in ministry and doing what you feel like doing, spending too much time at work and not enough time with others - this isn't like that at all, it's a journey set up by God, as they (Paul and Barnabas) were "sent by the Holy Spirit." Notice as we go throughout this story that so, so many cities and regions and places will be named as places that Paul goes - in verse 4 alone, 3 cities are named (only 2 are named but he obviously had started in the city he departed from, so it's 3 different cities). Notice in verse 5 that they went into the Jewish synagogues to proclaim their message about Christ. As we go throughout this story, it might become difficult to remember why all of this is happening; why travel from place to place to place in verse 4? To preach, specifically, in the Jewish synagogues in verse 5, the place that Paul knew so well as he grew up as a Pharisee. Paul knee (because it's what he used to be) that these people didn't believe in Jesus and didn't have any type of faith in him - and so, not aimlessly going from place to place, we see that there is a specific reason and a purpose for why these things are happening. It's also important, for those in ministry, to remember that Paul has help from both Barnabas and John - they aren't main characters, and they aren't remembered hardly at all for their involvement in this story, but they did assist Paul. It's important to have people around you that are like this, not seeking glory or credit or their own pursuit, but your success. And then you do that and be that type of person for everyone else. If 2 people look to the other person to prosper them, then 2 people will prosper - if 2 people try to prosper themselves and not the other person, then it becomes my 9-5 against yours, my accomplishments and happiness against yours, and nobody wins anything. This is why the Bible teaches us that we shouldn't look to our own needs, but to the needs of others (Philippians 2:3-4). It also teaches that the Word of God (the Bible) is alive and active and the sharp Sword of the Spirit (Hebrews 4:12/Ephesians 6:17) and it tells us that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). So keep in mind throughout this story that the Bible and the truth of God IS sharp (Hebrews 4:12), but the way in which we minister and reveal the truth to others might be completely dull if we don't have the people around us that we need - it's very possible for the truth to be ineffective when it's taught ineffectively. This story with Paul doesn't happen without Barnabas and others - keep that in mind.

In verse 6 when they travel to yet another place, they meet a man - a sinful man, described not openly but as being "false." The prefix "bar" means son, so this man's name translates to "the son of Jesus," and so we see exactly why he is referred to as a false prophet - it's even more interesting when you consider the fact that he's Jewish and religious. Jews didn't believe in Jesus. False prophets have just about 0 history of actually receiving visions or anything like that - almost 100% of the time they are just hungry for attention, money, or something else, and so they use what they know about religion (it would be hard to pretend to be the son of God without knowing about Him) for the wrong reasons and purposes. If this man is a Jew, then this means that he does not believe in Jesus: so as a Jew he is breaking his devotion to God by following the supposedly false Messiah Jesus, and then as a follower of Jesus he is breaking his devotion to Jesus by falsely claiming to be his son - imagine how hungry for attention and money, how truly isolated and broken, this man must have been. Instead of being hateful and wanting to crush people like this, these are the types of hearts that God wants to heal. That's why these men have been sent "by the Holy Spirit" to this specific place (out of all the places that Paul went, keep that in mind) to meet this specific man. And so clearly the Holy Spirit is trying to reach the heart of this man - God cares about people like this. Verse 7 highlights just how dangerous religious people can be when it comes to hindering others from coming to Christ - we see that this false prophet works for a man that "wants to hear the Word of God" (implying that he is not Jewish because he would have known it by heart if he was at this point in history - also the fact that he had someone working for him as "his attendant" and the fact that he was to "proconsul" shows that he couldn't have possibly been Jewish or of the same religion as the God that we worship). And so we see that this man is trying to hear the Word of God, exploring the faith - and the only exposure that he has, the only religious person that he interacts with, is this false prophet. So when he was previously curious about the Word of God, he probably asked this man, who probably gave him the false information that he preaches as a false prophet and that he lives out as a sinner. The arrogance of this man claiming to be the son of Jesus, claiming to be a prophet when he's not - he was probably just a really greedy, selfish person, and so the proconsul only has THIS man to look to in terms of the faith that he is curious about. THIS is why it's so important that we as Christians get it right and live our lives in a way that honors God - it's also important that we believe and speak the truth about God. 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” - this is why "life" came before "doctrine" - how you live your everyday life is more important than any set of religious beliefs. Jesus was more concerned with how we actually live our lives, but notice that doctrine is also valued and mentioned in that verse in terms of what will save us ("ourselves") and "others." And we know that this false prophet carried neither a Godly life nor the truth about who God is - we as religious people must strive to be better than this. Remember in verse 6 that the man is a sorcerer - this is how we know that this "bar-jesus" is the same person that verse 8 refers to as "Elymas the sorcerer." Elymas means "God rejects" or "God departs" (possibly meaning that anything of the Holy Spirit that was within Elymas as a religious person has departed him. And so we see that this man has lived and preaches lies in his everyday life, and so for this reason God rejects him, and yet still the interaction between the apostles and this man is set up - God will chase us down from even the farthest of distances in life because of His faithfulness and His love for us. Nehemiah 9:17-18: "They refused to listen, they were stubborn and self-seeking. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies." God is forgiving. The ultimate sin (and this is how Satan fell) is to take the life He gave you and live for yourself. It's no wonder that this world, run by the Devil, teaches that you should put yourself first. And it seems fair, right? It's subtle - the Devil is smart. But don't put yourself first. Is God second? If you or something else like a habit or feeling or sin, if anything is first, then God is at best second. That's not what God wants for you. It's Satanic (literally, Satan invented living like this) - yet God is willing to forgive. The Israelites were waiting for God in the desert, and they got impatient, so they gave into their feelings. They created their own god, and started worshiping it and claiming that it was the same God that delivered them from all their other struggles - they wanted a new god because they could control this one (they literally made it) and they could move at their own pace and live however they wanted to - a lot like giving into lust because you, like the Israelites in the desert, are tired of waiting, and your feelings want to move at a different pace and live a different standard than what the Bible teaches - it's this way with all sins and in all things. Again, this is all Satanic, and when you live like this it is passionate worship of Satan through your devotion, whether you like it or admit it or not. But EVEN THEN God is forgiving. Why? Because He wouldn't want the sins of your past to prevent you from living for Him and with Him in the future, even eternally. That's why God gives you the chance to get back up and take step one - stop missing out. Deuteronomy 4:29: "If from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." - hold nothing back and you'll find Him.

And so in verse 8 we see why God has "rejected" saving Elymas - not only is he selfish and greedy, but he tries to turn others away from the faith. The chances are likely that he was doing this because the proconsul probably didn't know or care about any other Jews (and Elymas was a servant, the only way he could possibly know a Roman), and so if he was the only religious man the Proconsul knew then he would probably invest in what he was saying (whether by giving him money, attention, etc.) - any notion of Jesus Christ and of the truth of the Bible would go against what Elymas was teaching and it would pull him away from center stage and move God towards it, and so we see that Elymas opposed the apostles and the work that they were doing, trying to turn the Proconsul away from the faith the apostles were teaching about. Notice in verse 9 that the Apostle Paul (who officially changes his name in this exact verse, bridged from his old life as Saul to the new life as Paul specifically by the mention of the Holy spirt) - Paul is "full of the Holy Spirit." So the stage is set - Holy Spirit vs false prophecy, God vs Satan in the form of 2 human beings - what happens? Paul affirms that God rejects Elymas when in verse 10 he calls Elymas a child of the Devil - how could someone be a child of the Devil? By being "an enemy of everything that is right." This Elymas is a complete representative of Satan: Satan wanted more and more money and trade commerce in ancient times, and he wanted to exalt himself and become God - this is EXACTLY what Elymas, to a tee, is projecting. The accuracy is no less than 100%. He quite literally is the Devil's son, and yet he could be human as well - so we have to watch out for these behaviors in our everyday lives. In verse 11 we see again the man's name ("Elymas" means "The Lord rejects" or "The Lord (possibly Spirit) departs") take on literal meaning - the hand of the Lord is against this man. And so he causes the man to become blind, which is a symbol of his spiritual blindness and his need for God (which is why he "groped about for someone to lead him"). The story, mostly really sad, does get a happy ending when in verse 12 the Proconsul, once curious about Jesus Christ, has now seen and is choosing to believe in what he has seen from the apostles displays: that only Jesus Christ can truly be God. I guess this is why the Bible says to "taste and see that the Lord is good."

We see in verse 13 that John is no longer with them (remember that this ministry exists all around the world and so it would be difficult to stay in the same place). Keep in mind all the different cities that they are traveling through and that in verse 14 it mentions them specifically going to the synagogue (the Jewish, non-Christian synagogue) to do their preaching (which verse 15 specifies is from the Old Testament's religious Law and Prophet books). I found it interesting that they were invited to speak and preach and give their own commentaries ("exhortations") on the Scriptures "if they had one" and AFTER it was established that they were reading Bible verses. To me, this established that they were emphasizing the importance of Scripture over and above their own preaching - this is easily the most important thing to keep in mind when reading these commentaries that I write, is that the most important element is Scripture, and it's perfectly ok if I don't have a commentary or if you don't read it - this is why they were invited to deliver their own personal exhortations "if you have any" - and so we know that Scripture is the most important element. In verse 16 the Apostle Paul makes clear that he does in fact have something to say, and so (standing up at the front of the synagogue) he mentions his hand, as if to signal that he is about to speak. Paul then begins to speak, giving a basic history lesson in terms of the Old Testament - this seems fairly straightforward and like something to skip, but it isn't. For one thing, it flexes his Biblical knowledge (and this is something we should keep in mind as we go throughout this journey). For another, the way that seem of these verses are worded is very interesting. It said specifically in verse 19 that God "endured" their conduct, as if to imply that He was suffering in Heaven watching them sin, but He endured it and put up with them out of His love for them. The fact that Paul preaches THIS (about the ancient Jews) in the Jewish synagogue goes to highlight that he is probably making a similar point to the Jews in the synagogue - that they need to turn back and repent of their sins in their everyday lives. What is meant in verse 20 by the word "judges" is that whenever the people would sin, God would let their enemies rule over them, and then when they became repentant He would give them a judge (a community leader) that would then go out for battle and fight against the enemy nations. In verse 23 the man that Jesus is a descendant of is in fact King David. In verse 24 it is referring to John the Baptist and not the John who was one of Jesus's disciples - verse 25 is a reminder that John didn't take the opportunity to receive credit as the Messiah, but rather he gave that glory to God. In verse 26 Paul is telling the Jews that the message of Salvation (of being saved by God) as "for us" (the Jews). The Jews were skeptical of Jesus and did not believe in them, so to preach that He is the savior of the Jews and not the entire world, or to preach that only the Jews could be saved - to preach falsely like this could greatly increase the number of believers. But Paul doesn't do that - he only says that the gift of salvation is "for us" which does not exclude "everyone else" to also receive it (which is what Paul will soon be preaching to these Jews, that everyone has the chance to be saved by God). The point that the Apostle Paul is making in verse 27 is that Jesus is actually prophesied about in the Old Testament Scriptures (Isaiah 53) and as well in the New Testament, which Jews reject and Muslims will claim has been corrupted - and so, by rejecting Him and crucifying Him on Earth, they rejected the same Scriptures from which they read every week on the Sabbath during their church services - the Scriptures that prophesy about a Messiah, though whether they accept it in their heart or not heart or not that Messiah is Jesus. Verse 29 continues the narrative that the things that happened to Jesus "were written about Him" in the Old Testament, and so what took place was in fulfillment of those Scriptures and prophecies. The "witnesses" in verse 31 is a reference to the fact that after dying and before rising, Jesus appeared to His 11 disciples in Galilee - so these disciples have become "witnesses" for the Christian faith. And so Paul makes the point in verses 32 and 33 (and remember that he is deep in the heart of the Jewish synagogue, where these ideas are opposed) that Jesus Christ is in fact the Messiah that the Old Testament predicts - the wording of verse 32 is where the famous phrase "good news" comes from - that Jesus Christ is in fact the Son of God and Messiah that the Old Testament predicts, who came into this world to die for our sins and take the sins of the world away. When he says in verse 34 that God will give Jesus what was promised to David, he then reveals in verse 35 what that was talking about - that David would never see decay. And so we know that both David and Jesus are resting in paradise, and that they live forever, as Jesus rose from the dead after His crucifixion - He did not see decay. This is why David's death is referred to as "sleep" in verse 36, because it is only temporary. Notice that in verse 37, though verse 36 makes clear that David was decayed, verse 37 shows us that what God raised David from the dead and into Paradise - he soul that God raised had not seen decay, David having not lost his soul despite all the sinful pressures that he felt during his time on Earth. Notice also that verse 36 specifies that David served his purpose for the Lord during his life and then passed away - we should strive for this in our everyday lives. And so we see n verse 38 the entire reason that Paul is in that Jewish synagogue to begin with - he knows that they don't believe in Jesus, and he wants to proclaim the Gospel and the forgiveness of sins to them. In verse 39 not only has Paul proclaimed the truth about Christ to them, but he also tells them the truth about Moses and the Old Testament Laws - that they could not receive forgiveness through the Law or through being good enough as religious people - they needed Jesus and His forgiveness and the role that He wants to play in their everyday lives. With this, Paul's sermon has truly covered all ends and come full circle, and so we see that in verses 40-41 he leaves the people with a final warning. We see in verse 42 that the Jewish people were intrigued by what Paul was preaching, and they wanted to hear more. Verse 43 even specifies that the "devout converts to Judaism" (so the "devout" Jews who are probably unopen to Christ) listened to them - let this serve as a symbol to all believers that even if you don't feel significant or like your ministry matters, you still have great power and influence when it comes to spreading the Word of God even among those who do not currently believe it. Mark 16:15: "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” But why? So that others may "see" the pattern you set for them and "glorify God" by following it. You can't walk in a dark house, so you turn the light on. In the same way, how will those who don't understand come to Christ unless you give them a light? Romans 10:14: "How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" People won't hear unless you preach to them. But remember this: a lamp never talks, it just shines. I don't want you to preach verbally, I want your light to shine through your ACTIONS and in your everyday life, habits, thoughts, feelings and all. Let your light shine, so they may glorify God. A lamp doesn't absorb the heat for itself, but rather it uses the heat to give light to those in the room. In the same way, we don't hold back on what's inconvenient - no, burn it all. Get uncomfortable, do the difficult things that God wants you to do. Put your light to use so others may be saved and so God may be glorified. And remember that the verse said "all the world." Galatians 6:10: "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people." - all people, no discrimination, just as Christ did not discriminate on the cross. 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.” - be prepared even when it's "out of season." Even when it's not Sunday. Even when they're hostile or don't believe what you believe and don't think the way you do. Be prepared. They may ask, why should I believe? How do you know He exists? Why does He allow evil? Be prepared but remember that ultimately you preach God, so it's His strength and not your own that will reach others. Romans 2:21: “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?” - if you don’t practice what you preach, even if you preach a good thing, then you have become a Pharisee and are blocking others from God. Psalm 78:1: “Hear my teachings, listen to the Words of my mouth.” - learn from God in order to teach others about Him. And so we see that Paul delivered his message with words and through verbal teachings - we are called to do the same thing, to reach others for God in what we say (and of course in all that we do). In Matthew 28:19 when Jesus tells us to make disciples out of all nations (reach others for God), I can’t honestly think of a better way to do it than with words… Can you? Sure, there are other ways to represent God, but sometimes the only chance that an unbeliever will get to see what God is like comes when they hear and see your words and how you act. You quite literally are their only version of the Bible, so let your words be true. Proverbs 18:21 teaches us that what we say has the power of life and death (to build others up and to tear them down), and that the people that hear what we say will “eat the fruits” of what we say (basically saying that if we say positive or negative things that’s how it will impact them). The Bible tells us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), meaning that we speak the truth (which is sometimes harsh) but that no matter what we always have loving intentions and tones when we do so “in love.” Neurologists have proven that the brain is “plastic,” which means it can and WILL change based on what it experiences and receives (including spoken words). This is why people with traumatic experiences are often at least somewhat broken, it’s why people with addictions are so hooked, but I am telling you that when you speak life into people you can literally change them, but be patient because the results aren’t on your time. John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” - when you speak, let it fill people with life, not destroy them like the thief (Satan) wants to. Speak life, speak the truth, and speak it in love.

We see in verse 44 that the entire city (reflect on that) attended the sermon that Paul gave - this is why the Jews were jealous in verse 45. And so they not only made his preaching difficult by contradicting the things that he was saying, but they also "heaped" abuse on him - this means that they took it farther than argument and contradiction and they made it personal and probably went below the belt with what they were saying and how they were acting - again all in the name of religion. And so we see in verse 46 the response by the Apostle Paul - bold. Not afraid or taken aback, but "they answered them boldly." 2 Timothy 1:6-7: "Fan into flame the gift of God. The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline." - so don't shrink back, but fan into flame the gifts and abilities that God has given you. Don't be nervous or timid, don't shrink back - God wants you to be powerful in making sacrifices in your everyday life, having the love of God and others in your heart (and loving yourself enough to do these things), and finally God wants you to have self-discipline so you can live for Him by faith in your everyday life with "little things" like the way we see others, talk, what we consume and listen to, our perspective and mindset, and how we judge others - live for God in terms of these things, having the self-discipline to put off old habits and desires. Hebrews 10:38: "The righteous one will live by faith, and I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." - so don't shrink back into merely "believing" - actually live by your faith.

And so we see in verses 47 and 48 that God loves and has chosen the Gentiles, and this is pleasing to them, making them feel welcomed and loved (which is an experience that they have NEVER had when it comes to Jewish culture and religion - they were hated). Notice in verse 49 that the "Word of God" spread throughout that region? This shows us that, despite having personal disputes with what they were doing, the Jewish leaders could not say that it was a heretical or false teaching because despite the controversy (especially with Jesus as the supposed Messiah), it wasn't the agendas of Paul and Barnabas that were spreading throughout the region, but rather "the Word of God spread" because the things that Paul and Barnabas said and taught were the word of God, and this is what was spreading as their ministry was finding success. And so we see once again in verse 50 that the Jewish people are opposed to their mission and are using others (the powerful women in the city) to get to them and do things against the Early Chruch and Christian ministry. In Matthew 10:14 Jesus says "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." And so we see what this would look like in verse 51. As if there were any confusion as to who was in the right and who was in the wrong, verse 52 clarifies that the disciples are "filled with the Holy Spirit," meaning that they are the ones that are filled with God's power, while their opponents must be filled with jealousy and envy and sin and strife and other things, as chapter 13 comes to an end.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 14 below.

Acts 14: 1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the other Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles. 5 There was a plot afoot among both Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7 where they continued to preach the gospel. 8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them. 19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia. 26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

COMMENTARY: Notice in verse 1 that it says "as usual" - Paul has a tendency of going into the religious places to preach about Jesus. Paul was born and raised a Jewish man, and he studied diligently as a Pharisee - he was as religious as it got, and he knew what it was like to have the perspective that the Pharisees have: to believe in and love God, but to miss out on Jesus in your everyday life. And so Paul made it his custom to go to those people that, despite being religious, needed the message more than anyone. And we see at the end of verse 1 that this pays off - people start to believe. Not only the religious Jews, but also Greeks, outsiders. Imagine how effective the message would have been if both the staunchly religious Jews but also the carefree irreligious (or at least religious to other gods) Greeks would BOTH be reached by the same preaching - God sent Paul on this mission, and so we see that this is the power of God at work. Notice in verse 1 the inclusive language - "they" reached others - we need to be supported by God and by others in our ministries and in our lives. Of course, not every Jew and Greek was saved by the message that Paul gave, and we see in verse 2 the actions that some of the Jews took against Paul - they ruined the saving for others by spreading doubt and fear and other ways of "poisoning their minds" to no longer believe in Jesus - Paul knew they were like THIS, and that's why he was intentional about coming to the religious synagogues to speak to and try to save these hypocrites. Paul's intentionality is highlighted by the wording of verse 3, that he "spent considerable time there" and spoke "boldly for the Lord" - take notice that it was the Lord who confirmed Paul's message, and so it was God who was granting him success. God "enabled them" to perform miracles - undoubtedly this implies that when God softened the hearts of the religious people they were reaching, it was considered a miracle and it was only possible because God had enabled it. This is a reminder that "I can do all things" but only "through Christ who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13). We see in verse 4 that there is complete division about Paul's message - some believe, and some don't. Keep in mind that many people would benefit from them failing - the religious Jews would keep their power, and the Greeks would keep their lifestyles (and there were also Greek businessmen who benefited from the people purchasing and worshiping Greek idols that were crafted and sold). And so we see in verse 5 that people conspire against the ministry - remember that they have a large following, and it is increasing (likely the reason that, in verse 6, they find out about the plot and thwart it by leaving). Notice that in verse 7, after the previous verses detailed that they just escaped a plot to kill them, right away in verse 7 it says that they kept preaching the Gospel. They showed no fear and kept persevering in all that they did - this is truly impressive. This is why God tells us to be "strong and courageous" and that He will be with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9/Deuteronomy 30:8). Notice in verse 9 that Paul didn't just heal the man for the sake of healing him (which Paul could have done - he could have healed many and performed the miracles that God "enabled" him to perform simply for publicity and to grow the message). But Paul doesn't want to attract shallow faith that will only believe because of blessing - he chose the man who genuinely had faith in Jesus Christ, in what Paul was preaching. And so, full of faith, it follows naturally that instead of simply standing up on his feet (which would have been a miracle in it's own right), the man "jumped" and then started to "walk" - miracles beyond the original miracle - this is what faith can do. Naturally, the people of the new city that Paul was in had never seen this before, and so they had no idea how to react. They turned to what they know, as we so often do - in verse 11 they gave credit to what they believe to be "the gods." We see this in our culture as well, where someone that isn't close to God will struggle to identify Him, thanking "fate" or "the universe" for the works of God - they don't know God, so they don't turn to Him. And so we must turn to Him to get to know Him in our everyday lives, never looking back. In verses 12 and 13 we see that the apostles are being treated by the crowd like they are Greek Gods. Instead of selfishly seeking the favorable attention, we see in verse 14 that the apostles "tear their clothes" (which was done in their culture as an expression of shock and horror, like if someone said something blasphemous about God they would tear their clothes) - notice the wording of verse 14. They don't just "pray for" the people - they "tear their clothes" and "rush" into the crowd and then "shout" at them - they care. There is a level of compassion that they feel for the godless people, and so they hold nothing back in their intensity - we are called to be willing, daring, and intense like this, even if it doesn't feel like we are capable of making an impact. Judges 6:14-16 (paraphrase): “The Lord said to him, ‘Go in the strength that you do have, for I am sending you,’ but he replied, ‘How can I do it? I come from insignificance and I am too weak to make this impact.’ The Lord answered by saying ‘I will be with you.’” - maybe you can relate to the person God was talking to, and you don’t feel like you make an impact or that you ever will. Focus on the wording: “Go in the strength that you DO have,” not in the strength that you don’t. It’s about who you are, who God made you to be, not who you think you should be or who you wish you were. 2 Corinthians 8:12: “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” - If you are willing, then the gifts that you have to offer are acceptable, and you are acceptable just the way you are. He accepts you, according to this verse, for who you are, not for who you aren’t. He wants you for who you are, not for who you should be. Matthew 19:26: “With man (on your own and in your own strength) this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - you can make an impact, it’s possible, and you matter greatly to God. But don’t forget the “with God.” Live for God, not for yourself.

Notice that the first word in verse 15 is "friends" - so even though they are about to condemn the practices of these Greeks, and even though they are about to call them out for their sinful ways and for things that they are doing that are wrong (even if they don't or can't see it as wrong) - even this they do in a friendly and loving way, making clear that they are not enemies because the real enemy is Satan, who was working through them and through the practices and everyday sins that they were partaking in. In verse 15 they selflessly deny the praise of the people, making clear that they are only human beings and not worthy of the praise, which belongs rather to God - it's important to be humble like this, but obviously the more you achieve the more difficult it gets, and it must have been very difficult for them because they were doing incredible things through the power of God. Here's the important realization they came to: their reward was in Heaven with God, not here on Earth with people. "Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God" (Romans 2:29). After calling them friends and chasing them down with urgency and love, they get to business in verse 15 by telling them to turn away from "worthless" things - it's not easy to tell someone they need to change and they are wrong - you come off as self-righteous, they receive it angrily or at least with hesitance, and so it's very difficult to do what the apostles are doing here (preaching to others, which we are called to do). But they meet the challenge head on, encouraging the crowd to turn to "the living God," not Zeus or some other myth that can make no real impact, but the true living God, who wants to change your life and make you "born again" (living God, new life in Christ) even if you are already a devout Christian - there is something to be received from Him today, which is more than can be said for the practices and everyday things that these Greeks were doing and giving themselves to. Not only do they call on the Greeks to turn to God, but they also help them to do so: the Greeks probably don't know the Jewish God all that well, and so by describing and identifying and giving information about Him (when they described Him in verse as "the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them"), they were giving the Greeks a starting point. We are called not only to preach, but to do so well and intelligently - you could pour out your heart for God, but if you don't take a good approach, it may fall on deaf ears. The most heartfelt, true, and passionate sermon may have been completely ineffective if they didn't at least help the Greeks to get connected to God by describing who He is ("the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them") and how they can connect with Him ("turn from these worthless things to the living God"). Verse 16 highlights the reason that there are some Jews and some Greeks - God let the nations do whatever they wanted, and He chose the Israelites to be His people. None of the nations (or people today) typically choose to seek God - they either seek prosperity or gratification or other forms of gain and happiness. Even the Israelites, who God chose to be His people, were absolutely terrible at following Him and always left His side and disobeyed Him. And so we see that God has allowed people to do what they want, He has given us free will. But notice the wording "in the past" - this implies that today is different, and that God is putting it on the hearts of many Greeks to seek His saving. In verses 17 and 18 we see this at work, that clearly the crowd is being reached by every word being spoken (they were so passionate about what they were hearing that they were actually trying to sacrifice to Paul like he was a literal god). And yet, in verse 19, we see that these people have a shallow desire for God that doesn't run very deep - they were easily convinced to turn away and even turn against the apostles that they were JUST WORSHIPING - this is how easily they give their hearts to things and then change. This is exactly how we are with lust and dating and letting swear words slip out - we are so all over the place that we are just like these people. Referring to this type of person as a seed in a parable in Matthew 13:5-6, Jesus says "Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It (their faith/devotion to God) sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root." - so, just like these Greeks who were INSTANTLY worshiping Paul, it's easy to make a commitment and jump right into something, but ultimately if we have no root in place and no intention to remain consistent and intentional with God, then we will end up turning on Him and falling into sin and other commitments - remember that these Greeks went from worshiping to trying to kill Paul in just a matter of moments, because they lacked a root and they lacked intentionality. And so we see the disappointing ending to what could have been a day of mass savings - just because the Greeks liked what they heard did not mean that they had been saved - many of us, like them, will feel confident about where we are with God (they thought Him to be "the gods" whom they knew a little bit about), but ultimately we do not determine if we are truly saved or not - God does. Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." John 14:!5: "If you love me, keep my commands." Joshua 24:15: "Choose this day whom you will serve, whether God or another." - so we aren't just saved one time and then secure forever (it is possible to fall from being secure/saved), and we also aren't disqualified because of the past, we have to actually choose God "this day" and every day the call still stands to choose God in that new day, no matter what the circumstance or season that you face. 2 Peter 3:17-18: "Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." -  so it’s possible to fall even when you’re "secure" - this isn’t just a one and done where you believe and are saved and get baptized or maybe go to church or whatever - you gotta actually keep growing. And we know that, just as they preached with urgency and boldness, but also out of love, so we are also called to preach and reach others for Christ. 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction.” - be prepared even when it's "out of season." Even when it's not Sunday. Even when they're hostile or don't believe what you believe and don't think the way you do. Be prepared. They may ask, why should I believe? How do you know He exists? Why does He allow evil? Be prepared but remember that ultimately you preach God, so it's His strength and not your own that will reach others. 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." Ephesians 4:15: “Speak the truth in love.” - you must correct others with the truth, but if you are harsh and fail to do it in love, you have achieved nothing (in 1 Corinthians 13:1 it says you could literally sound like an angel in what you say, but without love you are just noise). Ephesians 4:29: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." - so you can "benefit those who listen." You can "help" others and "build them up" and all of this can help them "with their needs." You can genuinely help others to improve with the words you say, but your intentions have to be good and selfless, and you can't be judgmental. Pull the weight you judge others by, lead by example. Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” Proverbs 18:21: "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." - basically, if someone loves fruit they eat it, and in the same way those that hear your words will suffer the consequences (positive or negative) of hearing your words - so be fruitful and kind in all that you say.

In verse 21 "that city" is the city they had gone to (Derbe) in verse 20 - we see that they had great success in that city and reached many. Keep in mind that this is not profiting them or benefitting them at all - they are poor, and most of the world hates them (just like how they hated Jesus and had Him crucified). They hated being called out for their sins, they hated the ideas of a God that allows evil and blesses only at certain times but still judges me for my sins - these are things that bother us and that have kept people against Christ and His teachings from the beginning. But we see that, at least in the city of Derbe, the apostles are having great success. Not only do they reach people to believe in God, but they reach "disciples" - disciples like themselves were ministering and operating the Early Christian Church (which, by the way, is who these people are and what this story is portraying - the Church forming and operating after Christ's ascension). So it's not just that Christians are called to believe, but to truly become disciples and work for the glory of God, as these apostles were doing, and as we are called to in the verses that we just looked at. Not only do they reach these people to become Christians and disciples, but they also "strengthen" and "encourage" them as verse 22 details - this is the difference between religion and what God wants. Religion will say: become a disciple. What God wants is: become a disciple, remain a disciple, and be strengthened and encouraged in this and play the same role in the lives of others. As a Pharisee, Paul already believed in God (as do the Jewish enemies in Christ that we keep encountering). The thing that sets them apart for eternal destruction, despite being religious, is that they lack this fulfillment that God wants for them: to truly live out, remain faithful to, and be strengthened in the belief and faith that God has called us to. The "everyday" disciple that Jesus describes. Notice that instead of staying in the city where they were well liked and doing well, they left and departed for a city that they said in verse 22 would "bring them hardships"? Why would they do this? Because again, it's not about being received well on Earth and having a life of pleasure, but rather about being received well by God and honoring Him in all that you do. And so, they were doing these things "for the Kingdom of God." They felt in their heart that, as God was sending them on this mission, they needed to leave the city where they were doing well and enter into hardships - the same God that put it on Paul's heart to convert has now put it on his heart to do this. And so Paul does it fearlessly. This is what it looks like to be the everyday disciple that Jesus describes, doing things for God and not for ourselves.

Notice in verse 23 that before leaving they took care of some business: they appointed elders in the new church in the city - they were so successful in that city that they were literally planting and growing churches. Notice the wording of verse 23 that these people had "put their trust in the Lord," and so despite being new Christians, the same God who put it on Paul's heart to convert was now putting it on His heart to choose these people to be leaders in the new church in that city - Paul and his company would be leaving and not providing further guidance, so this is quite the responsibility, but they put their trust in God, and God clearly chooses and trusts them for the faith and for the ministry. The irony is that they become "elders" - it doesn't take age or experience to be an elder for these people, just like how for us it doesn't take religion to be religious, it takes a devotion to God that these people have, and so He easily overlooks the outward and religious qualifications that they don't have, because these things are irrelevant to God compared to devotion and connection. It's more important to God that we become the type of everyday disciple and follower that He is looking for. Luke 9:23-24: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themself and take up their cross daily and follow me. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." So look at the wording. Whoever WANTS to be my disciple (He said this to His disciples, so being religious clearly doesn't save you). And it's daily - get into the habit of spending time with God and spending time doing things that will strengthen your foundational relationship in Him. Deny yourself, follow God instead in your everyday life, take up your cross DAILY. If you try to keep life the way you want it here on Earth, then you lose it eternally. If you are willing to give your life up and follow God with it and in all that you do, then you will be saved eternally. So deny yourself. Choose to be His disciple, and take up your cross, whatever it may be, each and every day. And so we see in verse 26 that the apostles are committed to God's grace and that they are committed to doing work in this other city, and verse 26 then details that the work is completed - but verse 27 says they "arrive" - why would they travel to a city where they had already worked? Verse 28 shows that they were spending time with the disciples - not only that, but "a long time." Isn't this wasteful? No. When it comes to planting churches, you don't just visit one time and give a good message that intrigues people, and maybe a few of them put their faith in God, and then leave and never come back. That's how you become shallow rooted, like the Greeks that we were looking at earlier. Paul knew that you have to come back to these islands and churches, you have to write them letters (Corinthians, Philippians, Romans, Ephesians, etc. are all letters that he wrote to churches when he wasn't even there) - Paul knew that you have to be intentional, and so he "strengthened and encouraged" them to "remain in" and grow in the faith. In the same way, we must be intentional with God in our everyday lives, not being shallow in root but rather totally devoted.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 15 below.

Acts 15: 1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” 12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: 16 “‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ - 18 things known from long ago. 19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul - 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. 30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. [34] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. 36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

COMMENTARY: We see right away in verse 1 that people are interfering with Paul's message by making claims that unless the people are circumcised, a religious practice, they cannot be saved. This is all based on their understanding of the Old Testament (which seems to teach this, but in reality doesn't - it only teaches that you couldn't be an Israelite without the procedure, which is quite fine and nothing much of a loss for these people). So, facing these claims, what is the response from Paul? "Sharp dispute and debate." Notice that the word dispute came before debate - the emphasis is being made that these people were wrong, their statements were disputable before it was even mentioned that there was debate and conversation. And Christians should follow the example set here by Paul - when something is said, whether by a Christian or any other person, that doesn't line up with what Christ teaches and what the Christian faith is about, then dispute those claims and debate them (do your research so that you aren't fooled in these debates - consider things like why does God allow evil, how can the Trinity be possible, and what's the difference between Allah and God, among many many other things). Know that, in verse 2, Jerusalem is the Holy City that has the religious Temple and courts - so when we hear that Paul and Barnabas have been "appointed to go there and see the apostles and elders about this question" it means that they are basically going to leadership to hear what their decree is regarding the dispute - who is right, who is wrong, and what is the Church going to do. This is very similar to the "creeds" and councils throughout history, when church leaders would gather to ratify stances and beliefs - getting this wrong would certainly cost you your soul because you are exalting yourself above God, and doing so falsely. But, if you seek the Lord and His input, He will give you the input that you need. James 1:5: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should pray to God and ask for answers, and He will not find fault but will give generously to those who ask of Him." - so God won't find fault, He won't judge you for not having the answers - He will communicate with you and put the message that you need on your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13: "I hear you when you pray to me, and you will find me when you search with all your heart." Verse 3 details that as they are traveling through other cities to get to Jerusalem, they are also visiting the churches there and telling them how the work is going (these visits and being intentional is a huge part of church building). In verse 4, as they arrive in Jerusalem, they update the people there and the church leaders about how things are going. Before they can even tell them what has happened, in verse 5 some of the people interrupt them ("stood up and said") by repeating the very statement that they were in this place to receive a verdict about: that "the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses." Notice that verse 6 says that they "met" to discuss and consider this - that's wisdom. They didn't make a hasty decision either way, but rather they realized the importance of the situation, which they handled with care. This is why, when they came out in verse 7 with their decision, it was "after much discussion" that they were willing to speak and give a verdict - and so Peter got up to address the people. When Peter says that God "chose that the Gentiles would hear the message from my (Peter's) lips" he is referring to Acts chapter 10, where this literally played out with some Italians that God called Peter to speak to. And so Peter is making the point that God doesn't hate the Gentiles, but loves them - in verses 8 and 9 Peter makes the point that God makes the decision to choose and call these people based on their hearts, not their religion or nationality - He doesn't need them to be Israelites, He turns them into Israelites (God's people). He doesn't need you to be clean or religious or good enough, a relationship with Him often stems from NOT being the right type of person, and the result is usually that you BECOME the person that God made you to be - it's ok to not be ok. This is why, in the passage that I referenced earlier with Peter, in Acts 10:15, God says "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." 1 Samuel 16:7: “Do not look at height or appearance, because the Lord sees people differently; He considers the heart, not the appearance.” - so have a heart for the Lord in all that you do in your everyday life, and know that this is what He "sees" and "considers" as far as eternity and accepting us goes. It's not too late to start living this out from the heart without holding back, but it's definitely not worth it to waste any more time. Acts 10:15: “Do not call anything impure if I have made it clean.” - He’s talking about you and your past. He cleans the stain so that you're not burdened with trying to make things right. Acts 17:28: "For in Him we live and move and have our being." - so we don't have to be defined by our past - we can "have our being" in Christ instead. We don't have to live in our past either, because we can "live in Him." And "in Him we move." We can move forward and receive forgiveness as He totally changes our lives. And so Peter makes clear that their hearts have been "purified by faith." And in verses 10 and 11 he makes the point that it is the grace of God, and not some religious action, that saves the Gentiles and all others. He even says in verse 11 that this is how "we are saved, just as they are" to make the point that both people (Jews and Gentiles) have received the SAME saving - this will strike a nerve for these Jewish people, who are trying to impose their religious ways onto these Gentiles (foreigners). What Peter understood is that it wasn't about how religious you are, but about the grace of God and your heart for Him. Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - so it’s not about being good enough, it's not from ourselves, it's from God and His grace. Have faith, and live "through faith" as you pursue the gift of God in your everyday life. Romans 9:16: "It does not depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy." - it's not our job to be "good enough" but to be willing to receive and pursue God in our everyday lives. Even our desires don't make the difference - God does, so lean on Him. Know that verse 14, referring to "Simon" is also referring to Peter, as Simon is "Simeon" (a variation of Peter) in Greek. This is consistent with the fact that Peter had just spoken ("Simon has described"). In the next few verses, the speaker James shows that what is happening with the Gentiles has been predicted in the Old Testament. The entire debate was that the Gentiles were being allowed to come to God too freely and weren't being held to the right standard - this is why James's wording in verse 19 is perfect: "we should not make it difficult" - he didn't say "we should make it easy" or that they should compromise their religious beliefs, but just that they "should not make it difficult." That's exactly what this was: the flexing of the religious laws and procedures (circumcision) was making it more complicated than necessary - they were attempting to force them to receive the Hebrew circumcision and follow the Law of Moses, even though they weren't Israelites. It's an unnecessary complication. In verse 21 it is even clarified that the Law of Moses is taught in these cities, so it could very easily be learned by these foreigners, and so it shouldn't be required of them (it's like saying "only Christians can come to church or pray" when in reality those things lead non-Christians to become Christians - requiring those things would distance people from Christ - that's exactly what this was). In verse 20 James lists the things that he believes they should be teaching the Gentiles - and these are, in fact, values of far greater importance to the Christian faith. In modern times it doesn't seem realistic to "eat food polluted by idols" but, in fact, we do things all the time in the name of pride and envy and gratification - we do things that are dedicated to another God. This is exactly why the same man, James, writes "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:26-27). The point he is making is that it's not about being religious or "from Moses's people" because even those who consider themselves to be religious could have a religious devotion to God that is "worthless" if they don't do the everyday things that God has called us to do, like watching what we say ("keep a tight reign on your tongue") and taking care of others, and ultimately "not being polluted (same wording as earlier) by the sinful ways of this world." THIS is what James believed they should emphasize to the new, curious Gentile believers. Sexual immorality is also obviously important to the Christian faith, that you would avoid it and repent of it at all times. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5: "It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like those who do not know God." Finally, to eat the meat of animals that still had blood in it was considered a grave sin because blood is associated with life in the Christian faith (this is why the blood of Jesus was shed on the cross, so that by His forgiveness we would receive eternal life).

And so we see in verse 22 that they have decided to write a letter to the churches that they were planting, these places where these incoming Gentile believers would come - and so this letter would hold authority among the believers (specifically these new Gentile believers) in these churches all around the world where this letter would be sent. We see in verses 24-29 the contents of that letter, which echoes the messages that we heard from Peter and James - notice, though, that verse 27 shows they are specifically sending one of their rank to CONFIRM to these churches what is said in this letter - this shows that this letter is cross-examined and Biblically and historically accurate, leaving no room for a conspiracy of any kind. Also, in verse 28 it makes clear that the "Holy Spirit" decided this was good, and then "us" (making clear that the decision they made was made by God, through the same Holy Spirit that is taking Paul on this mission) - this was not just their human opinion, but from the Lord, and from Him BEFORE "us" (them). In verses 30-35 we see that they arrive with this letter, deliver it (and those who receive it are glad to be encouraged by it), and then they further encourage the people there before again preparing to leave. Notice in verse 38 that Paul takes it very seriously that one of his companions left the group during a mission - it's not that they had a slight disagreement about what city to go to, or something like that, but rather that John (Mark) "did not continue in the work" - he quit on them. He stopped working for the ministry while they were counting on him, and so Paul remembers this and does not want to bring him on further missions. We see in verse 39 that Paul and Barnabas have a "sharp" disagreement about this and that it causes them to go their own ways with different companions. And so, as verses 39-40 detail, Paul will now be joined by Silas, whereas up to now it has mostly been Barnabas. In verse 41, as Acts 15 comes to an end, we see that the Apostle Paul is strengthening the churches.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 16 below.

Acts 16: 1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. 16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God - he and his whole household. 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

COMMENTARY: In verse 1 we are introduced to Timothy, who is described as "a disciple" meaning that he is already on board with the type of work that the Apostle Paul is doing. And so we see in verse 2 that Timothy is spoken well of by those in the area, and in verse 3 Paul takes him on board along with him and Silas - the difference between Timothy (who he likes) and John/Mark, who he was unwilling to bring with him, is that Timothy is spoken well of whereas Paul knows from experience that John (Mark) is willing to leave the work behind. Despite the earlier letter to the church stating that circumcision wasn't required (that wasn't what it said, but when it did list the requirements, it intentionally did not include circumcision, so it excludes it) - despite that letter, Paul still has Timothy circumcised because he knows that the Jewish people in the area know that Timothy is a Greek (his father was Greek), and so Paul decided that it was best to avoid any controversy - not that he is afraid of it (as this entire journey that he is on has already risked his life multiple times), but simply because it would be a hindrance to Timothy and a distraction to the ministry - instead of listening to what God put on his heart and learning and growing in the faith, the Jewish people would probably harass, look down on and ignore Timothy, disregarding him as a Gentile that has no business in the faith or ministry. Notice in verse 4 that they are STILL delivering, to the churches around the world, the letter that we discussed earlier - this just goes to show you the vast number of churches that they have planted and are nurturing and growing around the world. Verse 5 even says they are "growing in numbers" and doing so "daily" - not only this, but also, importantly, they are "being strengthened in the faith." So it's not just that tons of shallow churches are being planted, or a few churches are growing deep - no. We're seeing both quality ("strengthened in the faith") AND quantity ("growing in number daily"). Notice in verse 6 that it specifies that they may have preached in a certain place, but that they were "stopped by the Holy Spirit" - this is happening, on occasion, that the text specifically says "the Holy Sprit did this" and not "the apostles or their enemies did this or prevented this" or something like that - it's a stern reminder that God is the one directing their path. Verse 7 gives us even more details: "they tried, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them too." This must have been frustrating for them to not be able to go the direction that they had wanted - despite being a follower and minister of Jesus, Paul was clearly in control of his ministry, and the decisions that he made were the ones that were acted on. And so this is a stern reminder that, despite being strong in our faiths, God is still the one that decides when we get to move and go places. Proverbs 3:6: "In all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." - it didn't say where the path is going, but if you look for the work of God, submit to Him and listen to Him in "all" your ways (including the daily things like watching TV and talking to others), then He will guide your path, regardless of where it goes and how hard things get. And sometimes this does become difficult, sometimes we don't get to do the things that we would have wanted to. We see an example of this in the life of Jesus: right before He was crucified, He was praying to God that He would avoid it. He prays "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39, or "not my will but yours be done"). What makes this so special is how real it was. One verse earlier Jesus describes His soul as “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” He did not want to be crucified, but He submitted to God's will. Jesus didn’t just say “trust God” - Jesus trusted God on the cross. Jesus did not want to be crucified - He was very clear. He prayed 3 times that God would take it away - we bring our hardships to God, and sometimes fixing everything the way we wanted it is NOT the answer. Jesus dying on the cross seemed like nothing but loss at that point in time - looking back it achieved the forgiveness of our sins - there was a purpose, just like how there is a purpose for our pain and hardships, and there was a purpose for Paul not being allowed to preach in Asia yet, and so we know that there is a purpose even if you can't see it. Not my will, but yours be done. Whatever you’re going through, even the cross itself, God has a purpose and He has a plan, just like He did on that cross - you have to trust Him and choose His will in your everyday life. Romans 8:28: “We KNOW that in all things God is working (present tense, there’s a plan even if you can’t see it) for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (so live out that calling and love Him and trust His timing).” James 1:2-5: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” - if you don’t know and can’t figure it out, talk to God. So when it comes to our lives, what we want and pursue, relationships, plans, lust and other sins and feelings that are tempting - not my will, but yours be done. Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." - as many different ideas/plans/pursuits as we may have, ultimately only God's will prevail. So don't fight it. If He has you waiting, and you're trying to force that relationship or opportunity or whatever it may be in your life - these plans are "in a person's heart" because even though you had to think them through in your mind, ultimately this is deeper than intellect - this is about your heart, your deepest desires. You want what you want, whether big things or even just little things like snacks (trust me I would know), and you want it SO BADLY that the idea is no longer stored in your mind but in your heart. And as dramatic as that is, it still doesn't change the fact that only God's purpose will prevail. So don't fight it. Instead, submit your heart and life to Him and to what He has in store, whether it is desirable in this moment or not - keep eternity in mind. If you're trying to be serviced by God, then you've got it all wrong. Paul's "plan" was to go to Asia, and that was what he had on his heart, but ultimately the Lord had another purpose. Even though he was a strong apostle, remember that Paul is only a human being, and so the instinct should be to trust in God instead of whatever we're trying to achieve.

In verse 9 of Acts 16, we see what that purpose is: Paul has a dream (probably sent by the Lord) that shows a man in Macedonia begging for their help - and so clearly God's purpose is that they would go and preach in Macedonia. Notice in verse 10 that Paul and his companions "got ready and left at one" (remember from verse 9 that this was in the night). This shows, again, the urgency and passion that Paul brought to his ministry work. So all is good and well, but I can only imagine what it was like BEFORE Paul had that dream - he had no idea what they were doing. The ONLY thing he knew is that they weren't going into Asia like he had wanted to. Before Paul had his dream and received his calling, he was faced with dejection and heartbreak, probably anger towards God because he wasn't able to do the thing that he wanted to do (go into Asia and preach). We as Christians are called to remain faithful, as Paul did, in the waiting - without the magic dream and quick fix that makes everything work. Jesus didn't immediately rise into Heaven - there was a 3 day wait for a reason - Christianity isn't inauthentic, but full of hardship, including for leaders like Paul. Psalm 27:14: “Wait on the Lord; be strong, take heart, and wait on the Lord.” - the verse both begins and ends with “wait on the Lord.” So be strong, take heart, wait for Him. Whether it's a relationship, or an opportunity, or whatever it is in life - wait for Him. If your relationship with God and your trust in Him was authentic, the delay would not get in the way. Porn because you were tired of waiting for God's plan wouldn't get in the way. If it didn't, and you fell along the way, then truthfully you were never standing to begin with. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” - don’t lean on your own understanding of your situation, the way you see things; God has a great plan for you (even far beyond romance and wealth and comfort, which Jesus never had on Earth), so wait on it.

Verses 11-12 remind us that Paul is on a mass journey from city to city - he is traveling all around the world for this ministry. Know that, as referenced in verse 14, purple cloth was a symbol of wealth in this culture - if you wore, let alone SOLD (as she was a "dealer") purple cloth, then it meant that you were very, very wealthy. And so we see in verse 14 that God "opened her heart" - it may previously have been closed because of her love of money (though the text does not state that). Further, in verse 15 she has doubts as to whether she rally belongs as a believer - "if you consider me a believer" she says - it may be that she feels guilt, knowing what Christ preached (blessed are the poor, be generous, etc.), and yet we see that it was THIS woman that God was willing to work through, opening her heart so that she could receive what the Apostle Paul was teaching. Notice the wording of verse 14 that she was "a worshiper of God" but still that God had to "open her heart" - it's very possible to be religious, to worship and believe in God, but still to not have your heart in the right place for Him in your everyday life. With religions and rules it's possible to do "enough" - just fulfill what the religion requires, what the rules require. With Christ and what He taught, He taught us to pursue perfection (Matthew 5:48) and to never give up (Galatians 6:9), and so we see that this standard is not possible for us to attain, meaning that we will never be at a point where we can be confident that we are doing "enough" even if we do in fact believe in and worship God and attend church and pray and read the Bible and all sorts of other things. If you ever met the religious requirements, and then brought no further offering, it would show that your desire for and devotion to God is limited, and that you would be willing to stop at a certain point - this is what's wrong with religion, and this is the reason that God has called us higher. And so we see in verse 15 that this woman has persuaded Paul and Silas and Timothy to come and stay at their house (probably so that they could be well fed and housed and taken care of while they did ministry in that town - believers often opened their homes for this reason, especially to the apostles, and being as poor as they were it was the only way that they could truly get by and do the things that they did for the Lord). In verse 16 we see a "spirit that can predict the future" - this is just as it sounds: the girl could predict future events, and so her masters would earn a lot of money from this (presumably by investing in the right markets and placing bets on Roman sporting events, already knowing the outcomes). Having this power of prediction, she accurately predicts in verse 17 that Paul and his company weren't just any average ministers, but truly servants of God that were showing people the way to be saved. While this was probably flattering at first, notice the wording of verse 17 that she was "following" them and "shouting" these things - this isn't just something that was said when they passed by, but rather she continued to follow them and make this proclamation loudly. In verse 18 it specifies that "she kept this up for many days" and that Paul "became so annoyed" - Paul's job as a minister in this ROMAN city was already stressful and frustrating enough, so when he couldn't take the annoyance anymore, he rebuked the spirit of prediction (as God had empowered him to cast out spirits and perform miracles). And so, being no longer able to accurately predict things, the girl no longer knew that these men were apostles of the Messiah, and so there was nothing for her to shout about or proclaim. Notice also the details of the wording, that the spirit left in "at that moment" in verse 18 - the true and honest mention of Jesus will make all else pale in comparison. Prayers are answered, when we pray in faith. Whether we get the answer or timing that we wanted, we know that if we are held by a demon that it can go away the "moment" that we involve Jesus. Acts 2:21: "Anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." Just as the passage showed, "at that moment" - there is power in the name of Jesus (as Paul had rebuked the spirit "in the Name of Jesus"), but again when we pray and seek God and mention the Name of Jesus, we must do it with real and heartfelt intentions. Jeremiah 29:12-13: "I hear you when you pray to me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." - but how can God hear us when we pray silently or in our hearts/minds? So obviously God isn't talking about physically hearing us, but rather that if we are truly invested in praying, whether out loud or not, He will know and will respond by revealing Himself to us - but we have to search with all our hearts, there has to be a purpose, these aren't just empty words. Psalm 145:18: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - so if you're truly calling on Him and willing to make changes and sacrifices and spend time on this, if there's truth behind your motivations, then He will be near to you as you seek Him. James 4:8: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." - make it your own. Draw far, meaningless prayers, and you'll have a far, meaningless relationship. The closer you draw, the closer He draws. It's all you, free will, your choice. Choose God in your everyday life, because if you aren't fully devoted and you try to invoke the Name of Jesus, then you are simply talking about a false god, an imaginary one that you don't have to give your full devotion to. Remember from verse 16 that this girl had earned a "great deal" of money for her masters, who likely (in this culture) had great power socially because of their wealth - they had the opportunity to make Paul and the other apostles pay for what had happened, and so we see that this is what they try to do in verse 19 "when they realized that their hope of making money was gone." The problem with these owners is that 1: they didn't actually earn or deserve that money, it was a total gift, 2: they took advantage of their slave by using her gift to profit themselves, whereas without them she probably would have become rich for herself and not for them, and 3: they had already earned a "great deal" of money (again that they didn't deserve and also wasn't even theirs), and so when we see how vengeful they are we can easily identify it as sinful. They have no real charge against Paul and his associates, so naturally we see in verses 20-21 that they spread lies about the men, saying that they are a threat to Rome (this is how Jesus was crucified as well, there was no real charge against Him so they resorted, instead of convincing the Romans, to making the Romans feel like their safety was threatened and their pride insulted). Take notice of the wording in verse 23 that they were to be "guarded carefully." Verse 24 further specifies that they are put "in the inner cell" - this is deep security, as the hatred for these men ran deep. This is why verse 24 also details that they were fastened in "the stocks," which at the time was known around the world to be possibly the most secure way to hold a prisoner. The stocks were a thick wooden board with a half circle in the center of the board where you would place your ankle - then another one of these boards, connected to the first one, would close over top of your foot (the 2 half circles now forming a space just barely large enough to trap your foot within these 2 boards, which were locked together). And yet, amazingly, we see in verse 25 that instead of bitterness or negativity or doubt, these men have resorted to joy and gratitude and praise - this is a lesson for us for when we are down, that we are supposed to turn to God at these times. Consider that all three of these verses are written by the Apostle Paul: 2 Corinthians 6:9: “We are beaten but not yet broken.” Galatians 6:9: “Do not grow weary of doing what is right; when the time is right, you will be rewarded if you don’t give up.” Romans 12:12 tells us to be "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer." So when things aren't going well, and all you have is the hope that they will change, keep hoping. When afflicted, stay patient. And in all times, especially these, remain faithful in prayer. We are called to remain joyful even in those times where we fell down or imprisoned by something, whether the circumstances of our life or a demon or something like that. Notice also that at the end of verse 25 it specifies that the other prisoners could hear them - so they were spreading a message of positivity to the others, the real criminals that were otherwise hopeless. These criminals may also have been curious about Christianity 0 - and so, more than anything that they ever taught or preached or said, THIS was their opportunity to show them what the Christian faith was about. And so, through being positive and relying on God even at their worst times, Paul and the apostles set the best example possible without saying a word - actions speak louder than words, and actions have the opportunity to reach others for Christ in our everyday lives. Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before others, so they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven.” But why? So that others may "see" the pattern you set for them and "glorify God" by following it. You can't walk in a dark house, so you turn the light on. In the same way, how will those who don't understand come to Christ unless you give them a light? Romans 10:14: "How can they hear without someone preaching to them?" People won't hear unless you preach to them. But remember this: a lamp never talks, it just shines. I don't want you to preach verbally, I want your light to shine through your ACTIONS and in your everyday life, habits, thoughts, feelings and all. Let your light shine, so they may glorify God. A lamp doesn't absorb the heat for itself, but rather it uses the heat to give light to those in the room. In the same way, we don't hold back on what's inconvenient - no, burn it all. Get uncomfortable, do the difficult things. Put your light to use so others may be saved and so God may be glorified. 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” - "life" came before "doctrine" - how you live your life is more important than beliefs, and in both you can save those around you.

We see in verse 26 that an earthquake strikes the prison, helping the prisoners to break free. In verse 27 the jailor was about to commit suicide because he thought that the prisoners had still escaped, and the Roman Empire was so brutal back then that if you made a mistake like that, as a jailor or any other official, death by suicide would be the smartest thing to do. And so, instead of selfishly being interested in his own escape, we see in verse 28 that the Apostle Paul was more interested that the man not hurt himself - this is why Paul went out of the way to ensure that the man knew that all the prisoners were still there, and so he did not have to harm himself. Notice that Paul "shouted" - he cared. He wasn't afraid to take a stance on an issue, and so as Christians neither should we be afraid or ashamed to do so. This is why, later on the Bible, Paul writes "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). Paul knew that the Gospel could save this Roman jailor, and so he was not ashamed to get up and shout instead of trying to selfishly escape like all of the other criminals (real criminals, as we know that Paul was not guilty of anything. We instantly see this pay off, as the next few verses highlight that this man is eventually baptized and then saved - without Paul's actions, this man would have committed suicide before knowing Jesus or being saved (this is why the Devil had put it in his harm to kill himself, because he wanted him to go to Hell) - but again, the urgent actions of Paul to do whatever it took to get this man to Jesus, these actions eventually ended up being a massive and needed part of the man's miraculous salvation. Notice that Paul didn't just tell the man what he needed to do to be saved once (as in verse 31), but also that in verse 32 he goes to his house and encourages and strengthens his faith? This is again the difference between doing the bare minimum and doing the things that God calls us to do, in the way that He calls us to do them. The selflessness of the jailor stands out in verse 33 - he washes the wounds of the apostles (the stocks were probably tight enough to bruise and wound them) - and so by literally washing their feet, this man is showing that he is willing to serve the faith - Jesus uses this scenario, with someone who had washed His feet, to illustrate that the one who does such a thing and takes up the tougher jobs that more people wouldn't desire - such a person is a true servant and is welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven. verse 34 paints a picture that is much deeper than "he was happy" - it's not just that, but quite literally that finding belief in Jesus and being saved "filled him with joy." In verse 37 Paul makes the daring claim that he is a Roman citizen - not only that but his companions ("we are Roman citizens"). Though the treatment that they got (being beat up and imprisoned and mistreated for no reason) was quite common for Jews in Rome, the story (and implications) would change entirely if they were Roman citizens who had been mistaken for Jews because of their belief in God. Paul was neither - he was a Jew, but also a Roman citizen by birth, and he believed in God. And so, as Paul had highlighted, he had right to a public trial, and that never happened - he was just thrown into jail, and then (as he highlighted in verse 37) they tried to bury it and send him away quietly, likely looking to avoid any public news or confrontation about the situation in which they had unknowingly just beaten and mocked 3 Roman citizens. Notice in verse 38 that they were "alarmed" when they realized that they had done what they just did not to a Jew but to a Roman citizen (and again, three of them). And so of course in verse 39 we see the attempted bribe as they attempted to "appease" these men, meaning that they wanted to satisfy them and keep them quiet from reporting the mistreatment that they faced in the jail and in the entire situation, having never belonged there (in any sort of custody or prison) to begin with. And so we see in verse 40 as Acts 16 comes to an end that Paul and the apostles are out of prison and in one of the believer's houses. Notice that when they met those people, in that believer's home, they encouraged and built up those people.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 17 below.

Acts 17: 1 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women. 5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go. 10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men. 13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship - and this is what I am going to proclaim to you. 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

COMMENTARY: In verse 1 we see that again the stage is set for a Jewish synagogue. Verse 2 highlights that, as per usual ("his custom"), Paul went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day in the new city that he is in, all to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Verse 2 also says that He "reasoned from the Scriptures." See, faith and Christianity isn't just about trust and belief and faith - we are called to "reason," and reason from the Scriptures. So when challenging questions are posed, whether by "science" or by other religions, or by skepticism or anything else, we know that we are called to reason, and reason from the scriptures. What does the Bible have to say? God doesn't want stupid Christians that blindly choose Him - if He wanted that, He would make us all that way right now - instead, He wants excellence, He wants people that have free will and still choose Him, He wants people that choose to learn and grow and become intelligent about what the Scriptures have to say. Philippians 4:8: "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." And so we see in verse 3 that Paul used such reason from the Scriptures to "explain" to them (not debate or dispute, btu simply explain, because what he is saying is true) that Jesus Christ is in fact the Messiah. Many Christians know that Jesus suffered on the cross and rose from the dead, but not many of them know that He "had to" suffer and rise as verse 3 makes clear - if He had not suffered, then our forgiveness is completely inauthentic (like buying something for free - it's not right - we needed a real, true sacrifice for our sins, and so Jesus "had to" suffer on the cross). And he "had to" rise from the dead so that we can rise and be with Him forever - these are all reasonable conclusions from the Scriptures, but not many Christians understand or even try to wrestle with some of these deeper concepts. And so, having reasoned with them and given them many things to consider and reasons to believe, Paul can then say that "this Jesus" is the Messiah. THIS Jesus, the one in our hearts that does the Lord's will for us here on Earth. And so we see in verse 4 that the ministry is having success - it may not have been this way if Paul hadn't done his research and really tried his hardest in his ministry - it takes effort to do work that comes from God, and out of our respect for Him we should try the absolute best that we can every single week to get the day of Sabbath rest off to take some time and reflect on all that the Lord has done in our lives. And so in verse 5 we once again see the jealousy of the religious Jews on full display. We again see in verses 6 and 7 that Jason and the other believers are not afraid of being charged (though they are dragged before the council and "yelled" at), and we also see that the charges are bogus and that he has done nothing wrong - the reason we know this is because they again jump on the bandwagon of claiming someone is a threat to Caesar and a threat to Rome when they pose no threat and can't be framed for a crime that they didn't commit. Notice in verse 9 that they "made them post bail" - they basically stole their money by giving them a bogus charge and forcing them to pay their way out of Roman custody.

We see in verse 10 and Paul and Silas have now come to the city of Berea, and so of course the first place that they go is the Jewish synagogue of that town. We see in verse 11 that the people in this city are kinder and more appropriate towards Paul - perhaps the best example of this is that they "received their message" and "examined the Scriptures." So again, we are called to reason from the Scriptures, but it is quite nice when the people we are talking to are also quite knowledgeable and willing to talk about these things. And so, as verse 12 shows, eager as these people were to receive the message, many of them were saved and believed. We even see that many of the Greek men in this town were persuaded and began to believe. Notice specifically in verse 11 that the Jews in the town of Berea "were of more noble character" than those of Thessalonica (the city where they had just been mistreated), and so it only follows that in verse 13 the Jews from Thessalonica "went there too" and agitated and terrorized Paul and his ministry AGAIN. We see in verse 14 that Paul is leaving for the towns of the coast, while his coworkers and fellow apostles will be staying in Berea - this marks the first time in the entire journey so far that Paul has truly been alone. In verse 15, however, we see that Paul has sent instructions for them to reunite with him ("as soon as possible"), and so we see that this distance between them will certainly not last forever but will end soon as they are called to meet him in Athens. As Paul arrives to the city of Athens and is waiting for his fellow apostles to join him, he notices that the city is full of idols, and so this bothers him - he isn't selfishly looking to raise money as a minister, but rather he here sets himself apart as someone that genuinely cares about the sins of others, only wanting what is best for them, whether they agree with him or not. We again see in verse 17 that he "reasoned" - we know from times that the Athenians were great archers and also very intelligent people, so if anything would be challenging it would be to go to Athens without know everything about your argument, and try to debate an Athenian non-believer, let alone an entire council full of them as they are swarming him with questions. We even see in verse 17 that, despite Paul having not been here before, things are well enough within the church that there are even "God fearing Greeks" in the area - these are seeds that were planted in their hearts by these churches around the world, and God has made them grow. We also see in verse 17 that Paul doesn't just preach in the synagogues, but also at the markets (where all the people will be). And so there is clearly "reason" and strategy and design involved with the preaching and ministry for Christ that Paul is doing. Verse 18 some of the different reactions that Paul's preaching received - some mocked and made fun of him, while some took him seriously and thought that he was advocating for a foreign god of some sort. Also, know that the "Areopagus" from verse 19 represents an Athenian laboratory/council room where they can discuss anything that they want - a total set room. Verse 21 declares that this specific people loves to look at and evaluate all the different new ideas of the time because making a reasonable decision is what they enjoy - they love to think about and evaluate things. The apostles are just thankful to be at these events, going to give the glory to God and to His mighty power instead of to the human things that other people worship. In verses 22 ad 23, Paul associates being religious with being unaware of what you worship - this was a consistent theme in the New Testament. Paul tells the Athenians that they are "very religious" but also that they are "ignorant of the very thing that you worship" and "this is what I will proclaim to you." And so we see the parallels: many Pharisees like Paul when his name used to be Saul, and many modern Americans that are religious are completely missing out on having Jesus in their lives - they are ignorant about what they worship, being totally unaware of what living for Him in their everyday lives would look like. And so we are called not to fall into this. The issue that the Athenians have is that they are willing to worship any god - much like how we tell ourselves today that any religion's god could be God. It's false, and instead of caving to the pressures of many, we see that the Apostle Paul addresses these errors directly. He addresses them in verse 24 when he says “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands." - this makes clear that it is not us who determine who God is, it is not our building a temple for Him that gives Him validity - He is God with or without our support. And HE is God - Paul specifically mentions "the God who made Heaven and Earth" because he wanted to be specific with the Athenians, who are not loyal to any one god. Jesus Christ teaches that He is "the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father in Heaven except through me" (John 14:6). So Jesus proclaims Himself to absolutely be the only Way for us - this is taught to be narrow, but the world that teaches that has no real understanding of Jesus. Paul continues in verse 25 pushing the narrative, the truth, that God does not need our help or the help of the Athenians, but instead that He is the one who benefits and gifts them and has plans and purposes for their lives. Paul then takes the next few verses to give them a basic background and to teach them about God - this is a complete teaching, as Paul is calling them out for their sins and distance from God while also correcting them and helping them to actually do better and connect with God moving forward. Notice that in verse 27 Paul points out that God is not far from any of them - he said "He (a reference to God) is reaching out for us, though His is not far - so despite being far away, God is still with us in our everyday lives as He leads and guides and nurtures us. And there are times that we as human beings will make mistakes, but it's at this point in time that we must on our decisions and move forward.

Zechariah 1:3: "Return to me, declares the Lord Almighty, and I will return to you." Deuteronomy 4:29: "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." - God wants you to return and have fulfillment in Him, but are you holding anything back? A habit, addiction, feeling? You can return to God, He is forgiving, but you have to do this "with all your heart." He doesn't need you to be good enough - He needs you to be willing enough to let Him be your main pursuit with the time that remains. Deuteronomy 30:4: “Even from the farthest distance (mentally, spiritually, any type of distance) the Lord will bring you back from there.” Joel 2:12: "Even now, return to the Lord with all your heart." - even after everything, every sin, everything you've done and that's been done to you, return to God. When? Even "now." So don't tell yourself God will forgive and put it on hold - return with "all your heart." Hold nothing back, like the criminal on the cross, and He will forgive you, like the criminal on the cross. Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” - He doesn’t leave when things get tough, He’s “ever-present,” meaning He’s always there for you. It's just like Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "If from there." If from there, wherever it might be, because there is no distance that God won't go to bring you back. This is why it says in Deuteronomy 30:4 that even from the farthest distance, God wants to bring you back, and in Joel 2:12 it says even now, even after everything, return to the Lord with all your heart - so you can return, but do it “now” and “with all your heart” (hold nothing back). Acts 17:28: "For in Him we live and move and have our being." - we don't have to be defined by our past whether good or bad - we "have our being" in Christ instead - so it's about how you live for Him in THIS moment, not the past. We don't have to "live" in our past either, because we can "live in Him." And "in Him we move." We can move forward and receive forgiveness, and we can do better than before - God has called us forwards, not backwards. We are not defined by the good or bad person that we have been - we are defined by God and by how we live for Him in this moment and moving forward. Acts 17:30: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” - this isn't just for Christians or when we're in church or a religious season in our lives. "All people everywhere." So no matter who you are and no matter where you are in life, God is calling you to repent (which is to confess and take action against your sins). Proverbs 28:13: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - so you can't conceal or hide your sins, you have to confess them and be honest. BUT. You also "renounce" them. Stop. Take action. Actually do something. Don't just confess it, that's easy - confess it and address it. This is repentance, and without it we have no share in the Kingdom of God. Mark 2:17: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” God is gracious enough to meet us where we are in our sicknesses and sins, and He wants to heal us. We "need" a doctor/repentance. He has called us, but we have to respond. A call unanswered isn't a call, it COULD HAVE been one. God doesn't want you to miss out on His purpose for your life and eternity. He has called us to repentance - answer the call and move. Matthew 3:2: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near." - if God's purpose for your life is near, repent. He doesn't want you to miss out. Whether in church, or reading a post like this, or wherever - the Kingdom of Heaven is near in your life. God wants to move in your life. But you have to move too, otherwise you don't go anywhere. You have to actually get on the bus when it comes to your stop. The Kingdom of Heaven is near - repent and hop on the bus. Matthew 3:8: "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." - we all fall into sins but KEEP repenting (as often as you sin). Luke 13:3: "Unless you repent, you will perish." God wants to wipe our sins out, and He wants to refresh us eternally - but you have to make the choices and live this out in the daily from the heart. Verse 31 reviews the Judgment Day and what we can do as we just try to be obedient to the Lord and His commands in our everyday lives. Psalm 136:1: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever." - God's love for us is eternal, and so should our gratitude to Him be eternal. Live in a way that reflects your gratitude to God. Live this out even in the little things like habits. Hebrews 12:28: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe." - when we worship God in our everyday lives (like with the way that you live your life, Romans 12:1 describes it as a "living sacrifice"), and we have this gratitude and this mindset and we truly live it out in all that we do, this is when we KNOW that we are receiving the Kingdom of God eternally. A lot of us need to start having reverence towards God. He's GOD - live like it. This is my favorite part of free will - we are choosing our own eternity through the way we live our everyday lives. This is why in Luke 9:24 Jesus teaches that if you are willing to lose your life, you will find it eternally, but if you try to save yourself, you lose your life eternally - He's not talking about your physical life, but the way you live your life. If you don't make changes and sacrifices and break the habits and submit to God in the little things, that's the same as "keeping your life" - you will lose it eternally. But lose now. Lose with a purpose. Lose pornography to gain eternal life. The lives we live need to die and they need to die today so that we can really start living. Maybe for you it isn't porn. What is it? Lust, foul language, difficulty being kind or selfless? Ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to change, before judgment day when He reveals what wasn't changed while you still had the chance. Finally, we see as Acts 17 comes to a close that we are called to fellowship and untied growth in God in our everyday lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:11: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up." Proverbs 27:17: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." - so build people up. Iron sharpens iron, it doesn't tear iron down. So build others up instead of tearing them down/only building yourself up. Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” - you can benefit others and build them up and help them with their needs when you speak. Unwholesome isn't just like cuss words or whatever, but when you speak to provoke someone, or out of frustration, or you just talk about yourself and for yourself. Next time, seriously consider: is this "wholesome"? Does it build THEM up? Does it address their needs? Is it loving? Otherwise, does it even have any meaning? Love others. Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love, we will grow." - so even the harshest truth is spoken in love - but hold to the truth. James 1:26-27: "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." - it's possible to be religious and be denied. Because it's not about religion - it's about how we speak to and treat others. Ephesians 4:15: "Speaking the truth in love, we will grow." - so even the harshest truth is spoken in love - but hold to the truth. James 3:9-10: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s image. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be." Proverbs 18:21: "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." - basically, if someone loves fruit they eat it, and in the same way those that hear your words will suffer the consequences (positive or negative) of hearing your words - so be fruitful and kind in all that you say. Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." - so look to the interests of others and build them up ahead of yourself. Hebrews 10:24-25: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." - so help others, build them up, encourage them. And so Acts chapter 17 has come and gone to an end, and the next time we pick up the reading it will be on Acts chapter 18, when Paul and his apostolic friends are in the city of Corinth.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 18 below.

Acts 18: 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God. 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law - settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever. 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

COMMENTARY: The city referenced in verse 1 (Corinth) is the same city that Paul wrote the famous Biblical letters of 1 and 2 Corinthians to. These weren't simply notes that Paul had written for us to keep track of thousands of years later - the original intention is that they would be written as letters to a church that he wasn't able to visit in person - this is also true for the letters that were turned into Bible books known as Romans (named after the city of Rome), Galatians (named after the city of Galatia), Ephesians (named after the city of Ephesus), Philippians (named after the city of Philippi), Colossians (named after the city of Colossae), and 1 and 2 Thessalonians (named after the city of Thessalonica). These are the written works of the Apostle Paul, and many of them were written while he was in prisons throughout the world (as his ministry attracted many opponents). In verse 2 we see an example of this: Claudius (a Roman official) has ordered that all the Jews must leave Rome - while this does not directly hinder Paul's ministry, it shows the racial hatred that Romans held towards Jews, and we know that Paul's teaching was that there was a Messiah to come (which was culturally - and incorrectly - believed to be a Jewish Messiah that would overthrow Rome, whereas in reality it was Jesus to overthrow sins - but still the misconception caused many Romans and other nationalities to reject Christianity as "Jewish nationalism"). And so we see that the powers of the time (Rome) are against Paul and his preachings. We see again in verse 4 that Paul is "reasoning" with others - faith isn't all blind and emotional, there is also intelligence behind this, just as God was supremely intelligent in His design of the world and the human heart. Notice that he was trying to persuade BOTH Jews and Greeks (which were often Romans, but there were other kinds of Greeks as well). Paul, unlike the Jews who hated Gentiles, and unlike the Gentiles who hated and subdued Jews (all the way from Egypt to now with Palestine) - unlike these people we see that Paul is not teaching or following favoritism, but rather about a Messiah that can save ALL. This was the teaching that the Holy Spirit has put on his heart, and so he can speak to both Jews and Greeks alike. Notice in verse 5 that once some of the other apostles arrive, Paul is able to take his focus off of reasoning and shift his time (which is valuable, as he is very busy running this ministry all around the world) completely towards preaching. Verse 6 shows the extent to which the Jews hated Paul's message of inclusion in salvation (that all could be included in salvation and saved by God, not just Jews) - they hated this message so much that they not only opposed Paul (like a simple disagreement) - they "became abusive" (whether through insults or physical attacks, the text doesn't specify, but we've seen both up to this point and more of both will come). And so Paul "shook out his clothes" (similar to tearing his clothes, as we looked at when he was in Athens, to tear or shake your clothes is a sign of distress or horror, like if someone blasphemed against God or confessed a crime to you, you would back then tear your clothes) - he tears his clothes in protest to them, and proclaims that he is no longer guilty if the people are not saved - it is their fault because they would not receive the message of salvation, arrogantly believing that because they were Jewish it was already theirs. And so he promises at the end of verse 6 that he will be going to the Gentiles and bringing his message to them (and this is the very thing that the Jews hate Paul for). Many people point at Paul's favorable treatment of the Gentiles, and they wonder why God was so hard on them in the Old Testament - the answer is that these people are different. God is a God of justice. At the beginning of the Old Testament, He gave Adam and Eve free will, and after they had both sinned, God rewarded them with the death that He told them would result BEFORE they sinned (Genesis 2:17/Romans 6:23). All throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites were mistreated by brutal and wicked people like the Egyptians and Babylonians, and so God would deliver justice to those nations by being incredibly harsh on them - and then when His people the Israelites would sin, He would be harsh on THEM and give them into the hands of these opposing nations (as if to say "here, have your sin"). God has not changed - we see here that the Jews are in the wrong, and the Gentiles are in the right, and so Paul is going to preach to the Gentiles. You may still wonder that if God is a God of justice, then why does evil reign in this world - it is temporary. Even in the Old Testament when God repaid the wicked nations, for example He still allowed the Egyptians to brutalize the Hebrews for 430 years before the Exodus. Also, Rome reigned for about a thousand years. So when we see wars and rapes and sins in this world, we can remember the words of Psalm 37:1-3: "Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture (because sins are pastures that are unsafe and eternally costly)." - remember that at the end of the Bible Jesus says He is coming back "soon" (Revelation 22:20), so we know that while it may not necessarily be "fast," we will see justice ("they will soon whither"), and so our persecutors aren't to be hated but prayed for, because the wrongs they committed will look like nothing in Hell. Matthew 5:44: "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

In verses 7 and 8 we see that Paul, despite the confrontations and persecutions that he is facing, is still eager to do work, and so he goes to continue his ministry in a nearby building - his main targets for ministry were always synagogues because (as we saw in verse 6) these people were often the most opposed to Christ and the hardest in heart - so it must have been very personally rewarding to Paul to not only reach these people but also the "synagogue leader" and his entire household in verse 8. This was important not only because the man was of the synagogue, but also because as their leader it was likely that he would preach week after week, and so now he may preach of Jesus. Verse 8 specified that "they believed in the Lord," implying that even when they believed in God (as Jews do), by rejecting Jesus as Lord they were rejecting the Lord Himself - they are one while also being unique (John 10:30 "I and" but then also "are one"), and this is the doctrine of the Trinity that the Christian Church now holds.

On a side note: How are God and Jesus the same yet different? Hebrews 1:3 refers to Jesus as "the exact representation" of God. Pretend I hand you a picture of myself. What is that? "Ben, that's you." Right AND wrong. It is, just as Jesus IS God. But at the same time it's just a piece of paper representing me, just as Jesus Christ is a human being that represents God in all that He does. He's both. God and human (Colossians 2:9 says that "all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form," basically that God Himself became human and was with us in the human flesh as the man Jesus Christ - Matthew 1:23). But this is an intellectual point with little relevance in our everyday lives. The real takeaway is that He represented God in all that He did - the Bible teaches in Genesis 1:27 that you are "made in the image of God." So here's your takeaway, the relevance: reflect God in all that you do, live for His image and not your own - reflect that image in your everyday life. The Bible says to "let your light shine" - it doesn't say "if you have a light" - no it says YOUR light because you ARE made in the image of God. Prove it by the way you live in the little things. The Trinity is the understanding that God functions as Three in One. God is the "Father, Son, and Spirit." God and the Holy Spirit, for example, are both One and also unique. John 4:24: "God is Spirit." Yet in John 16:13 Jesus refers to the Spirit as "He" as if to say it's a different being. So they're the same, but also different. The Father and the Son are the same but also different. God "gave His only Son" on the cross (John 3:16, making clear that He is His son and they are unique) - but also "I and the Father are One" (John 10:30). So these Three "are One," as they have different roles but the same purpose. God the Father reigns as the Supreme One, Christ the Son shows us how to live on Earth and died for our sins, and the Holy Spirit gives us what we need when we need it (mostly guidance). And so we see that this is the doctrine of the Trinity and this is our evidence for it.

In verse 9 God comforts Paul, knowing that he is facing many persecutors who do not approve of his ministry. He assures him that he will not face attack or harm - the reason being that (as explained in verse 10) God has many people in that city (implying that He was guaranteeing Paul's safety because He wanted Paul to guide them towards salvation, towards being saved by Jesus). So naturally, verse 11 specifies that Paul stayed in that place for a YEAR AND A HALF - in most of the stories that we have been reading, Paul has arrived in a city and spent only a few days there before the next venture and trying to make it to the next city before the Sabbath Day each week. So when God told Paul that He had souls in that city that needed saving, Paul responded by staying there for a massive amount of time. The wording of verse 10 inspires: "For I am with you." - Paul had great reason to be afraid (people have tried to kill him many times so far), and so in verse 9 when God says "do not be afraid" it's not that there wasn't anything to be afraid of, that wasn't the reason not to fear - the reason that Paul, in spite of all that hardship, could be free of fear, was that "I am with you" - in the same way, when we face difficulties and hardships in our everyday lives, we don't pretend things are easy and then have confidence. The reason we have confidence is that, even when faced with those things, we know that our God is that much greater. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). The Old Testament touches on this as well: Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." - so even in the deepest hardships and darkness (the darkest of all valleys, a place that was believed to have only 1 hour of light per day - maybe you can relate to constant darkness or hopelessness) - even in that place God is with us. Again the reason to have no fear isn't that there's nothing scary, this is still the darkest valley, but we know that our God is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9/Deuteronomy 31:8/Matthew 1:23/28:20). But the verse said, "even though I walk," so we must walk through these things, and we know that God walks with us, so we live our everyday walk with God in a way that invites His presence, living for Him and encouraging Him to be in our lives.

We see again in verses 12 and 13 the common theme: the Jews hate Paul's ministry, but as Jews living in Roman occupation, they have no right to harm Paul (who is a Roman citizen), so they come up with false charges to pit Paul against the Romans (they referenced "the law" in attempted claims that Paul's ministry was conflicting with the Roman laws, which was untrue but the only farce they could come up with). Verses 14 and 15 highlight the Roman disinterest in Jewish life (Gallio is a Roman official as highlighted in verse 12) - up to this point I have said things about the Romans and about the culture, and those things have been difficult to prove simply because Romans are so uninterested that they have very few passages of dialogue in the Bible - they simply do not care. It would be a lot like surveying people on the streets about Jesus - most of them would know very little because they simply are uninterested. And so the Roman man says that the things they are complaining about are "not serious" and that it is "not reasonable" for him to even LISTEN to them speak about these things. In verse 15 Gallio says he will "not be the judge of such things" - and so you see the reason that Jews hate Gentiles so much - they live in THEIR cities that Gentiles have conquered, only for Gentiles to impose harsh taxes on them and care very little about their life and culture. And so Gallio not only verbally dismisses them in this way, but verse 16 specifies that he "drove them off" (implying that he had Roman soldiers remove them by force). The crowd of Jews, realizing that their attacks against Paul had failed, took their frustrations out on their leader (Sosthenes was the leader of that synagogue and likely the plot against Paul given that it was this synagogue that was the mob of Jews) - and again we see that Gallio (representing Rome, and representing the way the world sees Jesus today) cares very little ("showed no concern whatsoever").

Verse 18 details that the believers at these churches aren't just "friends" or "church members" but "brothers and sisters." And so again in verse 19 Paul "goes into the synagogue" and "reasons with the Jews" - the number of times this is happening is revealing. It's not the streets or Gentile markets to which Paul is traveling, but to the Jewish synagogues, knowing just how badly his people are in need of the truth (and we know that "know the truth, and the truth will set you free" John 8:13 - "I am the truth" John 14:6 and "God wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" 1 Timothy 2:4, so we are called to know Jesus and acknowledge Him by living for Him truthfully in our everyday lives). Verse 20 highlights the brutal nature of Paul's journey: as much as he loves what he does in preaching the Gospel, we see that he is so busy and subject to God wanting him to go another direction (which we can all relate to in setbacks and missed opportunities) that he even has to decline to spend more time with this crowd, though he would love to. In verse 21 he says that he will come back if it is God's will for him to do so. And so, in verses 22 and 23 we see that he continues to travel about, strengthening the disciples in their faith and in their ministry (we could do this, we could "go around the world" in a way by messaging and meeting and encouraging and strengthening people in different areas of our lives - quite literally our own missionary projects, all in the palm of our hands, which goes to show that it's not the technology or resources that limit you, but your heart - Paul also couldn't see many of the churches in person, but he wrote letters - so send messages of encouragement and be willing to listen to others today). Notice in verse 24 that Apollos is described as being a "learned" (intelligent) man, who had a "thorough knowledge" of the Scriptures (something that many of us wish we had). We even see in verse 25 that this man has been "instructed in the way of the Lord" (implying that he was raised/educated or mentored to live the way the Lord teaches to live your everyday life) - he also speaks "with great fervor (passion)" - so he's intelligent, knows the Scriptures, has decent character (was taught and lives out the right things) and he speaks with passion - verse 25 adds that he teaches "accurately" (which the Church is currently lacking). Verse 25 highlights one problem: this man only knows about the Baptism of John. He doesn't know about Jesus, he only knows that John preached of an eventual Messiah. And so, when in verse 26 we see that he begins to preach what he knows (again intelligently and accurately and all that) "boldly" it follows naturally that Paul's friends Priscilla and Aquila take him under their wing and give him a more thorough teaching of the way of God, of the Scriptures. The fact that they are explaining "the way of God" to him when all that he doesn't know about is Jesus, this just goes to affirm the words of Jesus in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father (makes it to God in Heaven) except through me." And so we see with this man the greatest example of a believing, smart, passionate, and truthful Christian still needing growth - he was unaware of the full truth of the Gospel. This man believed in God and believed in and lived out the right things, but he fell short in that he needed to CONTINUE to grow in the DEPTH (he had to keep going) of his relationship with God. There are other places that the Bible encourages us to do this: Philippians 1:9-11 (written by the Apostle Paul): "This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." No matter who we are, we have to keep growing. "more and more" both in terms of our knowledge of God AND our depth (depth of insight) with Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (also Paul): "If anyone is in Christ then the new creation is here - the old is gone and the new is here." So it's by being more and more in Christ that we're made more and more new. Tomorrow, what was new today is old. So we KEEP growing. That's why even the strongest Christian, the one in Christ, can be made "new." 2 Peter 3:17-18: "Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." -  so it’s possible to fall even when you’re "secure" - this isn’t just a one and done where you believe and are saved and get baptized or maybe go to church or whatever - you gotta actually keep growing. Proverbs 1:32: “Complacency kills." Romans 10:1 (also Paul, and this verse perfectly encapsulates his mission): “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” - so even the Israelites, the religious, need further saving and need further growth in their knowledge AND in their depth of insight. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (also Paul): "We, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." - so basically transforming is like changing. So "contemplate the Lord with unveiled faces" - consider Him in all that you do and remove all distractions and feelings and habits that veil and block us from God. Consider God wholeheartedly in all that you do, and know that this growth is "ever-increasing." Psalm 139:23-24: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." - it's not saying to "see if there are huge sins" or any particular sin. Literally just "any way in me" that is offensive to God. Take care of the little things and they will take care of you eternally.

And so we see in verse 27, as Acts chapter 18 comes to an end, that the entire Church of believers welcomes this man as they furthered AND strengthened his faith, and so in turn we see the results and that it was greatly worth it when he becomes a "great help" to those around him, ultimately (as verse 28 highlights) growing and learning enough that he is able to "vigorously" (with intelligence and great skill) refute the Jewish people that will now oppose his message since is involves Christ. He was even able to "prove from the Scriptures" that Jesus is God, which (if you research or read our other posts, or verses such as John 10:30, Colossians 2:9, Matthew 1:23 or Genesis 1:26 ["us implies Jesus], you will know is possible and something that we should strive to do).

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 19 below.

Acts 19: 1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all. 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

COMMENTARY: Notice right away in verse 2 that not only had these disciples not received the Holy Spirit, but they didn't even KNOW that there was one - a lot like the man we just looked, Apollos, who was a great Christian but still had room to grow in his knowledge and in the everyday function of his faith. We see in verse 3 that they have the exact same problem that Apollos had - they only knew of John the Baptist, and not Jesus Christ. And so in verse 4, instead of telling them to "believe in Jesus," we see that the Apostle Paul build on their existing knowledge ("John preached repentance and of a coming Messiah") and THEN told them the truth about Jesus ("That is, in Jesus" - making clear that JESUS was that Messiah). And so in verse 6, Paul, who had been given spiritual powers by the Lord, placed his hands on them and gifted them with God's Holy Spirit (notice that they were told in verse 4 to "believe" and they did and were baptized - Jesus is willing to work through those that have faith). I thought the symbolism behind verse 7 with the 12 disciples was interesting, and it goes to show that even after the time of Jesus we can still call on the Lord and find Him and His Spirit here today in our everyday lives. And so again in verse 8 we see that Paul specifically enters the religious synagogues to do His work, and it even specifies that he spoke "boldly" for what he believed in. He "argued persuasively" - ministry isn't just about blind faith, but intelligence and emotion, and using these things and the truth to convince others to accept Jesus in our hearts and His ways and teachings in our everyday lives. The definition of obstinate is: stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so. So when we see in verse 9 that some of them "became" obstinate, we know that they weren't always like this, and that their hearts had become stubborn while Paul was still with them and teaching them - this happens, Satan makes your heart stubborn and reluctant to change, especially when it involves sacrificing your own sins and desires. Many atheists take issue with the strong Christian desire that they would believe, but I would point out that in verse 9 these people didn't just privately "refuse to believe" - they also "publicly maligned the way" (and we know in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life) - so they did what they did for public reasons, to put the faith down publicly - this is problematic, even with the right to the freedom of speech. When Paul left them, it wasn't out of cowardice - the text had already specified that these people were obstinate and stubborn and that they "refused" to believe, and all that was taking place was the PUBLIC maligning of Jesus - meaning that they weren't gaining followers, they were probably losing them. And so, as much as it probably hurt Paul to do this, he had to know when to walk away - something that, when it comes to arguments and lust and other things in our everyday lives, we all wish we know how to do. In verse 9 we see another place, that isn't a synagogue, that would attract a lot of visitors - the lecture hall of the city of Tyrannus - not personally my thing (I'm not a nerd I promise), but Paul knew the city and culture that he was in, and so he knew that the lecture hall would be a great place for him to spread the word of God. Notice in verse 10 that the Apostle Paul stayed in Asia just long enough that "all" the people in that place could hear the Word of God (the Bible, the Gospel of salvation). Paul wanted to give everyone, including both Jews and Greeks, the opportunity to hear about Jesus and see a change in their hearts and in their everyday lives.

The wording of verse 11 shows that not only did God do miracles through the Apostle Paul, but "extraordinary" miracles. Verse 12 highlights what some of this may have looked like. Notice in verse 13 that when the Jewish people (and Jews don't even believe in Jesus) tried to drive out the demons, the reason that they couldn't is because they were not basing their actions on their faith in Jesus, but simply because they wanted to get rid of demons - and so, having seen the miracles that Paul was performing, and wanting to have that in their own life, they commanded the demons to come out, "in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches - basically, "in the name of that guy that my pastor talks about." We are called to communicate with the Lord in ways that are much deeper than this, and when we call on His Name, when we truly have a heart that accepts and embraces Him, then we know that He will act in power and help us to overcome our sins and temptations and all of the demons that we face. And so not only were they invoking the name of God in a way that was ineffective and selfish, but again we remember that they are Jewish (don't believe in Jesus), and so we know that anything they achieved was out of selfish motives and not the desire to actually receive guidance or wisdom from God or to give Him any of the glory. When we call on the Name of God in our everyday lives, we must take an approach that is deeper than this, being more committed to God than to ourselves and our own selfish gain and prosperity and the removal of our demons and hardships, among other things, in our everyday lives. Whether we get the answer or timing that we wanted, we know that if we are held by a demon that it can go away the "moment" that we involve Jesus. Acts 2:21: "Anyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." There is power in the name of Jesus, but again when we pray and seek God and mention the Name of Jesus, we must do it with real and heartfelt intentions. Jeremiah 29:12-13: "I hear you when you pray to me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." - but how can God hear us when we pray silently or in our hearts/minds? So obviously God isn't talking about physically hearing us, but rather that if we are truly invested in praying, whether out loud or not, He will know and will respond by revealing Himself to us - but we have to search with all our hearts, there has to be a purpose, these aren't just empty words. Psalm 145:18: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - so if you're truly calling on Him and willing to make changes and sacrifices and spend time on this, if there's truth behind your motivations, then He will be near to you as you seek Him. James 4:8: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." - make it your own. Draw far, meaningless prayers, and you'll have a far, meaningless relationship. The closer you draw, the closer He draws. It's all you, free will, your choice. Choose God in your everyday life, because if you aren't fully devoted and you try to invoke the Name of Jesus, then you are simply talking about a false god, an imaginary one that you don't have to give your full devotion to. And so we see that those who were interacting with the demons received no response from them until "one day" (this wording from verse 15 implies that it had been a long time where the demon didn't even pay attention to them, because we know that Satan has no fear of us believing in God if our belief is shallow or not that deep or based on our own desire for blessings in our everyday lives) - and on the day that the demon finally does answer them, we see that it is totally unphased by their meaningless usage of the Name of Jesus - let's not use Him or proclaim His Name in vain in our everyday lives (and this, not swearing, is the meaning of the Commandment to "not misuse (or take in vain) the Name of the Lord"). In verse 15 the evil spirit affirms what we have been talking about so far - "I know Jesus" he says, "and I know Paul" (the men that they invoked in casting out the demons - "in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches") but the demons specifies: "but who are you?" It's almost like God's way of saying "I know Jesus, and I know what your pastor says, but what about you? And so we see that God is calling us to have our individual faiths in which we grow and become stronger, not being weak like the men that tried and failed to cast out those demons because they had no real connection with God in their everyday lives. And so in verse 16 we see that the demons, who were doing their work through one man, beat and crushed the men that tried to invoke the Name of Jesus, and they beat them so bad that they were bleeding everywhere. This ends up being a good thing, as it caused many people to become regretful for their actions, and eventually repentant. They "openly confessed" (verse 18, a reference to Proverbs 28:13 telling us not to conceal or hide our sins) "what they had done" which implies that anything they did could have been wrong in the eyes of God, and so we know that, when faced everyday with situations we are tempted to turn on God, we must turn TO God and be open about our situation and our sins. And they were, admitting that they had been given into sorcery (which was probably the reason that they couldn't drive the demons out, because they had a weak church and a weak culture that had pleasing God in the daily as a very low priority - they confessed these actions and burned down their sorcery scrolls (worth 50,000 drachmas, which was worth about a day's wage, so about 137 YEARS worth of money was burned - burn the sin, even if it's a tough sacrifice and you're used to it and it brings you pleasures - burn it down, don't conceal it or keep it). "In this way," this way of making sacrifices, the Word of the Lord was able to spread, as detailed in verse 20, and not only was it able to spread but it was able to "spread widely" and it was able to grow not just in quantity ("spreading widely" but also in quality "growing in power" - much like what we said earlier about Apollos and growing in the depth of insight in your faith). And so we see in verse 21 that Paul does, in fact, plan to make it to Rome (that is the journey that he is on). Proverbs 28:13: "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - so you can't conceal or hide your sins, you have to confess them and be honest. BUT. You also "renounce" them. Stop. Take action. Actually do something. Don't just confess it - address it. This is repentance, and without it we have no share in the Kingdom of God. Acts 17:30: “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” - this isn't just for Christians or when we're in church or a religious season in our lives. "All people everywhere." So no matter who you are and no matter where you are in life, God is calling you to repent (which is to confess and take action against your sins).

Know that in verse 23 "the Way" is a reference to Jesus ("the way and the truth and the life" in John 14:6) - the capitalized w shows that it is a reference to a person (Jesus as "Way") and not just "the way (or path) they were taking." So know that the "disturbance about the Way" does not refer to "a tough journey" or some sort of roadblock, but rather to a difficulty in the faith - whether by persecution or something else, the text has not yet revealed. In verse 24 it does so, making clear that there is a silversmith (someone who works with metal and silver) named Demetrius who "brings in a lot of business" for the craftsmen by building silver shrines (temples) to the false god Artemis - basically, in the city of Ephesus (where they are) these craftsmen would craft (out of wood or stone) a symbol of a false god (believed to be true, like the Islamic gods of today), and then the silversmith would make a silver shrine for those gods and the people of Ephesus would invest and worship - so the teachings of Christianity, that Jesus is the only "Way" goes against this, and ultimately by Paul preaching and reaching others for Christ, it would cost the craftsmen and metal workers the "lot of business" that they were receiving. And so they used their powers to suppress Paul and his teaching, and this wasn't just any hardship, but a "great disturbance to the Way." Notice in verse 25 that there are many people in on this scheme against Paul, which is why Demetrius called "them" together, the "workers (plural) in related trades (plural)" - there are many people that are a part of this conspiracy (he refers to them as "my friends") - a plurality of workers in a plurality of trades, there's no telling just how many of them there were. And we know that they are very rich, that they "receive a good income from this business." And Paul is only a foreigner, a Jew, bringing a new preaching to the city of Ephesus for only a little while before he leaves again - he was powerless against these opponents, against this disturbance - it's similar to one of the Old Testament battles where the Israelites would be completely outnumbered, or perhaps like the story of David and Goliath - this story with Paul and this "great disturbance" is like a New Testament telling of an underdog story. Verse 26 highlights the issue that these men had with Paul - "he says (to large crowds, which they were trying to stop) that gods made by human hands are no gods at all" - this would cost them a great deal of money (as they detailed in verse 27). Not only is this about money, but (as illustrated in verse 27) these people did actually love and worship their false goddess Artemis, and so the preaching that Jesus Christ is the only Way obviously threatened that - it's like this in our lives, we get unwilling to grow too close or consistent with God because it calls for us to sacrifice things that we are comfortable with or addicted to (things like lust, swearing, valuing ourselves first, etc.). And so we see that the people of Ephesus are also unwilling to make changes and accept Christ - it is a radical teaching that their hearts are not willing to accept. Though theaters hold little relevance in our cultures today, at this point in history they were supremely important - so when verse 29 details that they were entering the Ephesian theater, we know that this was their way of setting up for a showdown or confrontation of sorts in a way that the public would be able to see it. Paul desperately wants to appear in front of the crowd (as we have seen before, he is not afraid and would love the opportunity to reason and debate with them). This is not advised, and his safety is at so great a threat that some of the officials from the city that are friendly towards Paul are even warning him to stay safe and not appear in front of the crowd (though Paul believes he can reach the people, the officials are native and have a greater pulse on the city and how the people feel about Paul, so if they say there is a threat then there is certainly a threat). Not only did they not think he should appear, they "begged" him not to even "venture into" the theater (to not even be there, and they weren't just recommending this they "begged" him for his own good). We know at this point that the craftsmen and other workers are heavily against Paul, and that the officials think it unwise for Paul to appear (given the crowd and how they feel against Paul) - so Paul has very little support among these people. However, when they enter the theater, we see that there is more confusion than the unified attack on Paul that we expected. Verse 32 says that “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.”

Isn’t it like this today? On social media when people argue in comment sections, or whenever someone brings up politics or religion or faith, isn’t it exactly like this? Some people are on one side so they say one thing, and other people are on another side so they say another thing. Eventually, things get repeated a lot, people get talked over, voices are raised, and people stop paying attention to what the people on the other side are saying, and they tell themselves these people are crazy or at least wrong and it’s ok to stop listening (remember that "most of" the crowd "did not even KNOW WHY they were there," so anything said or done was not out of the "reasoning" that Paul tries to use but rather out of pure emotion). It doesn’t have to be this way. I think we need to bring back healthy disagreements. Constructive criticism, where you don’t take everything so personally, is supposed to help you grow. You are supposed to help others grow when you give them constructive criticism, not trying to be right or put them down, but genuinely trying to help, while remaining aware of your own mistakes. James 1:19: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” In verses 33 and 34 the racial tension at hand is illustrated: they were preparing to silence themselves and listen to the man until they realized he was Jewish (worshiped another God) and then they simply shouted over him (again, it's just like this today - people don't want to reason like Paul did, they just want to shout). Similarly, in Matthew 27:22-24 Pontius Pilate is trying to release Jesus Christ because he realizes that He is innocent, and so he asks "what crime has He committed" - a crowd of Jews "shouted all the louder" in response to his questioning why Jesus should be punished, and then Pilate gave up and ordered Him to be crucified. So Pilate tried to reason (like Paul, by asking them to explain "what crime") but in response they simply "shouted louder." No reason, no articulation or counterpoint - just noise. We see this in our culture all the time: if someone has Conservative or religious viewpoints they are often viewed as racist or sexist or homophobic or something else - nothing they say is valued, they are silenced (and this goes both ways, the lines between sides politically and religiously are incredibly intense). But we are called to be peaceful, to listen, to love. This is why Isaiah 53:7 details that, when on the cross, Jesus "did not open His mouth" to shout back or protest His crucifixion - all He said was "Father, forgive them." And so as the story continues to unfold in the theater, the Ephesian official tries to regain control of the spiraling situation. Again we see that instead of reasoning and explaining what he believes, he simply says that "the world knows" that what they believe about their false god Artemis is true and that "these facts are undeniable" - no reason was involved, just claims being made. So whether it's a shouting crowd, or a manipulative city official that has the same impact but with a calmer tone - we are called to test the facts and use reason to find the truth. "Taste and see (experiment and find out) that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8). And so we know that the truth is important. In John 17:17 Jesus says that "your Word (He was talking to God, meaning this is a reference to the Bible, the "Word" of God) is truth" - so it's not just that the Bible spoke of the truth or was true - it literally IS truth. John 14:6: "I am the Way and the TRUTH and the Life, and nobody comes to the Father except through me." John 8:31-32: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 1 Timothy 2:4: "God wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" - so coming to know Jesus ("the truth") is how we are saved. In the same way, come to know and live out the Words of the Bible, which are also truth (this is what Jesus did during His life on Earth). And so in the case of the Ephesian theater riot, the truth (as highlighted in verse 37) is that the men (Paul and his associates) being rioted against were innocent (much like Jesus with Pilate, as we looked at earlier) - and in verses 38 and 39 the right and legal course of action that the citizens can take against Paul is described. The Ephesian official didn't do this because he cared about Paul, but about himself (as verse 40 lays out that they weren't so much compassionate as they were afraid of the legal troubles that would come from treating Paul the way they are) - so they riot against a man and then the only regret is the consequences - we see very clearly the reason that Paul came to this city and to cities like this around the world: these people need God, and so do we in our everyday lives. As Acts chapter 19 comes to an end, we see in verse 40 that, on par with the theme, the main reason the official had issue with the riot was "because there is no REASON for it." And so in verse 41 the assembly is dismissed as the chapter comes to an end. The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 20 below.

Acts 20: 1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. 7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. 13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. 25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” 36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

COMMENTARY: We see in verse 1 that Paul is now departing from Ephesus, the city in which the riot and standoff at the theater has taken place. Notice in verse 2 that Paul isn't just traveling from city to city, but also ministering along the way - this is a part of the reason that the ministry was so worldwide and effective. While we ultimately put our final hope in Jesus, He has also called us to be wise like this and to use wisdom, to try to do things in an intelligent way - faith isn't "stupidly believing in God" but "believing in God, whether intelligence and human emotion would point to Him or not" - what makes it faith is that you would remain full of belief even when the circumstances are hard and the sun stops shining. So we are called to be intelligent, to take good care of the ministry, as Paul is doing by going from town to town and ministering along the way. Verse 3 further shows Paul's ministry during the travel by specifically saying that he would "go through" a town - implying that they would minister and take care of things while there. Verse 3 also highlights the opposition that the Apostle Paul is facing from the religious Jews, which is similar to the opposition that Jesus faced during His ministry and life on Earth. Notice in verse 4 the company that Paul has - not only are there many people there with him, but people from many different places on Earth (a man in each town), and so it makes sense that they had a successful worldwide ministry.

In verse 7 the stage for what is about to take place is set: Paul was speaking for a long time because they were leaving the next day - this makes perfect sense, as they were likely traveling by sea (or even by land, but either way it is highly unlikely that Paul was actually driving himself, so he could simply preach util late at night when he had nothing left and then sleep during the travels). The stage is further set when in verse 8 we see that the lighting is possibly dimmed, only being lamps in an upper level room. While this approach suits Paul, we see in verse 9 that it doesn't suit his listeners all that well, as one of them (a young man named Eutychus), who is "seated in a window and sinking into a deep sleep," eventually falls completely asleep and plummets to his temporary death. Verse 9 details that the man fell from the third story, making his death inevitable with ancient doctors being unable to help (and also probably unwilling, as they were Jews and had very little money). So we see that the man has died, and yet Paul has the audacity to claim that he is alive. Notice that Paul leaves in verse 11 BEFORE the man actually was healed - Paul has faith, and doesn't need to see in order to believe - we are called to have this level of devotion and loyalty in our everyday lives and faiths.

Notice also that Paul stopped his preaching to help the man - a greater need than anything ministry based had arisen, and so Paul was willing to hit pause on what he was focused on to meet a greater, more imminent need - wouldn't it be nice if we did this in our everyday lives? Instead of being so focused on being religious enough and having everything lined up the way that we think we need to have them, what if we addressed the greater needs in our lives, things like lust and selfishness and other sins, and also the needs of others? Paul walked away from a sermon that he was in the middle of in order to address these things - what if we addressed them with the same level of urgency? Notice also that the man in the window was very foolish for being there - he put himself in a position to fail. We all do the same thing with sins in our everyday lives - we position ourselves close to a window, and we end up falling asleep. We symbolically stay close to a window by keeping close with temptations (our phones can access lust and the wrong music and other kinds of sins, our mouths are drawn to swearing and falsehood and flattery, etc.) - and not only do we stay close to that window, but we eventually find ourselves falling asleep in those sins, which will lead us to our eternal plummet. So we are called to stay awake as disciples of Jesus, to stay awake for Him in this world through how we live our everyday lives. Revelation 3:2: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” Romans 8:13: “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of your body, you will live.” The flesh is our humanity. Whether our hearts, mouths, minds, what we like to hear with our ears or see with our eyes, or *other* parts of our body, the flesh is our bodily motivations that distance us from God. Music, sex, words, entertainment - it all leads to destruction. In John 10:10 Jesus makes the point that Satan is trying to destroy us in our everyday lives, while Jesus is trying to give us a fulfilling life. So these temptations, these things we deal with, it’s from the Devil, and you have a choice to make: who’s the God of your life? Your flesh, or the Spirit of God? Which one will you live according to? We as believers are supposed to give our devotion and time and energy (the way that we live even in the little moments) to God and not to our temptations - they don't own us and we don't have to keep falling short to them in our everyday lives. God gave us free will, and the cruel irony is that a lot of us are using our freedom to become enslaved. So don’t live for yourself like this world teaches - live for God, and you will live by the Spirit, not the flesh. When we live for God instead of the flesh, this is how we defeat the desires of the flesh and overcome through Jesus. John 8:34: “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Galatians 5:1: “Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be slaves to sin.” Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - so when we, through even our best efforts, our best flesh, are weak and unable to overcome sins, God’s Holy Spirit is willing. He is willing to give you your breakthrough today against these things, these feelings - are you willing to receive it? Give your heart and your desires to God and simply watch what happens. Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” - so if you have to follow your heart, make sure your heart follows Jesus above all else. Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Joshua 24:15: “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether God or another.” Colossians 3:5: "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry." - I'm not asking you to "try" because nothing will happen. KILL THESE THINGS! Die to sins, live for Christ. Philippians 1:21: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." - so put personal gain (whether of money or resources or lust or any type of gratification) and focus to death and truly, wholeheartedly and willingly live for God. We see in verse 12 of Acts chapter 20 that the people did in fact take the young man home, and that he was in fact alive, as the Apostle Paul had predicted.

We see in verse 13 that, in spite of all the worldwide travels, Paul DOES in fact, at times, travel by foot. This was probably because of how poor they were and how few resources the ministry spared them. And so in verse 14 the Apostle Paul has to meet them when he finally gets there. In verse 15 many cities and travels are mentioned - we should not lose sight of the fact that, in this huge and long story, the Apostle Paul is traveling like crazy all around the world - his job was not easy, but he was more than willing to fulfill the calling for God. Verse 16 highlights that, though Paul wanted to spend time in Asia (remember that this was the exact same place that he wanted to preach earlier and the Holy Spirit would not let him), but even then it was more important to Paul that they arrive in Jerusalem (the capital of the Jews) by the day of Pentecost (a remembrance/holiday, making it sensible to be in a major city like Jerusalem to try to preach the Gospel). In verse 18 Paul begins to address the elders (leaders) of the Ephesian church (named after the city of Ephesus) - he knows that he will not be able to see them anymore, and so he begins to address them in a farewell. Notice in verse 20 that Paul did not hold back either in what he was teaching OR in who's house he went to preach - we are called, in the same way, to preach boldly and to all (no matter who they are or what they've done, no discrimination, just as Christ did not discriminate on the cross) - I've found that the best way to preach to someone is through the way that you listen to them and in how you live your everyday life - not just through words. Paul did not even HESITATE in teaching everything that needed to be taught, and in teaching it to all people - both Jews AND Greeks, as verse 21 made clear - he was teaching the Gospel of repentance, the same Gospel of Jesus Christ in which we find healing and forgiveness for our sins, attaining salvation (being saved) through Christ alone.

Notice in verse 22 that Paul is going to Jerusalem, the capital city of the Jews that religiously hate Christ (and therefore Paul's message), and he is going there without at all knowing what will happen to him (implying that, obviously, something WILL happen to him that wouldn't go without mention - "I don't know what's going to happen" is never said in a low-intensity situation - something bad will happen). And yet Paul was completely unafraid, and he felt "compelled by the Holy Spirit" - this is just yet another affirmation that it is God who is directing Paul's steps and guiding him in the direction that he is taking - Paul isn't compelled by his own selfish intentions, but by the Spirit of God as it leads him towards the right paths. That path might lead into danger at times. Remember that in Psalm 23:4 we are taught that even when we walk through the darkest valley, we should fear no evil because God is walking with us - so it's not that there isn't evil to fear in that darkest valley, in that Jerusalem - there's PLENTY to be afraid of, and yet Paul can fear no evil because, being compelled by the Spirit, he knows that God is with him and so there is nothing to fear - in the same way, we know that God is with us as well in our everyday lives. Having told us that he has no idea what will happen, Paul goes as far in verse 23 as to say that he DOES in fact know that the Spirit constantly warns him, in every town that he visits, of the dangers that he faces - so he DOES face danger, and yet he can say that he isn't afraid. In verse 24 Paul gives us a sobering reflection of what life is supposed to be about - just like Jesus on the cross, Paul realized that his life was only a fleeting vapor, something that will eventually end - and so, not needing to live in comfort, Paul is willing to make sacrifices and put himself in harm's way for the benefit of the Christian ministry and message. What if we lived our lives like this? Where we didn't put ourselves and our preferred lives first, if we considered our own lives to be worth nothing, an if we refocused and set our aim to be on Jesus Christ and on His glory? In verse 24 Paul actually specifies what his task is, what this story is about - "testifying to the good news of God's grace." So it is by the grace of God that we can be eternally saved, and to all sinners this is incredibly good news, and so Paul has been "compelled by the Holy Spirit," chosen by God, to do this and to testify to these things. In verse 25 Paul gives the tough reality to the church that he is speaking to: when he leaves to continue his worldwide ministry, he will not be returning to the city of Ephesus again before his life ends - he knows this because, being compelled by the Spirit, God has probably indicated this to him and has probably indicated that it was appropriate to give this church a farewell notice. In verses 26 and 27, Paul is making the point that he has declared the good news to these people and has preached the Gospel, and that if this church falls into sin (the "blood on their hands") then he is not guilty of that, having done everything that he could to keep the church in tight step with the work and Words of God. He encourages them in verse 28 to not only take watch for themselves, but also for the entire church of God. To say that God has "bought with His own blood" the Church, basically means that "with His sacrifice on the cross, God has paid for the sins (bought) of those who believe in Him and accept Him (the Church) in their hearts." Verse 29 alludes to the false teachings that we see both today and throughout human history - the "savage wolves" among what was supposed to be the sheep pen of God, filled with believers - we are destroyed by these savage and false teachings of sin being ok, of free prosperity based on faith, and many others. And we "know" that these things will come, as Paul can say that he "knows" that the wolves "will" come in among us (again, the Spirit probably revealed this to him and encouraged him to use this kind of language). And so it's not that we try to pretend these things don't exist - they do, today in our everyday lives, but the question that matters most is: how will we respond? Will we turn to God from the heart, as we are called to? We see in verse 30 further descriptions of these wolves: that some of them will be men from the church in Ephesus ("men of your own number") and that they would distort (or basically blur/confuse) the truth - and again we know that the Word of God is "Truth" (John 17:17), that Jesus is "The truth" (John 14:6), that "The truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32), and that "God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). So these wolves will distort the Words of God (the Bible), the teachings of Jesus - they will distort and twist these things to mean something other than what God really wanted - all of this is done so that they may draw disciples not after God (as we are called to), but after themselves - they distort the truth, which would set us free from all of this, just so that they can draw disciples after themselves. And so, in verse 31 Paul warns the church to be on their guard against this, and that he has already warned them of this before "with tears" (probably sad because he knows his time is coming to an end, and also because he knows that many of those that he is preaching to will fall into some of the false teachings and fall from salvation and an eternity with Jesus - this makes him said, and so he can say these things "with tears"). In verse 32, as Paul continues his farewell to the Ephesian church, he commits them to the ways of the Lord and encourages them to continue in those ways in all that they do in their everyday lives - he makes clear to them in verse 33 that not only did he never steal anyone's silver or gold or clothing, but he never even coveted after these things - this is the clarity, the level of focus that we are called to have in our everyday lives, and so he leaves it for the Ephesian church as an example of how they are to live. Many Christians tend to follow many of the teachings of Christ, but when it comes to verse 35, that it is "more blessed to GIVE than it is to receive" - many Christians do not follow this teaching. Whether it's your time, energy, love, or resources like money and food - we become so stingy, so selfish, but if we would be more giving on this Earth, then we would receive eternal life after we pass away - so it truly is more blessed to give than it is to receive on this Earth and in our everyday lives with the time that remains. Notice in verse 36 that after all the preaching Paul had done, even in his own farewell message, he STILL found it important to pray with them as time drew to a close - that prayer was such an emphasis for their last activity together, this just goes to show exactly how important prayer is in our everyday lives and with our connection to God. Many will ask, "Do I have to pray to get closer to God?" And I usually answer them with these Biblical teachings: 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray continually." - how could you get closer to a source without communicating with it? Plus, wouldn't you want to or at least be willing to if you were really in this from the heart? Ephesians 6:18: "Pray on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - so we are praying "continually" and on "all kinds of occasions" with "all kinds of prayers and requests" - this calls for consistency ("always keep on praying" - notice also that the verse tells us to pray for others). This doesn't mean to say one prayer right now and then move on - pray continually and always keep on praying. Having a bad day? A good one? If it's a part of "all kinds of occasions" (gratitude, desperation, and everything in between) then it should be something you pray for. And we are called to keep consistently praying, and not just empty words but words from the heart that help us grow closer to God. Jeremiah 29:12-13: "I hear you when you pray to me, and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart." - but how can God hear us when we pray silently or in our hearts/minds? So obviously God isn't talking about physically hearing us, but rather that if we are truly invested in praying, whether out loud or not, He will know and will respond by revealing Himself to us - but we have to search with all our hearts, there has to be a purpose, these aren't just empty words. Psalm 145:18: "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." - so if you're truly calling on Him and willing to make changes and sacrifices and spend time on this, if there's truth behind your motivations, then He will be near to you as you seek Him. James 4:8: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." - make it your own. Draw far, meaningless prayers, and you'll have a far, meaningless relationship. The closer you draw, the closer He draws. It's all you. Free will. Your choice. Choose God. And as Acts chapter 20 draws to a close, we see that the Apostle Paul is very much revered by the Ephesians church, as they are very sad to see him go for the final time. As they accompanied him to his ship, he then presumably set sail for whichever city was next.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 21 below.

Acts 21: 1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. 7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” 15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples. 17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!” 37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. 38 “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?” 39 Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” 40 After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:

COMMENTARY: Right away in verse 1, we see the intensity of the situation: it's not just that leaving the Ephesian church to carry on the ministry elsewhere was simply tough or difficult - they had to "tear themselves away from them" because of how emotional it was to leave for the last time. Ironically, as I'm writing this I'm an hour away from graduating (and leaving for the last time) from the school and workspaces where my life completely changed and the Holy Spirit started our online ministry, so I can relate, but I digress. They put out to sea and continue onwards, as we so often must in life (what I'm going through right now is a great example, as is the story of the Tower of Babel where God scatters the people and, after they lose their tower, they are called to scatter and spread throughout the Earth - He called them to move forward and onwards in the midst of heartbreak). Find a way forward and submit to God during those emotional times. Verses 1-4 give further details about the journey that the Apostle Paul is taking and how/when/where they are moving about. Notice in verse 4 that it was "through the Spirit" that the disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem (out of fear for his safety, as Jerusalem was the capital city of the religious Jews that he was offending with his teachings about Christ). So this isn't just their natural concern for him, this time specifically it is "through the Spirit" that they are pleading with and urging him not to go - so on this specific occasion, it is from the Lord that Paul should not travel to Jerusalem (at least not at this time). And so we see in verse 7 that they are not traveling to Jerusalem, at least not at this time, as they end up traveling to a different city. Notice also in verse 7 that they didn't just stay "there" for a day, but truly "with them" - they were intentional about actually walking alongside their brothers and sisters in Christ instead of just "being there." Even if just for a day, it is beneficial to others when we are intentional like this and put forth the best effort to be supportive and truly with them. Verses 8 and 9 give us details about the man that they stayed with as they traveled into the next city - this again shows us that they are taking community and truly "being present" very seriously, as they emphasize even the smaller details (that the man's daughters were unmarried) about the people around them.

What verse 11 means is this: that Agabus (one of the prophets of the Lord) came (physically, not in terms of "coming to Christ" but rather "coming over to us") over to them (the apostles, Paul's group) and he took Paul's belt and tied himself (Agabus tying himself) with it by the hands and feet, making the point that in Jerusalem this is how Paul will be treated by the religious people and authorities, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles (Greeks and other non-Jewish people), seemingly to hurt him - just like with Jesus and Pontius Pilate, the Jews could not legally hurt Jesus in Rome, so they used Pilate as leverage and tried to accuse Jesus of crimes against Rome so that they could hand Him over to Pilate so that He would be punished - in the same way, they themselves cannot legally harm Paul, so they will likely arrest him ("tied hand and foot") and "hand him over to the Gentiles" (implying that there is conflict between Paul and the Gentiles, perhaps that the Jews are framing him and looking to hand him over to his "enemies" that he has "committed crimes against," otherwise there would be no reason to hand Paul to the Gentiles - so you see the crimes of the religious people at work here). In verse 12 we see the reactions of Paul's friends and coworkers: despite the ministry, they are hopeful that Paul will put his best interests first and avoid the city of Jerusalem. In verse 13 Paul doubles down with his approach and makes clear that he is ready not only to die but to totally suffer if needed for the glory of Jesus and for spreading the message of hope and the Gospel of salvation. Notice in verse 14 that the people must "give up" in order to say "the Lord's will be done"? That's because Paul, in trying to enter into and preach in that city, is doing the Lord's will (after the Lord had him wait a little while longer earlier). But now God is ready for him to enter Jerusalem, and so anyone opposed to this is not able to say "the Lord's will be done." In Matthew 26:39 Jesus, when praying about not dying on the cross, says of His crucifixion, “Not my will but yours be done.” What makes this so special is how real it was. One verse earlier Jesus describes His soul as “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” This is deep. This isn’t a perfect little verse that tells us to trust God - this is deeper than that. Jesus understood that the greatest teachers teach through actions more than words. Jesus didn’t just say “trust God” - Jesus trusted God on the cross. Jesus didn’t just teach that we could come to Him when we’re depressed and anxious - His SOUL was overwhelmed and He carried on and still submitted to God. Jesus did not want to be crucified - He was very clear. He prayed 3 times that God would take it away, just like the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. There’s a pattern here. We bring our hardships to God, and sometimes fixing everything the way we wanted it is NOT the answer. Jesus dying on the cross seemed like nothing but loss at that point in time - looking back it achieved the forgiveness of our sins. Not my will, but yours be done. Whatever you’re going through, even the cross itself, God has a purpose and He has a plan, just like He did on that cross - you have to trust Him and choose His will in your everyday life. Romans 8:28: “We KNOW that in all things God is working (present tense, there’s a plan even if you can’t see it) for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (so live out that calling and love Him and trust His timing).” James 1:2-5: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” - if you don’t know and can’t figure it out, talk to God. Not my will, but yours be done. And so we see in verse 15 that, fully embracing God's will and the hardships that follow, they make their way towards Jerusalem. Verse 16 highlights that they had support and that the other followers of God were providing for them and helping them to stay safe.

In verse 17 they arrive in Jerusalem and are welcomed warmly by the believers. The man ("James") from verse 18 is James, the biological brother of Jesus and the author of the Book of James, a 5 chapter book in the Bible. Notice in verse 20 that, unlike the Jews that are opposing Paul throughout this story, we see that these Christians from Jerusalem (Christian Jews) are genuinely happy for Paul's success with the Gentiles, and they are genuinely happy to see the Gentiles being saved and coming to Christ - this, the everyday life and character that these people carry, is what sets them apart from the Jews that are sinning against Paul. In verse 21 we hear of a false rumor being spread about Paul - that he encourages the Gentiles to turn away from Moses and the Old Testament Law (the Ten Commandments and the others religious Laws that God gave to the Israelites through Moses). This is NOT true - Paul wasn't encouraging them to turn away from Moses, it's just that he was putting a greater emphasis on Jesus Christ and the Gospel than on the New Testament - but to say that he was turning them away from Moses is a total lie. And so this is the rumor that the religious Jews are spreading about Paul. The reason that they make the request they make in verses 23 and 24 is this: the "purification rites" of those 4 men were a religious symbol from the Old Testament, so if Paul were to pay the expenses for those purification rites to take place, then it would be a sign of solidarity for him that he is supportive of the Old Testament practices - this is why the Christian Jews want Paul to do this, so that the religious Jews will have no complaint against him that he is against the Law of Moses or the practices or teachings of the Old Testament. This is all laid out in detail in verse 24. Notice in verse 26 that Paul does this "the next day." He doesn't wait or delay, but immediately takes action. This is what we are called to in our faiths. Revelation 3:20: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me." Jesus stands at the door of our hearts - will we let Him in? Everyday, we have opportunities. Deuteronomy 30:15: "See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and destruction." - Joshua 24:15: "Choose this day whom you will serve, whether God or another." - just like how for Adam, the Garden of Eden was already prepared for Him, in the same way we have opportunities put in front of us "today," and must make a choice between God and alternatives "this day." We know that "the wages of (what we earn with) sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal LIFE in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:23). So when God says that He has "set life and death before us today and we must choose" - He basically means this. Sin. You open your phone, now what? Choose this day. You are talking to someone and it's tempting to talk about yourself instead of listening, or the temptation to badmouth or slander someone pops up, or any type of temptation that we face in our everyday lives - choose this day. God stands at the door of our hearts. Therefore “Above all else, guard your heart (be watchful of what you desire and take in), for everything you do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23).” Matthew 6:21 "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So be careful what you pursue/treasure, because this will determine where your heart stays during this life and forevermore (there your heart will be). Pursue the Bible and living out the Words and God's plan for your life instead of things that will fade away. Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my Words will never pass away." This all stems from the person that you are in your everyday life, in the daily and the common, when nobody is there, when you're on your phone, when you're watching TV or listening to music, just that everyday life and there's usually a choice to be made between God/what's right and an alternative. Proverbs 27:19: "As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart." So live for God and pursue Him in all things.

In verses 27 and 28 we see that the religious Jews are again starting conflicts with Paul and making accusations without any basis - nothing had actually happened, but they still made the accusations. Their hatred is racially motivated in that they believe that the Gentiles would "defile the Holy Temple" - the issue with this is that they are assuming that the Temple is Holy when the Jews are there, but that it would be defiled if the Gentiles entered - this is to imply superiority, and we know that these claims are arrogant and false because all of "mankind" (including both Jews and Gentiles) are "made in the image of God" (Genesis 1:26-27), so to make such claims of superiority over a group, and to see them as inferior, is to insult the very image, the very "likeness" (Genesis 1:26) of GOD that they are created in - this is the Biblical stance against racism, favoritism on account of beauty or disability or anything else, and arrogance in general. In verse 29 we see that they are referring (when they mention Paul bringing Greeks/Gentiles into the Temple) to a man named Trophimus, an Ephesian (Greek, Gentile) man - we see that Trophimus had only been with Paul IN THAT CITY, not that they had actually seen him enter the Temple - their accusations are completely fabricated and based on assumptions. They THINK that Paul brought this man into the Temple, but they had never even seen it happen, and so by bringing a crowd against Paul they are completely in the wrong. Notice in verse 30 that, as the city rushes into sin and into a frenzy, that the gates of the Temple are symbolically shut - they ae excluding Greeks, Ephesians, Gentiles, the "other" from receiving fellowship with God - Christians do this when they judge sinners and don't bother debating atheists. We all do this, pushing others away from the presence of God through the mistakes that we make everyday as we represent Christ. So we are called to live with integrity, unlike these religious Jews that are preventing others from entering the Temple despite being made in the same image of God. In verse 31 we again see that the actions of the Jews are limited by Rome, as Jerusalem is occupied by Rome. They tried to kill Paul, but to do so would be illegal if it only regarded Jewish religious laws (and it did), and so once the Roman commander found out about what was happening, any plot against Paul was pretty much thwarted (especially given that, as we established earlier, he is a Roman citizen). In verse 32 we see that, despite attempting to grab power, the religious Jews that are rioting against Paul immediately stop beating him as they are afraid of the Romans and of being caught and disciplined by them for what they are doing to Paul. The reason that Paul, and not the rioters, was arrested in verse 33 is that, with the entire city mauling him, it was assumed by the Romans that he was the one at fault. And so, after arresting him, they begin to question him to try to figure out what has happened. The "barracks" in verse 34 refers to a training area, likely a place that only Roman soldiers could access and not these Jewish rioters, and so the Roman commander has Paul taken there likely because this is the only way they could really communicate with him and get to the bottom of what had happened without all the interjecting from the Jewish rioters. We see in verse 35 that, instead of walking off on his own power, Paul had to be carried by Roman soldiers - the reason for this is that this would prevent the Jews from attacking Paul, because if they accidentally struck or even made contact with the Roman soldiers, that could have cost them their lives - and so it is a safety measure that the Roman soldiers carry Paul (they are likely only willing to do this because he is a Roman citizen, though this is only assumed and not specified by the verses). They have to carry him because, at the steps of the barracks, the Jews intensify their attacks and try to get to Paul before he reaches safety. They demand in verse 36 that Paul is simply "gotten rid of" - they didn't like his teachings, and so they simply wanted to get rid of him. We all do this - if God calls us to do something that we don't want to, something that's outside our comfort zone, then we simply "get rid of it" - disobey the verse, don't follow through with the inconvenient action, stop being intentional and taking extra steps, and become lazy in our faith, not sacrificing things like lust and bad music and selfishness and other sins. And so, instead of growing into the people that God calls us to be, we simply "get rid of it," just as they "got rid of" Jesus on the cross instead of following His teachings, and just like they are trying to "get rid of" Paul right now - we are called to be better than this, and more open to God in our hearts and in our everyday lives. Notice also that in verse 36 the crowd "followed" - sometimes it feels like this, like the people that oppose Christ (whether in online places like comment sections or forums, or elsewhere), it feels like these people are "following around" and looking to stir up controversy and raise doubts - many of them are genuine, and God bless those people, but more often than not we see arrogant people trying to spread doubt and their own narratives about Christ, often based on their anger towards God and the lack of Paradise that we have here on Earth (everything must be perfect otherwise God can't be, is often the approach that you will see these people take whether they admit it or not). And so in verse 37 we see that Paul, who does speak Greek as a Roman citizen, is trying to communicate with the Roman commander (likely in Greek so that he could communicate with the man without the Jewish rioters understanding and interrupting them). And so we see in verse 38 that the Roman commander has a misconception of who Paul is, assuming him to by an Egyptian (which is totally false) that leads terrorists (which is also totally false) - to have these false and negative rumors being believed about him, this is the result of being universally hated as Paul is for his ministry. The words of verse 39 are probably the words that Paul speaks to the Roman commander in Greek. In verse 37 he had asked the commander if he could "say something to you," which implies that the speech would be 1 to 1. And so whatever was said would need to have been important and the type of speech that was intended to be directed at the Roman commander alone - this is exactly what the words of verse 39 are, as Paul convinces the man to let him speak to the crowd (likely through Roman defense, which is why Paul had to ask this man instead of just speaking as he already was to this crowd) - he convinces this man, again 1 on 1 in Greek (the man's native language) to let him address the Jewish crowd by mentioning to him that he is from the Roman area or Tarsus in the Italian (Rome is a part of Italy) of Cilicia. He even makes a positive impression on the Roman commander by saying, to the Roman commander, that this Roman city is "no ordinary city." He then makes his request to speak to the people. In verse 40, as Acts chapter 21 comes to an end, we see that the commander gives Paul permission to speak to the crowd, and so Paul motions for their silence and then begins to address them in the language Aramaic.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 22 below.

Acts 22: 1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense.” 2 When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. 4 I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, 5 as the high priest and all the Council can themselves testify. I even obtained letters from them to their associates in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ 8 “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. “‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. 9 My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. 10 “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “‘Get up,’ the Lord said, ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do.’ 11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. 12 “A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And at that very moment I was able to see him. 14 “Then he said: ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15 You will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’ 17 “When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 “‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ 21 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” 22 The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” 23 As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. 25 As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.” 27 The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. 28 Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. 29 Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. 30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

COMMENTARY: We see in verse 1, as Paul begins to address the crowd in Aramaic (we are right where we just left off with the end of chapter 21), that Paul asks them to listen to his defense of himself (he calls them "brothers and fathers," believing them to be his brothers and fathers in Christ even though they mistreat him and do not believe). In verse 2 when they heard Paul speaking their language, they became very quiet and were willing to hear him out. In verse 3 Paul explains to the crowd (who again, knows very little about him and is basing their accusation on mere assumptions and rumors) where he is from (that he is a Jew from Rome), and he explains that he is a Pharisee and spent his younger years studying under the teacher of the religious Law, Gamaliel. He makes clear to the crowd (that assumes he is against the Old Testament teachings) that he has actually been "thoroughly" trained in the religious Law, the religious Law of "our" ancestors (he uses this wording with the Jews to make clear to them that they are actually persecuting one of their own when they persecute him. He makes clear to them that he was zealous and full of emotion and passion just as they are, and that he was a persecutor of the Christian way and their followers, just as these religious Jews are - he was trying to make clear to them that he can relate to them and that his teachings do not exclude them but that they actually cater and can relate to these religious Jews. In verse 5 Paul details what it looked like when he persecuted the Christian Church, and that these things can be verified by the Jewish religious council - again he is making the point to the Jewish rioters that, despite whatever may be believed about him, he is a Jew and was raised that way. In the following verses, Paul gives his story of conversion (he started as a Jew and then became a Christian) to the crowd - this is a lot like a "testimony" - Paul had a rare opportunity to speak in front of such a large crowd, and not only a large crowd but a large crowd of non-believers - and so by telling his story he may reach others for Christ, and when we give our testimony it may be the same for us. In verse 6 Paul is referencing his conversion story, and on that day he was in Damascus persecuting the Christian Church until he encountered Jesus on that road to Damascus, as he recounts here. We know that Paul encountered Jesus because verse 7 clarifies that the being that Paul encountered specifically asked him why he was persecuting him, and we know that Paul's former persecution of the Christian Church is well documented, so we know that the voice is a reference to Jesus Christ the Lord that Paul was persecuting. Verse 11 refers to the fact that it is impossible to see God face to face without being blinded. So Paul has encountered both Jesus and God, because they are the same while also being different. How are God and Jesus the same yet different? Hebrews 1:3 refers to Jesus as "the exact representation" of God. Pretend I hand you a picture of myself. What is that? "Ben, that's you." Right AND wrong. It is, just as Jesus IS God. But at the same time it's just a piece of paper representing me, just as Jesus Christ is a human being that represents God in all that He does. He's both. God and human (Colossians 2:9 says that "all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form," basically that God Himself became human and was with us in the human flesh as the man Jesus Christ - Matthew 1:23). But this is an intellectual point with little relevance in our everyday lives. The real takeaway is that He represented God in all that He did - the Bible teaches in Genesis 1:27 that you are "made in the image of God." So here's your takeaway, the relevance: reflect God in all that you do, live for His image and not your own - reflect that image in your everyday life. The Bible says to "let your light shine" - it doesn't say "if you have a light" - no it says YOUR light because you ARE made in the image of God. Prove it by the way you live in the little things. The Trinity is the understanding that God functions as Three in One. God is the "Father, Son, and Spirit." God and the Holy Spirit, for example, are both One and also unique. John 4:24: "God is Spirit." Yet in John 16:13 Jesus refers to the Spirit as "He" as if to say it's a different being. So they're the same, but also different. The Father and the Son are the same but also different. God "gave His only Son" on the cross (John 3:16, making clear that He is His son and they are unique) - but also "I and the Father are One" (John 10:30). So these Three "are One," as they have different roles but the same purpose. God the Father reigns as the Supreme One, Christ the Son shows us how to live on Earth and died for our sins, and the Holy Spirit gives us what we need when we need it (mostly guidance).

And so, as our story continues, Paul (then known as Saul) is met by a disciple that judged him and did not want to help him (Ananias), but ultimately God softened Ananias's heart to help Paul. And so in verse 13, having been spiritually blind, Saul (now Paul) was truly blind and needed the help of God, and so God restores his sight, and he can see again (both physically and spiritually). When God encourages Paul in verse 16 to move forward with the calling, He did so by saying "what are you waiting for?" In our faiths, we face the same problems - we are delaying the changes that we so desperately need to make in our everyday lives to be true Christians. So what are we waiting for? As verse 16 indicates, we should call on the Name of the Lord, and we should do so in how we live our everyday lives (think: what would Jesus do? does this honor God? etc.). In verses 17-21, Paul unpacks the story of why he is more drawn to the Gentiles, and to ministry towards them, than he is towards the Jews. This is all based on visions and encounters with God, and so we again see that it is the Holy Spirit at work and guiding Paul through this journey - so we can trust the steps that Paul is taking and that he is not a selfish man, but is doing what is doing in his everyday life for the Lord. Notice in verse 21 that God sends the Apostle Paul "far away" to reach the Gentiles. This is just yet another reminder that God is willing to reach not only the Jew and the religious or "good" person, but also the Greek, Ephesian, Gentile, the "other" who is far away and making mistakes and getting hurt in their everyday life. God specifically took a religious man, a "good" person in Paul who was far away from what God really wanted him to be (maybe you can relate to this description, whether you admit it or not), and God specifically sent THAT man to reach the nonreligious and those who are distant. So we see that God has a heart for EVERYONE that is in sin, no matter what their background or character or distance level may be. This is why we know that God is willing to reach us even from "far away."  Scripture touches on this a lot. Isaiah 41:9: "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." - He chose them but notice how it already said they were distant? He said they were distant and THEN chose them. So if it feels like a longshot, you don't believe or feel welcomed - know that no matter what happens, God loves you and has for your life and you should live in obedience to Him and let those plans unfold as you trust Him. Because He does want to reach us from the farthest of distances. Deuteronomy 4:29: "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Zechariah 1:3: "Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty." - God wants you to return and have fulfillment in Him, but are you holding anything back? A habit, addiction, feeling? You can return to God, He is forgiving, but you have to do this "with all your heart." He doesn't need you to be good enough - He needs you to be willing enough to let Him be your main pursuit with the time that remains. Deuteronomy 30:4: “Even from the farthest distance (mentally, spiritually, any type of distance) the Lord will bring you back from there.” Jonah 2:2: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in Hell I called for help, and you heard my cry.” - in your distress, in your Hell, God is there for you and will never give up on you. Deuteronomy 31:8: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” - He goes before you, He’s been in Hell for 3 days, He knows what darkness feels like and He’s with you even now, and He will never leave you or forsake you even in those darkest moments, even in the confusion and even when you can't feel it, or whatever the case may be - so don't be afraid or anxious, and don't be discouraged or depressed, because God is with you "wherever" you are, even from that farthest distance or the valley of the shadow of death - He walks with you. Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” - He doesn’t leave when things get tough, He’s “ever-present,” meaning He’s always there for you. It's just like Deuteronomy 4:29 says, "If from there." If from there, wherever it might be, because there is no distance that God won't go to bring you back. This is why it says in Deuteronomy 30:4 that even from the farthest distance, God wants to bring you back, and in Joel 2:12 it says even now, even after everything, return to the Lord with all your heart - so you can return, but do it “now” and “with all your heart” (hold nothing back).

In verse 22 of the story we actually hear that the crowd of religious Jews were completely listening to what Paul had to say, instead of the typical shouting between them as they were trying to suppress the Gospel that he was proclaiming - this time they are silent and are willing to listen. All of that UNTIL he proclaims salvation for the Gentiles (or, at least, he proclaims a dream he had where God promised to make a calling like this, to achieve salvation and the glorification of the glory of God, through Paul and his ministry). THIS is what is wrong with this crowd - they are selfish and hateful, only wanting salvation for themselves. And so, instead of reasoning and making points and arguments, they simply raise their voices - this is what's wrong with arguments and quarrels. They "shouted" - any conversation is over. Not only do they want him arrested, they want him dead, believing that he is "not fit to live" - this goes to show just how aggressive they are when it comes to their religious and personal beliefs in themselves and in who they are above others. The chaos continues into verse 23, as they are "shouting" and "throwing their cloaks (clothing) into the air," and even "flinging dust into the air." And so in verse 24 the commander, for the sake of Paul (a Roman citizen), and for the sake of the city (which is occupied by Rome - they have selfish intentions in all of this), puts Paul within those barracks, that Roman training area, so that they might communicate with him safely there. So Paul was flogged (which means beaten) and interrogated - they do not yet know that he is a Roman citizen, so they treat him like they would a Jew, and thus we see how hard it is for Jews to live in Rome, and what the racial tensions look like. As highlighted at the end of verse 24, all of this is done to find out why Paul is being mistreated by the crowds and causing chaos - they are trying to communicate with him and regain control of the city. Notice in verse 24 that the commander "directed" Paul to be flogged and beaten, not that any of it had actually happened yet. And so in verse 25, as Paul is stretched out and these things are about to take place, he reminds them that he is a Roman citizen and that to do this to him without reason (all they have is speculation based on the crowd) is illegal. In verse 28 it is revealed that while the Roman commander had to pay a great deal of money for his Roman citizenship, Paul did not have to do this, because Paul was actually born in Rome as a natural citizen. In verse 29 we see that they "immediately" withdrew from flogging him and became concerned for having put him in chains. This is how they treat him when they find out that he was born in Rome - nothing else has changed (including what brought them there). And so we see the racial tensions, the tensions between groups, that is in play in this culture and society. In verse 30, as Acts chapter 22 comes to an end, we see that the Roman commander wants to know why the Jews have such a hatred towards Paul, and so he commands (and he can make these orders, as they basically own the Jews) that all the religious priests and Jews assembled right there that day and explained it to him. He then, in closing, brings Paul in to stand in front of them.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 23 below.

Acts 23: 1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!” 5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’” 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” 12 The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.” 16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?” 20 He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.” 22 The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.” 23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.” 25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

COMMENTARY: In verse 1 we see that Paul, unafraid, looks "straight at" the assembly and even calls them "brothers" - this is probably from Paul's time in that assembly as a Pharisee. Despite all they have done and are doing to him, Paul remembers his roots and where he came from. He makes clear to them that not only has he fulfilled his duty to God, but that he has done it in good conscience up until this point. We see in verse 2 that Paul is mistreated by the main religious leader, the Jewish high priest. When Paul calls him a whitewashed wall, this is a reference to the same term that is used in the Old Testament to describe a wall that looks clean ("white washed") but is truly dirty and full of fungus and other diseases. Paul uses THIS terminology to describe the high priest - he looks and sounds great as a religious man, but ultimately the substance just isn't there. And so he tells him that though he mistreats him now, God will eventually make it right and mistreat HIM in eternity. Paul also makes the point that, by having him mistreated, he is violating the religious laws that he is trying to cling to. In verse 5 Paul references Exodus 22:28, which says to not speak evil about the ruler of "your" people (meaning that it applies to "you," the Israelites that the verse was written to and not all people). And so, with the words that Paul has just spoken, he has insulted the high priest, though he did not realize that he was the high priest, and so immediately when Paul realizes that he is the high priest he immediately treats him better and takes the disrespect of his statement back. Paul, being an intelligent man, probably did what he did in verses 6-8 intentionally, aligning himself with the Pharisees but not the Sadducees - a move that he certainly did to stir tension between the two groups that might result in his own freedom. And so in verse 9 we see that it's not just disagreement that Paul caused, but a "great uproar" throughout the city. Of course, the Pharisees defend Paul and take his side - remember that Paul was pitting the Pharisees and Sadducees against each other by taking the things that they disagreed on and choosing a side in those matters - Paul had grown up as a Pharisee, and so he took the side of the Pharisees, causing them to "vigorously" defend him in verse 9 (this was the only reason that he was stirring up trouble between them, to take the attention off of his arrest ad to put it on the people that were arresting him, so that they would be at conflict with one another and not with him. Notice that it wasn't every Pharisee that defended Paul but only "some of" them (as worded in verse 9), and this is probably even more beneficial for Paul - now not only is there division between the Pharisees and the Sadducees (2 of the religious groups trying to oppose him and his ministry), but now there is division amongst the Pharisees as to whether this man should be defended or not. Again this division is beneficial to Paul because before this division, these people were totally united in making attacks on Paul, and the only thing that would deter these attacks were the Romans, so for Paul to have a plan that ran deeper than needing their help, is beneficial to him. As verse 9 detailed, there was a "great" uproar amongst the people that had arrested Paul (and all of this is taking place in front of the Roman commander that had summonsed them to try to figure out why they were arresting Paul, making them and their case against Paul look bad in front of the Romans that had the power to charge Paul, which these Jewish religious people lacked). The Pharisees that defended Paul were so selfish and so desperate for people to take their position on religious issues that they went from persecuting this man to finding "nothing" wrong with him, and even posing that he may be a prophet of God that a spirit or angel has spoken to (in reference to what they consider outrageous - that he preaches Christ - they are now considering that he might be right, again all because he aligned himself with them which was all in pretense and they took the bait). And so we see that the Pharisees hatred for Jesus and for Paul doesn't run half as deep as it does their love for themselves. And so they give up on their religious stances and arguments (revealing just how weak that was in the first place, and that the true God was themselves), and they consider that Paul's preachings might have been right - this is something we need to be careful of, that the world will believe and take our message more seriously if we tell them what they want to hear. The dispute, the religious affair between the 2 sides becomes so violent that the commander has Paul moved back to the barracks - this happens a lot when it comes to religious conversations. Verse 11 brings the entire story into focus, a great conclusion for this part of the story: that God has affirmed Paul's journey into Rome, and is strengthening him, as He will be with him and wants him to go into Rome to testify about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When immediately see in verse 12 that the Jews so desperately desire to kill Paul that, for extra motivation and certainty, they promise amongst themselves not to even eat or drink until they have killed him. Verse 13 details that more than forty men were involved in this plot. Much like when Jesus fed the crowd of "five thousand men" with only a few loaves and fishes, know that ancient accounts did not include the counts of women and children, so while there were certainly 40 men plotting against Paul, there were probably more than 40 people that are involved in this plot against him. Of course, powerless, these people go to the religious Jewish chief priests looking for help. And, again, the chief priests need Rome ("petitio the commander") in order to achieve anything - but this time they aren't looking for Rome's direct help in opposing Paul, they are simply looking for the Romans to send Paul their way and then they could kill him in cold blood, regardless of if it is legal and if there would be repercussions (probably from the Romans, as they would be murdering a Roman citizen in Paul) or not. And so, in verse 16 a young boy overhears this plot (he was probably within hearing range, as they are all Jews and can all speak the same language and go to the same places), and Paul then asks in verse 17 that one of the soldiers (centurions) brings the young man to the Roman commander, likely so that he can take actions against this plot, which he does eventually do after listening to the young man and telling him not to tell anyone that they have spoken about this in verse 22 (this is probably because none of the information was provable, and there was no need to make unnecessary enemies with the religious Jews, so this Roman commander - a politician at heart - planned to take action and have Paul transferred, but privately). And so we so that God is with us even when we are at our most vulnerable and lowest point. Psalm 139:8: "If I ascend to the Heavens, you are there, yet even when I dwell in the depths you are there." - He's there for you no matter what you're going through. Matthew 1:23: "He will be called Immanuel (which means "God with us")." - God is with you. No matter where you are, that's where He is - with you. Deuteronomy 31:8: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will NEVER leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” So don’t be afraid or anxious, and don't be discouraged or depressed, because no matter where we go and what we go through, God will be with us "wherever" we go and He will "be with you." Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you WHEREVER you go.” Psalm 23:4: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." - so even in the deepest hardships and darkness God is with us. But the verse said, "even though I walk," so we must walk through these things, and we know that God walks with us, so we live our everyday walk with God in a way that invites His presence, living for Him and encouraging Him to be in our lives. Psalm 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” - He doesn’t leave when things get tough, He’s “ever-present,” meaning He’s always there for you. 2 Peter 1:19: "The Word of God is completely reliable and lights up the dark." Psalm 119:105: "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path." - so it shows you which way to walk in with your everyday life so that you can get closer to God. 1 Kings 20:28: "Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord." - He's not just God when things are easy - He's God through the difficulties and uncertainties. He's God when you're going through it. He's God when you can't understand, when you feel hopeless. He's not just God when you're on the hills up top celebrating, He's also God when you're in the valley struggling. Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - do not fear OR be dismayed. A lot of people will look at this verse and immediately think "anxiety, don't be afraid" - yes, but that's not the entirety of it. There's more. Don't be dismayed either. Don't be depressed (which is kind of the same thing as dismayed/unhappy because things in your life went a different direction than the one you preferred). Joshua 1:9 says almost the same thing as this verse, telling us, "Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." So no matter what you go through, don't give way to fear/anxiety or dismay/discouragement/depression, because we know that no matter what we go through God is with us - we ARE going somewhere, God DOES have plans for our lives and plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11 word for word). No matter what we go through, even the valley of the shadow of death, we can walk through it, because we know that He walks with us (Psalm 23:4). It's not that things are easy. The reasoning that Isaiah 41:10 gives for us to not fear or be dismayed isn't "because I'll make everything easy" - no it's "for I am your God and will strengthen you." In Joshua 1:9 it's "because the Lord your God goes with you wherever you go." In Psalm 23:4 it's "because He walks with you." So it's not that things are easy - the walk is still hard, there is good reason to face feelings of fear and discouragement, anxiety/depression, but ultimately we don't need an easier walk we need to lean on God through the difficult walk that we do have.

Back in our story in verses 23 and 24 we see that the Roman commander, in response to learning of the plot against Paul, will send Paul security and will have Roman guards (200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen, to be specific) escort Paul, who they will provide "horses" to ride on (the plurality of the word implies that Paul is able to use the second and any other horses to bring either friends or supplies, as he would only need one horse to ride on and the verse said "horses"). We see that the Roman commander takes the security of Paul VERY seriously, as he sends almost 500 men to guard him. The make their journey to the city of Caesarea "at nine tonight," showing that they are intentionally leaving in the dark and at night so as to be hidden and lessen the chances of attack (the Jewish conspirators would be sleeping and unable to attack Paul, who by the way is probably disguised on a horse while he is surrounded by the other 70 horsemen and 470 men total). We see in verse 24 that the objective behind all of this is to bring Paul "safely" to the Governor Felix, who the Roman commander then writes a letter to in the verses that follow. In verse 26 we learn that the name of the Roman commander is "Claudius Lysias," as this is how he identifies himself when he begins his letter to Felix. We see the arrogance and selfishness of Claudius Lysias (the Roman commander), as he claims in verse 27 to have "rescued" Paul "because I had learned" that he is a Roman citizen - so Claudius is taking credit for rescuing Paul, and for being the one to learn that Paul is a Roman citizen (whether Paul needed his help is questionable, and it is factual that while he did "learn of" Paul's citizenry, he was not the one to discover it) - not only is he taking credit for these things, but he is also positioning himself as the Roman hero when he claims to do these great things "because Paul is a Roman citizen." So basically: the great Claudius rescued Paul, the Roman citizen, from a Jewish mob - this is the story that is being told just 1 verse into this letter (remember that in this Roman world, commanders and other military officials are often politicians that need to be voted in, so as Claudius has the opportunity to write a letter to Felix, a man with more power, this arrogance and politicking is behavior that we should expect but still avoid in our own everyday lives). Similar arrogance (painting himself as the hero) is seen from Claudius in verses 28-30 as he claims "I wanted to know why they accused him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin" (he did not, he simply had the Sanhedrin come to him, but in this version of the story he looks like a competent and hard working problem solver) - also "I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment" (again emphasizing the details that make him look good, when all he needed to do in this letter was detail to Felix why he was sending Paul's case his way) - finally "when I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once" (the words "at once" are untrue, as they waited until 9 that night, but again the story that Claudius tells makes him seem like a hero). And so, in a political way, the Roman commander Claudius explains to Felix why he is sending Paul (guided by Roman security) his way for Felix to hear his case. In verses 31-33 we see that both Paul and the letter from Claudius make it safely to the Governor Felix. In verse 35, as Acts chapter 23 comes to an end, we see that Felix is ordering that Paul be kept safe until his case is heard (Felix will need time before he can begin hearing the case).

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 24 below.

Acts 24: 1 Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly. 5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. [7] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.” 9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true. 10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. 17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin - 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’” 22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs. 24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. 27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

COMMENTARY: Right away in verse 1 we see that as Paul's trial and case begins, the religious Jews (led by the high priest, Ananias) are coming against Paul and trying to prove him guilty of something (and, setting up for a David and Goliath story, the religious Jews even have a lawyer to help them present their charges, whereas Paul is too poor for this). Again remember that all of this, this case and this process, is all happening "before the Governor" Felix. And so we see in verse 2 that as the case begins, the lawyer is trying to flatter and befriend the Governor, by thanking him for his great leadership (remember that it is Roman officials like Felix that made life so hard for the Jews - this lawyer clearly just wanted to win - a true lawyer at heart). Agan in verse 5 wee a pattern: as badly as the Jews hate Paul and would love to punish or kill him, they have no power, and so they must submit to the Romans (which is the reason that they called Paul a "troublemaker" that "stirs up riots among the Jews" and "leads the Nazarenes" (a religious group that are Jews). In all these ways they accused Paul of being against Rome and being in opposition to its power - the closest these Jews came to opposing Paul without Rome's help was when they tried to kill him, but the Roman commander gave him security - and so these religious Jews are seeing that these Romans aren't going to go away, and that the easiest way to pacify them would be to side with them - and so they paint Paul (falsely, I might add) as this Jewish troublemaker that it would be in the best interests of Rome to silence - this is what the lawyer and his religious Jewish clients were trying to do. While this is a sound strategy, the Roman Governor Felix will know that they are up to know good and corrupt if their only strategy is to defend Rome (as a Jew would obviously never do so) - they needed real dirt on Paul, a real reason to hate him, otherwise they would not have Felix's respect for this being a serious case - and so we see in verse 6 that they lie about Paul claiming that he would destroy the Jewish Temple - it now makes sense, if these claims were true (and they are not) why the Jewish people hated Paul so much and were pursuing his death all throughout this case and this entire story/situation. Now, after that, Felix can respect their case and take it much more seriously than before, now that there is a true motive for the Jews to do what they are doing. The Bible was collected and composed in many different ancient manuscripts (there isn't just one random book somewhere, which goes to show just how true and accurate the Bible really can be). With that being said, there are going to be times when those ancient manuscripts will struggle to line up and be consistent with one another. This is why our main manuscript does not include any words for verse 7, but does include the fact that many other manuscripts include words such as (staring from verse 6): "And so we seized him, and we would have judged him in accordance with our law. 7 But the commander Lysias came and took him from us with much violence, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you." - with all this in mind, the entire controversy spirals when we see what this lawyer is saying against Paul "for this judge and for our judicial system." In verses 8 and 9 the lawyer and other Jewish people try to claim that there is truth in what they are saying, though whether the Governor believes them or not is not at all indicated. In verse 10 the Apostle Paul begins to speak for himself, defending and representing himself. He also compliments the Governor as he gets going with his defense. Remember that as he speaks, he will be tasked with responding to the accusations that they have just made against him. In verse 11 Paul begins not by making an opinionated statement, but by giving a verifiable fact: that 12 days ago (very specific), he went into Jerusalem to worship. His ministry was a form of worship towards God. And so we see the truth of what Paul was doing: he's not the murderer that everyone is describing, but rather a worshiper - this is what Paul doubles down on in verse 12. He makes the very important point in verse 13 that his accusers "cannot prove" the things they are saying, while in verse 11 Paul says of his own story that "you can easily verify it." - this is all going to be very important in the hearing of Paul's case. In verse 14, Paul refers to Christianity as a "way." This is a reference to John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father God in Heaven except through me." So Jesus is THE way, the only way to Heaven - so Paul calls Christianity a way, while the Jews simply believe it is a section of a religion (the irony of Jews seeing Christianity that way is hilarious). And in verse 14 Paul is outright and straightforward about the things that he says and the things that he believes: "I worship God, I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law (the Old Testament's religious Law of Moses) and that is written in the Prophets (the prophetic books and promises and words of the Bible)." Paul makes the point in verse 15 that he actually believes in the same God that these religious Jews believe in, and he makes the point that he has the same hopes for eternity that they do. The difference between Paul and his opponents is verse 16: Paul keeps a clean conscience before God and men, whereas these other men simply do as they please and rely squarely not on how they live but on their belief in God. The "absence" that Paul refers to in verse 17 is the couple of years in which Paul was traveling the world, and so there was some time in between his trips to Jerusalem. Again, led by details, he makes smaller points (I was ceremonially clean, I was there to bring offerings, there was no crowd, etc.) - all of this makes the point that he truly was not there to be behind any sort of disturbance but to do his ministry work. In verse 21 Paul makes the point that his testifying to the good news of God's grace, to the Gospel, is no crime at all, and so he says that the only charge they could bring against him is that he is on trial "concerning the resurrection of the dead" which is no real crime at all. In verse 22 we learn that the Governor Felix is actually familiar with the way, with Christianity. Having heard both sides, in verse 23 Felix makes clear that "when Lysias the commander comes, then I will make my decision." He then orders the solder (centurion) to keep Paul safe, while also having his friends take care of his needs - Paul is kept safe under Roman guard, and his needs are taken care of at the moment - he is simply waiting for the Roman commander Lysias to show up so that he can hear Governor Felix's decision towards his case.

And so we see in verse 24 that Felix comes back "several" days later, with his wife Drusilla, a Jewish woman. The fact that Felix married a Jewish woman probably meant that he was familiar with Jewish culture and understood the traditions - he was the Governor and a Roman official, so he could have chosen probably anyone as his wife, and he chose this Jewish woman. Notice the other half of verse 24: Paul is using his trial, his case, and the publicity that follows, to use it as an opportunity to spread the message about the Gospel and about faith in Jesus Christ. This is the story that we have been following from the beginning of these series of writings and chapters, and this is the mission that God has put on Paul's heart. Notice, though, that when Paul finished talking about being saved and forgiven and the general Gospel and the eternal life (the basics of Christianity), when in verse 25 Paul begins talking about the things that require effort on the human's part (things like righteousness and self-control and the judgment that is coming on those who lack these things) - right as Paul begins to talk about these things, Felix sends him away, only willing to hear a positive and effortless message. That's most Christians today. That's why there are almost 3 billion people worldwide who "believe" in the Christian God - as did Felix (probably), and certainly as did Satan (who KNEW that Jesus is God). The reason that 3 billion people believe while only a few are genuine is because most of us take this same approach that Felix takes - we use our power (our free will of our lives, just as Felix had power as the Governor to either listen to Paul or dismiss him - when it comes to Christ we have this same power to live for Him or just "believe" and not live it out) - Felix used his power to fade away into a common, watered down, religious relationship with God, much like the Jewish people that have been persecuting Paul and Jesus all throughout the New Testament up to this point. We must do better than this, being fully devoted to God and willing to make the sacrifices that He calls us to make, willing to get rid of the things that He calls us to get rid of, or to take up the things that He calls us to take up (whether by personal revelation - where God puts it on your heart or mind, or by general revelation - according to the general practices and teachings of the Bible). This is why Jesus spoke so negatively of lukewarm Christians - they are neither devoted fully nor are they completely outside of the faith - they just sort of "exist," and are partially devoted. To use an analogy from sports, you can't win half of your regular season games and then win the championship. This is not to say that righteousness and self control are the MAIN basis through which we are saved (this is by grace through faith, a gift from God - Ephesians 2:8-9) - however, if with the time that remains we don't seek the Lord with all our hearts, then how can we stand before Him when the time of judgment comes and expect or even ask to be rewarded? Even the criminal that was crucified next to Jesus, a lifelong sinner, sought the Lord in his dying moments and was able to enter Paradise with Jesus (Luke 23:39-43) - this is NOT to say that we can wait until the last moment, however, as this would be a sign to God that we are just trying to make it to Heaven and not truly devoted to Him (and it was the sinner's devotion to God, NOT his personal desire to attain Heaven, that motivated Jesus to accept him into heaven).

The greatest and easiest way to know that you are living in sin like this, living like Felix, is the concept of comfort. The barrier of your faith, the bounds that you will not go past, will be your comfort. You will follow God and believe in Him and do this and that - until you are outside your comfort zone (for example, He calls you to give up pornography and lust, and you keep falling into it - you are living in comfort). This is why Felix was able to say to Paul that he would send for him "when I find it convenient" - this is all going to be based on convenience. Don't do things on the basis of how convenient it is for you, but on the basis of if it honors God and is good for your faith, if it is something that Jesus would do and is calling you towards - the ultimate mark of faith is living THIS out in your everyday life.

What does “following God” look like in my everyday life? Luke 9:23-24: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themself and take up their cross daily and follow me. Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it." So look at the wording. Whoever WANTS to be my disciple (He said this to His disciples, so being religious clearly doesn't save you). And it's daily. Deny yourself, follow God instead in your everyday life, take up your cross DAILY. If you try to keep life the way you want it here on Earth, then you lose it eternally. However, like Jesus, if you are willing to give your life up and follow God with it and in all that you do, then you will be saved eternally. So deny yourself. Want this, want to be His disciple, and take up your cross, whatever it may be, each and every day. This is a way of life, and this way of life is life itself. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Follow Him. Matthew 4:19: "Follow me." - you can't follow Him where He doesn't go, and if you're following Him then you have to go where He does go. So go where He calls you to. Give up what He calls you to give up. Do what needs to be done and break the habits of living for yourself - live for God and follow Him in all your ways in your everyday life. Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” - so if you have to follow your heart, make sure your heart follows Jesus above all else. - Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Joshua 24:15: “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether God or another.” - this day, in your everyday life, not tomorrow or later on. Titus 2:11-12: "The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." - so right now in your everyday life, in "this present age," we live our lives for Christ by following His Words, saying yes and no to the right and wrong things at the right times as He and His Words guide us.

As Acts chapter 24 comes to an end, we see the corruption of the Roman Governor Felix (who, for no real reason, waits two full years and still doesn't make a decision on the case): he sends for Paul to speak to him about the faith often, but not so that he could hear about Jesus and the Words of Scripture or grow in his faith - he was simply doing it in the hopes that Paul might try to bribe him (as detailed in verse 26). In verse 27 we see that Felix will no longer be in office, so in one final move he chooses to do the Jewish crowd a political favor by keeping Paul in prison (which prevents him from ministering to and reaching others around the world for Christ, which is all that these Jewish people wanted) until the case will be heard by the next Governor, a man named Porcius Festus.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 25 below.

Acts 25: 1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.” 6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. 8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?” 10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” 13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.” 23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

COMMENTARY: As Acts chapter 25 begins, we see that Festus (the new Governor, replacing Felix, as this is a political position) has entered the province and is greeted by the Jewish people that are bringing charges against Paul - this may seem like a normal situation when they ask that Paul be transferred to Jerusalem, but we see that (again) they are planning to ambush him during the potential transportation of Paul to Jerusalem (the city where most of these Jewish people lived). They knew that killing him in ambush after asking that he be transferred would absolutely put a stain on their reputation and probably (since Paul is a Roman citizen, having been born there) would have caused the Romans to slaughter or at least punish these and probably ALL Jews - the fact that the Jews were willing to go through with this shows that it wasn't them working against Paul (as it was no longer in their best interests to do so, since he was a Roman citizen), but Satan working through them against the work of Christ that Paul was doing all throughout the world - in the same way, Satan works in us in our everyday lives to try to keep us from getting closer to Jesus and to His ways. As the story carries on, Festus denies their request since he was already on his way to the place that Paul was currently in - this was the work of God, keeping Paul alive and safe from harm (any transportation of Paul from place to place would have put him at risk). And Paul, having been a former persecutor of the Christian faith and Church (when he went by the name Saul) is being fought and threatened by the same Pharisees and religious leaders that he once shared fellowship and a common goal with - this is my ultimate warning against prostitution and drugs and swearing and the pursuit of money above God, and all types of sin: once you stop following Satan, he will persecute and hate (and, in Hell, torture) you as if you never did. You should never align yourself with Satan or sinful ways, as the consequences simply are not worth it.

In verse 6, the number of days is uncertain - this does not call into question the accuracy of the Bible whatsoever. The author of Acts is Luke, one of the followers of Jesus who was not a disciple. The stories he is writing about are being written based on what the eyewitnesses (he was not an eyewitness but a doctor who had the intelligence and resources to write this account) were telling him. So the fact that whoever was relaying the story to him didn't know how many days that Festus spent with the Jews (a gathering that the Christian eyewitnesses were likely barred from attending) - this clearly is a meaningless detail, and the fact that the author admits that it could have been either 8 or 10 but that he was unsure, this honesty only builds the case of the accuracy and historical strength of this and all Bible passages, even the ones like this that seem to raise question.

The fact that, as verse 6 points out, Festus spent a lengthy amount of time with these rich Jewish people (that could afford a lawyer, remember) and not one moment with Paul (which is untrue of Felix, the former Governor, who spoke with Paul "frequently" - Acts 24:26) is discouraging and points to potential corruption in this case. In verse 7, the Jewish people that are accusing Paul begin to bring "many" charges (accusations) against him that are "serious," though ultimately they are unable to prove these things. In verse 8 Paul makes clear that he fully believes in his innocence, that he is not at all in the wrong in anything that he has done. In verse 9 we see that, just like Felix, Festus wants to do the crowd of Jewish religious people a favor - remember that, though they are judges and have other duties, they are also politicians, and they will ultimately do what is in their best interests. Festus tries to do the Jews a favor by asking Paul if he is willing to go to Jerusalem for this case - this would allow the Jews to ambush Paul (though Festus does not know about that), and Paul replies quickly in verse 10 by making clear that he will not go to Jerusalem but will remain where he is for this case. He also makes clear in verse 10 that he has done no wrong, and that Festus "knows" this - the fact that he is still entertaining this case and trying to earn favor with the Jews shows that there are political motives at play in all of this. The Romans were not a very highly religious or faith-based society - they had their own gods and religion, but these were not the main reason that they oppressed the teachings of Christ - it was their atheistic, materialistic, selfish worldviews and lifestyles (the ones that we still see in the west, particularly America, today) that would often clash with the ways and teachings of Jesus. In verse 11 Paul even says that if he were guilty of the death that the Jews are saying he deserves, if he were truly guilty of that, then he would be willing to die, but that he is totally innocent, and that if the Jews are falsely accusing him (which they are), then nobody has any right (in this Roman world, with Paul being a Roman citizen) to deliver Paul over to them and to their desires to persecute him and his teachings (which Festus is trying to do). Realizing the corruption of Festus, Paul appeals his case to Caesar in verse 11 - this is the ultimate Roman authority, and the case would take place in Rome (which is why, after Acts, the story shifts to book of Romans, as Paul writes a letter to the Christian Church in Rome). This would be the equivalent of an American having their case heard in the Supreme Court - there is no higher authority on Earth at this time than Caesar, and so Paul appeals the case to him so that he can bring the Christian teaching to an even greater publicity than ever before. In verse 12, Festus grants the request of Paul and sends him to Caesar for his case.

We see in verse 13 that a Roman King named Agrippa and his wife Bernice have arrived in that city (Caesarea) to pay their respects to their fellow Roman politician Festus. Verse 14 implies that, since they were spending so much time together, the case of Paul must have come up at some point, as Festus talks to them about it. In verses 14-21, he explains the case of Paul to them (and much like previous Roman officials, he uses language that benefits himself in his description, such as that "I did not delay" when truly he sort of did). In verse 19 he is referring to Paul's teaching, and the Christian belief, that "God's not dead." That Jesus Christ is still alive today and at work all around the world and foremost in our hearts, in our everyday lives here today in all that we do. In verse 20 Festus pretends that he tried to send Paul to Jerusalem because he didn't know how to judge the case, but truthfully he was just trying to do the Jews a favor - as a Roman politician, he would pretty much never defer a case to another judge - to make a decision, one way or another, was always of benefit to his political career. And so he lies, trying to make himself look good in front of the King. Notice also in verse 22 that Festus tries to appease the King by IMMEDIATELY granting his request, promising that he will hear Paul (since he has asked) "tomorrow."

And so, in verse 23 we see that, the very next day, the King and his wife make a grand entrance into the court room where they are accompanied by the other politicians ("high-ranking military officials") and other influential ("prominent") men from that city. In verse 24, we see that the stakes are indeed high: the Jews are petitioning that Paul be killed, that he "no longer live." - they rejected the teachings of Christ in their everyday lives, and so they wished to put Paul (a preacher of Christ) to death. Not only are they pursuing this, but we see in verse 24 that they are "shouting" it out. In verse 25 Festus makes clear that he has found Paul innocent and would have ruled the case this way, but that since Paul has appealed to have Caesar see the case, the case will be sent to Caesar - so we see that Paul could have been released, but is opting to continue the trial. The reason he does this is because he has been called by God to preach the Gospel and reach others for Christ, and this publicity is a great opportunity to reach both the hateful Jews and also the entire world (Romans and others) that will be immersed in this case - there is increased publicity, so Paul selflessly lays himself down for the glory of God. Paul does not seek credit or personal gain - if he did, he would have tried to have his name cleared and the case dropped. In the same way, we are called to be selfless and put God's glory ahead of our own. Remember that there is a lawyer working against Paul, so the fact that he had the opportunity to be cleared, and didn't take it, goes to show just how selfless he is being, given that he has a much lower chance of winning this case since there is a lawyer working against him. In verse 26, Festus admits that, while he has yet to find any guilt in Paul, he still has nothing definite or decisive to say either way, and so he reveals that there is going to be an investigation (this hearing that they are all gathered for) so that he will have something to say and to write about when he refers Paul to Caesar (he would do so with a written legal note to Caesar, which would include the details of the case - for example, Caesar wouldn't know that Paul is a Roman citizen, and so Festus will say that in his writing - this current hearing, this current investigation is taking place so that more details can be discovered and written - all of this is designed to save Caesar's time). All of this is affirmed, as Acts 25 comes to an end, when in verse 27 Festus says that "I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome (to Caesar) without specifying the charges against him.” - this is probably to earn favor with Caesar.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 26 below.

Acts 26: 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities. 12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen - 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” 24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.” 25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.” 28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” 29 Paul replied, “Short time or long - I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” 30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

COMMENTARY: Right away in verse 1, we see that this is in fact a legal hearing - the fact that Paul needs to be granted permission before being able to speak illustrates that this is a serious legal hearing and that the investigation is underway, as Paul is given permission to speak. In verse 3 Paul makes clear that, just as was the case with Felix, King Agrippa is "well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies," and so he asks Agrippa to listen to him "patiently" (implying that he will not be short or brief when he speaks) - the fact that Paul refers to them as "controversies" goes to show that these religious methods and practices do, in fact, distance people from God. Think about it: does the method in which you pray, the day on which you celebrate, etc. - would someone with a God-honoring mind and heart and everyday life, that has a full devotion to him, but is mistaken in terms of these religious details - would God really reject that type of person and accept the people, like these religious Jews, that get all the religious details right but are clearly distant from the Lord in their mind and heart and everyday life? In this way, these religious ways and mindsets truly are "controversies" that make faith and relationship with God complicated. This isn't intended to advocate blasphemy and religious carelessness - these religious things, and doing them correctly, are intended to be a reflection of your effort level and devotion towards God, not an enemy against it - these things should go hand in hand and not oppose one another. And so, in verse 4, he does begin to speak as Agrippa listens to him.

In just the first verse of his address, Paul says a lot. In verse 4 he makes the point that, as this sham trial carries on, the truth of how he has lived his life (well, with integrity, etc.) is obvious even to the Jews that are trying to charge him. Paul also makes his Roman citizenship clear again by saying that he has done this "in my own country and ALSO in Jerusalem." He makes clear that he was "in his own country" at the beginning of his life - this is to say that, more than anything, he was born in Rome, but that as time went on he has continued and continued to travel all throughout the entire world to preach the Gospel of Jesus and spread the message of hope. In verse 5 Paul makes it clear that these Jewish people that now persecute him "have known me for a long time" (as there have been many altercations and legal hearings), and that, if they were willing, they would testify and admit that Paul once conformed to the strictest portion of the Jewish religion, living as a religious Pharisee and spreading that message, one of religious Law and dominance, to the entire world - this is the man that Paul was before his name (and life) was changed from Saul to Paul. Paul even makes clear that it is because of the hope that he has in God, a hope very similar to that of the Jewish people that are persecuting him - because of this hope, Paul is saying, he will face trials and accusations of all kinds. This just goes to show that it's not so much the Jewish people that are persecuting him, but the Devil is working through those Jewish people to do so. The Devil hates the work and Name of Jesus that Paul is preaching and spreading throughout the world, and so he does all that he can (which is very little) to stop what Paul is doing - but remember (and these words are written by Paul) - "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). And God has made it abundantly clear to Paul through visions and by putting it on his heart and through other methods, that God is certainly for him and will be with him - and so God has continued to affirm Paul's preachings and continue to encourage them, to continue to encourage Paul to speak and preach about Jesus all throughout the world. When in verse 7 Paul makes the claim that the Jews are trying to persecute him "because" of this hope, what he means is this: their belief in the Savior, the "promise" that the twelve Tribes of Israel are waiting on" - this is why they persecute him, because he preaches that Jesus is this Savior and the fulfillment of the Biblical promises, whereas the Jews do not believe such things, and are persecuting him because they believe it to be a false teaching. Therefore, he is literally on trial BECAUSE of their specific hope in God and how it clashes with his. One of the main issues that Judaism has with Christianity is the belief that Jesus was raised from the dead - the Jews believe in God, but not in Jesus - and so Paul makes the point in verse 8 that if they believe in God, then it is not unreasonable for them to believe in Jesus as well (because the God that they do believe in is totally capable of doing the miracles through Jesus that they do not believe in). This is why, to the Jews that are not yet ready to accept Him in their hearts, Jesus says in John 14:1: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me."

In verses 9-11 the Apostle Paul describes his former lifestyle in which he, as a Pharisee, would oppose the teachings and preaching of Jesus Christ. He would receive approval from the highest ranking religious officials (the chief priests) to enter cities and pursue and arrest people that followed Jesus (who he refers to in verse 10 as the "Lord," affirming the doctrine of the Trinity) - he would arrest these people and throw them into prison, where they were put to death (and he even admits that, when it was time to decide whether or not to kill them, that he would vote against them, making him not a direct murderer but still responsible for the murder of many - keep this backstory of killing believers in mind as Paul is now reaching many for Christ, this is a showing of God's redemptive work in the heart of a man that thought he was doing things the right, religious way, and all of us need this work here today). In verse 11 Paul clarifies that he did this act of persecution "many" times, and that he would go from "one synagogue to another" to intentionally have these believers punished - he was so obsessed (and when he uses the word obsessed, we know that it is no longer his human interest but the work of Satan in his heart and life that is fueling this work) - he was so obsessed that would entice these people to sin and say blasphemous words (much like what the Devil does, trying to make the innocent guilty), so that they could be charged with crimes and punished - he was so obsessed with persecuting Christians that he would hunt them down in foreign cities. In verse 12 we again learn that Paul is supported by the religious leaders when he does this - religion will not stop you from living a sinful life and from knowing, but not being close to, God. 

In verses 12-18, the Apostle Paul describes to King Agrippa and all those present at the hearing the story of his conversion to Christianity: he was on the road to another city to do more of Satan's work (persecuting Christians and deterring many from the Christian faith), when a light blinded him and a voice spoke from Heaven, asking "why do you persecute me" - in verse 15 it is made clear that the voice is Jesus, who Paul was persecuting - this shows that Jesus is God, and in this moment Paul realizes that he was not opposing a false teacher or a false Messiah, but God Himself in the human flesh (Matthew 1:23, Colossians 2:9) - this is the same realization that Jews and Muslims and people of all religions must come to. Jesus then makes clear to Paul that, while keeping him safe from the threat of Jews and Gentiles alike ("I will save you from them"), Jesus is calling Paul to speak and preach the Gospel of Jesus to these people (that is, to the whole world). In verse 18 Jesus makes clear to Paul that He is having Paul do this so that these people that Paul preaches to may "open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" - this is the work that, in this conversion story from persecutor to preacher, Jesus does in the heart and life of Paul.

You may wonder what the meaning of verse 14 is, that "It is hard for you to kick against the goads." The word "goad" represented a sharp thing, like a spike, that would be used to make animals either speed up or change direction - a lot like whipping a horse. If you read 1 Samuel 13:21 and Ecclesiastes 12:11, the only other places that "goad" appears in the NIV Bible, both verses describe the word "goad" in a way that supports this. So naturally, if the animal were to KICK against the spike, that would hurt even more than if the rider simply hit the animal. So what did God mean by this? That Saul (who eventually converted and let Jesus change his life - he was then known as the Apostle Paul) was "kicking against the goads." God was basically telling Saul, a lot like the rider would make clear to the animal, that he WILL change directions, and that by resisting it (which, in this story that he tells in Acts 26, he was in the process of doing as he was living in sin and persecuting the Christian church), he was "kicking the spike." Delaying the inevitable. God's work in his life was inevitable because God used him to write almost half of the New Testament and lead the Early Christian Church. And in Jeremiah 29:11 we hear from God that "my plan is to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future." So if God has good plans for us and our future (eternity), and if it requires that we make sacrifices and live according to the Words of the Bible, then why would we resist that by living in sin? Whether it's porn, vaping, swearing, losing your patience, bad habits, or whatever it may be, stop kicking against the goad, because given our free will, God won't force us to turn directions, and we may be eternally plunging ourselves into Hell just in how we live today. But if it's free will, then why was Saul's change "inevitable"? God said that because He KNEW that Saul would change, not because He FORCED him to - in the passages that follow, Saul CHOOSES to follow Jesus with all his heart. Do the same. Hold nothing back in your mind and heart and in your everyday life.

As Paul continues to walk Agrippa through this story, he explains in verse 19 that he obeyed the vision (in which he heard the voice) that he had received from Heaven, and so in verse 20 he makes clear that he then traveled on to Damascus (the journey he was originally on to persecute Christians, though now he has changed his goal and will go there to PREACH - God can change your everyday life without dramatically changing where you are or what your circumstances are, you simply have to be willing to change what you're doing and willing to do) - he then (as instructed by the voice, by God) traveled on to Jerusalem (where all the Jews are), and then to the rest of "all Judea," and then to the Gentiles, and in doing so he "preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds" - he was already a religious man, but clearly he hadn't turned to God in terms of his deeds and his everyday life, and God made this clear to him, and so he took it to heart and went out and preached this message to the rest of the world as well. He then made clear in verse 21 that THIS, this new preaching about Jesus, is the reason that these Jewish leaders oppressed him and tried to kill him (so that he could do this work no longer - this was the Devil's goal as he worked through these people, of which Paul was once one). In verse 22 Paul makes clear that God has been helping and protecting him through this journey and through this persecution (he certainly could not have done it on his own), and that, to both the small (religiously, socially, culturally, physically, and in all ways - remember that he is using this trial as an opportunity to spread the message about Jesus) - to both the small and the great, Paul is testifying about the faith. He makes clear that the persecutions that he is now facing have been spoken about and predicted in the Old Testament ("what the prophets and Moses said would happen" - they often wrote about the mistreatment of God's work and God's workers, which we clearly see as the Jews persecute Paul and the Christian faith), and in verse 23 Paul even specifies what specifically from the Old Testament is taking place: "that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead (which we early established the Jews do NOT believe in), would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles (which, being selfish, the Jews also do not like and will not believe in).” In verses 26 and 27, Paul makes clear that he is confident that King Agrippa believes in these things that Paul is saying, but in verse 28 he is met by the reality check that many Christians are met by when they are trying to evangelize and spread the message to others: No. King Agrippa does not, and is not a Christian. At least not YET. This is why Agrippa specifies that it is unreasonable "that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian.” It takes time. Paul has just poured his heart out explaining his testimony and explaining the Gospel and what Jesus can do in your heart and in your everyday life, and Paul couldn't have done any better, but still: No. This is the difficult reality check that many Christians are hit with, but this is what's key: "In such a short time" - Agrippa did not rule out the possibility of eventually becoming a Christian, but just that he was not YET willing to do so. In the same way, when someone in your life is not yet willing to turn to Christ, this is what you have to change: Nothing. Like I said, Paul had poured his heart out, and there was really nothing he could have done to improve, so when Agrippa indicates "not yet," Paul shouldn't change a thing. Don't get frustrated when people won't turn to Christ, and don't become preachy either - pray for them and let God move in their heart, if they will accept it. Remember that "Love is patient and kind" - so remain patient with these people, and let your kindness and accuracy in preaching the Gospel remain the same as well. It takes time.

And so, in response, Paul can say: Acts 26:29: "Short time or long - I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” He said every word for a very specific purpose. "Short time or long" because it's ok if it takes others longer to come to Christ, just trust God's plan and do the best that you can in the meantime to be Christlike (this is what Paul was doing during his trial, showing Jesus to the world not just through words but through actions). Psalm 27:14: "Wait for the Lord, be strong, take heart, and wait for the Lord." Isaiah 60:22: "When the time is right, I, the Lord, will do it." He also said "I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening." The details of this are important. He prayed. Pray for these people. Not just the ones in your life, but everyone ("not just you but all who are listening"). James 5:16: "Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Mark 9:29: "This kind can come out only by prayer." - sometimes, more than us preaching, others need us praying! He also said that he desires the people "to become what I am, except for these chains." Why is this significant? He was an apostle of Jesus with great character and Biblical knowledge, and God was working in his life - it's not arrogant to recognize this and desire it for others. The thing he said he wouldn't wish for others were his chains - his ministry often got him in trouble. A lot like how our faith in Jesus is often opposed by lust and worldly desires - we wouldn't wish the chains and persecutions on others, but we endure them in order to help others reach Christ. 1 Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” - "life" came before "doctrine" - how you live your life is more important than beliefs, and in both (your beliefs and your everyday life, which the Jews had only mastered half of) - in BOTH you can "save" both yourself and those around you.

In verses 30 and 31, we see that not only Agrippa and the Governor and his wife (Festus and Bernice), but ALSO "those around them" (as we established earlier, this was the high-ranking Roman military officials and the other influential men of the city) - we see in verses 30 and 31 that ALL of these people believe Paul to be innocent - and so, as Acts 26 comes to a close, in verse 32 King Agrippa makes clear that "this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.” Paul could have been freed, but he wasn't seeking his own freedom (if he was, he could have very easily avoided all of this by surrendering or by having never preached Christ to begin with - it is obvious that he wasn't seeking his own freedom because he could have very easily attained it). Instead, he is seeking the freedom of those around him (spiritual and eternal freedom), and so he selflessly and riskily ENSURES that his case (in which his life is at risk) will CONTINUE so that he can use the publicity to reach others for Christ with both the basic and deeper truths of the Gospel (both of which he has so far and will continue to preach). Paul putting his life at risk like this is similar to when Jesus accepted his own death on the cross so that others could be forgiven of their sins and spend eternity with God - it is a selfless act that will lead others to Christ and to freedom - we are called to copy this pattern in our ministry (which doesn't need to be preaching, but can include the simplest of things, like how Paul has conversations and talks about God), in our hearts, and in our everyday lives.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 27 below.

Acts 27: 1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest. 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. 21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.” 27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away. 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food - you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

COMMENTARY: And so, in the last verses of Acts 26 we see that the officials believe Paul to be an innocent man, but that Paul has appealed his case to Caesar, and so it is decided that Paul will be sent to Rome (in Italy) so that this may take place. Undoubtedly, there were other criminals along with Paul that had court appearances due in Italy - this is why verse 1 says that "When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment (the Roman/Italian forces)." And so, this being the case, they (Paul, the other prisoners, and the armed forces with them) board a ship (probably so that tons of prisoners could be transported at once, as this is probably a common occurrence) and set sail. Prisoners (especially of this caliber/profile) are not typically treated well in this culture, so it is significant that in verse 3, when the ship makes a stop in the city of Sidon, Paul is allowed to spend time with his friends in that city as they "attend to his needs" (he had probably been poorly fed, was in need of water, a comfortable place to sleep, etc.). This is why it is specified that the man who allows this (Julius) does so "in kindness." In verse 4, as Paul again boards the ship and sets sail, we see that "the winds were against" them - this is the start of what will eventually be a massive storm that prevents Paul from reaching Caesar (for now, as it is historically known that Paul did stand before Caesar, though there is no historical record of it). This is clearly a long journey, as 5 specifies some cities that they are traveling between - verse 2 said that they were sailing towards "ports along the coast of the province of Asia," so we see that they are not even sailing towards their destination (Italy) on this specific trip - in verse 6 we see that they do, in fact, board a ship that is making its way towards Italy.

Verse 7 specifies that they make their progress "slowly" (remember that they are hindered by winds) and that eventually, when the wind simply would not allow them to hold their course, they changed directions and began sailing towards a different direction (and all of this is confusing since it would appear that God had plans for Paul to stand before Caesar - but these plans did not specify WHEN this would happen, and so this temporary changing of directions is not a contradiction, and is in fact the type of thing that may happen in our everyday lives, especially if we grow comfortable in our faith and begin to develop expectations). In verse 8 this narrative of a storm is continued when we see that they "moved along the coast with difficulty." It is even specified in verse 9 that "much time had been lost" and that "sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement" (which was a religious festival that probably wasn't the reason that sailing was difficult, but rather that this specific time of year was the cutoff for when travel via sailing was no longer safe, and so the fact that it was after this day made sailing unsafe). In verse 10 Paul (likely through a revelation of feeling that God had given him, as he was not an expert in sea fare and would have no other reason to have any sort of feeling about the safety of their travel) warns the men that they should not continue the travel (though they probably believe he is selfishly doing this to avoid his trial in Italy, and they are probably desiring to impress Caesar and the other officials that have sent this ship of prisoners, and so in verse 10 we see that they reject his advice and listen instead to the pilot of the ship and continue their travel). Notice in verse 12 that the reason they decided to continue sailing was because the place they were in was "unsuitable to winter in" - they didn't feel they could make it in their current situation any longer, and so they made a movement towards what would end up being danger. We all do this in our everyday lives, whether it's substances and alcohol and scrolling that will satisfy addictions, or lust or porn or dating that will satisfy desires - we all find ourselves in situations that we find undesirable, and in order to break free we do things that go against God's directions and plan for our lives - in this way, they ignored Paul's inconvenient guidance, and they sailed straight for trouble. Naturally, in verse 13 there is a wind that makes them feel comfortable with sailing - a feeling that gives them satisfaction, and so they impulsively dive right into danger (we do the same thing with sins in our everyday lives). And so, having disobeyed the guidance of the man of God (Paul), we see in verse 14 that right as they set sail, "before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island." - so not only does the storm continue (making their choice seem regrettable), but now we see that this wind is of HURRICANE force (making their choice look disastrous). This is what happens, at least eternally and for sure in our time here on Earth, when we disobey God's guidance and go our own way in our everyday lives. We then see in verse 15 that the ship is caught in the storm and, outmatched by the wind, is driven along by the winds and waves (again, much of this is very much relatable in our everyday lives and faiths). Verse 16 makes clear that this wind and storm they are facing is so bad that they "were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure." And so we see in verse 17 that they "passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together" - this type of action is totally uncommon and shows that they are in serious danger with this storm. In verse 17 we see that they are afraid of hitting a sandbar (which is a long, narrow sandbank, especially at the mouth of a river) - and so they lower the anchor and allow the ship to be driven along (the fact that it can be driven along with the anchor down speaks volumes to the incredible winds that they are facing). Anchored, the ship takes continuous battering from the wind and waves, to the point that they begin throwing cargo overboard in the hopes that the ship will lighten up in terms of weight and not sink while it is being pressured by the storm (remember that, with the anchor down and the ropes tied AROUND the ship, it is basically impossible for the ship to tip over, so to dump weight is a reasonable course of action as the main threats at this point are the ship sinking or hitting a sandbar, which would then cause holes and leakage that would result in the ship sinking). In verse 19 we even see them throw the ships tackle (light weight and incredibly valuable) overboard - this is clearly going nowhere, and in verse 20 we see that they lose hope, as neither the sun nor the stars appeared for many days (just continuous clouds and storming, another thing that we can all relate to at one point or another in our everyday faiths and lives). They lost hope because of the situation that they were in, and because of how long they were in that situation - whether with relationships or with hurt or with a lack of success, many of us can relate to this, feeling a certain way and for a certain amount of time - but we are not supposed to lose hope, but trust God. This is why Psalm 46:10 tells us: "Be still, and know that I am God" - because, in all of the uncertainty that we face, with all of the questions (will anything happen or change? what? when? etc.) - in all of the racings of our mind and heart, and with all the questions and uncertainties, with neither moon nor sun nor stars appearing but only storms and hopelessness - in all of this we are not called to control or demand, but to simply be still, and KNOW (not believe or think or hope, but KNOW) that He is God. Again, amidst all of the uncertainties that we face, instead of racing around (whether physically or mentally or spiritually or emotionally), we are called to be still, and in the face of all that we don't know, the only thing that we do know is that He IS God, and so we can trust Him with all things. But what does it really mean to “believe in God”? Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." - wherever the path goes (it didn't mention because we don't get/need to know), keep trusting in Him and living for Him in everything as He establishes your life. But what does it mean to believe or trust in God? What does that look like? "Lean not on your own understanding." Why not? Because you're not leaning on what you can know or understand - that's not faith that's shallow. You're leaning on Him and on what His Words (the Bible) say. Also "In all your ways, submit to Him." So take your ways, like your beliefs and your playlist and your way of everyday life, and make it submit to God. In "all" your ways. HE will make YOUR paths straight, no matter where they go, so just trust Him and lean on Him and submit to Him in all that you do, not like as a requirement but as an instinct. Put God FIRST. And believing in God entails more than just believing in His existence - it means believing in His purposes for your life. Again, trusting in Him and His Words, not just in what you can see/understand. John 14:1: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." - to the believer I say: you believe in the all-powerful God of all creation. So you believe in this great God, and you should also believe in and PURSUE the great things He wants to do in your life through Jesus Christ the human being that overcame our sins and struggles. Break the habits, go deeper than you have before - you believe in the great God of Heaven, so believe also in that same great, far away God as being close and in your life in this present age. Matthew 1:23: "Jesus Christ is God with us." - this great, distant God is with you. Believe that. Live that.

And so, these things in mind, their misery continues. In verse 21 it specifies that, having gone a long time without hope and without food, Paul stands among them and addresses them, at first reminding them that they were clearly mistaken in not taking his advice, but then encouraging them that they will be safe and will make it, so they don't need to lose hope - Paul makes clear to them in verses 23-24 that God sent him an angel in a vision to make clear to him that he and those with him will be safe, as it is God's plan that they would make it to Rome and Paul would stand trial before Caesar. And so, in verse 25, Paul makes clear to the men that he does in fact believe in the proclamation that God has given them. Verse 26 is one of my favorites in the entire Bible - that, though God is promising to rescue them, they will first have to run aground on some island - this involves danger and hardships. So in the same way, in our everyday lives and faiths, we know that God is for us (Romans 8:31) and that He plans to save us eternally (1 Timothy 2:4), we know that His plans are for our prosperity and our eternal hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11), but still, we must run aground on some island and face hardships and heartbreak and setbacks and failure here on this Earth, both mentally and emotionally, and also physically and spiritually and in every other type of way.

And so, in verse 27, fourteen full days into this treacherous journey, we see that they finally feel as if they are approaching land. In verse 28 see that they take measurements twice, and that the second measurement shows that they are closer than they were at first - the second measurement had them at 90 feet from the bottom of the water, which means they are dangerously close to the land (especially given that they were moments ago 120 feet away - they are clearly approaching the shore). And so we see that they are now afraid of hitting the rocks at shore with their ship (which, at this point, would sink the ship and cause them to need to swim to the shore), and out of this fear they dropped FOUR anchors, and simply prayed (at this point they had no other hope) that daylight would appear - when daylight came, they could probably try to swim or build rafts or use the ship or in some other way make it to the shore, but none of this could be achieved in the dark (remember that the moon and stars are absent in this stormy sky, so any hope of light is completely gone). We see in verse 30 that the sailors selfishly try to escape on their own (which would certainly leave everyone else at risk). And so Paul warns the Roman soldiers that if they do not keep these men on board, they will not be able to survive (at this, the soldiers cut the ropes holding the lifeboat, allowing it to drift away, ensuring that the sailors would be forced to stay on board and help them). In verse 33 Paul doesn't just encourage or ask the men to eat, he "urges" them - and in verse 34 he encourages them that not even a hair of their heads will be lost, but that all will be ok. Notice, again, in verse 35 that Paul doesn't just give thanks to God for the food privately, but in front of all of them - he is using the publicity and the attention that comes from this situation to give the glory not to himself, but to God. In verse 37 we learn that altogether (so that means everyone, whether prisoners or Roman soldiers or sailors or captains, etc.) there are 276 people on board during this trip. And so, in verse 38, having eaten (finally), they threw the grain into the sea to lighten the weight of the ship.

When, all these days later (remember that there had been no light but simply the darkness of the storm), the daylight finally comes, we see that they do not even recognize the land that they are now close to - this is how far out they are. We also see in verse 39 that they intend on landing in this place, and so in verse 40 we see that they cut loose the anchors (leaving them in the sea, as they probably do not at this point have the strength to recover them, nor the need, knowing that the ship is probably unrecoverable) and they also untie the ropes that were around the ship. They then positioned the sail of the ship against the wind in a way that would push it towards the beach, but ultimately they ended up hitting a sandbar and had to run aground, as Paul had said earlier. The "bow" of a ship is its forwardmost part, the part that turns and moves, so when in verse 41 we see that it was stuck and would not move, we know that this spells the end for the ship, as hitting the sandbar has caused it to get stuck on that sandbar and it will no longer move (this is why they were so afraid of hitting a sandbar earlier). We also see in verse 41 that the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

With no hope of making it to shore, we see that the soldiers planned in verse 42 to kill the prisoners so that they could not escape - but they centurion (who was not involved in "their" plan, as indicated by the word "their") wanted to spare Paul's life, so he prevented the soldiers from carrying this plan out. And so we see, as Acts 27 comes to an end in verses 43 and 44, that instead of killing anyone or panicking, they simply swam (if capable of swimming) and built rafts out of the remaining parts of the sinking ship (if not capable of swimming) in order to make it to the shore. In this way, everyone was able to make it to the shore safely, and Paul was able to eventually stand before Caesar.

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome continues into Acts chapter 28 below.

Acts 28: 1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. 11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him. 17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.” 23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29] 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

COMMENTARY: In verse 1 we see that Paul and those with him ("we found out" implies "we") safely reach shore to an island called Malta. In verse 2 we discover that not only were the native islanders kind and supportive of them, but that they were showing "unusual kindness." The islanders took care them by building a fire for them and welcoming them in the cold and rainy weather. The having already been built, it still needed to be sustained periodically (you would have to put wood on it to keep it burning) - and this is what Paul does in verse 3, when we see that a viper bites him ("fastens itself on his hand"). The verse specifies that the snake was "drawn by the heat" - this is likely the heat that occurred when Paul put the wood on the fire and there was an initial gust of heat (anyone that does bonfires will understand what I am talking about). This is a crucial, and possibly fatal situation for Paul - they are on a foreign island where, though the people are kind, they do not know of the safety or sanitation levels of the island, and they do not know what to expect - to be bitten by a snake at this fire implies that this island is more of a dangerous jungle, and that sleeping and staying in Malta will be unsafe. Also, to be bitten by a viper at this point in history was almost a guaranteed fatality - even with modern medicine you should consider saying your goodbyes, let alone whatever sort of health procedures they had on this random island 2,000 years ago. Paul's life was certainly over, and so we see in verse 4 that the native islanders falsely assume that Paul is a bad man and that their foreign god is punishing him with this viper (what else were they to believe, having hardly known Paul or the ways of Jesus Christ?). And so, knowing that these people from Malta believe in their own god, we see that this is again an opportunity for Paul to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In verse 5 Paul was completely unafraid and shook the viper off of his hand (having total confidence since God has promised him he will be safe and stand before Caesar - Paul was completely unafraid of such things as shipwrecks and viper attacks). After we see that Paul that Paul shook the snake "into the fire" (a smart idea, so that the snake would die and nobody else would be bitten) - we then see that, miraculously, Paul "suffered no ill effects." The poisonous effects of vipers are at least sometimes fatal, and ALWAYS damaging, and that's in MODERN times, let alone thousands of years ago for a man who, having gone through the shipwreck, is dehydrated and hungry and probably sick, and now on a foreign island - that Paul suffered no ill effects in THIS situation is a clear illustration that God was truly watching over him and had plans for him to stand trial before Caesar in Rome. We see in verse 6 that the people expected him to "swell up or suddenly fall dead" (this is probably what typically happened on this specific island with this specific snake, since it's what the natives were expecting - further illustrating what a miracle this is that Paul suffered no ill effects). These native islanders "waited a long time" to see if something happened to Paul - after this "long" waiting led to nothing, they changed their minds and proclaimed that Paul must have been "a god." This goes to show just how shallow their concept of God was, that any given miracle could earn you the status of "a god." These people had their own gods and goddesses, but they clearly couldn't have been all that important to them if Paul could so easily BECOME "a god" - this is the main difference between other religions and Christianity, the accuracy. These people don't even know what they believe, and it changes, and even what they are confident of is wrong - this is the same approach that we, with both faith and reason, take towards Islam and Judaism and all other religions that do not proclaim Jesus Christ as the Savior and as the only way to Heaven. This society of people from Malta take the approach of "seeing to believe." They SAW the snake bite Paul, and so they expected something to happen to him. When in verse 6 they "waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds." - they only believe based upon what they see. And so we see that, not only are they religiously apart from Jesus, but they are also atheistic as well in their approach. So these people, and their inaccurate beliefs about what is happening (that Paul is being judged by a goddess, then that Paul IS a god - both are false) - this exposes the problem with religions that don't proclaim Christ, and with an atheistic approach in which everything must be seen in order to be believed.

In verse 7 we see that the chief official of the island is very kind to Paul and his companions, as he takes them in (which is probably very difficult since there, as we established earlier, are over 200 of them). This man, Publius, as probably a very rich man, as we see that he owns an "estate" (which is very hard to do on an island, which could almost be considered an estate in itself) - also, the fact that he is the "chief official" of the island illustrates 2 things: 1, how small the island is (in Paul's trial alone we've seen that Rome has many different commanders and Governors and Kings, so for this island to only have 1 chief official illustrates that it is small) - and 2, that this man Publius is probably very rich and has great control and influence over the island. This should not paint a dark picture over him, as wealth does not equal evil - we saw earlier how kind the islanders were to Paul, and we see here that Publius is also very generous (it's entirely possible that the islanders learned and choose to practice this behavior because it is the pattern shown to them by their leader and chief official Publius - admittedly, all of this is irrelevant but, if there weren't irrelevant context, this wouldn't be a commentary so get over it). We also see in verse 7 the duration of time that Publius welcomed Paul and those with him - 3 days. Remember that Paul is using all of the publicity from this entire story to glorify the Name of God and reach others for the Gospel of salvation through Christ. Verse 8 is no exception, as we see that a relative of Publius is sick - this is an opportunity for Paul to perform the miracles that God has enabled him to, which is exactly what Paul does when he heals the man. Notice in verse 8 that Paul is only able to heal the man "after prayer." Though Paul is performing these miracles and reaching others for Christ, it is only because God is enabling him to do so, and so Paul, knowing this, prays to God and leans into the only power (the power of God) that could heal the man. The only modern treatments for dysentery (and also fevers, which are the 2 diseases the man is described as having) in modern times are over the counter medications and antibiotics - obviously, thousands of years ago in Malta, neither of these treatments were available. Though there may have been ancient medicines and ointments, the chances were likely that these 2 diseases in this situation were untreatable - and so it is only by the power of God that Paul could heal this man. Again, remember that Paul was using this publicity for Jesus - so it makes sense that this healing (and subsequent preachings and messages about Jesus to those that were healed) wouldn't just be reserved for this one man, but for ALL the sick people on the island, as verse 9 shows they all came and found healing. As Paul's time on the island of Malta comes to a close in verse 10, we see that the people "honored them in many ways." This included giving them the supplies that they needed - notice that the verse didn't specify that the people honored Paul as "a god" as they had earlier? While not stated, it is here implied that Paul has given these people a more accurate teaching about Jesus, and so they would know that Jesus, not Paul, is God.

Verses 1-10 failed to mention how long Paul and those with him were ashore on the island of Malta - in verse 11 it is specified that it was "3 months" before they set sail - we also see that they had spent the winter on the island (this makes sense, as winter typically lasts 2.5-3.5 months, depending on where you are). We also see in verse 11 that "it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux" - these are idol gods, as the Chrisitan belief is not in "twin" gods, but in the Triune "three in one" in which there is God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - 3 different Gods, but ONE God. So when we hear of this foreign ship and the symbol it bears ("figurehead"), we know that this figurehead is the symbol of an idol god, symbolizing that Paul is living as a Christian preacher in a very much Roman world. Verses 12 and 13 provide details about the travels of Paul and those with him as they are still trying to reach Rome. In verse 14 we see that they have finally made this journey to Rome ("and so we came to Rome"). This has been the story from the beginning, that Paul would make it to Rome and stand trial before Caesar and spread the Gospel of Christ - what we didn't see coming was that, with this still having yet to take place, Paul has also had opportunities along the way to glorify God and spread the Gospel of Christ (whether in Malta, or any of the other places that we have seen Paul go to as he has traveled the world throughout this story). We also see in verses 14 and 15 that the other believers go to great lengths to take care of Paul and his companions ("us"). We also see that "at the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged." - instead of taking personal credit for the journey that has been completed, and instead of trying to receive the praise and adulation that these people are more than prepared to give him, Paul first stops and gives the glory to God, thanking him - Paul was "encouraged" by the sight of these people: he has now seen God follow through with his promise to take care of him and bring him to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. We then see in verse 16 that when they got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him (for both his protection and also to keep him from potentially escaping the trial, though he has no intention to do so). We then see in the verses that follow that, under this Roman guard, Paul preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around him.

We see in verse 17 that right as Paul makes his way into the city of Rome, he reaches out to the Jewish leaders to explain his situation to them - this is so that he can fill them in on the details of the trial and see if they have heard the rumors that are popularly believed about him - the Jewish leaders reveal that they have not heard these things. The fact that Paul first sought these men out for a diplomatic conversation means that Paul didn't see every Jewish religious leader as his enemies, but that he will communicate with them and work with them, all for the glory of God. In basically every passage up to this point, we have seen the Jews and the religious leaders oppose Paul, so this support and willingness to work together means a lot. In verse 21 we hear from these leaders of this church in this city that none of the negative rumors have spread about Paul, but that (in verse 22) they were clear that they wanted to hear Paul speak on his views (of Jesus and everything that the trial related to) to the crowd of onlookers, and in this way Paul could defend the faith, because they knew that people were speaking against the "sect" known as Christianity. Much like what Jesus did in His life, we see in verse 23 that many people came to where Paul was to listen to him speak about the Kingdom of God. And so we see that Paul "witnessed." He did so all day long, "from morning until evening." Not only did Paul tell these people about Jesus, but we see that he did so from the OLD Testament (before Jesus was even born), "and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus." - we know from the Old Testament that the birth, life, and death of Jesus was foreshadowed, and so for Paul to use these Old Testament passages to speak about Jesus is an incredible display of wisdom, as he is using what the Jews DO believe in to convince them of what they do not. Remember that in John 14:1 Jesus said “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." And so we see in verse 24 that "some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe." Verse 25 illustrates that they were not in agreement, and that they left and stopped listening to Paul after he saif the words that he said in verses 26-28, where Paul cites Isaiah 6:9-10 to explain to them that they are the fulfillment of a Scripture from the Old Testament that predicts that God's people would be disobedient. In verse 26 this Scripture makes clear that these people will be able to hear (as they have heard both Paul and Jesus), but not able to understand (as they have constantly rejected the messages), and able to see (as they have seen Jesus and are now seeing Paul continue on with the message), but not able to perceive (as they have MISSED the fact that Paul is preaching of the Savior, and that Jesus is that Savior). Verse 27 makes clear that though these people have hearts, they will be hardened and calloused, and that though they have ears, they hardly hear with them, and that though they have eyes, they have decided to close them. And so we see a description of these Jewish religious people that is quite accurate. Verse 27 makes clear that, if they would turn from their ways, God would heal them (from this sinfulness and sickness of the spirit and soul that is being described as they have all these different parts of the body - eyes, ears, a heart, etc. - but that none of them are working properly). Of course, his final statement that truly causes them to leave is verse 28, in which he promises that "God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles," and that, unlike these religious Jews who have ears but never hear, "they will listen" - this offends the Jews, and so we see that they leave. In this version of the manuscripts, verse 29 has no words, but there is a note that says: "Some manuscripts include here 'After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves.'"

Now, Paul never does end up standing trial before Caesar in the Bible, but we know from history that the trial took place - and, the fact that after Acts 28 the Bible moves right into Paul's written ministries to various churches - this probably means that he was declared innocent in his trial, though Paul did spend much of the time writing his letters from a prison cell (though these things may have ALREADY been written during Acts in the prisons that he has already been spending time in) - whether or not Paul won his case before Caesar, we are not entirely sure, but we also know that it is not entirely important - it is possible that the trial wasn't included because there were not enough Jewish or Christian eyewitnesses that were present (which makes sense, in Italy) to gain an unbiased and accurate description of what happened, and it's also possible that the case was so similar to Paul's case before Felix and Festus and Agrippa (with the same evidence being presented and the same conclusion being met) that the Bible writers did not think it worth it to include this part of the story. Regardless of why this was not included, we see in verse 30 that Paul stayed in Rome in a house that he rented for 2 years before his trial took place, and that he welcomed "everyone" that came as he spoke of Jesus and spread the Gospel. As Acts chapter 28, and this entire story, come to an end, we see in verse that "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ - with all boldness and without hindrance!" This is true not only in Rome, but in every city that he went to, and we are called to do the same - with "all" boldness, we are called to proclaim God's Kingdom and work in this world, "without hindrance" (whether sin, or fear/lack of comfort in preaching, etc. - nothing should hinder us from giving God our all).

The story of Paul's difficult and miraculous journey to Rome ends with Acts chapter 28. Thanks for reading.