Memorize: Holy Spirit warns Paul
Key Verses: 4, 11, 19, 26, 32, 37, 39
Paul is on his final journey to Jerusalem, at least he thinks it is his final trip. Along the way he is warned again and again that bad things are going to happen to him, including his arrest and imprisonment. Paul is not afraid to face his future. Remember, when he first started his faith journey with Jesus he was told that he would suffer greatly. Paul was OK with suffering.
When Paul gets to Jerusalem he meets with the church leaders and shares what God did along his journey, how He showed Himself strong. Those who heard it were excited.
Some of the Jews have believed, but are still hung up on their Jewishness. The outward trappings of culture seem to be getting in the way of them accepting the move of God in these new ways among the Gentiles. Their whole sense of well-being and identity has been thrown for a loop, and Paul is willing to help them get grounded again. As a Jew, Paul enters into a Jewish ritual as a way to show them that there is a place for Jewish customs in God’s Kingdom. They don’t have to abandon their culture in order to serve Jesus. But even this act leads to trouble for Paul. He is trying to do the right thing, but those who want to oppose God’s work will find any excuse to stop him.
The riot gets so bad that the Roman soldiers who are charged with keeping things peaceful must intervene. Because of the intensity of the crowd, Paul is arrested and moved to safety. But Paul wants to share the Gospel with the crowd and he gets permission to do so. The Roman guard is surprised by Paul’s citizenship and his desire to address the crowd that has just beat him. I would be surprised as well.
REVIEW:
The Arnold Journey 