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The Scriptorium

Undeterred

Paul receives a dire warning, but presses on.

Acts (19)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

The video for lesson 19 is the same as for lesson 17. You can view it by clicking here (scroll down to Lesson 17).

Read and meditate on Acts 21.7-16.
Paul is heading to Jerusalem, bearing the gifts collected from the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, and elsewhere (cf. Rom. 15.22-29). As we have seen, he is becoming aware that the enemies of the Gospel are ratcheting-up their efforts to silence him, but he is completely undeterred. He has a previous directive from the Lord on behalf of His people, and no amount of threat or danger is going to cause him to fail in his responsibility.

For reflection
1.  Luke continues slowing down the trip to Jerusalem, as he relates Paul’s southward movement from Tyre to Caesarea, and his staying there with Philip many days. These Christians seem to have had a knack for opening their homes to one another. What does this suggest about the unity in the Spirit (Eph. 4.3) these believers knew?

2.  We feel the drama building to a pre-denouement height with the arrival of Agabus and his terrifying word of warning (v. 11). The Holy Spirit clearly revealed to Agabus that Paul would be arrested by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles. But was that prophetic word contrary to Paul’s reason for going to Jerusalem? Explain.

3.  Not at all, even though the brethren in Caesarea seemed to have took it so. Even Luke became alarmed and joined with those who were pleading with Paul “not to go up to Jerusalem” (“we”, v. 12). Paul rebuked his friends and companions, because he had already made up his mind that if he had to die for the Gospel, so be it. He would not deny either his commission or the Lord’s directive. Our text ends with the arrival in Jerusalem, and we can fairly feel the tension and uncertainty. Should we as believers try to avoid being troubled or inconvenienced because of the Gospel? What are some forms such troubling might take?

4.  Sometimes it can seem as though the will of the Lord is in contradiction. We saw this earlier with Barnabas and Paul. Now we see it again. How can it be God’s will for Paul to go to Jerusalem and be arrested?

5.  Paul could not have answered that question, although he may well have come to believe that such would be his fate. He had a mandate and a mission, and nothing in the warning from Agabus led him to believe someone else should fulfill his calling for him.Do you ever feel as though sometimes the will of God for your life seems to be in contradiction? What should you do when this is the case?

Summary
Paul is making his way to Jerusalem, stopping frequently to meet with and encourage other believers. Luke is using this travelogue to slow down the action, but we’re also learning something about the ongoing work of Christ: In spite of continuous opposition, the Gospel has taken root in many places, and the believers have a strong sense of oneness in the Lord. What can we learn from this to help us in seeking the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4.3)?

Closing Prayer
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—
“If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
When men rose up against us,
Then they would have swallowed us alive,
When their wrath was kindled against us;
Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
The stream would have gone over our soul;
Then the swollen waters
Would have gone over our soul.”
Blessed be the LORD,
Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124

T. M. Moore

Each week’s studies in Acts are bound together into a free PDF that you can download for personal or group use (click here). Each week also features a video related to the studies of the week, which you may find helpful as you work through our studies in Acts.

Acts is the record of Christ’s ongoing work as King and Lord. This is the work of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven. Read more about the implications of this work in our new book,
The Kingdom Turn (click here).

Please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Or, you can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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