## Study of the Book of Acts - Part 22

(Acts 1:8b) "…Ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Tonight we continue to look at the development of Christianity to the Uttermost Part of the Earth.

I. Christianity in Jerusalem 1:1-8:3

II. Christianity in Judea and Samaria 8:4-12:25

III. Christianity to the Uttermost Part of the World 13:1-28:31

A. The First Missionary Journey 13:1-14:28

B. The Council at Jerusalem 15:1-35

C. The Second Missionary Journey 15:36-18:22

D. The Third Missionary Journey 18:23-21:26

1. The Power of the Word at Ephesus

2. At Greece 20:1-5

3. At Asia Minor: Troas and the elders of Ephesus v 6-38

4. From Miletus to Caesarea 21:1-14

a. The voyage to Tyre v 1-3

1) Luke very accurately describes their journey

2) They by-pass Cyprus and go directly to Tyre to unload the ship's cargo

b. The church at Tyre v 4-6

1) There they made contact with an assembly of believers

2) They remained with them for seven days

3) These disciples warned Paul of the danger of going up to Jerusalem - but Paul's conviction was to the contrary

4) In verse 5 we have another very special departure, perhaps not as emotional as from Asia but still we find a strong bond of love between Paul and this church

c. The arrival in Caesarea v 7-9

1) After an overnight stay in Ptolemais they arrived in Caesarea

2) Paul and his company came to Philip the evangelist's home

3) He was one of the seven men originally chosen to minister as deacons of the Jerusalem church

4) He was also mentioned in chapter 8 as he witnessed to the cities of Samaria and to the Ethiopian eunuch

5) He was the father of four daughters who also prophesied

d. The prophecy of Agabus v 10-14

1) After many days - Agabus came from Judea to speak to Paul and his company

2) This is the same prophet who spoke the prophecy of famine in and around Jerusalem in 11:28

3) He took Paul's girdle or sash and dramatically illustrated his message - the Jews would bind Paul and deliver him to the Gentiles

4) After hearing the prophecy - all who were there tried to persuade Paul not to go to Jerusalem

5) Paul would not be dissuaded from going - "I am ready" not only to be bound but to die if need be

NOTE: Ac. 20:22 - Paul was already bound by the Spirit to go!

6) They ceased from begging him-not to go and realized it was the will of God!

5. Paul with the Jerusalem church 21:15-26

a. Paul's arrival in Jerusalem v 15-17

1) 'Carriages' in verse 15 means their baggage

2) Several of the disciples from Caesarea came with them including Mnason who is described as an old disciple

a) Not a reference to his age chronologically

b) Rather he had been a disciple for some time

c) He also had a home in Jerusalem where Paul and the group would stay

3) The brethren received him gladly'

b. Paul before the elders of Jerusalem v 18-26

1) Paul's visit to the church was two-fold

a) He desired to share with them what God had done for the Gentiles through his ministry

b) He also had brought a love offering from the churches for the saints in Jerusalem

2) Paul met with a familiar enemy - division - between Jew and Gentile

a) Note the reaction to his report in v 20

b) Essentially it was 'Glory to God for His work with the Gentiles, BUT look at us!'

3) They had already heard about Paul's work among the Gentiles and his teaching concerning the law

a) They accused him of telling the Jews to forsake their heritage and their customs

b) Paul never told them to do this! This was a rumor based upon a misunderstanding of Paul's teaching

c) Paul had taught that it was religiously inconsequential for Gentiles to circumcise their sons or not

d) Paul had rejected the law as a means of justification.

e) But not as a way of life - he practiced its ceremonies as one who loved his nation and to avoid giving needless offense to his fellow-countrymen.

4) Paul agrees to submit to a plan to prove his support of Jewish customs v 22-26

a) Paul was asked to take a vow along with four other men who were preparing to do so

b) Paul was also asked to pay for all the expenses of sacrifices and other charges accrued

c) This plan was supposed to prove to the Jewish believers that the rumor was false - that Paul actually kept the law himself

d) They reaffirmed the counsel's position on Gentile believers v 25

(Acts 15:19) Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

e) Paul took the men and entered the Temple to fulfill the vow taken

Next time: The Journey to Rome