Acts 27&28

Acts 27 is one big sea adventure. The thing that stuck out the most to me in this chapter is God's provision for Paul. He saved Paul's life, and comforted him with A visiting angel. Even though it must have been a terrible time of storms and hardship, God did not leave Paul alone to fend for himself, no, God provided every step of the way.

Acts 28:1-6 God provided once again with the snake. Paul had so many things he could testify about concerning God teaching him and providing for him!

Acts 28:7-10 a eucatastrophe! They were stuck on the island and many people were healed! god brought Paul this way for a purpose. 

Acts 28:11-16 once again notice God's provision for Paul!

Acts 28:17-30 once again Paul has an opportunity to share about what God has done for him and can testify. Notice that this time his testimony is different. Why do you think this is? 

Because this sums up the main thing God has been teaching me through reading acts I want to emphasize the last verse: "Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." Acts 28:31

Acts 25&26

Acts 25:3 man these people really want this whol ambush idea to work out. Didn't they learn the first time that that technique is not gonna work. 

25:1-5 why do you think the Bible gives us a very specific time frame here? What do we learn from these details?

25:6-12 Gods plan for having Paul testify in Rome unfolds.

25:13-22 isn't it interesting to hear the story from Festus's point of view! 

25:23-26:31 So many times Paul is given the opportunity to share his testimony. It is repeated Many times within the book of Acts which marks its importance. 

26:32 If Paul had not appealed to Caesar he could have been set free. I wonder if he knew that. It was God's will for him to testify in Rome, and this line shows just how much of a sacrifice that was. 

Acts 23&24

Acts 23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin. This took great boldness and confidence. When you are caught, do you act so boldly? Paul was able to do so, because he was caught being submissive to God's plan for his life. Would you rather be caught because of following your own path, or because of following God's path for you?

23:2 once again notice Paul's boldness. 

23:6-8 there seems to always be great debates which tear the church apart. 

23:11 It is God's plan for paul to share his testimony. All our testimonies bring honor and Glory to God when they are told. 

23:12 Man the Jews back then were really violent. I suppose it is human nature, but still. 

23:16 God provided so that the plot to kill Paul would not succeed. There are no coincidences. It was not Paul's time to die so God led his sister's son to hear about the plot. 

23:17-35 the law seems to be really protective of Paul. The centurions do a lot to protect him and make sure his trial and treatment is fair, especially after they know he is a roman citizen. 

Acts 24 Throughout Paul's imprisonment he is given many opportunities to share his testimony and his beliefs. Isn't is so awesome how God turns catastrophes into eucatastrophes!

Acts 21&22

Acts 21:1-3 why do you think that an account of their path of travel of given in the Bible? What is important that we can glean from this information?

Acts 21:4 hold on, so Paul was compelled by the spirit to go to Jerusalem, yet the disciples are through the spirit telling Paul not to go? What am I missing here? This seems like a contradiction but surly not. Does anyone else see what I am missing?

Acts 21:10-11 A prophecy. 

Acts 21: 1-16 no matter how many people tried to discourage Paul from going to Jerusalem. No matter how much he knew about what would become of him there, he still obeyed the spirit and continued onward. This must have taken great courage. How many people would it take to get you to turn back? Are you willing to go wherever God wants you to go, even if it is not going to be pleasant? 

Acts 21:17-20 when the brothers heard about what God had done among the Gentiles they Praised God! What is our reaction when we hear of God working? How deeply do we feel the awe at what He has done?

Acts 21:27 notice that many of the scenes in acts when someone is arrested it is because a few men have stirred up a crowd, and used mob mentality to their advantage. 

Acts 21:30-36 God helped get Paul away from the mob. He sent the commander to pluck him out of the mobs hands. Even it it was just to put him in chains, it saved his life for that day. 

Acts 21:37- Acts 22:21 Paul is able to share his testimony with the crowd. Think about what makes up his testimony. He tells of what his life before Christ was like, what brought about the change, and what his new mission is as a follower of the way. What would your testimony look like if it followed the same format. Didn't it take a lot of bravery for Paul to stand up and give his testimony to the same people who wanted him dead. This shows Paul's selflessness. He cares more about the message of Jesus getting out into the world than he cares about his own reputation or safety. 

Acts 22:22 the people were willing to listen to Paul until his testimony included something that they were uncomfortable with, and didn't like. They did not want the Gentiles to be included in the story, so they refused to allow that Paul could be telling the truth. Notice that they were perfectly willing to accept Paul's testimony until this last part. 

Acts 22:25-29 why does being a roman citizen get Paul out of being beaten? Does anyone know more about the laws of Rome concerning this during that time?

Acts 22:28 The note in my study bible was interesting, it explained what it meant by the commander having paid a big price for his roman citizenship. It says "There were three ways to obtain Roman citizenship: 1. Receive it as a reword for some outstanding service to Rome 2. Buy it at a considerable price 3. Be born into a family of roman citizens." 

Acts 22:29 was there some sort of punishment for those who put a roman citizen in chains without being first found guilty?

Update

This week I have been teaching at CYT's Summer Camp, "More than Meets the Eye" which was themed off "The Hobbit". Unfortunately, I did not continue my study in Acts while I was at camp. I was going to try to catch up, but instead I decided that I would just start back into it today, and finish the study this week so that I don't overwhelm myself doing it all at once. With this plan I feel like I will get more out of the study since I will be taking my time rather than rushing through it in one day. So, today I will be starting back into Acts with Acts 19&20!

Acts 19&20 Notes:

IActs 19:1-7 this talks about a second baptism after that of John's which was a baptism of repentance through water. This other baptism is a baptism of the Holy Spirit. Remember that speaking in tongues and prophesy are not the only things the spirit can allow a person to do. Think of the fruit of the spirit. When we are baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus, the spirit must plant the seeds of these fruits in us and they grow as we walk closer to Christ! 

Acts 19:8 Paul spoke BOLDLY and argued PERSUASIVELY! 

Acts 19:11 Notice, God did extraordinary miracles Through Paul. This sentence gives all the glory to God without giving any honor to Paul! 

Acts 19:13-16 You can't do things without the authority of God on your side. 

Acts 19:17 this makes the last note seem like a Eucatastrophe! It was a catastrophe to the man attacked by the possessed man, but there was a good twist because it caused the name of the Lord to be held in high honor in the land. 

Acts 19:23-29 notice Demetrius's motivation. Does our own success matter to us so much that we would do something like this? 

Acts 20:1&2 notice that Paul encourages others quite a lot. This seems to be one of the roles of the new testament believers. To encourage their brothers and sisters in Christ! 

Acts 20:7-12 wow, that sounds like one dramatic evening. The guy dies and is brought back to life. 

Acts 20:16 was there a specific reason that Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost? 

Acts 20:19-38 This passage gives us insight into Paul's motivations, and wished. In answer to why he wanted to go to Jerusalem, he was compelled by the spirit. 

Acts 17&18 Notes:

Acts 17:1-9 Paul reasoned with the people in the synagogue, trying to get them to see that Jesus was the Christ. Notice his methods, verses the methods the Jews used in rebuttal. What can we learn about how to handle conflict through this clear difference in methods?

Acts 17:10-15 Notice that the contrast is made once again, only this time many more Jews are on Paul's side. Notice what the bible says about those Jews, that they received the news with great eagerness, and examined the scriptures every day to see if Paul was speaking the truth! Isn't there so much we can learn from these Jew's example? They not only let their society dictate what they believed, and therefore limit God, but they decided to put all their hope on the word of God. Instead of just rejecting what Paul had to say because it did not measure up to the preconceived idea of what the savior would look like, they measured what Paul had to say using the Bible, the great book of direction.   

Acts 17:16-34 Paul was distressed when he saw all the idols. Do we become distressed when we see idols today? They are all around us, yet do we do anything as radical as Paul did and go preach against them? Do we try to help others learn about Christ? Look in these verses, only a few of the men that Paul preached to came to become followers. This is a realistic image, but it cannot discourage us. A lot of times, people may like what we say but have no motivation for action. This is like many of the people in Athens, they invited Paul to come back and speak again, but only a few of them actually wanted to do the work involved with following The Way. Don't let a lack of response from others discourage you from sharing the message of Christ; it sure didn't stop Paul. 

Acts 18:9-10 This reminds me of "Did you Hear" from "Around the World in 80 Days" at CYT. 

Acts 18:11-17 God is faithful in his promise of safety for Paul here, he is protected from being charged guilty in court.