Transcript

Podcast Introduction

This is Gospel Saturday and we’ll read Acts 21-22. I’m calling today’s episode “What To Do.”  

Comments on Acts 21-22

Thoughts on Acts 21

In today’s reading, we get a bit of a travelogue of part of Paul’s journey, and the part that I would like to bring to your attention is when they arrived in Caesarea. 

They stayed at the home of Philip the evangelist. He, by the way, is the same one who baptized the  the eunuch in chapter eight of Acts. We’re told that Philip had four unmarried daughters who were what we might call today “P.K.s” or “preacher’s kids”, and they also proclaimed God’s message. How blessed Philip was, that his kids loved the Lord as much as he did. 

In addition to raising his kids to know and serve God, he was evidently an effective messenger of the Gospel because there was a thriving community of believers in Caesarea. We know this because when Agabus prophesied and delivered the message from the Holy Spirit that Paul would be bound hand and feet in Jerusalem, a group of them begged Paul not to go.

And this is what I think we should consider today. These good and loving people, who cared so much for Paul that they begged him not to go where he would be harmed, were asking him to turn away from what God had called him to do. Did you notice that?

Their motives were good, in that they did not want to see their friend and in some ways, their pastor, come to harm. And their pleadings were effective enough that they broke Paul’s heart. He agonized with them, and maybe was even a bit tempted to heed their cries. 

However, his reply to them revealed an even higher and better motive. “I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” His aim was to follow God’s leading. The Holy Spirit’s message to Paul through Agabus was not to dissuade Paul from continuing on, but to prepare Paul for what lay ahead. God wanted Paul and the other believers to know that when he was bound and delivered to the Gentiles, it was all part of His plan. 

And their response was what I hope ours is when we face difficult times, “May the Lord’s will be done.” There really is no better way to live than this. May the Lord’s will be done. 

Thoughts on Acts 22

One of the aspects of God and Christianity that some non believers have a really hard time reconciling is forgiveness, especially that of particularly heinous crimes. And on one level, I understand the difficulty. 

Today, we read of Paul’s confession to the Lord that he had been responsible for the arrest of believers, and even held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death. But in spite of those terrible crimes, Jesus forgave Paul and even made him one of the linchpins of the church. 

We cannot explain completely the depth of God’s love for us, or His enormous capacity for forgiveness, but we do have ample evidence of its reality. If not in Paul, then in each one of us. None of us is deserving of the gift of grace that God offers, but offer it He does. If we will accept it, He takes the pieces of our broken lives and creates something so much more that we could have ever thought possible. I’m sure it never entered Paul’s mind that he would play the role that he has in human and church history. I wonder what God will do with your life.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 21-22 GNT

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Transcript

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STEVE WEBB – 0:00
We do have plenty of evidence for the reality of that forgiveness.

INTRO S12E339 – 0:11
Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible. And podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year and this is Gospel Saturday. We’ll read Acts 21 and 22. I’m calling today’s episode “What To Do”. Before we begin, if you’ve not yet sent that email with your thoughts on whether you think I should keep the Lifespring Family Audio Bible going in some form after this season is over at the end of the month, or if you have another idea for a podcast that you’d like me to do, how about pausing the show right here to do that. I want to hear from you even if you’ve never written to me before. Send that email to st**************@***il.com and in the subject line put “THE NEXT STEP”, very important “THE NEXT STEP”. The show notes page for today’s episode is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e339. Let’s get started.

ACTS 21 (GNT) – 1:09
Acts, chapter 21. (1) We said good-bye to them and left. After sailing straight across, we came to Cos; the next day we reached Rhodes, and from there we went on to Patara. (2) There we found a ship that was going to Phoenicia, so we went aboard and sailed away. (3) We came to where we could see Cyprus, and then sailed south of it on to Syria. We went ashore at Tyre, where the ship was going to unload its cargo. (4) There we found some believers and stayed with them a week. By the power of the Spirit they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. (5) But when our time with them was over, we left and went on our way. All of them, together with their wives and children, went with us out of the city to the beach, where we all knelt and prayed. (6) Then we said good-bye to one another, and we went on board the ship while they went back home.

(7) We continued our voyage, sailing from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. (8) On the following day we left and arrived in Caesarea. There we stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen as helpers in Jerusalem. (9) He had four unmarried daughters who proclaimed God’s message. (10) We had been there for several days when a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. (11) He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied up his own feet and hands with it, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: The owner of this belt will be tied up in this way by the Jews in Jerusalem, and they will hand him over to the Gentiles.”

(12) When we heard this, we and the others there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. (13) But he answered, “What are you doing, crying like this and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”

(14) We could not convince him, so we gave up and said, “May the Lord’s will be done.”

(15) After spending some time there, we got our things ready and left for Jerusalem. (16) Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and took us to the house of the man we were going to stay with—Mnason, from Cyprus, who had been a believer since the early days.

(17) When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers welcomed us warmly. (18) The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present. (19) Paul greeted them and gave a complete report of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his work. (20) After hearing him, they all praised God. Then they said, “Brother Paul, you can see how many thousands of Jews have become believers, and how devoted they all are to the Law. (21) They have been told that you have been teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries to abandon the Law of Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow the Jewish customs. (22) They are sure to hear that you have arrived. What should be done, then? (23) This is what we want you to do. There are four men here who have taken a vow. (24) Go along with them and join them in the ceremony of purification and pay their expenses; then they will be able to shave their heads. In this way everyone will know that there is no truth in any of the things that they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in accordance with the Law of Moses. (25) But as for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent them a letter telling them we decided that they must not eat any food that has been offered to idols, or any blood, or any animal that has been strangled, and that they must keep themselves from sexual immorality.”

(26) So Paul took the men and the next day performed the ceremony of purification with them. Then he went into the Temple and gave notice of how many days it would be until the end of the period of purification, when a sacrifice would be offered for each one of them.

(27) But just when the seven days were about to come to an end, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul. (28) “People of Israel!” they shouted. “Help! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching everyone against the people of Israel, the Law of Moses, and this Temple. And now he has even brought some Gentiles into the Temple and defiled this holy place!” ( (29) They said this because they had seen Trophimus from Ephesus with Paul in the city, and they thought that Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

(30) Confusion spread through the whole city, and the people all ran together, grabbed Paul, and dragged him out of the Temple. At once the Temple doors were closed. (31) The mob was trying to kill Paul, when a report was sent up to the commander of the Roman troops that all of Jerusalem was rioting. (32) At once the commander took some officers and soldiers and rushed down to the crowd. When the people saw him with the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. (33) The commander went over to Paul, arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked, “Who is this man, and what has he done?” (34) Some in the crowd shouted one thing, others something else. There was such confusion that the commander could not find out exactly what had happened, so he ordered his men to take Paul up into the fort. (35) They got as far as the steps with him, and then the soldiers had to carry him because the mob was so wild. (36) They were all coming after him and screaming, “Kill him!”

(37) As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the fort, he spoke to the commander: “May I say something to you?”
“You speak Greek, do you?” the commander asked. (38) “Then you are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a revolution and led four thousand armed terrorists out into the desert?”

(39) Paul answered, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. Please let me speak to the people.”

(40) The commander gave him permission, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned with his hand for the people to be silent. When they were quiet, Paul spoke to them in Hebrew:

ACTS 22 (GNT) – 6:43
Acts, chapter 22. (1) “My fellow Jews, listen to me as I make my defense before you!” (2) When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even quieter; and Paul went on:

(3) “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel. I received strict instruction in the Law of our ancestors and was just as dedicated to God as are all of you who are here today. (4) I persecuted to the death the people who followed this Way. I arrested men and women and threw them into prison. (5) The High Priest and the whole Council can prove that I am telling the truth. I received from them letters written to fellow Jews in Damascus, so I went there to arrest these people and bring them back in chains to Jerusalem to be punished.

(6) “As I was traveling and coming near Damascus, about midday a bright light from the sky flashed suddenly around me. (7) I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?’ (8) ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked. ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute,’ he said to me. (9) The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. (10) I asked, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ and the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that God has determined for you to do.’ (11) I was blind because of the bright light, and so my companions took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.

(12) “In that city was a man named Ananias, a religious man who obeyed our Law and was highly respected by all the Jews living there. (13) He came to me, stood by me, and said, ‘Brother Saul, see again!’ At that very moment I saw again and looked at him. (14) He said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see his righteous Servant, and to hear him speaking with his own voice. (15) For you will be a witness for him to tell everyone what you have seen and heard. (16) And now, why wait any longer? Get up and be baptized and have your sins washed away by praying to him.’

(17) “I went back to Jerusalem, and while I was praying in the Temple, I had a vision, (18) in which I saw the Lord, as he said to me, ‘Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because the people here will not accept your witness about me.’ (19) ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that I went to the synagogues and arrested and beat those who believe in you. (20) And when your witness Stephen was put to death, I myself was there, approving of his murder and taking care of the cloaks of his murderers.’ (21) ‘Go,’ the Lord said to me, ‘for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

(22) The people listened to Paul until he said this; but then they started shouting at the top of their voices, “Away with him! Kill him! He’s not fit to live!” (23) They were screaming, waving their clothes, and throwing dust up in the air. (24) The Roman commander ordered his men to take Paul into the fort, and he told them to whip him in order to find out why the Jews were screaming like this against him. (25) But when they had tied him up to be whipped, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it lawful for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried for any crime?”

(26) When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked him, “What are you doing? That man is a Roman citizen!”

(27) So the commander went to Paul and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes,” answered Paul.

(28) The commander said, “I became one by paying a large amount of money.”

“But I am one by birth,” Paul answered.

(29) At once the men who were going to question Paul drew back from him; and the commander was frightened when he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had put him in chains.

(30) The commander wanted to find out for sure what the Jews were accusing Paul of; so the next day he had Paul’s chains taken off and ordered the chief priests and the whole Council to meet. Then he took Paul and made him stand before them.

COMMENTS – 10:38
In Acts 21, today, we got a bit of a travelogue of part of Paul’s journey, didn’t we? And the part that I’d like to bring to your attention is when they arrived at Caesarea.

They stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist. And he, by the way, is the same guy who baptized the eunuch in chapter 8 of Acts. We’re told that Philip had four unmarried daughters who were what we might call, today, PKs or preacher’s kids. And they also proclaimed God’s message. That’s pretty awesome that his kids loved the Lord as much as he did.

And in addition to raising his kids to know and serve the Lord, he was evidently an effective messenger of the gospel because there was a thriving community of believers there in Caesarea. We know this because when Agabus prophesied and delivered the message from the Holy Spirit that Paul would be bound hand and foot in Jerusalem, a group of those people begged Paul not to go.

And this is what I think we should consider today. These good and loving people who cared so much for Paul that they begged him not to go where he’d be harmed were asking him to turn away from what God had called him to do. Did you notice that?

Their motives were good in that they didn’t want to see their friend in in some ways their pastor come to harm. And their pleadings were effective enough that they broke Paul’s heart. He agonized with them, and maybe was even a bit tempted to heed their cries.

But his reply to them revealed an even higher and better motive. He said, “I am ready not only to be tied up in Jerusalem but even to die there for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” Wow. His aim was truly to follow God’s leading. The Holy Spirit’s message to Paul through Agabus was not to dissuade Paul from continuing on, but to prepare him for what lay ahead. God wanted Paul and the other believers to know that when he was bound and delivered to the Gentiles, it was all a part of his plan.

And their response was what I hope ours is when we face difficult times, “May the Lord’s will be done”. There really is no better way to live than that.

And then in Acts 22, one of the aspects of God in Christianity that some non-believers have a really hard time reconciling is forgiveness, especially forgiveness of a particularly heinous crime. And on one level, I understand that difficulty.

But today, we read of Paul’s confession to the Lord that he had been responsible for the rest of believers. And he even held the cloaks of those who stoned Stephen to death. But in spite of those terrible crimes, Jesus forgave Paul, and even made him one of the linchpins of the church.

There’s no way we can explain the depth of God’s love for us or his enormous capacity for forgiveness. But we do have plenty of evidence for the reality of that forgiveness. If not in Paul, then in each one of us. None of us deserves the gift of grace that God offers, but he offers it anyway, if we’ll only accept it. He takes the pieces of our broken lives and creates something so much more than we could have ever thought possible. I’m sure it never entered Paul’s mind that he would play the role that he has in human and church history. What will God do with your life? Like the song says, “I can only imagine.”

What are your thoughts? Have a comment? Let me know. Go to lifespringmedia.com/s12e339. Tomorrow’s Epistle Sunday and we’ll finish the book of 1 John.

Boost!

DISTINGUISHED PRODUCER SHOUT-OUT – 14:17
Thanks to Distinguished Producer and Lifespring Family Berean Brother Paul of Seattle for his weekly row-of-ducks donation today of $22.22 and also his monthly $20 donation came in today. Brother Paul, you are a blessing. Thank you for your support.

ON THIS DAY IN CHURCH HISTORY – 14:45
On this day in church history, August 6, 1774, English religious leader Ann Lee and a small band of followers arrived in America at New York City. Her sect the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing is commonly known as the Shakers.

And on this date in church history, August 6, 1966, Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth wrote in a letter, “Since God does in fact, address man in his word, he obviously regards him as addressable in spite of the fact that man as a sinner closes his ears and heart to him.” Well, Beloved, I pray that we don’t do that to him. I pray that we keep our ears and our hearts open to him. That’s what this episode is about today, isn’t it, following the will of God.

PRAYER REQUEST – 15:43
I spoke, today, with a man named Kerry whose wife Gina has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. And just a couple of years ago, their 19 year old son died. Both Kerry and Gina have quite a lot of anger toward God in their heart, both for the death of their son and for Gina’s cancer. Now, I don’t know what their level of faith is, but they do believe that there is a God. I don’t know if they’re Christians. But like I said, they’re angry at him. So let’s pray for both Kerry and Gina.

Also, as I record this, about 5:30 In the afternoon, on August 5, your yesterday, Kathi had her first infusion today of her new cancer treatment. She and Del, I believe, are probably on their way home from City of Hope right now. As far as I know, the treatment went well. But that’s all I know.

CLOSING PRAYER – 16:35
So let’s pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we do want to do your will, you do have a specific plan for each of us. And we know that your plan is much better than anything we could think of. So we ask you to guide our steps to guide our thoughts as we seek Your will for our lives. You gave us a general overarching plan when Jesus told the disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded you,” and, Lord, that’s quite a task on its own, but it looks different for each of us. So teach us Lord, what your specific plan is for each of us.

And I pray now for Gina and Kerry, I pray, Lord, that if they don’t know Jesus as their Savior, first of all, that they would come to know Him, that they would confess their sins, and that they would turn their lives over to you, that they would invite you into their life as their Savior. I know, Lord, that you understand their pain and their anger and I pray that you’ll reveal yourself to them as the loving father that you are. Draw them to you. Help them to see how very much you love them. And if it is in your will bring healing to Gina. They’ve been told that the cancer is terminal, but you do have the ability to heal her. We ask for your will to be done in their lives, and we ask for their salvation.

Lord, I ask that you be with Del and Kathi and I pray, Lord, that you keep any bad side effects at bay.

I pray that you’ll bless the Lifespring family, I thank you for them and for the ones that have sent mails with their thoughts about the future of this podcast and whatever it is I’m going to do with podcasting going forward. Guide my thoughts as I seek your will Lord. I am yours and I want to do what you want me to do. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.

If you’ve got a prayer request or a praise please do go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com.

OUTRO S12E339 – 18:37
Please do give some thought and prayer to the question of what you’d like to see me do once the season is over and email me at st**************@***il.com with the words “THE NEXT STEP” in the subject line. Comment on the show at lifespringmedia.com/s12e339.

Thanks to the team: Kirsty, Sean of San Pedro and Denise. And Kirsty thank you for this week’s newsletter. You did a great job summing up the announcement. Thank you for all you do.

Thanks to the sat streamers and thanks to Brother Paul of Seattle for your consistent support.

And thank you for sharing your time with me today. Support the show with your time talent or treasure. Go to lifespringmedia.com/support.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb.

Bye.

Adios.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Corrected by Denise