Bookmark Daily Bible Reading Calendar By: Ehimwenma E. Aimiuwu – Please LIKE us on Facebook
Acts 21:
Paul took a ship to many places to see other believers and strengthen the churches there. A prophet from Judea (prophets of God existed after the death of Jesus) came to Paul to tell Paul that the Jews of Jerusalem would capture him and turn him over to the Gentiles, but Paul proceeded to Jerusalem because he was prepared to die for the gospel. Paul met with James (actual brother of Jesus & head of the Church of Jerusalem) and other elder to give an account of what God has done for the Gentiles through his ministry. The church of Jerusalem also told God how many Jews were now Christians, but have taken offense with Paul for telling Jews among the Gentiles to forsake the laws of Moses, their culture, and circumcision. So Paul took the four men given to him to purify Paul to prove to the Jews that all they heard about Paul were rumors. Paul soon went to the temple to inform them about the end of his purification week, but the Jews sized him to kill him. The Roman soldiers intervened and arrested him in chains. Paul wanted to speak to the people, but the Roman commander thought that Paul was the Egyptian that took 4,000 terrorists, who started a revolt, into the dessert sometime back. So the Romans could not differentiate a Jew from an African (Egyptian – Arabs took Egypt about 700 years after Jesus). Paul then told the commander that he was a Jew from Tarsus, and was given permission to address the angry Jewish crowd.
Acts 22:
Even the Jews were surprised when Paul spoke Hebrew to them (The Jew did not know he was a Jew, they thought Paul was just out there speaking against their customs). He told the angry Jewish mob that he was born and raised a Jew in Jerusalem, trained in the strict teachings of the laws of Moses, and even the high priest could testify about how he prosecuted the Christians. He then shared his conversion story of how Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and chose him as an instrument to witness to all nations about Jesus. He also told them how God revealed to him that he will be captured in Jerusalem, and replied God by saying that he encouraged those who killed Stephen and that the Jews already knew he had gone to many synagogues. So God decided to send him to the Gentiles. When he was done, the Jews still demanded that he should be killed. So the commander ordered that Paul be arrested and flogged, but Paul reminded them that it was unlawful to flog a Roman citizen that was not found guilty. Paul was actually born a Roman citizen – in Rome, so the commander handed him over to the Sanhedrin where he could be judged by Jewish custom.
Act 23:
Paul began to address the Sanhedrin and told them that he had served God faithfully The high priest ordered that Paul be slapped, but Paul rebuked him. Paul later apologized, and informed the court that he was a Pharisee and a descendant of a Pharisee, who believed in the resurrection of the dead. This divided the Sanhedrin because The Pharisee (socio-political thought of people that believed in both the oral and written interpretation of the Mosaic law) believed in angels, spirits, and resurrection, but the Sadducees (priests who believe in the strict written law of Moses) did not. The Pharisees then sided with Paul and said maybe angel revealed something to him. It got too violent that the commanded brought Paul back to the barracks, there God told Paul by night that he has testified in Jerusalem and he will do the same in Rome. The Jews then planned with the chief priests to request for Paul again so that they could ambush him on his way, but Paul’s nephew informed both Paul and the prison officials. Paul was then transferred to Governor Felix with a letter and was kept under Guard in Herod’s palace. The Jews are prepared to kill anyone that speaks against their way of life even in collaboration with their chief priests.