These were the parting words of Paul to the leaders of a church that he had helped to plant and one that he dearly loved.
(1) How could Paul claim that he was “innocent of the blood of all men" (referring to those in Ephesus) (v.26)? How did his words echo that of Ezekiel 3:18-19?
(2) Paul admonished the elders of Ephesus to “watch over” themselves and all the flock. What does it mean to “watch over” oneself and the flock?
(3) How did Paul describe the church in v.28? How should this description impact the way to interact with (or lead) brothers and sisters in the church?
(4) Knowing that wolves would enter the church and distort the truth, what did Paul do (in v. 32)? How did he expect the church to withstand heresies?
(5) This is the only place that quotes these words of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (v. 35). How did Paul practice this saying of Jesus? How then can you also practice this saying, apart from during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons?
(6) The last three verses of this chapter give us a very moving scene of farewell. What might be the thing that touches you most?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
(1) From here on, we will read repeatedly that the Holy Spirit urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem through some of the disciples, and yet Paul was determined to go (see 20:23-24). Was Paul being disobedient to the Spirit? If not, what purpose did it serve for the Holy Spirit to warn Paul in advance?
(2) Here was another scene of farewell. How did it resemble the farewell at the end of the last chapter?
(3) We came across Philip earlier in 6:5 (being one of the seven deacons), 8:4-13 (pioneering evangelism among the Samaritans) and 8:26-40 (converting the first recorded gentile in Acts). Now we know more about him in this chapter. What does it tell you about Philip, given the fact that all four of his daughters also prophesied?
(4) It appears that the Holy Spirit sent Agabus all the way from Judea to warn Paul, and this time like an old-fashioned prophet, he used himself as a visual aid. Why would the Holy Spirit give Paul so many warnings?
(5) What was Paul’s reply? How does his reply speak to you?
(6) When Paul would not be dissuaded, who, according to Luke, gave up? If you were Luke, would you continue to accompany Paul to Jerusalem? Why or why not?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
(1) Now when Paul arrived in Jerusalem, meeting with James and the elders of the church, he gave a report of his missionary journeys. What was the focal point of his report?
(2) As much as these Jewish leaders “praised God” in response to Paul’s report, on whom were their minds set, Jews or Gentiles? Why?
(3) Do you think all Jewish Christians in Jerusalem welcomed Paul? What was the reason?
(4) The Jewish Christians were accusing Paul of, “telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs”. Was it true? (Read Gal. 5:2-12 and judge for yourself.)
(5) What did the Jerusalem church leaders propose that Paul do? If you were Paul, would you do it?
(6) Why then would Paul oblige? Do you think he did the right thing? Why or why not?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
(1) Paul’s action, as advised by the Jerusalem church leaders, was meant to show that Paul was “living in obedience to the law”. Did it work? What lesson may you learn from this? (Note that the arrest was made not by Jewish Christians, but by Jews who were not believers.)
(2) Gentiles were only permitted to enter the outermost court of the temple (the court of the Gentiles), but not further into the court of the women and the court of Israel. They were prevented by a low barrier carrying notices in Greek and Latin, “No foreigners may enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.” (TNCT, Marshall, Acts, 347). When you read the commotion that ensued, what insight can you gain about present-day Muslims and how they are zealous in enforcing their Sharia (religious) law?
I would like to share with you a news release forwarded on Nov. 16, 2010 by Pastor K, the former-Muslim pastor who risks his life to share the gospel with Muslim in HK:
For the first time in history Pakistan has sentenced to death a Christian woman for blasphemy. The Court of Sessions passed the death sentence on Asia Bibi yesterday evening. Asia, who is in her 30s - was accused under the blasphemy laws of passing derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed. Asia, who is from Ittanwali in Punjab province, labored in the fields for a Muslim landlord. She was arrested after a heated discussion about religion with her fellow farm workers. Hers was one of only three Christian families in the village. Some of the women workers had been putting her under pressure to renounce her Christian faith and accept Islam.
On June 19, 2009, the women pressed Asia about Islam. She responded by sharing with them about her faith in Christ. She spoke of how Jesus Christ had died on the cross for their sins and then asked them what Mohammed had done for them. On hearing this response the Muslim women became very angry and began to beat her. Some men took Asia by force and locked her in a room. They used the PA system of a local mosque to broadcast plans to punish Asia by blackening her face and parading her through the village on a donkey.
According to Release partners, a mob formed and Asia was violently abused by Muslim villagers and clerics. Her children were also beaten. However, some Christians informed the police and Asia was taken into protective custody. Pressure to charge her was brought to bear by Muslim leaders. Sentence was passed yesterday.
Note: As of today (2012), Bibi is still in jail.
(3) How might you pray for the Muslims in this case, and for Asia, the persecuted sister? Can you spend some time in prayer for them now?
(4) By the grace of God, the Roman commander arrived in time to stop the mobs, but Paul did not make use of his Roman citizenship until 22:25. Instead, he mentioned only his citizenship in Cilicia, his hometown of high-end culture. What did he achieve by mentioning his hometown? Why did he not mention his Roman citizenship at that point?
(5) What is the main message to you today?
(1) Paul began by addressing the mobs as “brothers and fathers”. Was it merely a ploy? (Refer to Rom. 9:1-4)
(2) In vv. 3-5, Paul shared his past. What was his past marked by (from the perspective of his birth, his law training, his zeal and his “accomplishments”)?
(3) In vv. 6-11 Paul recounted his heavenly encounter. What was the core message of his testimony? Could he expect the crowd to believe him? Why or why not?
(4) If you were to give your testimony of your conversion, what might be the core message of your testimony?
(5) In relaying the story of Ananias, Paul used a very unusual description of Ananias and words that were not mentioned in his conversion account in Acts 9. Highlight these words in your Bible. Do you detect how unusual these words are and what might Paul’s intention in their usage be?
(6) In vv.17-20, Paul shared that he immediately returned to Jerusalem, and in spite of the Lord’s warning. Why would he expect the Jews in Jerusalem to accept him now?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
(1) The crowd appeared to be listening, but while Paul had yet to give his defense to the charge originally laid against him, his last statement triggered a violent response from the crowd. What was his last statement about?
(2) Why did the Jews react so violently to it? (Interestingly, even the commander did not seem to get it.) Why did they consider Paul, “not fit to live”?
(3) In order to get the “truth” out of Paul, the commander ordered Paul to be flogged. This appeared to be a normal practice in the ancient world to get at the truth, but it was never the case with the Law of Moses (see Deut. 19:15). How different are the two approaches in “getting the truth”?
(4) As much as Paul now used his Roman citizenship to his favor, however, it also highlights how discriminatory Roman law was. Remember the inscription on the barrier separating the Gentile court from the inner courts of the temple (see question 2 of Acts 21:27-40 of this devotional guide)? Is the Law of Moses just as discriminatory? Why or why not?
(5) What did Paul’s claim of Roman citizenship result in? Should he have used this “trump card”? Why or why not?
(6) Up to this point in the telling of the life story of the Apostle Paul, how do you see God’s choice of Paul as the Apostle to the Gentiles?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
(1) On what ground did the High Priest order the people to smack Paul?
(2) What was Paul’s response? Was he right in so saying?
(3) Why then did he apologize? (Presumably he based his apology on Exod. 22:28.)
(4) Paul obviously used the tactic of “divide and conquer” to create an internal division of the Sanhedrin. Should he have used such a tactic (or any tactic, for that matter)?
(5) By stating that he was still a Pharisee and that he believed in the resurrection of the dead, he appeared to get some Pharisees on his side. How did their statement in v. 9 correspond to Paul’s testimony back in chapter 22?
(6) Why did the Lord choose to appear to Paul the following night? What was the essence of His message?
(7) What is the main message to you today?