Be Courageous: You Must Also Testify in Rome

In one paragraph

This message followed Paul's arrival in Jerusalem, his arrest in the temple, his address to the crowd from the stairs of the Antonia Fortress, and his appearance before the Sanhedrin, closing with a direct word from Jesus that Paul would testify in Rome. The pastor worked through Acts 21 through 23 at a deliberate pace, letting the historical detail and the drama of the narrative carry the weight....

Read together

1. Jeremiah 10:6 quoted as 'Lord, there is no one like you, for you are great and your name is full of power' before a song
2. Acts 21:14-16 starting point of the passage, Paul and companions heading toward Jerusalem
3. Acts 21:17-26 Paul arrives in Jerusalem, meets James and elders, told to join four men in a purification vow
4. Acts 21:27-36 Jews from Asia stir up the crowd, Paul dragged from the temple, Romans intervene
5. Acts 21:37-40 Paul asks the commander for permission to speak to the crowd
6. Acts 22:1-21 Paul's defense before the crowd, recounting his conversion and call to the Gentiles
7. Acts 22:22-29 crowd turns against Paul at the mention of Gentiles, commander orders flogging, Paul claims Roman citizenship
8. Acts 22:30 commander releases Paul and orders the Sanhedrin to assemble
9. Acts 23:1-10 Paul before the Sanhedrin, struck on the mouth, divides Pharisees and Sadducees over resurrection
10. Acts 23:11 the Lord tells Paul to be courageous and that he must testify in Rome
11. Acts 15 Jerusalem Council letter referenced regarding Gentile believers abstaining from certain things
12. Isaiah 49 Jews appointed to be a light to the Gentiles
13. Romans 9 Paul would have given his own life so his people would know and believe the gospel
14. Deuteronomy 18 the Lord will send one like Moses, referenced when Ananias speaks to Saul
15. Exodus 22:27 quoted as 'you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people' after Paul apologizes for insulting the high priest
16. Romans 15:13 closing benediction: 'may the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing'

Talk about it

1. James and the elders told Paul that thousands of Jewish believers in Jerusalem were still zealous for the law, and they asked him to take part in a purification ritual to show he was not against his own people. What does Paul's willingness to do that tell us about how he thought about serving people whose background and practices were different from the communities he had been working in?
2. The pastor pointed out that when the mob seized Paul, they dragged him out of the temple and immediately the doors were shut, and he called that a metaphor alongside it being a real event. What did he mean by that, and what does it stir up in you to think about?
3. Paul told the crowd his own story, including the parts where he had imprisoned and beaten followers of Jesus, and he was doing it in the middle of a situation where people wanted to kill him. Why do you think he led with his own guilt rather than trying to defend himself, and what can we take from that when we get a chance to explain our faith to someone?
4. The commander could not find out the facts because of the uproar, with some people shouting one thing and some another. The pastor paused there and asked whether we have felt that way in our own lives today. Where do you feel that most, and how do you try to stay grounded when the noise gets that loud?
5. At the end of the passage, Jesus appeared to Paul in the barracks and said, 'Be courageous, for just as you have testified to the truth about me here in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.' He did not tell Paul he should not have come, even though people had warned him not to. What does that say to you about how God relates to the decisions we make when we are trying to follow Him, even when those decisions are hard or costly?