When the Holy Spirit warns Paul about the suffering ahead, is He telling Paul to turn back, or preparing him for what lies ahead? In this lesson from Acts 21, Alan Smith examines the warnings that lead Paul toward Jerusalem and the resolve that keeps him moving forward.
Paul's journey takes him from Miletus to Tyre, Ptolemais, and Caesarea. Along the way, believers urge him not to go to Jerusalem, and the prophet Agabus acts out the warning that Paul will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Alan considers the difference between a warning and a prohibition, and why difficult circumstances don't automatically mean a believer has mistaken God's direction.
The study also looks at Philip the evangelist, one of the seven chosen in Acts 6. Philip preached in Samaria, shared the gospel with the Ethiopian official, and later welcomed Paul and his companions into his home in Caesarea. His story reminds us that God works through people who may seem unlikely to be used in extraordinary ways.
Along the way, Alan discusses how to read Scripture in context, why words and grammar matter, and how the early church's mission to Israel and the Gentiles fits into the events of Acts. The lesson opens with a reflection on Cyril and Methodius and the preservation and translation of Scripture.
Follow along in Acts 21:1-17, and consider how Paul responds when the road ahead is clear, but the cost is high.
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