Lesson#27

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Acts

September 21, 2015

Lesson #01

January 14, 2010

Lesson #02

January 14, 2010

RETURN TO THE SYLLABUS

ACT 21:37-40 AND ACTS 22:1-30
LESSON #27
THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL TESTIMONY

• MEMORY VERSE: COL 4:6

• EARLIER IN CHAPTER 21, THE ROMANS ARRESTED PAUL IN JERUSALEM. THEY WERE ABOUT TO TAKE HIM INTO THE FORTRESS WHEN PAUL SPOKE IN EDUCATED GREEK TO HIS GUARD.

• READ ACT 21:37-40
• THE EGYPTIAN
• THE ROMAN GUARD MISTOOK PAUL FOR A WELL-KNOWN ASSASSIN WHO HAD STARTED A RIOT. HE WAS CALLED, THE EGYPTIAN, AND HAD A GANG OF THUGS WHO CARRIED KNIVES UNDER THEIR CLOAKS. FELIX, THE PROCURATOR, HAD SENT TROOPS AGAINST THIS GANG BUT THE LEADER, THE EGYPTIAN, HAD ESCAPED.
• PAUL WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO SPEAK TO THE CROWD FROM THE TOP OF THE STEPS. WHY?
• HIS FLUENT GREEK IMPRESSED THE ROMAN SOLDIER.
• HE SPOKE IN ARAMAIC, A MIXTURE OF SYRIAC AND CHALDEE, AND WHICH EVERY HEBREW SPOKE AND UNDERSTOOD.

• READ ACT 22:1-21 PAUL’S TESTIMONY BEFORE THE MOB
• PAUL GAINS THE ATTENTION OF THE MOB. WHAT WORDS CALMED THE CROWD SO THAT THEY LISTENED TO HIS SERMON?
• PAUL’S FLUENCY IN ARAMAIC IMPRESSED HIS JEWISH AUDIENCE.
• PAUL’S WORDS OF PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION WITH HIS AUDIENCE (“MEN”, “BRETHREN”, “FATHERS”) CAUSED THEM TO LISTEN TO HIM.
• PAUL REVIEWS HIS PERSONAL TESTIMONY:
• HIS PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF ESTEEM AND EDUCATION.
• HIS PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF HOW HE CAME TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST AS HIS SAVIOR.
• GOD’S MIRACLE ON THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS.
• BECAUSE WE HAVE DISCUSSED PAUL’S CONVERSION TO CHRIST EARLIER IN OUR STUDY, WE WILL NOT DISCUSS IT HERE IN DETAIL.
• PAUL’S CONVERSION OCCURRED 23 YEARS EARLIER.
• IN PAUL’S SERMON, HOW DOES HE RELATE HIS OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THE ATTITUDES OF THE JEWISH MOB? (19)
• PAUL’S PAST PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHRISTIANS WERE LIKE THE CURRENT PERSECUTIONS PRACTICED BY THE MOB AGAINST HIM.
• IF PAUL COULD CONVERT TO CHRIST, SO COULD THEY.
• PAUL MAKES OBSERVATION OF THE JEWS’ PAST REJECTION, AND THEREFORE, HIS CALLING TO THE GENTILES.

• READ ACT 22:22-30
• WHY DID THE JEWISH CROWD STOP LISTENING TO PAUL’S SERMON AND BECOME AGITATED? (22)
• THE HATED WORD, “GENTILE”, RAISED THE LEVEL OF EMOTION IN THE CROWD TO THE POINT THAT THEY STOPPED LISTENING TO PAUL’S WORDS.
• NOW, THE CROWD ASSUMED THE CHARGES AGAINST PAUL WERE TRUE:
• REMEMBER THAT THE CHARGES AGAINST PAUL WERE:
• THAT HE TAUGHT AGAINST THE JEWS.
• THAT HE TAUGHT AGAINST THE MOSAIC LAW.
• THAT HE TAUGHT AGAINST THE TEMPLE.
• THAT HE BROUGHT A GENTILE INTO THE FORBIDDEN TEMPLE AREA.
• PAUL WAS BLINDED BY HIS LOVE FOR THE JEWS. HE THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE HE CONVERTED TO CHRIST, MANY OF THEM WOULD DO SO LIKEWISE.
• HOWEVER, PAUL MISJUDGED HIS AUDIENCE.
• BECAUSE PAUL WAS IN GOD’S PERMISSIVE WILL, THE HOLY SPIRIT DID NOT MOVE IN THE HEARTS OF HIS AUDIENCE TO BRING THEM TO SALVATION.
• EXAMINATION BY SCOURGING:
• WITH THE CROWD SO OUT OF CONTROL, THE ROMAN GUARD BRINGS PAUL INTO THE FORTRESS THREATENING TO EXAMINE HIM BY SCOURGING. (24)
• THE ROMAN GUARD EVIDENTLY DID NOT UNDERSTAND ARAMAIC AND PAUL’S PERSONAL TESTIMONY WENT RIGHT BY HIM.
• TO GET AT THE TRUTH THE ROMANS USED THE PRACTICE OF SCOURGING.
• THIS IS THE SAME TYPE OF BEATING PERFORMED ON JESUS WITH A CAT-O-NINE TAILS WHERE LEATHER STRIPS WERE TIED TO BITS OF BONE OR METAL. SMALL BITS OF FLESH CAME OUT WITH EVERY BEATING UNTIL THE PRISONER CONFESSED.
• HOW DID PAUL’S CITIZENSHIP HELP HIM?
• PAUL WAS NOT SCOURGED BECAUSE OF HIS CLAIM TO BE A ROMAN CITIZEN.
• IT WAS AN OFFENSE AGAINST THE ROMAN EMPEROR TO SCOURGE OR CRUCIFY A ROMAN CITIZEN. ANY SOLDIER DOING SO WOULD BE IN JEOPARDY OF HIS OWN LIFE.
• NOTICE HOW WORRIED AND FEARFUL THE SOLDIERS SUDDENLY BECOME ON LEARNING OF PAUL’S CITIZENSHIP. (26-29)
• THE CHIEF CAPTAIN OF THE CENTURION UNIT TELLS PAUL THAT HE BOUGHT HIS ROMAN CITIZENSHIP WITH A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY.
• PAUL INDICATES THAT HE WAS BORN A ROMAN CITIZEN.
• THEREFORE, PAUL HAD MORE RIGHT OF CITIZENSHIP THAN DID THE CHIEF CAPTAIN OF THE SOLDIERS.
• HOW DID PAUL HAPPEN TO BE BORN A ROMAN CITIZEN?
• WE KNOW THAT PAUL WAS BORN IN THE CITY OF TARSUS OF JEWISH PARENTS.
• THE CITY OF TARSUS WAS IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE BUT IT WAS NOT A ROMAN COLONY. IT WAS CONSIDERED A “FREE CITY”.
• THEREFORE, THE FACT THAT HIS BIRTH OCCURRED IN TARSUS DID NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE HIM CITIZENSHIP.
• SINCE PAUL DID NOT PURCHASE HIS CITIZENSHIP, THE ONLY WAY HE COULD HAVE OBTAINED IT WAS BY INHERITANCE. SOMEWHERE IN HIS DIRECT ANCESTRY, A RELATIVE OF PAUL’S MUST HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS FAVOR FOR THE EMPEROR OR THE EMPEROR’S HOUSEHOLD TO CAUSE THE EMPEROR TO REWARD THE GOOD DEED WITH FAMILIAL CITIZENSHIP.
• PAUL NEVER GAVE US THE DETAILS OF THE CAUSE OF HIS CITIZENSHIP, HE ONLY TELLS US OF THE FACT OF IT.
• ROMAN CITIZENSHIP MEANT THAT THE PERSON WAS A CITIZEN OF THE CITY OF ROME ITSELF.
• A PERSON DID NOT HAVE TO CARRY PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP WITH HIM. HE MERELY HAD TO CLAIM IT.
• IF LATER THE CLAIM OF CITIZENSHIP WAS FOUND TO BE A LIE, THE PUNISHMENT WAS DOUBLED.
• THE CAPTAIN’S PLIGHT:
• IF THE CAPTAIN CONTINUED TO SCOURGE PAUL, HE WOULD JEOPARDIZE HIS OWN CAREER AND EVEN HIS LIFE.
• IF THE CAPTAIN SET PAUL FREE AND THE CROWD KILLED HIM, THE CAPTAIN WOULD JEOPARDIZE HIS CAREER FOR NOT PROTECTING A ROMAN CITIZEN.
• THE CAPTAIN HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM BETWEEN THE JEWS AND PAUL.
• THE CAPTAIN CALLS FOR A CONFRONTATION BEFORE THE JEWISH COUNCIL, THE SANHEDREN.

• APPLICATION:
• DISCUSSION: WHAT IMPORTANT LESSONS DO YOU LEARN FROM THIS CHAPTER ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE?

• ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF PAUL’S MINISTRY, AS WE HAVE OBSERVED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, IS HIS RE-TELLING OF HIS PERSONAL TESTIMONY.
• OF WHAT VALUE IS A PERSON’S TESTIMONY OF HOW HE CAME TO GIVE HIS LIFE TO CHRIST?
• THE VALUE TO THE HEARER:
• IDENTIFICATION OF SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE.

• THE VALUE TO THE SPEAKER:
• REAFFIRMS IN HIS OWN HEART HIS COMMITMENT AND GRATITUDE TO GOD.

• THE VALUE TO GOD:
• THE ACT OF SALVATION IS ACCOMPLISHED ONLY BY THE WORKING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UNDER THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN THE HEART OF AN INDIVIDUAL, SO ONLY GOD GETS THE GLORY.

HOMEWORK
ACTS 23
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF ACT 21:37-40 AND ACTS 22:1-30
• IF YOU HAVE NEVER WRITTEN DOWN YOUR OWN PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF HOW YOU CAME TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR. WRITE IT DOWN AND PUT IT WITH YOUR IMPORTANT PERSONAL PAPERS AS A TESTIMONY TO YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE FUTURE.

• PREPARATION FOR ACT 23
• READ ACT 23:1-35
• FROM THIS CHAPTER LIST ANY CHARGES MADE AGAINST PAUL FOR HIS MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES. 

• WHAT ONE WORD DID PAUL SAY THAT CAUSED AN ARGUMENT BETWEEN THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES? 

• WHAT THREE GROUPS OF PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN THE REPORTING OF THIS PLOT? (12-15)

• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT PAUL’S NEPHEW?

• WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT THE CHIEF CAPTAIN?

• WHAT DO YOU LEARN IN THIS CHAPTER ABOUT DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND CIVIL RULERS?

• MEMORY VERSE: 2 TIMOTHY 3:12