Paul Follows God- Part 2

Today, let’s continue to look at the life of Paul. If you haven’t read Part 1 you can find it here:  God Follows Paul- Part 1 You may also be interested in reading how it all started for Paul. You can find his conversion here: A Look At The Conversion of Saul

When we left Paul he was getting ready to travel to Jerusalem. He is well aware that trouble and hardship await him. He has been told through the Holy Spirit, friends, and a prophet that he will be persecuted but he knows that God has called him to preach in Jerusalem. He doesn’t have all the details but he has chosen to follow God’s direction, so off to Jerusalem he will go.

When Paul first gets to Jerusalem things are going quite well. Paul is received warmly! How wonderful! But there are some rumors floating around about him so to contradict the rumors Paul participates in the 7 day purification rites, all seem pretty peaceful! Acts 21: 17-26

Acts 21:27-40 ²⁷ When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, ²⁸ shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) ³⁰ The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. ³¹ While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. ³⁵ When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. ³⁶ The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”³⁷ As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, “May I say something to you?” “Do you speak Greek?” he replied. ³⁸ “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the wilderness some time ago?” ³⁹ Paul answered, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic: …

Paul goes on to give his testimony in front of all his accusers. You can read it in Acts 22: 1-21.  The crowd listens intently to Paul’s story until he says God sent him to the Gentiles, then this happens:

Acts 22: 21-29 ²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!” ²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” ²⁶When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. “What are you going to do?” he asked. “This man is a Roman citizen.”²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered.²⁸ Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. ²⁹ Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

To recap the whole thing:

• Paul is dragged out of the temple and beaten – they were trying to kill him (v.31) not just give him a beating to remember.
• Paul is falsely accused of bringing an Ephesian into the temple
• Then it’s falsely assumed that Paul is an Egyptian terrorist
• I can’t imagine the pain Paul would have been in after a beating like that yet Paul asks to speak to the crowd, he’s going to share his testimony and preach Jesus! He’s not going to miss an opportunity.
• But when Paul says God sent him to the Gentiles the Jews will have none of it!
• The commander is totally confused so he’s going to use what is probably his normal tactic: beat and question in order to figure it out.
• But Paul throws the commander a curve ball: Paul is a Roman citizen.
  • Romans have certain rights as citizens.
    • One being how they are to be treated before being found guilty.
  • So Paul escapes a second beating and the commander is a bit concerned about having arrested Paul and how close he came to having him flogged.

There’s A LOT that happens in the following chapters! Feel free to read it all for yourself, it’s so interesting and who knows what the Lord may speak to you through it. But I’ll recap!

• The next day the commander assembles the chief priests and the Sanhedrin (a Jewish council) to try to figure out what exactly they’re accusing Paul of.
• Paul again gets to speak and again causes such an uproar that Acts 23:10 says the dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them!
• The following morning the Jews form a conspiracy to kill Paul. Acts 23:12
  • The commander finds out and sends Paul with an army of protection to Governor Felix at Caesarea. Acts 23:12-24
• Paul spends 2 years under guard in Caesarea and frequently shares his faith in Jesus with Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla Acts 24:26-27
• Felix leaves Paul in prison when his term is up and Porcius Festus becomes Governor
  • the Jews in Jerusalem are still trying to set up an ambush to kill Paul Acts 25:1-4
• Paul gets to speak before Festus and appeals to Caesar, something he has the right to do as a Roman citizen. Acts 25: 5-12
  • Before Paul is sent to Caesar, King Agrippa and his wife Bernice arrive in Caesarea
  • Paul then gets share his testimony and preach Jesus to Fetus, King Agrippa and Bernice
• Paul sent to Rome by boat
  • the ship encounters a storm and is lost at sea for 2 weeks
  • They are then shipwrecked on the island of Malta
    • they spend 3 months at Malta
    • Paul witnesses to the ship’s crew and the islanders. God performs miracles through Paul
• They finally arrive in Rome and Paul is able to rent his own house and lives there under guard (house arrest) for 2 years.
  • Paul is able to receive all visitors that come to see him.
•  ‘from morning until evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God’. Acts 28:23
• Acts 28:31 “Boldly and with hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God did not deliver Paul from everything he was warned was coming. Paul spent 2 years in prison under Felix, it doesn’t say how long he was under Festus before heading for Rome but it took at least 4 months to get to Rome, and Paul was under house arrest in Rome for 2 years.

God didn’t deliver Paul from the persecution that he knew was coming. There isn’t a guarantee that God will deliver us either when we follow God. Sometimes we suffer for the name of Jesus.

Paul was eventually released from house arrest and continued to travel and minister. But Paul continued to follow God into trouble and hardship. Paul was eventually killed as a martyr, likely in Rome, under the reign of Nero during a time of intense Christian persecution.

There are endless stories of those who have given their life for the name of Jesus. They followed God into trouble and hardship and it resulted in their death. At what point in your relationship with Christ are you? What is God calling you to? Are you willing to follow God into difficulty? What if it’s fire, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? What if it’s a lion’s den, like Daniel? What if it’s a natural disaster, like Noah? What if it’s death?

God is calling you (and me) to a new level of commitment to Him. Are you willing to sacrifice your job? Your reputation? Your legacy? Your life to follow God? That day probably isn’t today. But that day could come- if God says ‘Follow Me. I will show you how much you must suffer for my name.’ If God says, ‘Follow Me, prison and hardships are facing you.’ Will you follow Him to those difficult places?

Paul suffered more than you or I can possibly imagine. But God was with him through it all and God took care of Paul. 

Paul was born a Roman. Paul was able to avoid a flogging because of something God did for Paul at birth! If you’ll remember what we read in Romans to start us off: Paul wanted to visit the Romans and Paul made it to Rome. Paul was able to visit with the Romans as he set out to do. Paul was able to appeal to Caesar and get a trip to Rome (where he was wanting to go) because he was born a Roman.

Paul was able to live in his own rented house for 2 years under house arrest. All his needs would have been taken care of and he was able to rest and speak and minister to all who came to see him. He wrote letters during that time that have now become books of our Bible.

Paul was killed for his faith, he died a martyr, it’s believed he was beheaded, which is typically a quick death, verses a slow painful death such as crucifixion or being thrown to wild animals, a quick death was a right of Roman citizens.

Although following God may not be easy. I believe, that just like Paul there are things in your life that God has put there (that may seem insignificant, like citizenship) for a specific purpose and He will use the good and the bad if you let Him. God will never leave you or forsake you. He is with you. He loves you. If you seek Him you will find Him. If you call on His name He will hear you.

If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, if you do not have a personal relationship with Him – He is calling you. Today is the Day! Do not wait any longer surrender to Him!

If you feel the Lord calling you to a new level of commitment and surrender to Him- do not wait, make your commitment to follow God where ever He leads. Today is the day!         

Choose to let Him take you deeper today.

-A.E.