Acts  22-28

Questions

2009

Chapter 22 – Paul’s Defense

Old habits die hard!  Paul’s problems continued as Jewish Christian legalists made charges against him concerning his ministry to the Gentiles.  The elders already addressed this matter during a recent visit to Jerusalem, but the legalists, carrying the heavy burden of thousands of years of bondage to a Law that no one could ever fully obey, caused a riot among the Jews.  Jerusalem was swollen with worshippers making one of their required yearly Temple visits.  It is difficult to understand how a huge crowd of supposedly reverent worshippers of the true God could so quickly turn into a murderous mob, yet it happened time and time again as Christianity and Judaism clashed in their worship of the same God.

In an effort to appease the legalists, Paul was urged to join four men in purification ceremonies in the Temple.  They completed their vows, waited the prescribed seven days of purification, and went to the Temple to offer the required sacrifices.  It seemed like a good plan, but it did not work.  Instead of bringing peace, Paul ended up a prisoner.

In the Temple, separating the court of the Gentiles from the other courts stood a wall beyond which no Gentile was allowed to go.  On the wall was this warning:  “No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the sanctuary and enclosure.  Anyone who is caught so doing will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.”  The Romans had given the Jews the right to deal with anyone breaking this Jewish law, and this included execution.

Some Jews from Asia, probably from Ephesus, a trouble spot for Paul, jumped to the conclusion that he had polluted their sacred Temple by bringing Gentiles past the barricade.  The legalists recognized Paul’s gentile friend Trophimus from Ephesus and argued: (1) wherever Paul went, the gentile friends went; (2) Paul was seen in the Temple; therefore, his friends had been to the Temple too!  They seized Paul and wanted him killed for breaking the “NO GENTILES” rule in the Temple.  Paul now makes the first of six defenses of his faith in Acts.

1.     Why did Paul speak to the crowd in the Hebrew (Aramaic) language?  (A) Paul wanted the crowd’s attention and since so many of the crowd were from foreign cities and did not speak fluid Hebrew, the crowd needed to _______down to hear what Paul was saying.  It also gave him ______________as a fellow Jew.

2.     The crowd wanted to kill Paul without a trial.  Why the radical reaction?  (A) Many Jews, stirred up by the______________, did not even know what the fuss was all about.  It was a typical mob reaction but intensified because of the accusation of_____________, a crime punishable by death.

3.     V.22: 16 – “And now, why delay?  Get up and be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on the name of the Lord,” seems to suggest that baptism is ___________for the washing away of sins.  Is that the case?  (A), In his Expanded Translation of the New Testament, Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest puts it, “Having arisen, be baptized and wash away your sins, having previously called upon His name.”  __________on the Lord saves us by _______ (Acts 2:21; 9:14), and we give ___________of that _______by being baptized.  According to Acts 9:17, Paul was filled with the HS ___________he was baptized; and this would indicate that he was ___________born again.  It is the “___________,” not the baptizing, that effects the cleansing.  V. 14 says that God had _____________Paul to know His will and He called him to_____________.

4.     At first they listened, but what set the crowd off?  (A) V.21 – Paul told them of his lineage as a devout Jew, but then he told them that the Lord said to him, “Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.” Immediately they wanted to kill him.  No Jew would have anything to do with the Gentiles.  Paul knew this but would rather be a prisoner than to give up his burden for lost souls and for his mission.  He never _________________what the Lord God asked him to do.

5.     What significance does Paul’s citizenship hold?  (A) He was a ___________citizen because of his father and Romans were given extra ______________over any other race or tribe.  ________was using the great power of the Empire to protect His servant and eventually to get him to Rome.  He is in charge of all things, big and small!

Chapter 23 – Paul the Prisoner

Paul begins his second of six defenses before the high court – the Jewish council, or Sanhedrin.  As most prisoners do, he begins his defense by claiming his innocence.  He says, “Brothers, I have always lived before God in all good conscience…  (v.1).”  He takes a personal approach, identifying himself with his brother Jews in obedience to God.

1.     The remainder of that verse says, “…in all good conscience.”  Paul was the chief persecutor of  Christians before his conversion.  How could he have a good conscience?  (A) It is one of Paul’s favorite words – he uses it about twenty-one times in his letters.  Conscience is the “__________ ________” or “witness” that ___________when we do right and ______________ when we do wrong (Rom. 2:15).  It does not ______the standards; it only __________them.  In regard to his persecution of the church, Paul had lived up to the high standards he had as a Pharisee and that is all a good conscience requires.  He truly believed he was doing the right thing.  After his conversion he saw differently and called himself the “chief of sinners.”

2.     What was the high priest’s reaction?  (A) Ananias (not the high priest Annas) of Christ’s trial, immediately ordered him to be slapped on the mouth because of this statement.  What does this foreshadow?  (A) This was going to be an __________hearing – it was unjust and illegal; Paul had not even been _________of any guilt, but was being treated as one already____________________.

3.     Paul’s temper flares and he calls the high priest a “whitewashed wall.”  What was Paul saying?  (A) He simply meant that this man was a________________.  Jesus used the same term in Matt. 23:27.  His prediction that God would “slap you” came true in A.D. 66, when the Jews revolted against Rome.  Ananias was the most corrupt of the high priests and a Roman sympathizer - the Jewish rebels _______________him.

4.     In the following verses, Paul switches from a personal defense to a doctrinal one.  What do you see as the real issue here and how does Paul address it?  (A) He realizes that some of the Sanhedrin were Sadducees and some were Pharisees.  He declares himself to be a good Pharisee and states that the reason for his trial “because my hope is in the ___________________of the dead (v.6)” – a doctrinal issue rejected by the Sadducees.  Paul realized that he could never get a fair trial after the actions of the high priest, so he was trying to end the hearing as soon as possible and trust _______to use the Romans to protect him from the Jews.  He was absolutely right when he said that the real issue was the doctrine of_______________, that is, of Jesus Christ.  In fact, the entire witness in Acts _____________on the Resurrection (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15).  This so incensed the two factions that another near riot started and the Romans were forced to intervene.

5.     What beautiful thing do you see the Lord doing for Paul?  (A) Once again, He _____________to Paul and ______________him and gave him clear______________.  As God’s people, we can always take courage in times of difficulty because the Lord is with us and will see us through.  The Lord _______________Paul for the ____________he has been, even though the Jews did not receive the witness.  Finally, the Lord gives Paul______________: he would go to Rome.  In spite of the difficult circumstances of Paul’s life, the Lord was with him and fulfilling His ___________ ________to get His faithful servant to Rome.

6.     The Jews scheme to assassinate Paul on the way to a hearing in Caesarea.  What happens?  (A) They forget that Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ and that the Lord was _____________from Heaven.  He promised Paul that He would take ________of him and He does.  He sends Paul’s cousin to warn the Roman in charge that a plot was underway to kill Paul.  But God in His wonderful way, ___________ for Paul to have a Roman escort of 470 men, a full half of the entire garrison at Fort Antonia.  God _____________Claudius Lysias, the Roman in charge, to write to Felix, the Roman Governor, that Paul was “certainly not worthy of imprisonment or death (v.26).”

Chapter 24 – Paul before Felix

For a man “not worthy of imprisonment or death,” Paul was in serious trouble.  He never looked for the easy way but for the one that most honored the Lord and would win the lost.  He even willingly became a prisoner if that would further the work of the Gospel.  Elders of the Jewish High Council, the Sanhedrin, the high priest, a paid attorney and several witnesses all travel the 65 miles to Caesarea trying to turn Felix against Paul and to turn him over to them.  Tertullus, the attorney, levels 4 accusations against Paul: 1) He was a plague or a________; 2) He was a creator of __________among all of the Jews; 3) He was a _____________ of the sect of the Nazarenes; 4) He tried to _______________the Temple.  Paul answers the charges one by one.

1.     As for being a pest, the Romans had no complaint.  It was always the ________who stirred up trouble against Paul.  They wanted to retain their Jewish_____________, and Paul was introducing something new.

2.     The political charge was more serious, because no Roman official wanted to be guilty of allowing ___________activities that would upset the “Pax Romana,” the Roman peace.  In a way, this was true.  Paul had preached to the Jews that Jesus Christ was their _________and Lord, and this sounded like a threat to Rome.  The Romans largely dismissed it because they considered Christianity to be identified with the Jews.  It wasn’t until later that Rome saw the increasing number of converts to Christianity as a threat.

3.     Paul didn’t deny that he was a leader of the Nazarenes.  What he did say was, that in this capacity, he served the God of the________, believing all things written in the_______.  He shared the expectation of all orthodox Jews, especially Pharisees, that there would be a resurrection of the dead, both of the _______(at the Rapture of the saints) and the ___________(unbelievers from all time until that moment, the completion of the thousand year reign of Christ, at the Great White Throne Judgment).

4.     With regard to the fourth charge, Paul explained that while he was bringing ____________to the Temple in the act of performance of a Jewish vow, certain Jews from Asia found him and accused him of bringing unclean Gentiles into the Temple.  This was not true.  Paul was alone at this time, and had been purified from ceremonial defilement.  Paul states that his accusers from Asia should be there to bring charges against him, but they were nowhere to be seen.  The one statement, which they could hold against him, was “I am on trial today because I believe in the ______________of the dead (v.21).”

5.     Felix finds ____ ________with Paul, but seeking to avoid further trouble with the Jewish leadership, declares that he needs further information from Claudius Lysias.  There is no evidence that Claudius was ever summoned.

6.     What is Paul sentenced to?  (A) He is ____________to a Roman soldier at all times, the soldiers rotating every six hours.  He was given some freedom in the court of Felix and friends were allowed to visit and minister to him.

7.     Ever the evangelist, when summoned to another hearing, Paul gives three reasons why Drusilla and Felix should repent and believe in Jesus Christ. They are: 1) ______________– they had to do something about their sin.  A Holy God demands righteousness but in His mercy and grace, provides ______ ______righteousness to those who trust Jesus.  2)________________– We need to do something about today’s temptations.  Both Felix and Drusilla lived in deep sin and rebellion. 3) ________________to come – Paul told them the same thing he told the Greek philosophers in Acts 17:31, “God has appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness.”  Jesus Christ is either your savior or judge.  What did Felix do?  He trembled in _____________but rather than repent, he _____ _____ _____for another day.

Chapter 25 – 26; Paul Appeals to Caesar

A new sheriff comes to town!  Actually, a new governor by the name of Festus (anyone remember Gunsmoke and Marshal Dillon’s sidekick?) replaces Felix.  He travels to Jerusalem to meet the Jewish leaders and is immediately confronted with Paul’s case.  Even after two years, the Jews still plotted to kill him.  It says a lot about their integrity when they plotted to ambush Paul and kill him if they could persuade Festus to bring Paul to Jerusalem.  Festus agrees to meet the Jews and hear their charges and seeking to win points with the Jewish leaders, asks Paul if he were willing to go to Jerusalem to be judged there.  Asking a Roman citizen where he would be tried was a point of law and Paul realized that this was his only chance for survival.

1.     What action does Paul take?  (A) He ______________Festus that he, Paul, was in the official Roman court and should be tried there.  He ___________that if he is guilty as charged he would be ____________to die, but he was innocent.  Therefore, rather than being turned over to the Jews to be killed, he ___________to Caesar for a trial in Rome.

2.     Festus is in a quandary; he finds Paul ______________of any acts against Roman law and realizes that the accusations against Paul were “something about their religion and about someone named Jesus who died, but whom Paul says is alive (v.19).”  He realizes Paul is innocent but since he must send Paul to Rome to stand trial, he must come up with a ___________against him (v.26).

3.     King Agrippa, King Herod’s great grandson agrees to hear Paul’s defense.  What is his defense?  (A) (See 23:6; 24:21; 26: 6-8) Paul knew that Agrippa is an expert on things Jewish and appeals to a promise God made to their Jewish ancestors.  He asks Agrippa out right, “Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead (v.8)?” He tells Agrippa that the twelve tribes of Israel, all of Israel, worship God night and day and share this___________ ___________.

4.     Why do you think his opponents never bring out this actual accusation (see Acts 18: 15?)?  (A) They know that the Romans dismiss the _____________wrangling of the Jews.  If _____________law is not broken, they want no part of it.

5.     How does Paul’s conviction in the Resurrection differ from that of the Pharisees who in principle agree in a “general resurrection?”  Paul also believes in a ___________ resurrection ( _____will be resurrected to stand before their God), but Paul basis his belief first in the Resurrection of the promised___________, ___________, who will be the One ultimately judging all people from all time.

6.     Does it amaze you that the Jews insist in not believing Paul, even when he gives his testimony about his past, his conversion, and his vision of the Lord who is Jesus? 

7.     How do they resist what Jesus says to Paul in v.17-18?  (A) “Yes, I will protect you from your own people and the Gentiles.  I am going to send you (God’s will) to the Gentiles, to open their eyes (He empowers through His Holy Spirit) so they may turn from the power of Satan to God (His purpose).  Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins (Justification by faith alone through His grace) and be given a place among God’s people (a believers inheritance), who are set apart (Sanctification) by faith in me.”  (God does it ALL!!!)  These people were so ______- __________and ruled by _________ in what God had done for them, that they ____________to even hear or think about God including anyone else in the salvation plan!

8.     Read v.26:20 and 20:21.  How can you tell someone what it means to be a Christian from these verses?  How does faith in Jesus relate to a change in lifestyle?

9.     Do you think Paul’s primary goal in this speech is to convince Agrippa of his______________, or of the __________of Christianity’s claims?

10.  In closing, Paul claims that what he preaches is what Moses and the prophets said would happen.  He boldly asks Agrippa, the Jewish expert, if he believed it.  Agrippa realizes that if he agreed, he would have to answer the question, “Is Jesus of Nazareth the _________ (Messiah) about whom the prophets spoke?”  Nevertheless, like so many others, Agrippa refused to take a stand and make a_______________.

Chapter 27- 28; Paul Arrives In Rome

Rather than going over the self-explanatory last two chapters in Acts, it might be more interesting to review what we have learned.  Paul finally achieves his goal and reaches Rome where he is tried and acquitted after two years as a prisoner.  He used that time to witness the Gospel to large numbers of people.  He was released and soon began his fourth and last missionary journey that ended once again in Rome.  Paul was beheaded there in A.D. 67 or 68, a true servant and apostle of his Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Message of Acts – A Review

This has been a vital time of growth for the new church and for the people willing to follow the call of the Messiah.  A question might be – What characterized the individual believers and the local churches of which they were members?

First, it is obvious that the first-century Christians lived first and foremost for the interests of the Lord Jesus.  Their whole outlook was Christ-centered.  What did they live for?  To witness for the Savior, and they gave everything to accomplish that task.  Living in an unforgiving world of prejudice and hatred, they sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  Everything else came in second to this holy calling.

The Message they preached centered on the resurrection and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They were witnesses to a risen Savior.  Men had slain the Messiah, but God had raised Him from among the dead and given Him the place of highest honor in heaven.  Every knee must bow to Him – there is no other way to salvation.

What was their outlook on life?  In an environment of hate, bitterness, and greed, the disciples manifested love to all.  They were persecuted but repaid it with kindness and prayer for their opponents.  They lived sacrificially for the spread of the Gospel.  Their life was not about material possessions, but of a stewardship from God toward others.  They served others first, and when there was need it was promptly met.

The weapons they used in their battle were not ones made of bronze and iron.  They employed the Word of God in their fight against the strongholds of the evil powers aligned against them.  They realized that it was not religious or political leaders that were their enemies, but rather the forces of Satan that brought so much resistance to the truth of the Word and persecution to it’s believers.  Unlike Islam, Christianity did not grow with force, although later in history, as corruption came into the church, the initial purity of Christian fervor was forgotten.  In today’s world, the “Acts” principles are largely ignored.

These early Christians lived in separation from the world.  They were in it but not of it.  They maintained active contact with unbelievers as far as their witness was concerned, but never compromised their loyalty to Christ by engaging in the world’s sinful pleasures.  They tried to be a blessing to all without folding under Satan’s temptations.  Did they engage in politics or try to fix the social evils of the day?  We see no hard cut evidence of that; rather their outlook was that all the ills and abuses in the world arise from man’s sinful nature.  In order to treat the evil, one must get at the cause.  Only the Gospel could get at the heart of the matter, changing man’s evil nature.

They were not surprised when they faced persecution.  They had been taught to expect it.  Instead of retaliating, they committed their cause to God, who judges righteously.  Instead of trying to escape from trials, they prayed for boldness to proclaim Christ to all with whom they came in contact.

Following the admonition of Jesus to go and make disciples of all the nations, their mission was worldwide evangelization.  The field was their world and they knew no distinction between home and foreign missions.  They were not content to lead souls to Christ and let them flounder on by themselves.  Rather, the converts were gathered into local assemblies, were taught the Word, nurtured in prayer, and strengthened in their faith.  Then they were challenged to go out with the message to others. This is true discipleship.  Oh, that were true today!

It was the establishment of the local churches that gave permanence to the work and provided for evangelical outreach in the surrounding areas.  In the beginning, there was no one central church, but rather each assembly was independent of other churches, yet there was a fellowship among these assemblies.  Each assembly sought to reproduce itself in adjacent territories and supported itself independently.

The assemblies were primarily spiritual havens for believers rather than centers for reaching the unsaved.  Church activities included the breaking of bread, worship, prayer, Bible Study and fellowship.  Actual Gospel meetings were not held in the assemblies but rather wherever there was an opportunity to address the unsaved – in synagogues, in the marketplaces, on the streets, in prisons and from house to house.  The churches met in the homes of believers instead of special buildings for that purpose.  There were no denominations.  All believers were recognized as members of the body of Christ.  There was no distinction between clergy and the laity.  No one had exclusive rights in an assembly with regard to teaching, preaching, baptizing or administration of the Lord’s Supper.  They understood that every believer had some spiritual gift and they were encouraged to exercise it.

Those who were gifted as apostles, teachers, preachers, evangelists, pastors did not seek to make themselves indispensable officials in a church.  Their function was to build up the saints in faith so that they, too, might be able to serve the Lord daily.  The gifted men of this NT era were equipped for their work by a special anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27).  They were not educated men, but men empowered by the Spirit of God for good works.  As such, the message of the Gospel was often accompanied by miracles – signs and wonders and various gifts of the Holy Spirit.  These miracles may have been more prominent in the early church in order to validate the authenticity of the message and the message givers.  That is not to say that miracles are no longer valid today.  God still works how, when, and where He chooses.

The early church practiced baptism by immersion and believers were baptized soon ________ their conversion as an act of obedience and as an outward sign of the believer’s identification with the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promise of his own.  They were addicted to prayer as a lifeline to God and often fasted to be able to concentrate on spiritual matters.

The home assembly had no local control over those who went out in evangelistic service.  They were free to serve as the Holy Spirit directed.  But they did report back to their home church as to the blessings of their labors.  The church was not a highly organized entity, but one that moved in accordance with the leading of the HS.  The Head of the church, Christ in heaven, directed the members and they tried to keep themselves teachable, ready to serve and respond.  The believers expected and depended on the guidance of the Lord.  They had forsaken all for Christ’s sake and had nothing and no one but the Lord Himself.  So, they looked to Him for daily guidance and help.

There were spiritual leaders in the church and the congregation recognized them as such.  It was the HS who empowered them to speak with authority and it was the same Spirit who gave the believers the true spiritual instinct to submit to this authority.  They largely obeyed civil government.  The point was reached when they were forbidden to preach the gospel.  Then they obeyed God rather than man.  When punished, they did not resist and never conspired against their government.

As we have seen throughout, the Gospel was first preached to the Jews, then after Israel’s national refusal of the message, the Good News went out to the Gentiles.  The command “to the Jew first” was fulfilled historically in the Book of Acts.  The work continues today among the Gentiles but will one day return to focus on the Jews in the end time.  The Gentile Church is in heaven following the Rapture.  God is faithful and just and His perfect plan is in place.  How blessed we are to be a part of it.

*Thanks to William MacDonald, John MacArthur, Warren Wiersbie, Lewis Sperry Chafer, and other great Christian teachers and commentators whom God has used to help shape the spiritual understanding of this humble writer.  I do not claim to know all of the answers, in fact, as I re-read these chapters, truths that never before had an impact on me (vv.26: 17,18), jumped from the page.  These two verses expressed the Gospel on a concise and understandable manner.  I pray that you too will see and feel God working His perfect plan for you through the Holy Spirit as you study His Word!  PTL