Tom:

This is our Understanding the Scripture segment, we’re in Acts chapter 21, and Dave, I think we got through Acts:21:3Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.
See All..., so we will pick up with verse 4.“And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city:and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.”Now Dave, do we have a problem here?We have men, who obviously know the Lord, loved the Lord, and through the Spirit they tell Paul that he should not go up to Jerusalem.What’s Paul to do?

Dave:

Well Tom, before we get there—I love this part of it:finding disciples.They have come to a strange town, I don’t recall that Paul was ever there, Tyre, unless I’m wrong, Tom, you can correct me but I don’t think so.I don’t read that he had any disciples there, but there are disciples.I mean, that thrills me!I think that I mentioned last week, or whatever, about six weeks ago—time flies—I was in Berea, they call it berr-e-a, in Northern Greece.Well, I couldn’t find any disciples there.We probably could have if we had tried hard enough, of course it’s much larger than it was in those days, and I don’t think there was a synagogue anymore, and that was where Paul went.The first thing he did was preach the gospel to the Jews, the gospel is to the Jews first.

Tom:

Acts 17 Verse 10 and 11.

Dave:

Then to the Greeks, but I speak all over the world, and I’ve been in many, many countries with the gospel, and you just came back from Europe, and I often say to the audience, It is so wonderful, you people love Jesus.How did He get all these people all over the world that love Him?Well, he said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.”But let me go back to Acts 8 here, and just read a couple of verses.Acts:8:1And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
See All..., “And Saul was consenting unto his death.And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad”—Well, what did they do?They went into hiding, I guess.No, they didn’t go into hiding, and I love verse 4: “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.”So this is how— I guess they were too comfortable in Jerusalem, and the Lord let them have some persecution to chase them out of there, but they didn’t hide out, they didn’t become Secret Service Christians with their lips sealed, but they went everywhere preaching the Word before Paul ever got to Rome.There was a church there in Rome, that’s the Book of Romans that is written to them.

Tom:

Was the Catholic church Dave?

Dave:

No, it was not the Catholic church, they might try to say that.Of course that was long before anyone was called a Pope.

Tom:

The destruction of Jerusalem hadn’t happened yet, so there were still priests but they were not Catholic priests, they were Jewish priests.

Dave:

And they were rapidly losing their jobs. Because they weren’t needed, those sacrifices could never take away sin, but they have come to faith in Christ.And they probably left the Temple if they had any duties in the Temple.Anyway, it’s thrilling to find disciples.And now, what you brought up, Tom, “they said to Paul, through the Spirit, (now, the Holy Spirit is speaking to them) that he should not go up to Jerusalem.”Now we’ve got a problem, as you pointed out.So, is he going to disobey the Spirit?Well, Tom, verse 5 is thrilling, because these are not just disciples, they are not all alone, they have wives and children who are believers, “till we were out of the city:and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.”Boy, you know some people have the habit, you know, as they turn the key in the car, or even before when they start out anywhere, even to go to the grocery store, Lord, we commit this into your hands, please watch over us and protect us.And I’ve seen some very narrow escapes. I had some not too long ago.I could have been killed, and I was so grateful to the Lord.But even if we forget to ask Him, forget to pray, He’s going to watch over us if we are walking in His will.But Tom, I mentioned it, maybe, I was just in Albania, that’s where we went from Albania to Greece, and these people are all new believers.They were atheists, everybody in Albania was an atheist.There was no church, no mosque, nothing, it was the most atheistic country in the world. Off limits to Americans, and when I see the families and when I hear the interpreter, he’s been a Christian five years!He knows so much, and is so earnest about studying the Word of God.So, this is thrilling, this is the fruit of the gospel.And they kneeled down with their wives and with their children, and on the shore, they are not afraid to do this openly.I was sitting next to a lady in the plane, Tom, well, it was just one of my trips. I mean it’s amazing the people leads me to.She was a Catholic, I believe she came to the Lord as I’m talking with her, and I expect to meet her in heaven.But we’re sitting in first class—I hasten to say it doesn’t cost me anything, I fly so many miles, I have millions of miles with United that I’m up there, and sometimes they do feed you dinner.This was dinner, supposedly, not the greatest, they have really cut down, but anyway, and the lady sitting next to me, that I had never met, we had just started talking.I said to her:Would you mind if I give thanks for this food?Oh no, go ahead.Okay.We don’t need to be ashamed or afraid.So anyway, here they are, they are out in the open, they are kneeling down and they are praying, and this is the fruit of the gospel.“And when we had taken our leave one of another, (probably a lot of hugs and some tears) we took ship; and they returned home again.”And we are on our way.Go ahead, Tom.

Tom:

Well Dave, wait a minute.“That he should not go up to Jerusalem.”

Dave:

Well, but we are going to come to more of that.

Tom:

Okay, as long as our audience knows, we’re not just jumping over that verse.

Dave:

We don’t have much time.

Tom:

We have about 2 minutes we’ll keep going.Verse 7, “And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.”

Dave:

The brethren are everywhere.

Tom:

Yes, but Dave, you know what was sad about the Europe, it was such a thrill to meet with believers, but they were so few and far between, that was the thing that really grieved my heart.Here I am in Vienna, Austria, or in Munich, and—

Dave:

This is Reformation country.

Tom:

Yeah.

Dave:

Yeah, well, but they are everywhere now, they are spreading everywhere.They came—it was about 10% of the Roman Empire, a little bit later, not at this point.Well, Tom, we’re going to have to come back and talk about it, but is Paul going to disobey the Spirit?They are telling him, by the Spirit, that he shouldn’t go.In other words, the Holy Spirit has inspired these prophets, we’ll meet a number of them in the next few verses, to tell Paul, Don’t go to Jerusalem!Now, I’ll let the listeners think about that.See, there’s been a controversy in the church, so Paul shouldn’t have gone to Jerusalem?What would happen?

Tom:

Yeah, but isn’t he the one who said, Follow me, those things which you see me do, you do?

Dave:

I follow Christ.We’ve got a problem, so we’ll have to come back and talk about that, Tom.In the meantime, our listeners can be studying for themselves.