Acts - Week 81

Week 81 Acts 26, 27 

Day 1 

READ 

Acts 26:28-29 

28 Agrippa interrupted him. “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?” 29 Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.” 

After Paul asked Agrippa if he believed the prophets, Agrippa answered in a way that has caused a difference of opinion. Was he accusing Paul of trying to convert him in such a short time; or was he using irony and asking Paul if he thought he could be converted with a just a little persuasion. Either way, King Agrippa heard the gospel from Paul and was without excuse. 

REFLECT 

Have peace in the fact that those to whom you have presented the gospel are without excuse if they do not trust in Him as Savior. 

RESPOND 

With your disciple, read Romans 1:19-21 to see that the world is without excuse for rejecting God who has revealed Himself through nature. He also has revealed Himself through sending His only Son to die for the sins of the world. No one will have an excuse for not believing when they stand before Jesus to give account.  

Day 2 

READ 

Acts 26:30-31 

30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. 31 As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, “This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “He could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar.” 

Whatever impression they gave Paul in the courtroom, they later agreed among themselves that he had done nothing to deserve death or even imprisonment. King Agrippa told Governor Festus that Paul could have been freed if he had not appealed to Caesar. Was this a mistake on Paul’s part, or was it part of God’s plan for him?  

REFLECT 

As you look at your past, you also may wonder if you had made mistakes or whether it was used in God’s plan for you.  

RESPOND 

Talk about believing in the sovereignty of God. Read Romans 8:28-29 and notice what the purpose of God is. 

Day 3 

READ 

Acts 27:1-2 

1 When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province. 

The scene quickly shifts now as Luke, the human author of Acts, tells about Paul’s trip to Rome. The fact the word “we” is used indicates Luke was a member of the group. As a detailed person and a medical doctor, Luke named the specific sites as they went from place to place. In this passage, they end at what is now western Turkey.  

REFLECT 

The places Luke mentioned would have been familiar to those in the first century. As you think about places in your area, you would notice how your mind goes from place to place as they are mentioned. 

RESPOND 

Look in the backs of your copies of the Bible or Bible dictionaries to search for maps. With your disciple, try to trace the places Luke mentions in the book of Acts. It may take some time, but the effort will be worth it.  

Day 4 

READ 

Acts 27:3-4 

3 The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland. 

God sovereignly worked by putting Paul with a Roman officer who was kind to him. The officer allowed Paul to go ashore to meet fellow believers so they could provide for him. Paul must have been extremely thankful for this limited liberty. They sail north of Cyprus, which was the home area of Barnabas and was visited on the first missionary journey (see Acts 4:36 and 13:4).  

REFLECT 

Think of the liberties the Lord has provided you to fellowship with other believers. In some countries there is not that liberty without severe penalties. 

RESPOND 

Read Ephesians 5:15-20 to see Paul’s instructions to believers, concluding with giving thanks for everything. Are you and your disciple doing this? 

Day 5 

READ 

Acts 27:5-8 

5 Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia. 6 There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board. 7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 

Paul is now transferred to a ship headed toward Italy. Luke explains the difficulty they had sailing because of the strong winds against them. They finally arrived at Lasea on the south central coast of Crete in the middle of the Mediterranean. They had a long ways to go yet before they would reach Italy and its capital, Rome. One wonders what the group was thinking at this point. 

REFLECT 

Have you ever been on a long trip when you began to lose hope whether you would ever reach the destination? Paul and his group had already experienced much stress and more was to come. 

RESPOND 

Be thankful that in these days there are faster means of travel than what Paul had. Be thankful also for the technology that allows you to be reading this verse-by-verse study of the book of Acts that was not available only a few years ago.