ACTS 20 1-16

         WeekLy BooK oF Acts

1 - When the uproar (in Ephesis) was over, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and left for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through there and given much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and as he was about to set sail for Syria, he heard a plot was made against him by the Hebrew leaders, so he decided to return through Macedonia instead. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him. Also Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius and Timothy of Derbe, and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead of us, and were waiting for us at Troas (Luke with them, like in most of chapter 16) 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread. [The two days, and the whole week, were referred to as both Passover and Unleavened Bread.] And in five days we arrived there, and we stayed for seven days.

     7 Then on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul was conversing, intending to depart the next day, and was speaking until midnight. 8 We had lit many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead! 10 But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “It’s okay! His life is in him.” 11 And when Paul had gone back up and we had broken bread and eaten, he conversed still a long while, until daybreak, and then we left. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were greatly encouraged.

     13 We went ahead to the ship, and set sail for Assos, but Paul had decided to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And from there, the following day, we sailed opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after that we went down to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so he wouldn’t spend time in Asia, for he was hoping to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by day of Pentecost.

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By Necessity Paraphrased

Weekly ‘Enter the Story’ Reading & Study

WeekLy BooK oF Acts 9 1-20

 a paraphrased study ⭐️

1 - But Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them in chains to Jerusalem. 3 Then, as he was on the way to Damascus, suddenly a bright light shone all around him. 4 It was so bright he fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you?” And the voice he heard said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 Get up and go into the city, and you’ll be told what you must do.”

     7 The others who were traveling with him were speechless, for they heard a voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he couldn’t see. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, during which time he didn’t eat or drank.

     10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And Ananias said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for he’s praying 12 and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias said, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to the believers at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said, “Go without fear, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles (nations) and before kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name [onoma - name, authority, cause].” 17 So Ananias went and entered the house, and laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me to you so you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”18 And immediately the darkness like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see. Then he rose and was baptized. 19 And taking food, he was strengthened.

      And for some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20 And right away he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God!”

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WeekLy BooK oF Acts 26 1-18

  a paraphrased study

1 - Then King Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for your defense.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began, 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the leaders of my nation. 3 And especially so because you are well acquainted with our customs and controversies. Therefore, I ask you to hear me patiently. 4 The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my native land, and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I’m on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as we earnestly serve God day and night.

     King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these here are accusing me. 8 Why should any consider it incredible that God raises the dead? 9 I too was convinced that I should do all in my power to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did, first in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to punish and avenge, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them, I even hunted them down in foreign cities. 12 And on one such journey I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 And at about noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven. Brighter than the sun! Blazing around me and my travel companions. 14 We all fell to the ground. And I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic (Hebrew dialect, not Greek which brought with it its myths) ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads [kentron - sharp points].’

     15 Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he answered. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so they may receive forgiveness of sins [hamartia - missing the mark] and have an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’”

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W𝕖𝕖𝕜𝕝𝕪 B𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕠𝕗 A𝕔𝕥𝕤 10 1-20

The Good News For All 

Goes Out To The Nations

Phase 2, of 4?

1 - There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. 2 He and all his family were devout and God-fearing, he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision, a clear vision of an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as an offering before God. 5 Now send some men to Joppa for a man named Simon Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the leather maker, who lives in a house near the sea." 7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household men and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa. 9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat.” 14 “No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean!” 15 But the voice spoke again, “Don’t call something unclean if God has made it clean.” [The word translated clean, is katharízō – make pure ("clean"), removing all admixture, from katharos - free from every admixture of what is false. Surely the root of catharsis - “purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, a release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit”.] 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. 17 While Peter was puzzling over the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you. 20 Hurry down and go with them. And don’t worry, I’m the one who sent them." 

                         ~*~

     Very Brief Outline of Acts:

Jesus returns to where he was with the Father before his advent/visit (his brief first one).

The Holy Spirit/Presence of God is poured out on the believers who were in Jerusalem on the late Spring holy day of Pentecost. Peter speaks, there are 3000 new believers that day.

The good news message spreads, Peter is invited and goes to a Roman’s house and all believe. The first record of non Hebrew believers (besides likely some on Pentecost).

     Persecution breaks out.. jail. stoning. Pharisee Saul leads the persecution, but on his way to Damascus with papers for arrests, Jesus makes himself seen but is so bright Paul falls to the ground and is blinded. After two days he is healed and is a believer, and soon is called Paul. He wrote many (to most) of the New Testament letters, but spent a few years (it seems to me) exclusively listening to the Lord. He established many ‘churches’ in what’s called three missionary journeys, and met and worked with Mark and Luke, and quite a few others. (Luke wrote this Book of Acts.) His fourth journey is to Rome to trial as a prisoner. There’s a shipwreck on the way.. He wrote many of his letters while in prison and under ‘house’ arrest.

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