A Study of Acts

[RETIREDFAN1]

Acts 26

By: Jim Crews

 

Acts 26:1

Agrippa gave Paul permission to begin speaking and Paul stretched out his hand and made his defense.

 

Acts 26:2-3

Paul tells Agrippa he is glad he’s getting to defend himself against the false accusations of the Jews in Agrippa’s presence, because Agrippa is familiar with the events that will be discussed.

 

Acts 26:4-8

Paul begins by telling how he had been raised a Pharisee, and had been one for most of his life. He stands there in trial because of his hope in the promised Messiah. Why do they find it unbelievable that God raises the dead?

 

Acts 26:9-11

Paul recalls how he had thought it right to persecute the followers of Christ. He hauled many to prison, voted for their deaths, and even chased them down in foreign cities. He was convinced in his heart that this was the right thing to do.

 

Acts 26:12-18

Paul tells how he was on the way to Damascus to do these things when he was struck blind by a bright light. He heard a voice asking him why he was persecuting Him. Paul asked who was speaking, and was told it is Jesus, the one who he was persecuting. Jesus then told Paul He had selected him to be the one to bring the Gospel to The Gentiles.

 

Acts 26:19-23

Paul tells Agrippa that he obeyed the voice of the Lord. He first declared to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, throughout Asia, and to the Gentiles, that they must repent and come to God, doing the deeds that Christ commanded. Repent, confess, be immersed in water, and live faithfully unto death. It was for this reason that the Jews sought to have him killed. God has brought him alive this far, and Paul will continue to preach that Jesus is the prophesied and promised Messiah.

 

Acts 26:24-29

As Paul was speaking, Governor Festus accused him of being crazy from his great learning. Paul said he was not crazy, but was speaking true and rational words. Paul knows that Agrippa knows the details of the situation involving Jesus crucifixion because Agrippa is a knowledgeable person. He asked Agrippa if he believed the Prophets. Agrippa told Paul in a short time, he would persuade the king to become a Christian. Paul said he wished everyone who heard him would be like him, except for the chains.

 

Acts 26:30-32

Agrippa, Festus, and Bernice got up and left the room. They were talking amongst themselves, saying Paul had done nothing to deserve death. He could have been freed right then, had he not made his appeal to Nero.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Acts 27

By: Jim Crews

 

Acts 27:1-8

They sailed under the command of Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Cohort. Paul and Luke were accompanied by a Macedonian named Aristarchus. They caught a ship sailing from Caesarea to the Asian ports along the Mediterranean coast. The next day they put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly, and allowed him to go into Sidon to visit friends. They put out to sea from there, and sailed the lee of Cypress because the wind was against them. They sailed across open seas along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia until they arrived at Myra in Lycia. There Julius found a ship from Alexandria that was sailing to Italy and he put Paul’s group on board. The winds were against them, and they ended up porting at a place called Fair Havens near Lesea.

 

Acts 27:9-12

Since so much time had passed, the weather now made the voyage dangerous. Paul prophesied of the danger if they continued, but Julius paid more attention to the pilot and owner of the ship. The harbor in Fair Havens wasn’t suitable for wintering, so the majority decided that they should set sail. They set out for Phoenix, a city in Crete with a good harbor for wintering.

 

Acts 27:13-20

Just as Paul had said, they got caught in a huge storm and were driven along by the wind. They began to jettison cargo and lost hope of surviving.

 

Acts 27:21-26

The storm had gone on for days. Paul encouraged them to eat, because he had been visited by an angel, who told him no one would die. They would only lose the ship. God would protect everyone there with Paul, but the ship would run aground on an island.

 

Acts 27:27-32

When the fourteenth night of the storm came, they began to take depth soundings, because they thought they were approaching land. The soundings showed that they were, and being afraid of running aground, they let down four anchors and prayed for day to come. Some were going to try to sneak off in a lifeboat, but Paul told them they would die, so they cut the lifeboat off and remained onboard.

 

Acts 27:33-38

As day was about to dawn, Paul encouraged them to eat. He told them none would be harmed. He took bread, gave thanks to God in the presence of all the men, broke it, and passed it around. They all were encouraged and so they ate. There were 276 onboard. When they had eaten enough, they tossed the wheat overboard to lighten the ship.

 

Acts 27:39-44

When dawn came, they didn’t recognize where they were, but saw a beach to land the ship on. The vessel struck a reef before they could beach it, and it broke up. The soldiers were going to kill the prisoners so none would escape, but Julius liked Paul, so he wouldn’t allow this to happen. He ordered those who could swim to do so. The rest would grab planks and float in. Not a single person died.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Acts 28

By: Jim Crews

 

Acts 28: 1 - 6

They found out the island was called Malta. The natives were kind, kindling them a fire and providing shelter from the rain and cold. Paul was gathering a bundle of sticks for the fire when he was bit by a poisonous snake. The natives saw this and said among themselves that Paul must have been a murderer. Though he had escaped the sea, the viper would kill him. They were waiting for him to swell up and die, but nothing happened.

Mark 16: 17 - 18

 

When Paul didn’t die, they changed their minds and thought he was a god.

 

Acts 28: 7 - 10

The chief man of the island, Publius, received them and entertained them for three days. Publius’ father had dysentery and a fever. Paul visited him, prayed over him, and healed him. The rest of the people on the island who had sickness then came to Paul to be healed. The natives honored them greatly, and when it came time for them to leave, they gave them all the provisions they would need.

 

Acts 28: 11 - 16

After three months, they set sail on a ship that had wintered on Malta. It was an Alexandrian ship with the twin false gods Castor and Pollux as its masthead. They put into Syracuse and stayed there for three days. From there they went to Rhegium. Two days later they arrived in Puteoli. There were Christians there, who invited them to stay with them. They stayed for seven days, then went on to Rome. The Christians there came from all over Rome when they heard Paul had arrived. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and his courage returned. Paul was allowed to stay by himself in Rome, with one soldier to guard him.

 

Acts 28: 17 - 22

After three days in Rome, Paul called together the leaders of the Jews in Rome and told why he was there. He had been falsely accused by the Jews in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans, who wanted to release him because there was no reason for the death penalty in his case. The Jews objected, so Paul had to exercise his right as a Roman citizen and appealed his case to Nero. He wanted to tell them of the prophesied hope of Israel who had come to pass. These Jews told Paul they had heard nothing about him and wanted to hear his preaching on The Way, because they had heard of it, and it was spoken against everywhere.

 

Acts 28: 23 - 28

They appointed a day, and a great number came to Paul’s lodging to hear the Gospel. From morning to evening Paul told them of the Kingdom of God and tried to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah by using the Law and the Prophets. Some believed, some didn’t. They disagreed among themselves, and Paul told them Isaiah was correct in what he said about them. They would hear but never understand. They would see, but never perceive. Their hearts had grown dull, their ears deafened, and their eyes closed. If only they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, then turn back to God and He would heal them. They should know that the salvation from God had now been given to the Gentiles, because they would listen.

 

Acts 28: 29

When Paul spoke these words, the Jews departed, arguing among themselves.

 

Acts 28: 30 - 31

Paul lived there two years at his own expense. He welcomed all who came to him, teaching them about the Kingdom of God and about Jesus the Messiah with boldness and without being hindered.

 

This ends the book of Acts. Paul’s appeal was heard by Nero, who heard the Gospel proclaimed by Paul. Paul was released and went on to Spain. He was imprisoned again and sometime before 68, Nero had him beheaded.