Page 111 - Acts Student Textbook

parts of the letters are the ones where the commander changed the facts to make himself look good.
He made himself out to be a hero even where, in fact, he had done wrong. Actually, he had done a
great service to Paul and protected him well, but he did some wrong things too that somehow get
covered up! He said he rescued Paul because he heard he was a Roman citizen. He conveniently
changed the story so as to omit the fact he did not find out Paul was a citizen until after he had
rescued him and illegally bound him and made all preparations to illegally beat him! Lies such as this
are to be expected from worldly people. Unfortunately, we are all tempted to cover up for ourselves.
Are we guilty of such lies for our own convenience?

This verse fits Luke's pattern of showing that Christianity and its leaders, when accused before
governmental officials, were always acquitted and deemed innocent. Rome had nothing to fear from
"the Way"!

The Pharisees and Sadducees

19.4 Let’s Practice…

The power of one purpose (21:1-16)

1. What could have been wrong for Paul if he had followed the prophet’s instructions not to go
to Jerusalem? 21:4

2. Why did Philip accept to host Paul who in a sense killed his friend Stephen, and caused him to
move out of Jerusalem?

3. According to Professor Mwale, what two exceptions may the church need to consider in allowing
women to lead a given congregation?

4. How should we understand prophets today? (21:10)

5. If Paul did not consider those prophecies as discouragements from the Jerusalem trip, how did he
possibly interpret their meaning? (21:12-14)

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