Ignoring the advice of friends and fellow Christians, Paul goes to Jerusalem after completing his 3rd missionary journey. Paul has been opening the doors of salvation to allow non-Jews – Gentiles – into the fellowship of believers. These interlopers were not circumcised and did not follow the Jewish law. They had no right to enjoy the blessings of the family of God.

After causing a riot at the Temple, he is taken by the Roman authorities to the Sanhedrin in order to determine why things were so tense. Things got off to a rough start when Paul was professing his good standing before God – a profession that led to him being slapped full on the mouth. He then proclaimed his belief in the resurrection which was a great source of contention in the Sanhedrin with the Pharisees believing in the resurrection and the Sadducees not believing. Things got so heated that the Roman commander had Paul taken out.

Paul was taken immediately taken to the Roman barracks for his safety. Back in the custody of the Roman authorities, Jesus appears to Paul to congratulate him on his faithfulness and to tell him that He is going to send Paul to Rome so he can share the Gospel there as well.

Forty zealous Jews committed themselves to not eating until they had killed Paul. Paul got word of the assassination plot and made sure the commander knew about. With this information in mind, the Roman commander put together an overwhelming military escort to get Paul out of town and on his way to Rome.

And what did we learn in today’s lesson. 3 things:

1. When we follow Jesus, opposition will come.

2. When opposition comes, Jesus will be there with us.

3. When the opposition comes we are safe in the arms of Jesus.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, October 09, 2022. It is part of a series of Bible study sessions from The Gospel Project – a Bible study curriculum developed by Lifeway Christian Resources. Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com

Website – FromTheBackPorch.org

Twitter – From the Back Porch @ nationalfast

Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com