Acts 23:11-33New American Standard Bible (NASB)
11 But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
A Conspiracy to Kill Paul
12 When it was day, the Jews formed a [a]conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who formed this plot. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We havebound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you [b]and the [c]Council notify the[d]commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place.”
16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, [e]and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the [f]commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and led him to the[g]commander and *said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.”19 The [h]commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?”20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the [i]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not [j]listen to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him; and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the[k]commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”
Paul Moved to Caesarea
23 And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by [l]the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea,[m]with seventy horsemen and two hundred [n]spearmen.” 24 They werealso to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter having this form:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.
27 “When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 “And wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their[o]Council; 29 and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but [p]under no accusation deserving death or [q]imprisonment.
30 “When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to [r]bring charges against him before you.”
31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks. 33 When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
- May 15, 2016Take Courage!May 15, 2016Take Courage!By: Chris BrownSeries: Sunday Worship
Acts 23:11-33New American Standard Bible (NASB)
11 But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”
A Conspiracy to Kill Paul
12 When it was day, the Jews formed a [a]conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who formed this plot. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We havebound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you [b]and the [c]Council notify the[d]commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place.”
16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, [e]and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, “Lead this young man to the [f]commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and led him to the[g]commander and *said, “Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you.”19 The [h]commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?”20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the [i]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not [j]listen to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him; and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you.” 22 So the[k]commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”
Paul Moved to Caesarea
23 And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by [l]the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea,[m]with seventy horsemen and two hundred [n]spearmen.” 24 They werealso to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter having this form:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings.
27 “When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 “And wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their[o]Council; 29 and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but [p]under no accusation deserving death or [q]imprisonment.
30 “When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to [r]bring charges against him before you.”
31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks. 33 When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
- May 8, 2016A Mother’s ExampleMay 8, 2016A Mother’s ExampleBy: Chris BrownSeries: Sunday Worship
John Is Born
57 Now the time [a]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had[b]displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, [c]after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.”61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea.66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.
- May 1, 2016Maintaining a Good Conscience Before GodMay 1, 2016Maintaining a Good Conscience Before GodBy: Chris BrownSeries: Sunday Worship
Acts 22:30-23:10 New International Version (NIV)
Paul Before the Sanhedrin
30 The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews. So the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the members of the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.
23 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
4 Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’[a]”
6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)
9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
- Apr 24, 2016Don’t Give Up! They May Be Closer Than You ThinkApr 24, 2016Don’t Give Up! They May Be Closer Than You ThinkBy: Chris BrownSeries: Sunday WorshipActs 22:1-29
- Apr 17, 2016Developing Strong RelationshipsApr 17, 2016Developing Strong RelationshipsBy: Chris BrownSeries: Sunday Worship
Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses,telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. - Apr 10, 2016Preparing to Depart From Here