PAUL'S JOURNEY TO ROME

MEMORY VERSE

Psalm 105:8, ESV

He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations...

DAY 1

Acts 21:30-36 and Acts 23:11, NIrV

30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”

...

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

BIBLE STUDY

Returning to Jerusalem after missionary trip #3, Paul wound up in huge trouble! The Jewish leaders heard he had brought a non-Jewish man into the temple area, a crime punishable by death! This wasn't true, but that didn't stop the crowd from pounding Paul with their fists! They would have killed him if not for some Roman soldiers, who carried him away to their building. The next day, the Jewish leaders angrily argued about punishing Paul. That night, Paul had a very special visitor. Jesus himself appeared and  promised, “One day, you will share the good news about me in Rome.”


+ What did the angry crowd want to do to Paul? (see Acts 21:31)

 

+ What promise did Jesus make to Paul when he visited him at night? (see Acts 23:11)

DAY 2

Acts 27:1-12, NIrV

1 And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.


9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

BIBLE STUDY

It had been two long years since Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem. Finally, the Roman ruler ordered Paul and some other prisoners to set sail to the city of Rome for his trial. Jesus had promised Paul he’d get to share the good news in that city. But Paul would be arriving as a prisoner! The trip was anything but smooth sailing. Bad winds made the journey slow and difficult. When they stopped at the halfway point called Fair Havens, it was fall – a deadly season to sail! Paul warned them of the dangers they’d face if they sailed in the stormy fall seas, but the stubborn sailors didn’t listen.


+ What city were Paul, the soldiers, and the other prisoners sailing to?


+ What did Paul warn would happen if they set sail? (vs. 10)

DAY 3

Acts 27:13-26, NIrV

13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo. 19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.


21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”

BIBLE STUDY

Paul was right: setting sail in the fall was a total disaster! A powerful wind blew their boat wildly off course. They were in danger of crashing into the ground in shallow waters. They were in danger of tipping over from wild waves. They were in danger of being lost at sea, without sun or stars to guide them. And they were in danger of starving because they ran out of food! Paul gave his shipmates good news and bad news. The bad news? Their ship would be destroyed! And the good news? All of them would survive the shipwreck. How did Paul know this? Because God sent an angel to tell him!


+ Write down 2-3 dangers they faced. Next to each, write down the verse you found it in.


+ How did Paul know they would make it out alive through the storm? (vs. 23-24)

DAY 4

Acts 27:27-38, NIRV

27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go.


33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 persons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

BIBLE STUDY

Paul and his fellow shipmates didn’t face just one stormy night on the sea; they had fourteen in a row! When they measured the depth, they noticed the waters were getting shallower. This was a terrible sign – their boat would soon crash into the rocky sea bottom! Some of the men tried to leave in life boats, but Paul said they would wind up dead if they did. Early in the morning, Paul told them, “Eat some breakfast!” Why? Because God was going to keep every single one of them safe (right down to the hairs on their head) and they would need plenty of energy for what was about to happen!


+ After Paul told them to not escape on the lifeboats, what did they do? (vs. 32)


+ How many people were on the ship? (vs. 37)

DAY 5

Acts 27:39-44, NIRV

39 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

BIBLE STUDY

After spotting a beach, the sailors opened their sails to the wind and aimed the boat straight for it. They hoped to crash it gently in the sand. But the storm had other ideas. The boat became stuck in the reef and the waves started smashing it to bits! The soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners so they couldn’t escape. But their commander liked Paul, so he came up with a better plan: “If you can swim, head for the beach. If you can’t, find something that floats and hold onto it for dear life!” Just as Paul promised, every single man either swam, floated, or doggie-paddled safely to shore!


+ Why didn’t the soldiers kill all the prisoners to keep them from escaping? (vs. 42-43)


+ How did the non-swimmers make it safely to shore? (vs. 44)

DAY 6

Acts 28:1-6, NIRV

1 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

BIBLE STUDY

After fourteen nervous nights on the stormy sea, I’m sure Paul and his shipmates were ready to kiss the sandy shores of the island of Malta. Not only were they safe and sound on dry land, they were greeted by a bunch of friendly islanders. The natives of Malta kindly built a fire so the soaked sailors could dry their wet and weary bones. Things were certainly looking up for the hundreds of tired travelers.

When a deadly viper latched itself onto Paul’s hand, I wonder if he thought, “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” Had he really just survived a shipwreck only to die from a snakebite? This looked like such bad luck that the islanders thought, “That man must have done something terrible. The gods really want to make sure he dies!” 

After Paul shook the snake off into the fire, the natives of Malta watched him closely. They were waiting for Paul to puff up and perish from the snake’s venom. They waited and waited and... absolutely nothing happened! Seeing Paul walking around perfectly fine made the islanders think, “He’s not being punished by the gods. In fact, maybe he is one of the gods!”

Paul had lots of reasons to think the world was out to get him. Think about all the things that happened to him in the chapters we’ve read this week. He was beaten by a crowd for something he didn’t even do. He spent over two years in prison. He was shipwrecked. And he was bitten by a deadly viper. So many bad things happened to him that it made the islanders think he was cursed by their gods!

But through it all, Paul had faith. That means he believed God’s words were true. Do you remember the words God spoke to Paul? They were the words of Jesus’ promise: “You will share the good news about me in the city of Rome.” 

There were many chances for Paul to wonder, “Will Jesus ever keep his promise to me?” – when he was stuck in prison, when he was floating in the sea, when a snake was attached to his hand! But even though it looked like everything in the world was trying to kill Paul before he reached Rome, he kept his faith. And after waiting on the island for three months, Paul finally traveled safely to Rome, just like Jesus promised!

Take a moment to go back and read the words of Acts 27:23-25. Did you notice anything, especially in verse 25? Paul says that he had... what? He had faith! As the wild waves rocked the boat back and forth, Paul told the soldiers they would be okay. How did he know that? After all, it certainly didn’t look like they were going to be okay! Paul knew they would be okay because God told him they’d be okay. Even in the darkest and wildest of storms, Paul still had faith that God’s promises were true!    


+ Who kept Paul from dying from his snakebite?


+ What does the word “faith” mean?

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