Title: Paul Is Arrested/Acts 21:27-36
Everyone, if you were asked, 'How many times did Paul travel?', what would you answer?
You'll think to yourself, 'Are you asking for something so easy?'
Yes. That's a no-brainer answer.
The first missionary tour was in Cyprus, Pisidia Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and other places.
The first missionary journey was with Barnabas.
The second missionary journey was in Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth.
The center is Corinth.
The third missionary trip visited various places in Macedonia and Greece, centering on Ephesus.
The central place is Ephesus.
‘Paul made three missionary journeys’ is the correct answer, but it is an answer that seems to have some emptiness in it.
‘Paul made three missionary journeys. However, if you include evangelism while being arrested and transported to Rome, you can say that you made four evangelistic trips.’ It must be said that this is a complete answer with no empty spaces.
Starting today, we will see Paul who was arrested and lost his freedom.
From now on, the figure of the prisoner Paul, who is chained and led to and fro, is also another form of the evangelist.
Before today’s text, the title ‘Paul is Arrested’ is attached, but it would be good to put a title like ‘The Beginning of the Fourth Missionary Journey.
Paul was arrested and nearly killed by the Jews in the temple in Jerusalem.
Roman troops arrive to rescue Paul.
Paul is sent to the governor in Caesarea to be questioned by the governor, and he asks for an imperial trial.
When Paul is transported to Rome, he meets a storm and drifts to the island of Melide.
And finally we arrive in Rome.
This is the rest of the book of Acts, up to chapter 28.
Paul went into the temple in Jerusalem, and when the Jews from Asia saw him, they incited other Jews to say, “Paul brought Gentiles into the temple and blasphemed the temple.”
The inside of the temple in Jerusalem was divided into the court of Israel and the court of the Gentiles with a wall in between. Uncircumcised Gentiles were only allowed to enter the courts of the Gentiles and could never enter the courts of Israel.
Anyone who violated this was subject to death.
It is said that there was a warning sign written about this under the stairs inside the temple.
Among Paul's companions was Trophimus, a Gentile, and the Jews saw Paul with Trophimus in the city.
Now when Paul came to the temple, people thought he must have come with Trophimus, a Gentile, and caused this commotion.
Paul is captured by the Jews and brought out of the temple. Because it is forbidden to kill people in the temple. The Jews hadtily shut the doors of the temple, fearing that Paul would escape into the temple.
At the end of verse 30, “the doors were shut immediately” because Paul could not be killed if he escaped into the temple.
Now, Paul was faced with a crisis where he was forced to die on the spot by the angry Jews and hatred Jews.
Underlying today's text is religious madness.
It can also be called religious hatred.
The Jews really hated Paul.
Religion should be the energy of love, but the wrong religion becomes the energy of hate.
Our society today is also caught up in madness and hatred.
I am caught up in selfish madness and selfish hatred.
I'm not trying to do any harm.
He hates those who harm him terribly.
God, who had prepared a large fish for Jonah, also had a presence prepared for Paul at this time.
It's a Roman commander.
To the northwest of the temple was the Fort Antonia, where the Roman army was stationed to keep Jerusalem safe. The commander in command of this army heard the rumor that Jerusalem was in turmoil and immediately rushed to rescue Paul. The commander's name is Claudius Lucia, as recorded in 23:26.
At that time, Rome took security very seriously. Such commotion was not tolerated.
In verse 32 it is recorded that the commander of a thousand hurriedly ran down with soldiers and centurions. Commander Cheon said, 'What is it that the vicinity of the temple in Jerusalem is noisy? Hey, Centurion, you go and find out what's going on and act accordingly!' I didn't.
We mobilized a large number of troops directly and urgently to the scene.
It means that Rome took this commotion very seriously.
The collective action that is taking place in our society today was unimaginable under Roman rule.
If the Roman army had not been dispatched at this time, Paul would have been killed on the spot.
Now, being chained and dragged around in chains, Paul preaches without ceasing.
He also evangelized with testimonies toward the Jewish people who were trying to kill him.
He also preached in the public
I also preached in front of Governor Felix,
He also preached in front of King Agrippa and Bernice, the royal family who visited the governor.
While being transported to Rome by boat, he also preached to people suffering from storms,
I also evangelized on the island of Melide,
He went to Rome and preached while he was imprisoned waiting for the emperor's trial.
He evangelized regardless of circumstances and circumstances.
Just as I was Paul the prisoner and Paul the evangelist at the same time, I pray in the name of the Lord that I may become all of you who are office workers, housewives, students, and evangelists at the same time!