Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 110
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IMMERSE
•
MESSIAH
21:5-25
go on to Jerusalem. When we returned to the ship at the end of the week,
the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and
came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, and said our
farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home.
The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where we greeted the
brothers and sisters and stayed for one day. The next day we went on to
Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven
men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried
daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his
own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So
shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem
and turned over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local
believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am
ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the
Lord Jesus.” When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up
and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
After this we packed our things and left for Jerusalem. Some believers from
Caesarea accompanied us, and they took us to the home of Mnason, a man
originally from Cyprus and one of the early believers. When we arrived,
the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders
of the Jerusalem church were present. After greeting them, Paul gave a
detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles
through his ministry.
After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know,
dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they
all follow the law of Moses very seriously. But the Jewish believers here in
Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among
the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that
you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish
customs. What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
“Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved.
Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself
observe the Jewish laws.
“As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told
them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols,
