Affection in Christian preaching refers to the deep, heartfelt love and devotion believers have toward God and others, shaping their spiritual and moral lives. Illustrations often use images of warmth, closeness, and sincere emotional bonds to emphasize how true affection directs one's priorities and actions (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). It highlights the importance of guarding affections to avoid misplaced attachments that can hinder faith (Colossians 3:2).
Mourning can blind believers to blessings and duties if affections are misplaced.
There is a mourning that blinds to blessings and duties. Don't let affections be bound up in one you cannot esteem on Christian grounds
God's people should live plainly and think highly, showing indifference to worldly delights.
Plain living and high thinking go together. God's people should not set affections on the delights of sense, but should look upon them with indifference
Lincoln's affectionate response to a child's gift showed hope for her future goodness.
When Lincoln, on his way by train from Washington to Gettysburg, was halted at a station, a little girl was lifted up to an open window of the car, and handing a bouquet of rosebuds to him, said: “Flowers for the President!” Mr. Lincoln took the rosebuds, bent down and kissed the child, saying, “You’re a sweet little rosebud yourself. I hope your life will open into perpetual beauty and goodness.”
A kind face invites trust and help, showing the value of consistent kindness over time.
F
FACE, AN INVITING
This is from _The Boys’ World_:
A poor fellow in trouble, a stranger in a big city, and sick and destitute, passed aimlessly along the street, wondering what to do and where to go. Passing an office window, he looked up and caught sight of a man’s face. “I’ll go in there and speak to him--he looks so kind,” was the instant resolve. He went and found a friend indeed, whose kindness brought the chance to help himself, which the young man never forgot, and afterward sought to repay.
“He looks so kind.” Could there be a higher compliment? The man’s face was an open invitation to come in and confide and get help.
Without speaking a word he gave this invitation, which led to so much for the friendless stranger.
But do you suppose that this kind look grew in a night or a day or a week? Can a fine steel-engraving be finished in a few hours? It takes line by line, day after day. Things worth while are not of instantaneous accomplishment. Now think of it. When is the best time to begin, if the art of looking pleasant and the possession of a kind face be achieved?
Feelings are the soul’s fragrance, rising as worship and love toward God and others.
Feeling is a fountain that gushes life. Emotions in the soul are like songs, pouring forth from the birds in the thicket. Orange groves and peach orchards exhale perfume, and feeling is the soul’s fragrance, rising toward God and its fellows. The seas send up their whitest mists, and the soul ought to send up its emotions in whitest clouds of incense toward the throne of God and toward man’s soul.
— N. D. HILLIS
Irony between close friends shows affection, but outsiders may misunderstand it as hostility.
The fact is that the Carlyles habitually addrest one another with irony. It is no uncommon thing between intimates: it is rather a sign of the security of the affection which unites them. But if, by some unhappy accident, a third person who has no sense of humor hears this gay clash of keen words, and puts them down in dull print, and goes on to point out in his dull fashion that they do not sound affectionate, and are phrases by no means in common use among excellent married persons of average intellects, it is easy to see that the worst sort of mischief may readily be wrought.--W. J. DAWSON, “The Makers of English Prose.”
A cow’s motherly love led her to find comfort in her dead calf’s skin rug.
A cow’s melancholy over the loss of her calf led to a strange incident at the home of Josiah Brown, near Mount Carmel.
Brown owned a cow with a spotted calf which was so peculiarly marked that some time ago, when it was killed for veal, the skin was made into a rug. The mother cow was downcast and bellowed continually.
Mrs. Brown went into her front parlor, and there on the floor lay the cow, placidly licking the calfskin rug. It is supposed the cow approached the house and by chance saw the calfskin through the window, then quietly pushed the doors open and walked in. One barred door had been forced open by the cow’s horns.--Boston _Journal_.
A mother’s love motivates her to learn to read and write to communicate with her sons.
Not long ago a woman fifty years old went to a teacher in School No. 2, and with tears in her eyes, begged permission to sit down with the little ones five to six years old, that she might learn to read and write. She explained that she had two boys in the West, and desired to learn her letters that she might be able to communicate with them. Her daughter had done this for her, but three years ago the daughter died, and now the hungry-hearted mother was willing to make any sacrifice to keep in touch with her sons. So she entered school without telling any one, even her husband. Four weeks from the day she entered she was able to read through the primer, first reader, and almost through the second. Now she can write so any one can easily read every word. She learns ten new words at home every day, and always knows her lesson perfectly. She has learned to begin and end a letter, and it will not be long before she can write a love-letter--a genuine mother love-letter--to her boys. Through the goodness of my friend, I have in my possession a yellow sheet of paper containing one of her writing exercises. Reading between the lines, there is something inexpressibly touching about it. The words are such as may be found in the copy-book of any schoolboy, but the mother, with her hard hands and tender heart, as she copied the words imagined herself writing a letter to one of her sons. After writing her address and the date, this imaginary epistle, brimming with a real love, reads: “My dear son Hugh:
Be the matter what it may, Always speak the truth. If at work or if at play, Always speak the truth.”
Surely there is no ordinary clay in this vessel! She may not be able to understand the plan of her soul’s divine Potter, but a brave trust and a high hope reside at the center of her being.
— F. F. SHANNON
A mother’s love is more enduring and beautiful than flowers or a baby’s smile.
* * * * *
One calm, bright, sweet, sunshiny day an angel stole out of heaven and came down to this old world, and roamed field and forest, city and hamlet; and just as the sun went down he plumed his wings and said: “Now my visit is out, and I must go back to the world of light, but before I go I must gather some mementos of my visit here”; and he looked over into a beautiful flower-garden and said, “How lovely and fragrant these flowers are,” and he plucked the rarest roses, and made a bouquet, and said, “I see nothing more beautiful and fragrant than these; I will take them with me.” But he looked a little farther and there saw a little bright-eyed, rosy-cheeked babe, smiling into its mother’s face, and he said, “Oh, that baby’s smile is prettier than this bouquet; I will take that, too.” Then he looked just beyond the cradle, and there was a mother’s love pouring out like the gush of a river, toward the cradle and the baby, and he said, “Oh, that mother’s love is the prettiest thing I have seen on earth; I will carry that, too!” With the three treasures he winged his way to the pearly gates, and lit just on the outside, and said, “Before I go in I will examine my mementos,” and he looked at the flowers and they had withered; he looked at the baby’s smile and it had faded away; he looked at the mother’s love and there it was in all its pristine beauty and fragrance. He threw aside the withered flowers and the faded smile and winged his way through the gates and led all the hosts of heaven together and said, “Here is the only thing I found on earth that would keep its fragrance all the way to heaven--a mother’s love.”--“Popular Lectures of Sam P. Jones.”
A mother loon feigns injury to protect and lure her young away from danger.
See ARTIFICE; PRODIGAL, THE; WAYWARD, SEEKING THE.
MOTHER LOVE IN BIRDS
The loon, or great northern diver, is reported to have displayed her mother love and anxiety to a sportsman fishing in Sebago Lake in Maine: He surprized the mother with one young one near his canoe. She was employing every artifice to call the little one away, but the infant swam so near the boat that the fisherman took him aboard in his landing-net, and, holding him on his knee, gently stroked his downy coat, to the evident satisfaction of the youngster. Meanwhile the mother was in an agony of distress. At first, forgetting her native wildness and timidity in her mother love, she boldly approached the canoe, and, rising in the water till she appeared to stand upon it, furiously flapped her wings, uttering menacing cries. Finding this of no avail, she pretended that she was wounded, rolling over in the water and finally lying still as if dead, evidently to attract attention to herself and away from the young one. The fisherman, touched by these displays of motherly affection, put the young loon into the water, upon which the mother instantly came to life and again tried to entice her little one to go with her. (Text.)--OLIVE THORNE MILLER, “The Bird Our Brother.”
A son vividly remembers his mother’s loving farewell, a lasting impression of love.
Lamar Fontaine, looking back after a long life of adventure, writes thus of a parting with his mother:
Those long-ago days now rise before me in all their vividness. As I pen these lines, nearing the seventy-seventh milestone in life’s rugged pathway, I feel the loving kiss yet burning on my lips where she prest it as she bade me “good-by.” There are some things in our life that time does not efface, and this is one of them. They are like the brand of red-hot iron that sears the tender hide of the bleating calf; once burned in, it lasts as long as life. I can see the last wave of her hand as she watched us move off across the prairie, and the picture is branded in my brain.--“My Life and My Lectures.”
A pleasant countenance influences others positively and reflects a joyful heart.
If one does not believe that his countenance adds to or detracts anything from the lives or expressions of others, let him pause for a moment before that now celebrated “Billiken.” It is almost impossible to look at the little imp and not smile. The Japanese teach their maids in the hotels, and those also in higher walks of life, the art of smiling. They are compelled to practise before a mirror. One can not stay long in Japan without being inoculated with the disposition to “look pleasant.” The “look pleasant, please,” of the photographer goes deeper than the photograph plate.
No one wants to associate long with an animated vinegar cruet. A disposition is easily guessed from the angle of the corners of the mouth; a disposition is molded by compelling those angles to turn up or down. If a merry heart maketh a glad countenance, it is also true that a glad countenance maketh a merry heart--in the one who has it and in the one who beholds it. “Iron sharpeneth iron. So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”--_Baptist Commonwealth._
HUGS!
I will not play at tug o' war.
I'd rather play at hug o' war.
Where everyone hugs
Instead of tugs.
Where everyone giggles
And rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone WINS!!
Fish Hugs
Fish hugs are very cold and seldom returned.
P. S. Never hug a shark.
Bear Hugs (3 kinds: Papa, Mama, baby)
Bear hugs are very strong. Be careful not to hurt anyone.
Octopus Hug
An octopus hugs with its whole body.
Porcupine Hug
Porcupine hugs are done very carefully.
Pupply Hugs
Puppy hugs are very soft and wet.
Fraidycat Hugs
Fraidycat hugs make you feel safe.
Piggyback Hug (a.k.a. riding piggyback)
A good way to travel or see a parade.
Mommy Hugs
You can never hug a Mommy too much.
Daddy Hug
Daddy hugs are best when he first walks in the door.
Grandpa Hugs
Grandpa hugs are sometimes given while sitting.
Grandma Hugs
Grandma hugs can be found anywhere, but are especially nice in the kitchen.
Brother Hug (a.k.a. buddy hug)
Remember that a circle of buddy huggers is called a huddle.
Sister Hug (a.k.a. a single-arm hug)
Single-arm hugs are good for people who walk together, even if they aren't sisters.
Baby Hugs
Baby hugs are given with a little tickle and can be very wet.
Great Aunt Hug
A great aunt hug can be given by any large lady you see only once a year.
You'll usually end up with lipstick on your cheak.
Arm Hugs
Arm hugs are good for people who are too big for you to get your arms around.
Hand Hugs (a.k.a. holding hands or shaking hands.)
Never hand-hug with dirty hands unless the other person has dirty hands too.
Knee Hugs
Knee hugs are for tall people. Warning: Never try to knee-hug a moving
person. That is very dangerous.
Thing Hugs (a.k.a. blanket hug)
Everyone needs some kind of a blanket.
Tree Hugs
Some trees are easier to hug than others. Note: If you hug a pine tree too long you get stuck on it.
Rock Hugs
Rock hugs are very hard on your face.
Pricker Bush Hugs
Never hug a pricker bush, or poison ivy or cactus.
Ice Cube Hug
Ice cube hugs are quite common in February.
Lamppost Hug.
A lamppost huig can save you from a painful experience.
Sandwich Hug
The whole family can get into a sandwich hug.
Birthday Hugs
A birthday hug is a present anyone can afford.
Hurt Hugs
Hurt hugs make the pain go away.
Winner Hugs
Winner hugs are always wild and crazy. Be careful not to get injured.
Loser Hugs
Loser hugs are full of "I still love you."
In 1960 the Israeli Mossad masterminded one of the most incredible feats of its history when it tracked down Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann. Eichmann was one of the principal architects of the Holocaust and had been hiding away in Argentina. The point man implementing the whole plan was Peter Malkin. Several of Malkin’s family members were killed by the Third Reich and in particular, he still grieved over the loss of his sister and his six-year-old nephew, Peter.
As Malkin covertly monitored Eichmann and noticed how every day when Eichmann came home from work he was greeted by a young boy who threw his arms around him, Malkin would think of his own nephew when he saw this display of affection, but he was baffled by Eichmann’s tender response; he had thought of him only as a cold-hearted killer.
Finally one day, after the plans were meticulously laid, Eichmann was seized and dragged into a waiting car to the satisfaction of millions. The capture led to the trial and execution of the man who had sent tens of thousands to the gas chambers.
Malkin recently broke a thirty-year silence to tell of a private moment that left him devastated. It was of supreme importance to Malkin that Eichmann voice two things. First, he wanted desperately to know how it was possible that an ordinary human being could commit such untold evil and still feel no guilt. But there was a second thing - a very personal and nagging question. Malkin discovered that the little boy who so enthralled Eichmann was his own son. At the most opportune moment when Eichmann spoke passionately of how he missed his son, Malkin posed the question. "My sister’s boy ... was just your son’s age ... also blond and blue-eyed, just like your son. And you killed him." He waited for an explanation, confident that Eichmann could make the extension. With complete indifference he muttered, "But your nephew was Jewish, wasn’t he."
Hate wears a face of such indifference that it is terrifying. This story tells us something about the nature of guilt: that one’s feeling of guilt is inextricably bound to one’s view of life itself. For Eichmann, certain lives held no value and he, therefore, felt no guilt in destroying them. But our hearts cry out against such hatred because we know that every life is sacred and valuable. That sacredness is intrinsic for all humanity, because of our creator. May that cry point you to God himself, who sent his own Son to die that you may truly know how precious you are in His sight.
_________________________
Copyright © 2002 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.
*
Affection/Passion
People didn't do hardly any kissing until about 500 A.D. Exactly what got
them started and why is not clear, though the homages of religion had much to do
with it. Early kissing was no preliminary to passion. But it got around to
that. Most things get around to that!
We are sometimes told that Christian love is not a matter of LIKING people; after all, we are called upon to love "neighbors" with whom we have no natural ties of affection, and even enemies. And so we get a picture of Christian love as a kind of gritting your teeth and doing our cold duty toward people who mean nothing, or less than nothing, to us. You are supposed to love without having your heart in it, and if you care too much about people, there is even the suspicion that your love is not genuinely Christian.
But this picture is false to the New Testament. Jesus is said to have had compassion on a mixed crowd (Mark 6:34) and on a presumably unknown leper who came to him (Mark 1:41). His demeanor toward people is in general not that of a man doing his cold duty, but one of AFFECTION. And the apostle tells us to be "tender-hearted" to one another (Eph. 4:32).
*
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.”
Rebecca - age 8
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy - age 4
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl - age 5
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy - age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.”
Terri - age 4
“Love is when my Mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny - age 7
“Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby - age 5
“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate.” Nikka - age 6
“There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them.”
Jenny - age 4
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle - age 7
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”
Tommy - age 6
“My Mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clare - Age 5
“Love is when Mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine - age 5
“Love is when Mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
Chris - age 8
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
Mary Ann - age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren - age 4
“I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.”
Bethany - age 4
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”
Karen - age 7
“Love is when Mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.”
Mark - age 6
“You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica - age 8
*
“For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,” (Philippians 1:8-9 NKJV)
Yearning Affection
• for…record[witness] — He is a witness of the truth of my words
• how…all — Phil 4:1 — I yearn for your welfare
• in[with]…Christ — Christ’s heart had, as it were, become his, and beat in his bosom (Ellicott, Meyer)
• and…pray — this also, that follows
• love — 1 Th 3:12 — to all good things, to God, to each other
• knowledge — 2 Pet 2:18, Col 1:19, 1 Jn 5:2, 1 Th 4:9-10, 1 Pet 1:22 — seeking to know best the things that are most lovable. Love aiding in the acquisition of knowledge
• all — every form of
• judgment[discernment] — perception of things good in faith and practice
Christian love — J. Pillans
Christian love –
I. Is unselfish.
II. Is a pure and spiritual thing.
III. Is guided by intelligence and experience.
IV. Assumes, as its great work, the impartation of Christian truth.
V. Embraces everything, and makes all subservient to its main work.
Self-sacrificing affection — “0 Charlie! be careful, little brother you are skating too near that hole!” The words came too late. Charlie did not see the hole, and before his brother had finished speaking, he saw the little fellow go out of sight under the ice. With all speed Harry hastened to the spot; he could see his brother, and, creeping to the edge, he reached out his hand; but the ice was not strong enough to hold him, and he fell-in. Other boys, hearing their cries, were soon on the spot. Henry caught his little brother, held him up where strong arms could reach him. “Save, oh, save my brother!” he cried; then sank to rise no more. The elder brother gave his life for the younger.
“Orthodoxy of itself is not sufficient to any man’s salvation; but the conjunction of an orthodox head with a honest sincere heart always constitutes an excellent Christian.” — Flavel
A research group surveyed 1,525 women and asked for the nicest statements a man could say to them. Here are some:
I respect your career.
You cook wonderfully.
You relax, I'll do the dishes.
You inspire me.
Let me hold your hand, I need your warmth.
Your smile makes my day.
Let me rub your feet.
__________
Sermon Fodder, http://www.sermonfodder.com
*
Ray Stedman once told the story of a man who was walking by a used bookstore and he noticed in the window a book called, How To Hug. He was taken by the title and, being of a romantic nature, went in to inquire about the book. To his chagrin, he discovered that it was a volume of an encyclopedia that covered the subjects “How” to “Hug.”
I think that is what happens in church at times. Everyone knows that love ought to be evident in church, and many come to church hoping to find a demonstration of love, only to be confronted with an encyclopedia on theology. But our love should not be like that. The love that we have for each other ought to be genuine.
*
Maybe you’ve heard of Jack Kublesky. He was from Waukega, Illinois. You may know him as Jack Benny. When Jack was a young man, he was working in the studio. He saw a young woman working there and he wanted to ask her out but he was too shy and embarrassed. So he sent a single, red rose to her desk with no note attached to it. He thought a rose was a nice symbol of beauty and love. Everyday, she received a red rose. Finally, one day, she asked the deliveryman who was sending the roses. He said a guy named Jack who worked there. She found out who he was. They began talking and they went out. She thought after they went out the roses would stop. But there didn’t. They kept coming...a single red rose every day.
They were engaged and she thought the roses would stop. But they didn’t stop. They came after their wedding day. A single red rose every day. Even after their first anniversary, they kept coming. After five years and ten years and decades later, the single red roses continued to show up. Jack Benny died. The day after his funeral, a single red rose showed up. The day after that, another red rose. On the third day, she went to the florist and said, “I don’t know if you realize this or not, but Mr. Benny passed away. It is kind of you, but you do not need to do this any longer.” And the florist said, “Mrs. Benny, you don’t understand. Jack made provisions years ago to provide you a single red rose every day you are alive.”
What does it say? You are valued. You are loved. I care for you. Affection, communication, help and appreciation – men, that’s what women want men to know about women. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
While at the mall, I saw an elderly couple holding hands while they were walking. As they approached, I commented on how romantic it was.
He replied, “We have been holding hands when we go out in public for over thirty years. I have to. If I let go, she shops.”
________
Source: Cybersalt Digest, http://www.cybersalt.org/
Acts 20:36–21:16 — Return from Miletus to Jerusalem (outline by F. F. Bruce, NICNT) « Leader information shown in this fashion »
{A.} The Birth of the Church (1:1–5:42)
{B.} Persecution and Expansion (6:1–9:31)
{C.} The Acts of Peter & Beginnings of Gentile Christianity (9:32-12:25)
{D.} Church Extension from Antioch & Apostolic Decree at Jerusalem (12:25–15:35)
{E.} Paul Leaves Antioch & Moves to the Aegean World (15:36–19:20)
{F.} Paul Plans to Visit Rome and Gets there by an Unforseen Route (19:21–28:31)
{1} He Prepares to Leave Ephesus for Macedonia and Achaia (19:21–20:6)
{2} The Journey to Jerusalem
A. Paul at Troas (20:7–12)
B. From Troas to Miletus (20:13–16)
C. Paul Sends for the Elders of the Ephesian Church 20:17)
D. Paul Bids Farewell to the Ephesian Church (20:18-35)
1. Retrospect on the Ephesian Ministry (20:18-21)
2. Paul’s Prospects (20:22-24)
3. His Charge to the Elders (20:25-31)
4. Final Admonition (20:32-35)
E. An Affectionate Parting (20:36–38; NKJV): 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
1. This immediately follows Paul’s parting message to the elders from the church of Ephesus; given what he has just said, what would be priorities in his prayer? « – that they be protected from those false teachers and that they remain faithful »
2. Paul is sometimes described as uncompromising to the point of harshness; is that consistent with what is in these verses? « – discuss; their sorrow at his going, their not seeing him again, and their dragging out the time of parting. This opinion comes from those who think that Christian truth is necessarily at strife with Christian love and usually draws on the division between Paul and Barnabas. »
3. What are the benefits and dangers of being drawn into close affection toward a Christian leader? « – discuss; cf 1 Timothy 5:17; looking to a man rather than to the Lord; share his burdens »
F. Miletus to Tyre (21:1–6; NKJV): 1 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. 4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. 5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. 6 When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
1. The team’s route led them through by way of some towns, of which there is no record of evangelistic activities; the ship did not stop at Cyprus (where Barnabas and Mark may still have been ministering) but arrived at Tyre to unload its cargo. Phoenicia was the coastal area of Syria, Tyre its main port.
2. What do we gather the team did when they came to a town? What would this necessarily involve? « – they sought a believing community with whom they could have fellowship; it would mean asking around about ‘followers of the Way’ and this would incidentally involve witnessing to Jesus Christ. »
3. What information do we have concerning the state of these disciples at Tyre? « – (1) they were Spirit led or had prophets in their midst; (2) they quickly established a close relationship with Paul; (3) they were not ashamed to have public prayer »
4. What does these verses teach about the church? « – the bond in Christ that exists among believers as children of God, should show itself regardless of how long we know another Christian »
G. Tyre to Caesarea (21:7–9; NKJV): 7 And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. 8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
1. Ptolemais (Acco, Accho, Acre) was a day’s sailing south, Caesarea a further day; it is expedient in coastal waters to harbour over each night for fresh water and food. We are not told if they sailed or walked from Ptolemais to Caesarea.
2. This is Paul’s only recorded visit here; what must we conclude? « – there were others involved in evangelizing Gentile cities; the names of the apostles were widely known »
3. Who was this Philip? … who not? « – He was one of those chosen in Acts 6:1-6 to minister to the Greek-speaking widows; he was involved in evangelism and last mentioned in Acts 8:40. It is most unlikely that he was the same as Philip of Bethsaida, one of the Lord’s disciples (John 1:44) or he would be so identified »
4. Philip’s unmarried (the word denotes a natural virginity of a chaste woman, not an unnatural celibacy) daughters had the gift of prophecy; what did this fulfill? … what did it evidence? « – it fulfilled Joel’s (2:28) prophecy recounted in Acts 2:17; it was evidence of that time being the ‘last days,’ either of the Jewish covenant, or of the ‘day of grace’ in which we now live. »
H. Agabus Reappears (21:10–14; NKJV): 10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
1. We first met Agabus in Antioch; what did he prophesy there (Acts 11:28)? « – that a famine was coming »
2. In what manner does Agabus exercise his prophetic gift. Of what is this reminiscent? « – he uses a visual representation, with himself being the object lesson; this is like the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah going naked; Hosea marrying Gomer; Ezekiel with his model of Jerusalem; Jeremiah and the clay vessel, etc) »
3. This is the last of the warnings to Paul concerning his going to Jerusalem, yet Paul pursued his purpose in going there.
a. Why was he going there?
1. Acts 19:21 « – a step in his purpose to go to Rome »
2. Acts 20:22 « – because of the obligation by the Spirit »
3. Acts 24:17 « – to deliver collection for saints at Jerusalem »
b. What is Paul’s answer? « – his words tell us he is following the strong leading of God in this matter, even to the point of sacrificing himself for Christ (cf 2 Timothy 4:6) »
c. What similar example to we have to follow (Luke 9:51, 22:42; Mark 8:31-33)? … what is the overriding principle? « – the Lord Jesus Himself; that God’s will be done in all things »
I. Arrival at Jerusalem (21:15-16; NKJV): 15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
1. Better to read as the NAS and others, “… taking us to Mnason … “ – this long-standing disciple was to be the host
On a brisk autumn afternoon, in the shadow of the marble arch in Washington Square Park, a couple visiting from Ohio walked along holding hands like two teenagers going steady, decades after “going steady” went out of vogue.
When a stranger asked why they had chosen to join hands during their stroll, the man, Dave Findlay, looked at his wife of seven years and answered in a word: “Connection.”
Or as the Beatles sang back in 1963: “When I’ll feel that something, I want to hold your hand.”
Those simple lyrics turned an expression of teenage longing and first romantic steps into a No. 1 hit. Yet today, when Justin Timberlake is at the top of the charts with “SexyBack” and the digital airwaves are filled with steamy lyrical declarations (“I’m into havin’ sex, I ain’t into makin’ love” sang 50 Cent in “In da Club”), couples like Dave and Carey Findlay still intertwine fingers, kiss palms and link pinkies as they meander through parks, cross streets and snake through crowds.
“Hand-holding is the one aspect that’s not been affected by the sexual revolution,” said Dalton Conley, a professor and chairman of the department of sociology at New York University. “It’s less about sex than about a public demonstration about coupledom.”
“I think it remains more important in an era of perhaps more liberal sexual norms,” Dr. Conley said. “It remains this thing to be doled out.”
To hold someone’s hand is to offer them affection, protection or comfort. It is a way to communicate that you are off the market. Practically speaking, it is an efficient way to squeeze through a crowd without losing your partner. People do it during vigils, marches, weddings and funerals.
Usually it connotes something innocuous and sweet about a couple and their relationship. In rare instances, it takes on added potency, such as when President George W. Bush held the hand of Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Crawford, Texas, last year — an act of respect and affection in Arab countries — reminding some people of the film “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which depicted the Bush family’s close business ties to Saudi leaders and which ignited conspiracy theories.
But, over all, few things are more innocent than a child grabbing the hand of a parent, for protection, direction and, as Mr. Findlay put it, connection. And with many children these days closer and more outwardly affectionate to their parents, chances are you have spotted a mother and her teenage daughter and perhaps even a father and his adolescent son ambling through a mall, scurrying through a crosswalk or strolling along, hand in hand.
Adult children and their elderly parents also hold hands, for balance, support and as a sign of love.
As for romantic couples, the opinions about hand-holding are as varied as fingerprints. But most people agree that it has merely changed, not lost favor.
“I think that for sure college students hold hands just like the old days,” said Sandra L. Caron, a professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine in Orono.
If they do, it is likely only after they are deep into a relationship — not in those early days of budding romance, when a touch of hands was the first act of intimacy between a couple. That was the hand-holding that the Beatles wrote about. (Followed swiftly by the sexual revolution, whose equivalent anthem might be The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”)
Among more than a half-dozen students at the University of Maine, there seemed to be two universal truths: that hand-holding is the least nauseating public display of affection and that holding hands has become more significant than other seemingly deeper expressions of love and romance.
“It is a lot more intimate to hold hands nowadays than to kiss,” said Joel Kershner, 23. Because of that, he said, reaching for someone’s hand these days has more potential for rejection than leaning in for a smooch at a party where alcohol is flowing.
Libby Tyler, 20, said it was “weird that hand-holding is more serious,” but true. “It’s something that you lead up to,” she said.
There is nothing casual about it any more, said Rachel Peters, 22. “Hand-holding is something that usually people do once they’ve confirmed they’re a couple,” she said.
But if that is not complicated enough, where you choose to hold hands also has meaning, the students said.
Drew Fitzherbert, 21, said that public hand-holding “shows that commitment not only to you and your partner but everyone else in the community.”
Dr. Conley of N.Y.U. agreed. “In the dark movie theater, in the dorm room, that’s a very different social act,” he said.
Are people holding hands as much as they once did? That’s impossible to quantify. But Gregory T. Eells, the director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University in Ithaca, said he didn’t think so.
“I see more people on their cellphone than holding hands,” he said, adding, “To some extent we are trading real face-to-face relationships, where there’s touch and body language, for electronic ones.”
Whatever degree of hand-holding may be happening, there are good reasons to cultivate the habit — reasons would-be hand-graspers may wish to pass along to their hands-in-pockets partners.
“Based on what we’ve seen, when we get more physical intimacy we get better relationships, whether a mother and an infant or a couple,” said Tiffany Field, the director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
James Coan, an assistant professor of psychology and the neuroscience graduate program at the University of Virginia, has studied the impact of human touch, particularly how it affects the neural response to threatening situations, and said the results of a recent study were more dramatic than he expected.
“We found that holding the hand of really anyone, it made your brain work a little less hard in coping,” Dr. Coan said, adding that any sort of hand-holding relaxes the body.
The study, which will be published this year in the journal Psychological Science, involved 16 couples who were rated happily married based on the answers in a detailed questionnaire. The wives were put inside an M.R.I. machine and were told they were to receive mild electric shocks to an ankle. Brain images showed that regions of the women’s brains that had been activated in anticipation of pain and that were associated with negative emotions decreased when their husbands reached into the machine.
“With spouse hand-holding you also stop looking for other signs of danger and you start feeling more secure,” said Dr. Coan, who led the study. “If you’re in a really strong relationship, you may be protected against pain and stress hormones that may have a damaging effect on your immune system.”
Perhaps it is why so many people crave it.
Blogs and online forums are rife with complaints of those who say their significant other does not want to hold hands. “When we go out, we always have a blast, but the one thing that bothers me is that he never holds my hand in public,” writes a woman on a “love advice” forum on www.lovingyou.com.
For older couples, letting go of hand-holding may be one more sign that they are pressed for time and too swamped for little acts of intimacy.
“When do we make time to hold hands?,” said Dr. Eells of Cornell, talking about his own marriage of 15 years. “Not very often.”
The couple is often busy shuttling children to and from school and extracurricular activities, not strolling through parks like characters in a Georges Seurat painting.
Sometimes, though, even errands provide opportunities. Recently, Dr. Eells said, he and his 9-year-old daughter were caught in a downpour after her cheerleading practice. The two grabbed hands and raced off into the rain together. When they finally splashed over to the car, the damp girl turned her face to her father. “That was awesome,” she sighed.
________
Copyright © 2006 The New York Times Company
Illustration: I love chocolate . if I have one piece, it’s not enough. If there’ s any laying around, I’ll eat more . in fact I will often eat the addictive stuff until it’s all gone. That’s why we don’t have chocolate around our house. We don’t allow anything into our home which tempts any member with something they can’t handle. That’s one reason my family looks forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas . that’s when we bend the rules for them (they hide it . but I always find it).
Commentary: I was commenting on this to our adult Sunday School class when it suddenly occurred to me just how fond I am of chocolate. Wow! What a revelation! I really love the stuff!
The beauty of this revelation wasn’t so much the conviction I should be under (which I am) but rather the realization of just how much I truly love my Father in heaven.
For some reason (which I cannot explain) I had not, in twenty years, had a decent measure by which to judge my love of God (or my wife or kids, for that matter). This was it! An abrupt intellectual and emotional comprehension of the depth of my affection for a created thing caused me to compare one passion with another, which I also knew was very deep . my love of the Creator (yes, wife and kids, too)!
You’ll be glad to know (I certainly was), God beats chocolate by an enormous amount. Every believer should have such an epiphany . perhaps it will be for others.
{Editor’s note: don’t write me about this, I’m still growing in my love of God, chocolate reached its peak long ago}
Sermon In Family Concerns Series, #3. Song of Solomon 8:6-7
BUILDING BETTER LOVE
====================
I. Can anybody make it last anymore?
A. A bad time for celebrity marriages.
B. Celebrities aren't the only ones seeking true love.
II. What love is all about.
A. Romance and sex are not the goal.
B. Myths of Intimacy. (#1243)
1) Myth #1: Acceptance is easy.
2) Myth #2: We can make each other happy.
3) Myth #3: If I do my duty, God will change you.
4) Myth #4: Intimacy means being just alike.
III. Biblical love involves a decision of the will.
A. Jesus orders us to love our enemies.
B. Loving when it is hard.
IV. Building your love.
A. Show grace in how you treat each other.
B. Be affectionate.
C. Spend time together.
V. We can love because He first loved us.
A. Jesus is the best example of human love.
B. How can you be like Jesus?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.”
Rebecca - age 8
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy - age 4
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl - age 5
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy - age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.”
Terri - age 4
“Love is when my Mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny - age 7
“Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
Bobby - age 5
“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate.” Nikka - age 6
“There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them.”
Jenny - age 4
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.”
Noelle - age 7
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.”
Tommy - age 6
“My Mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clare - Age 5
“Love is when Mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine - age 5
“Love is when Mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
Chris - age 8
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
Mary Ann - age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren - age 4
“I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.”
Bethany - age 4
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”
Karen - age 7
“Love is when Mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.”
Mark - age 6
“You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica - age 8
*
Ray Stedman once told the story of a man who was walking by a used bookstore and he noticed in the window a book called, How To Hug. He was taken by the title and, being of a romantic nature, went in to inquire about the book. To his chagrin, he discovered that it was a volume of an encyclopedia that covered the subjects “How” to “Hug.”
I think that is what happens in church at times. Everyone knows that love ought to be evident in church, and many come to church hoping to find a demonstration of love, only to be confronted with an encyclopedia on theology. But our love should not be like that. The love that we have for each other ought to be genuine.
*
True strength often hides deep feelings, unlike outward sentimental displays.
Among Scotch qualities, the deepest rooted, apart from the fear of God, is sentiment. And yet we do not receive credit for it because we have not sentimentalism, which is the caricature and ghost of sentiment. The sentiment of the Scotch is of the heart and not of the lips. If I saw a couple of Scotchmen kissing each other good-by, I wouldn’t lend five shillings to either of them. It is not an uncommon thing to see such an exhibition among Italians. I do not blame them. They are as God made them and so they must be. People doubt whether we have any sentiment at all. Some think we are hard-hearted and cold-blooded. Our manner is less than genial and not effusive. Our misfortune is not to be able to express our feelings. This inability is allied to our strength; strong people conceal their feelings.
— JOHN WATSON
Ulysses Grant credited his mother’s sincere piety for his character and success.
Grant’s love for his family was one of the strongest and most attractive traits of his character. He never failed to appreciate the worth of his mother’s love, patience and wisdom during his early years at Georgetown. When she died in 1883, at Jersey City Heights, New Jersey, the General, when at the funeral, said to Dr. Howard Henderson, her pastor: “In the remarks which you make, speak of her only as a pure-minded, simple-hearted, earnest, Methodist Christian. Make no reference to me; she gained nothing by any position I have filled or honors that may have been paid me. I owe all this and all I am to her earnest, modest and sincere piety.”--NICHOLAS SMITH, “Grant, the Man of Mystery.”
On a brisk autumn afternoon, in the shadow of the marble arch in Washington Square Park, a couple visiting from Ohio walked along holding hands like two teenagers going steady, decades after “going steady” went out of vogue.
When a stranger asked why they had chosen to join hands during their stroll, the man, Dave Findlay, looked at his wife of seven years and answered in a word: “Connection.”
Or as the Beatles sang back in 1963: “When I’ll feel that something, I want to hold your hand.”
Those simple lyrics turned an expression of teenage longing and first romantic steps into a No. 1 hit. Yet today, when Justin Timberlake is at the top of the charts with “SexyBack” and the digital airwaves are filled with steamy lyrical declarations (“I’m into havin’ sex, I ain’t into makin’ love” sang 50 Cent in “In da Club”), couples like Dave and Carey Findlay still intertwine fingers, kiss palms and link pinkies as they meander through parks, cross streets and snake through crowds.
“Hand-holding is the one aspect that’s not been affected by the sexual revolution,” said Dalton Conley, a professor and chairman of the department of sociology at New York University. “It’s less about sex than about a public demonstration about coupledom.”
“I think it remains more important in an era of perhaps more liberal sexual norms,” Dr. Conley said. “It remains this thing to be doled out.”
To hold someone’s hand is to offer them affection, protection or comfort. It is a way to communicate that you are off the market. Practically speaking, it is an efficient way to squeeze through a crowd without losing your partner. People do it during vigils, marches, weddings and funerals.
Usually it connotes something innocuous and sweet about a couple and their relationship. In rare instances, it takes on added potency, such as when President George W. Bush held the hand of Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Crawford, Texas, last year — an act of respect and affection in Arab countries — reminding some people of the film “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which depicted the Bush family’s close business ties to Saudi leaders and which ignited conspiracy theories.
But, over all, few things are more innocent than a child grabbing the hand of a parent, for protection, direction and, as Mr. Findlay put it, connection. And with many children these days closer and more outwardly affectionate to their parents, chances are you have spotted a mother and her teenage daughter and perhaps even a father and his adolescent son ambling through a mall, scurrying through a crosswalk or strolling along, hand in hand.
Adult children and their elderly parents also hold hands, for balance, support and as a sign of love.
As for romantic couples, the opinions about hand-holding are as varied as fingerprints. But most people agree that it has merely changed, not lost favor.
“I think that for sure college students hold hands just like the old days,” said Sandra L. Caron, a professor of family relations and human sexuality at the University of Maine in Orono.
If they do, it is likely only after they are deep into a relationship — not in those early days of budding romance, when a touch of hands was the first act of intimacy between a couple. That was the hand-holding that the Beatles wrote about. (Followed swiftly by the sexual revolution, whose equivalent anthem might be The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together.”)
Among more than a half-dozen students at the University of Maine, there seemed to be two universal truths: that hand-holding is the least nauseating public display of affection and that holding hands has become more significant than other seemingly deeper expressions of love and romance.
“It is a lot more intimate to hold hands nowadays than to kiss,” said Joel Kershner, 23. Because of that, he said, reaching for someone’s hand these days has more potential for rejection than leaning in for a smooch at a party where alcohol is flowing.
Libby Tyler, 20, said it was “weird that hand-holding is more serious,” but true. “It’s something that you lead up to,” she said.
There is nothing casual about it any more, said Rachel Peters, 22. “Hand-holding is something that usually people do once they’ve confirmed they’re a couple,” she said.
But if that is not complicated enough, where you choose to hold hands also has meaning, the students said.
Drew Fitzherbert, 21, said that public hand-holding “shows that commitment not only to you and your partner but everyone else in the community.”
Dr. Conley of N.Y.U. agreed. “In the dark movie theater, in the dorm room, that’s a very different social act,” he said.
Are people holding hands as much as they once did? That’s impossible to quantify. But Gregory T. Eells, the director of counseling and psychological services at Cornell University in Ithaca, said he didn’t think so.
“I see more people on their cellphone than holding hands,” he said, adding, “To some extent we are trading real face-to-face relationships, where there’s touch and body language, for electronic ones.”
Whatever degree of hand-holding may be happening, there are good reasons to cultivate the habit — reasons would-be hand-graspers may wish to pass along to their hands-in-pockets partners.
“Based on what we’ve seen, when we get more physical intimacy we get better relationships, whether a mother and an infant or a couple,” said Tiffany Field, the director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
James Coan, an assistant professor of psychology and the neuroscience graduate program at the University of Virginia, has studied the impact of human touch, particularly how it affects the neural response to threatening situations, and said the results of a recent study were more dramatic than he expected.
“We found that holding the hand of really anyone, it made your brain work a little less hard in coping,” Dr. Coan said, adding that any sort of hand-holding relaxes the body.
The study, which will be published this year in the journal Psychological Science, involved 16 couples who were rated happily married based on the answers in a detailed questionnaire. The wives were put inside an M.R.I. machine and were told they were to receive mild electric shocks to an ankle. Brain images showed that regions of the women’s brains that had been activated in anticipation of pain and that were associated with negative emotions decreased when their husbands reached into the machine.
“With spouse hand-holding you also stop looking for other signs of danger and you start feeling more secure,” said Dr. Coan, who led the study. “If you’re in a really strong relationship, you may be protected against pain and stress hormones that may have a damaging effect on your immune system.”
Perhaps it is why so many people crave it.
Blogs and online forums are rife with complaints of those who say their significant other does not want to hold hands. “When we go out, we always have a blast, but the one thing that bothers me is that he never holds my hand in public,” writes a woman on a “love advice” forum on www.lovingyou.com.
For older couples, letting go of hand-holding may be one more sign that they are pressed for time and too swamped for little acts of intimacy.
“When do we make time to hold hands?,” said Dr. Eells of Cornell, talking about his own marriage of 15 years. “Not very often.”
The couple is often busy shuttling children to and from school and extracurricular activities, not strolling through parks like characters in a Georges Seurat painting.
Sometimes, though, even errands provide opportunities. Recently, Dr. Eells said, he and his 9-year-old daughter were caught in a downpour after her cheerleading practice. The two grabbed hands and raced off into the rain together. When they finally splashed over to the car, the damp girl turned her face to her father. “That was awesome,” she sighed.
________
Copyright © 2006 The New York Times Company
Acts 20:36–21:16 — Return from Miletus to Jerusalem (outline by F. F. Bruce, NICNT) « Leader information shown in this fashion »
{A.} The Birth of the Church (1:1–5:42)
{B.} Persecution and Expansion (6:1–9:31)
{C.} The Acts of Peter & Beginnings of Gentile Christianity (9:32-12:25)
{D.} Church Extension from Antioch & Apostolic Decree at Jerusalem (12:25–15:35)
{E.} Paul Leaves Antioch & Moves to the Aegean World (15:36–19:20)
{F.} Paul Plans to Visit Rome and Gets there by an Unforseen Route (19:21–28:31)
{1} He Prepares to Leave Ephesus for Macedonia and Achaia (19:21–20:6)
{2} The Journey to Jerusalem
A. Paul at Troas (20:7–12)
B. From Troas to Miletus (20:13–16)
C. Paul Sends for the Elders of the Ephesian Church 20:17)
D. Paul Bids Farewell to the Ephesian Church (20:18-35)
1. Retrospect on the Ephesian Ministry (20:18-21)
2. Paul’s Prospects (20:22-24)
3. His Charge to the Elders (20:25-31)
4. Final Admonition (20:32-35)
E. An Affectionate Parting (20:36–38; NKJV): 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, 38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
1. This immediately follows Paul’s parting message to the elders from the church of Ephesus; given what he has just said, what would be priorities in his prayer? « – that they be protected from those false teachers and that they remain faithful »
2. Paul is sometimes described as uncompromising to the point of harshness; is that consistent with what is in these verses? « – discuss; their sorrow at his going, their not seeing him again, and their dragging out the time of parting. This opinion comes from those who think that Christian truth is necessarily at strife with Christian love and usually draws on the division between Paul and Barnabas. »
3. What are the benefits and dangers of being drawn into close affection toward a Christian leader? « – discuss; cf 1 Timothy 5:17; looking to a man rather than to the Lord; share his burdens »
F. Miletus to Tyre (21:1–6; NKJV): 1 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo. 4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. 5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed. 6 When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
1. The team’s route led them through by way of some towns, of which there is no record of evangelistic activities; the ship did not stop at Cyprus (where Barnabas and Mark may still have been ministering) but arrived at Tyre to unload its cargo. Phoenicia was the coastal area of Syria, Tyre its main port.
2. What do we gather the team did when they came to a town? What would this necessarily involve? « – they sought a believing community with whom they could have fellowship; it would mean asking around about ‘followers of the Way’ and this would incidentally involve witnessing to Jesus Christ. »
3. What information do we have concerning the state of these disciples at Tyre? « – (1) they were Spirit led or had prophets in their midst; (2) they quickly established a close relationship with Paul; (3) they were not ashamed to have public prayer »
4. What does these verses teach about the church? « – the bond in Christ that exists among believers as children of God, should show itself regardless of how long we know another Christian »
G. Tyre to Caesarea (21:7–9; NKJV): 7 And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. 8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
1. Ptolemais (Acco, Accho, Acre) was a day’s sailing south, Caesarea a further day; it is expedient in coastal waters to harbour over each night for fresh water and food. We are not told if they sailed or walked from Ptolemais to Caesarea.
2. This is Paul’s only recorded visit here; what must we conclude? « – there were others involved in evangelizing Gentile cities; the names of the apostles were widely known »
3. Who was this Philip? … who not? « – He was one of those chosen in Acts 6:1-6 to minister to the Greek-speaking widows; he was involved in evangelism and last mentioned in Acts 8:40. It is most unlikely that he was the same as Philip of Bethsaida, one of the Lord’s disciples (John 1:44) or he would be so identified »
4. Philip’s unmarried (the word denotes a natural virginity of a chaste woman, not an unnatural celibacy) daughters had the gift of prophecy; what did this fulfill? … what did it evidence? « – it fulfilled Joel’s (2:28) prophecy recounted in Acts 2:17; it was evidence of that time being the ‘last days,’ either of the Jewish covenant, or of the ‘day of grace’ in which we now live. »
H. Agabus Reappears (21:10–14; NKJV): 10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
1. We first met Agabus in Antioch; what did he prophesy there (Acts 11:28)? « – that a famine was coming »
2. In what manner does Agabus exercise his prophetic gift. Of what is this reminiscent? « – he uses a visual representation, with himself being the object lesson; this is like the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah going naked; Hosea marrying Gomer; Ezekiel with his model of Jerusalem; Jeremiah and the clay vessel, etc) »
3. This is the last of the warnings to Paul concerning his going to Jerusalem, yet Paul pursued his purpose in going there.
a. Why was he going there?
1. Acts 19:21 « – a step in his purpose to go to Rome »
2. Acts 20:22 « – because of the obligation by the Spirit »
3. Acts 24:17 « – to deliver collection for saints at Jerusalem »
b. What is Paul’s answer? « – his words tell us he is following the strong leading of God in this matter, even to the point of sacrificing himself for Christ (cf 2 Timothy 4:6) »
c. What similar example to we have to follow (Luke 9:51, 22:42; Mark 8:31-33)? … what is the overriding principle? « – the Lord Jesus Himself; that God’s will be done in all things »
I. Arrival at Jerusalem (21:15-16; NKJV): 15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
1. Better to read as the NAS and others, “… taking us to Mnason … “ – this long-standing disciple was to be the host
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